[1][3] Historian Fay Hempstead described Compton's reputation as a lawyer: His mind was as strong as his body, but both physically and intellectually, he was singularly slow and lethargic.
When, however, he was retained in a case of sufficient importance and with a fee that was adequate to his demands, he was a man of extraordinary power.
By that time he had not merely read the cases bearing upon the subject, but he had thought about it profoundly, and his views were original and bold.
[3]Compton was a loquacious speaker and it took him time to gather his thoughts, but his writing was described as "remarkably terse and clear; never using a superfluous word".
[1][3] After the war, he took up his residence at Little Rock, where he remained in the practice of law until his death,[1][3] aside from a brief reappointment to the court in June 1874.