Talented Staff of @AZStateBar Serve the Public on @UnivisionAZ Call-In Program

State Bar employees Mirna Lerma, Ayde Gutierrez, Sulema Bucio and Mabel Ramirez at the TV studio for A Su Lado.

I regularly share updates from my State Bar of Arizona colleague Alberto Rodriguez, especially as they relate to the Lawyers on Call program. That is a call-in program through which thousands of Arizonans have had their legal questions answered.

Mabel Ramirez interviewed during A Su Lado.

Last week, the Bar offered a twist on the lawyer call-in approach. Instead, on April 24 a team of terrific Bar employees answered questions that they are adept at answering. Congratulations and thanks to the four wonderful women who responded to the calls. Here is Alberto’s description:

The State Bar of Arizona and Univision 33 hosted a special edition of A Su Lado (On Your Side) on Wednesday, April 24. Univision 33 kicked-off their sweeps period with a special consumer protection phone bank and news story that featured the State Bar of Arizona and members of the Resource Center team. Resource Center Supervisor Mabel Ramirez was interviewed during the 5 p.m. newscast and offered helpful tips to help guide viewers in finding a lawyer, verifying lawyer membership, and filing a Bar/UPIL complaint.

The following is a recap from the public service program:

Date: April 24, 2013

Topic: State Bar of Arizona’s Consumer Protection Services and the Law Day Legal Aid Clinic

Phone Bank Team: Sulema Bucio, Ayde Gutierrez, Mirna Lerma and Mabel Ramirez

Summary: The RC team answered an impressive 85 calls during the two-hour phone bank focused on the Bar’s consumer protection services. The following is a small sample of the questions that were received:

• Does the Bar offer free legal advice or referrals?
• How can I file a complaint against an attorney?
• Can you verify if the attorney I’m working with is an actual attorney?
• Can you tell me more about the Law Day Legal Aid Clinics?
• Several callers were asking for legal advice and were referred to the Law Day Legal Aid Clinics.

The Resource Center team members were first-time participants. They were satisfied with the quality of the questions overall and were excited to have participated in the A Su Lado public service program. Calls were consistent from 5 to 7 p.m., which led to another successful phone bank.

State Bar Resource Center staff take callers’ questions during A Su Lado.

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YLD Picnic Gathers @AZStateBar Attorneys, Families

The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park was the site of the first annual YLD picnic.

You’ve got to love it when a plan comes together.

That must have been what the State Bar of Arizona Young Lawyers Division thought this past Sunday, when a large group of attorneys—and their families—gathered for a picnic and networking.

The venue was the McCormick–Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, and all reports are that the kids (and those who are kids at heart) had a great time. For those for whom the evocative blast of a railroad horn is not a draw, here’s what else was available: food, games, bouncy houses, cotton candy, chair massages.

Yes, I said chair massages (which probably felt great after time inside the bouncy houses).

The event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a few corporate sponsors:

• Geico
• John Driscoll & Company, Inc.
• Thomson Reuters

There are some more photos of the event (courtesy of my colleague Lisa Bormaster) at the Arizona Attorney Facebook page.

Picnic attendees chat with representatives from sponsor John Driscoll & Company.

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In Memory of Professor Joseph M. Feller of @ASUCollegeofLaw

Joe Feller

This month, we received the sad news that esteemed law professor Joe Feller had died. He had been struck by a car.

The life of the professor from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University will be honored at a public memorial service on this coming Saturday, May 4. It will be held in the Great Hall/Armstrong Hall on the Tempe campus.

In his honor, the College of Law has established a memorial scholarship to provide financial support to students who are interested in natural resources and environmental law.

To contribute to the scholarship fund, visit here.

More information about the service and the scholarship is available here.

Finally, you should read the touching tribute to Professor Feller, written by attorney Robert Glicksman, here. He kindly provides links to other tributes, as well as an aggregation of Feller’s own photography.

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Generosity Yields One-of-a-Kind Magazine Cover

A few days ago, I happily related a recognition bestowed on two men, Paul Julien and Mark Meltzer, who serve justice in Arizona every day. Much to my delight, there is a cheery follow-up on this Change of Venue Friday.

In that post, I had noted an Arizona Attorney Magazine cover that featured Jeff Schrade, who heads up Education Services at the Supreme Court Administrative Office of the Courts (say that five times fast). At our prodding, Jeff had gamely agreed more than a decade ago to serve as a cover model for us. But this week Jeff also reminded me of another permutation of that cover, one that announced his son’s birth. (That was way back in 2001; Nathan is 12 years old now!)

In my haste, I completely forgot to locate that image and share it. But Jeff was generous once again, so here it is. In this post, you get to see the one and only payment Jeff ever received for being a patient and good-humored magazine model.

First, here is the cover we ran with:

Jeff Schrade on our April 2001 Arizona Attorney Magazine cover … .

And here is the altered cover announcing his son’s birth (now displayed in Jeff’s office):

… and a new cover is born.

Advancing age being what it is, I cannot recall exactly how we developed that cover. Someone with skills way beyond mine had to have done the work. The best Jeff and I can recall, Matt Silverman, the Bar’s former communications head, probably had his finger in the mix. Not to mention our former Art Director, Carl Bezuidenhout, and then-Production Manager (now lawyer) Leslie Ross.

In any case, enjoy your weekend. And know that assistance to a magazine editor may yield great rewards!

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Lawyers of @AZStateBar Offer Free Legal Information Saturday – #shareplease

Here is a challenge I offer to you today: Share a law-related item via social media or email.

Whoa, pretty easy, right? I bet you thought I was going to ask for some major heavy lifting. Instead, it is a simple click, share, send, done.

The item is connected to a topic I covered before: a State Bar of Arizona Law Day event that will offer free legal information to those who need it.

Really, truly, honestly free. The information will be provided by generous Arizona attorneys who know that the gap between legal services and people who need them is too, too wide. Those volunteers are offering their time pro bono to help shrink the gap just a bit.

All of the pertinent details are here. If you share nothing else, send this link to anyone you know who may be able to use it. As the State Bar says:

“The 2013 Law Day Legal Aid Clinics will serve as a free legal resource where members of communities from across the Valley and Tucson can attend information sessions on a variety of legal topics.”

“The information sessions will be conducted by volunteer lawyers and will last 90 minutes. Lawyers will provide guests with a presentation on a specific legal topic, as well as reserve time for a question and answer period. Guests can participate in one or more sessions at one of the five partner locations.”

Are you connected via social media or email to any groups that could benefit? Send it their way. Post it on your Facebook timeline. Share it on your neighborhood association listserv. Ask your firm administrator to post it prominently.

Your sharing news of Saturday’s event can help guarantee its success. Possible attendees have to be informed about the locations, the topics, the opportunity on offer. Success of the event, as measured by attendance and questions answered, will help ensure that it can be done—again and again.

For at least a part of the morning, I will be at the event staged at Phoenix’s Burton Barr Central Library. I want to hear some of the information offered, and I want to thank the lawyers who are offering it—and their Saturday.

I hope to see you and your friends there. And if you missed that link, here it is again.

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Lawyer–Authors Honored for Their Contributions By @azcourts

This week I heard great news about some of my favorite people: Arizona Attorney Magazine authors.

Besides that admirable distinction, these two men are pretty remarkable in their own right. Paul Julien and Mark Meltzer both serve the Arizona justice system via their substantial positions at the Supreme Court.

Jeff Schrade (left) and Justice Scott Bales (right) present framed Arizona Attorney articles to lawyer-authors Paul Julien (center-left) and Mark Meltzer, April 2013.

As their humble and succinct bios say: “Paul Julien is the Judicial Education Officer for the Arizona Supreme Court, and was chair of the committee mentioned charged with reviewing and proposing changes to the Justice Court rules. Mark Meltzer is a specialist with the Administrative Office of the Courts, and served as committee staff.”

The news came my way from Jeff Schrade, once a colleague at the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education, and now the Director of the Education Services Division at the Arizona Supreme Court AOC.

Jeff sent the accompanying photo and news about an event at which Court staff recognized the two men for their publication in Arizona Attorney. (I think that should be a tradition at every workplace!) The article they wrote for us provided valuable and timely information about changed rules applying to the much-misunderstood Justice Courts.

You can read the complete article here.

The opening to Paul and Mark’s Justice Court rules story, Jan. 2013.

Here is a bit about the award, in Jeff’s own words:

“Today I gave Paul Julien and Mark Meltzer framed copies of their Jan 2013 Arizona Attorney article about the Justice Court Civil Rules of Procedure. Vice Chief Justice Scott Bales made a special presentation to Paul and Mark at the conclusion of our Limited Jurisdiction New Judge Orientation, which took place this week at the Arizona Supreme Court Judicial Education Center in downtown.”

“The 20 new Limited Jurisdiction judges attending this three-week program gave Paul and Mark a standing ovation, recognizing not only their excellence on this particular project, but their daily efforts to train and provide assistance to limited jurisdiction judges across the state.”

“As you know, Mark and Paul not only wrote about the new rules in the Arizona Attorney, but they lead a committee with a wide representation of justice stakeholders through lengthy process to rewrite the rules. It was an extraordinary effort that produced more accessible and understandable rules, especially for the many pro se litigants appearing before justice courts.”

Jeff Schrade, that handsome devil, graced the April 2001 cover of Arizona Attorney Magazine.

The Court’s recognition is well deserved, but that January article is just the tip of the service iceberg for Paul and Mark. They have helped the state and the Court in countless ways. And here at the magazine, their involvement has gone beyond writing (as Mark also did in our March 2013 issue). They are both go-to people whom I count on for advice and insight on so many topics. Every editor I know has a kitchen cabinet, and I’m pleased to say these two men are reliable and wise members of mine.

A side note: Jeff Schrade, too, has been a part of the Arizona Attorney family, in a very personal way. Way back in our April 2001 issue, when I had helmed the magazine for just three months, we wanted to provide a great visual to front our deep coverage of lawyer marketing and advertising.

Always a great sport, Jeff donned a sandwich board and stood on First Avenue in downtown Phoenix for at least an hour while the photographer, art director and I all helped shepherd passersby around the generous photo-model.

(There were other heroes that day: Two Bar colleagues—Bonnie Lebeck and Natalie Burns— also assisted, by striding past quickly, over and over—backwards!—to provide the necessary blur.)

Adding to the surreality experienced by commuters that morning was the fact that the sandwich board was blank; we would add the desired words to the image of the board at a later design stage. What a mensch!

Jeff recently told me, “For the record, I still proudly display the special cover you made for me welcoming the birth of my son Nathan (who is 12 now) back in 2001!”

We like the cover quite a bit ourselves!

Congratulations again to Mark Meltzer and Paul Julien. Here’s looking to years more collaboration!

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Immigration Reform the Topic of Panel at @azpbs (via @DowntownDevil )

A panel discussed the immigration proposal created by the “Gang of Eight” in the PBS studio Friday. Moderated by former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl, the panel represented a variety of viewpoints. (Cydney McFarland/Downtown Devil)

This week, I may be fortunate to bring you two follow-ups to an immigration reform panel discussion held last week at the downtown Phoenix ASU Cronkite Journalism School.

The event, moderated by Sen. Jon Kyl, occurred in the studios of KAET, the PBS affiliate.

The first summary is ably done by reporter Zachary Hillenbrand of the Downtown Devil.

Don’t know the Downtown Devil? You should. It provides great reporting in a manner that news consumers increasingly want: In a hyperlocal variety. They cover downtown Phoenix and its environs in a compelling and occasionally cheeky way. They are an independent news center, populated by many grads of the ASU J School but unaffiliated with Arizona State University.

In any case, here is how the reporter opens his story:

“ASU participated in a nationwide discussion about immigration reform through forums held at various colleges and universities Friday. Experts at the ASU forum, held in the PBS television studio at the Walter Cronkite School, discussed a proposal created by a bipartisan group of eight senators, known as the “Gang of Eight,” and issues with the current immigration system.”

“Moderated by former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl, the panel of experts provided a range of viewpoints on the issue. The panelists included Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Tamar Jacoby, president and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA; Lisa Magana, ASU associate professor at the School of Transborder Studies; Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery; attorney Daniel R. Ortega; and Mesa Mayor Scott Smith.”

Keep reading here.

Video of the event is here.

Later this week, I expect to provide another write-up, this one by a community organizer.

In the meantime, bookmark the Downtown Devil and start following them wherever you like to follow news sources.

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This Friday: Immigration Reform Panel at @ASU

I will be unable to attend this immigration reform panel disucussion on Friday, April 19, but if you do, let me know what was said (guest blog post, anyone?).

All the information is at this link, and the bones of the matter are pasted in below:

Immigration Reform – Is It Time And What Should It Include?

Former Senator John Kyl to moderate panel on immigration reform – April 19 Political, business and non-profit leaders gather to propose and discuss practical solutions

WHAT: A panel discussion exploring the complexities surrounding immigration reform, including its timing, feasibility and potential scope. Border security, the path to citizenship, and visas for individuals working in STEM-related fields are among the topics to be addressed. This forum is part of Arizona State University’s The Challenges Before Us project, created to tackle some of the many challenges facing society today. These forums are designed to open a dialogue between experts, practitioners and the community at large.  Eight, Arizona PBS will broadcast the event live on Eight World, channel 8.3.  For more information visit: http://forum.asu.edu/forum/immigration-reform.

WHEN: Friday, April 19 from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.  (Light refreshments available at 10:45 a.m., all guests must be seated by 11:15 a.m., program begins promptly at 11:30 a.m., broadcast live on Eight World, channel 8.3.)

WHERE: Eight, Arizona PBS, Studio A (555 N Central Ave, Phoenix, 85004), 6th floor – on the Downtown Phoenix campus of ASU

Keep reading here.

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Esteemed @ArizonaLaw Alum, Trial Lawyer Richard D. Grand Dies

Attorney Richard D. Grand, 1930-2013

I am sorry to report some very sad news: Tucson trial lawyer Richard Grand has died.

I have written about Richard before, both in print and online multiple times, including here. And I have always been equal parts impressed and amused by Richard’s approach to the law and to human interactions. He was a University of Arizona Law School graduate and a huge supporter of their subsequent efforts.

Over the years, I would hear from Richard regularly. But it was only in the past few years that I was able to meet him (and his wonderful wife Marcia) in person.

Richard Grand: An Attorney until the end.

His death was sudden and unexpected. I expect I will write more about Richard later, but for now, I share his obituary, which opens thus:

“Attorney Richard D. Grand, 83, of Tucson, nationally recognized for his success as a plaintiff’s trial lawyer, died suddenly in San Francisco on April 7 of natural causes. Grand was the founder of The Inner Circle of Advocates, a group of plaintiffs’ attorneys called by The National Law Journal ‘the elite of the plaintiffs’ bar.’”

Attorney was so much a part of Richard’s DNA that the header for his obituary—which typically contains only the decedent’s name—included the word “Attorney.” Thus, even in the index of obituaries, he is listed as “Attorney Richard D. Grand.” Classic.

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Story Ideas Sought: Water Law, Energy, Sustainability

When you tell Arizona folks you want to talk about water resources, they listen. In fact, they may well want to chime in themselves.

That’s what I discovered recently when I drafted my April 2013 Editor’s Letter for Arizona Attorney Magazine. Like every editor, I am always seeking content that advances the conversation, and we’re always on the prowl for stories that are pertinent and timely.

Based on numerous dialogues I’ve had in the past six months, it occurred to me that a few of the areas we should be covering are water resources and energy generation. So I asked.

Happily, I heard from a good number of people with their ideas. But I’d like to hear from even more. And that’s why I’m including that April column below (you can read it and the complete issue here). If you want to be part of the conversation—either as a published author or as someone we should quote in a story—write to me at arizona.attorney@azbar.org.

Dept. of Power, Water, More Power

In a desert climate, more effort may be expended on energy issues than in other places. And the horse-trading among powerful interests will only increase in 2013.

Back in 2010, we heard from University of Arizona Law Professor Robert Glennon. The water expert said, “What we do to water is what we did to the buffalo: Harvest it to the brink of extinction.”

Even with H₂O, what we value is connected to how much we pay: “Water lubricates the American economy just as much as oil does, but Americans pay less for water than we do for cellphone service or cable television.”

The Navajo Generating Station near Page is at the center of a legal dispute that involves the Salt River Project and the Navajo Nation.

An intriguing panel last month on water in a desert climate addressed that and other issues. It opened with the question, “Do we really have enough water? Really?” (I also wrote about the panel online at http://wp.me/pEOwt-2rX).

The interrelatedness of energy issues was clear as speakers addressed the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station, for which the EPA has advised requires huge and expensive changes. Assuming improvements cost $1 billion (with a b) or more, we may have to reassess water pricing.

Historian Paul Hirt relayed a humorous story demonstrating that water in Arizona is even cheaper than dirt. He got estimates on having a ton of clean topsoil delivered to his house. A ton of clean water (according to WikiAnswers, about 240 gallons) delivered from SRP would cost about 20 times that.

“20 times cheaper,” Hirt marveled, “to get this precious, life-giving resource.”

Heather Macre, a lawyer and Central Arizona Conservation Water Board member, reexamined relations we thought we understood. For instance, she says, “When you turn on a lightbulb, you’re using water. When you turn on your faucet, you’re using electricity.”

Are we trapped in a “relentless cycle of overuse,” as Glennon says? What next steps make sustainable sense, legally or otherwise?

This year, we’d like to cover more energy topics in the magazine. To do that, we need your help.

What issues related to water or other resource should be our focus? What are the legal developments we should follow? And who are the lawyers who should be on our list of sources and authors? Write to us at arizona.attorney@azbar.org.

“Do we have enough water?” panelists were asked? One responded, “Yes, but ….”

What’s your answer?

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