Bar Leadership Institute of @AZStateBar Honors 14 Lawyer Graduates

2013 BLI Graduates—Back row, L to R: Brad Martin, Blair Moses, Elizabeth Kruschek, Buck Rocker, Doreen McPaul, Ray Ybarra Maldonado. Front row, L to R: Chris Tozzo, Tabatha LaVoie, Nicole Ong, Laura Huff, Annamarie Frank, Cid Kallen, Jessica Sanchez. Not pictured: Heather Baker.

The newest class of the State Bar of Arizona Bar Leadership Institute graduated last Friday. As always, it was a noteworthy event marking the accomplishments of a talented group of lawyers.

You may already know about the BLI, but here is a description of the program:

“The Bar Leadership Institute is a nine-month program designed to foster the professional growth and enhance the leadership skills of a diverse group of Arizona attorneys. The purpose is to increase participation and visibility in the State Bar and the community-at-large among historically under-represented groups, with an emphasis on racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability and geographic diversity. In 2009 the Bar Leadership Institute was selected by the American Bar Association to receive its prestigious Partnership Award.”

More detail is here.

Speakers at the graduation stressed the qualities of leadership exemplified by the attorney graduates.

State Bar President Amelia Craig Cramer praised the attorneys, and she thanked them for their continued participation in the work of the Bar.

State Bar of Arizona President Amelia Craig Cramer, May 10, 2013

CEO John Phelps urged the graduates to value the friendships and connections they forged through the BLI program.

“That network of leaders is something special,” he said. “Take advantage of that friendship; nurture it. You’ve had the opportunity to connect with others in this special program.”

State Bar of Arizona CEO John Phelps, May 10, 2013

With a laugh, he concluded, “You’re part of the club now. Be sure to use your club membership.”

Elena Nethers, the Bar’s Diversity and Outreach Advisor, reminded graduates, their families and supporters that the BLI is designed to “enable people to attain their full potential.”

This year, she reported, the 14 graduates arose from a pool of 60 applicants.

Bar Governor Lisa Loo praised the program and the attorneys, taking the time to introduce audience member Henry Ong, a Bar member since 1972. He has been an active participant in the activities of multiple bars, Lisa pointed out. And for good measure, he is the father of Nicole Ong, one of this year’s BLI grads.

Also attending the event was BLI chair and attorney Booker Evans, Jr.

If you are interested in being part of this successful initiative (for yourself or someone else), be sure to share and complete the Bar Leadership Institite application for the coming year’s class. The application is due by June 28.

State Bar Governor Lisa Loo and BLI chair Booker Evans, Jr., at the 2013 BLI graduation

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Reunion of Leadership Institute a Success for @AZStateBar

Reunion of graduates of the State Bar of Arizona Bar Leadership Institute, Jan. 24, 2013, Phoenix, Ariz.

Last evening, the State Bar of Arizona hosted its first BLI Reunion. It’s the first such event since the Bar Leadership Institute was launched five years ago.

Since then, those five graduating classes of lawyers have become embedded in significant leadership positions within the Bar. More information on the BLI is here.

Last night’s mingling event was at the downtown Phoenix Sheraton, and it was a success from start to finish. Noteworthy is the camaraderie felt among all of the graduates, who clearly benefit from and enjoy the fellowship of their colleagues.

The event also featured a few (brief) speakers. They were BLI grads who shared a little about the exciting projects in which they are involved. More on that later, but for now, let me mention Ann-Marie Alameddin, who discussed a pro bono legal information clinic she manages; we may cover her work, and that of others, in an upcoming issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine.

Have a great weekend. Here are a few more photos.

Benjamin Taylor II, at right, at the State Bar BLI Reunion.

State Bar of Arizona President Amelia Craig Cramer speaks at BLI reunion.

Lawyer Ann-Marie Alameddin speaks at BLI Reunion.

Lawyer Ann-Marie Alameddin speaks at BLI Reunion.

State Bar of Arizona CEO John Phelps speaks at BLI reunion.

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Applications Invited for the @StateBarofAZ 2012-2013 Bar Leadership Institute Class

News from the State Bar of Arizona:

The State Bar’s Bar Leadership Institute is now accepting applications for the 2012-2013 class.

The Bar Leadership Institute is a nine-month educational program that each year prepares participants for leadership positions within the Bar and our community at large. Applicants from historically under-represented groups (racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and disability) who are active in community service and have demonstrated leadership ability are encouraged to apply. The Bar Leadership Institute was selected by the American Bar Association to receive its prestigious partnership award in 2009. Since its inception in 2007, the BLI has fostered the professional growth and enhanced the leadership skills of more than 75 diverse attorneys. These graduates have gone on to assume leadership positions within the Bar, the legal community and their local communities.

If you are interested in applying, more information about the program and the online application form are available here. If you know of an attorney who would be a good candidate for this program, please refer him ore her to the Bar’s website as well. Applications must be submitted online before the June 27, 2012, deadline.

If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to contact Elena Nethers, the Bar’s Diversity & Outreach Advisor, at Elena.Nethers@staff.azbar.org.

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Becoming the Colleague You’d Want

Steve Little and Lynda Shely speak on professional dress, Bar Leadership Institue, Perkins Coie, Phoenix, March 24, 2012

Last Friday, I told you about an event I was attending as a clothing model. (The demands on the lawyer-ati never end, I tell you!) Here’s a brief update on our appearance before the 2012 class of the Bar Leadership Institute.

Those lawyers who are selected to participate in the State Bar of Arizona’s Bar Leadership Institute are offered a wide variety of speakers and instruction on a great many topics. I am expecting that our meager offering in regard to professional dress will not be one of their year’s highlights.

Nonetheless, I was pleased to be able to pitch in, along with lawyers Lynda Shely (the session’s moderator), CLE Director Lisa Deane, Member Assistance Program head Susan Kayler and Bar Counsel Steve Little.

Aside from Lynda, the four of us were paired up in a good-bad formation (Steve bad, me good; Lisa bad, Susan good). And just like the Silver Screen, I suspect it’s far more enjoyable to play a villain than a hero. Steve, for instance, went to town with his impersonation of a bedraggled attorney who was seriously in need of a makeover. (Steve, that was an impersonation, right?)

Lisa Deane also did what she could to look downtrodden, though I don’t think she is really able to look less than put-together. I was dismayed to see that her “gnarly” look appeared to be no worse than the way I dress most days in the office. (See, the life lessons benefited not just the BLI participants!)

The attendees looked mildly attentive, but they were also superbly dressed, so what did they need from us? I suspect that our life-modeling, along with my suggestions as to where to buy good vintage (“used”) menswear (The Well-Suited Man, in Phoenix and Scottsdale), left them more bemused than enlightened.

Oh well, we tried.

Today, let me share part of my From the Editor column from the February 2008 Arizona Attorney Magazine. In it, I discussed our cover story, Judge Timmer’s article on professionalism—including how to dress.

It’s always hard looking back at your previous work. For instance, I think the column is OK, but I sound like I’m at least 200 years old. What a curmudgeon! Oh, well—read on (more photos at the bottom).

It is New Year’s Day as I write this (for our February issue), and this month’s magazine may reflect some of my own hopes for law practice in 2008.

Our cover story explores a host of issues that were never addressed as we labored through three years of law school. But these are the issues that may make law practice for you—and your colleagues—a blessing or a curse, depending on your approach.

Beginning on page 12, Judge Ann Timmer examines the steps and missteps that many of us have made in the past. Some of the “traps for the unwary” she unearths include how to accept (and decline) work, how to dress, how to interact with others—even how to joke. Perhaps if we had had the benefit of what “seasoned” lawyers know, we would not have made those mistakes (as much).

That article and others like it remind me of the old lesson about the rules—not the Ethical Rules, but the rules of civility. The inexperienced see them as dated obstacles to efficiency, and as mechanical in the extreme. In fact, they are nothing more than courtesy made visible, gentle reminders that civility and kindness exist to make those around you (remember them?) feel at ease.

I suppose it boils down to a question we should all put to ourselves: “Would you want to work with you?”

If it takes you a few minutes to answer, read and save the article. It’s good stuff.

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Professional Dress for Lawyers May Be a Touchy Topic

Night before a seminar, I consider some ties. Hmmm. Professional enough?

What should lawyers wear? And are attorneys succumbing to a more-casual time, to the detriment of the profession?

No surprise, I guess, that I can’t answer those questions. But a State Bar seminar today urges lawyers to consider them.

And my role in the morning’s events – Panelist? Moderator? Scribe?

How about … model. (No joke.)

In what will be a first for me, I’ve been asked by seminar organizers to attend for one reason: to demonstrate lawyerly dress. Paired with me will be a lawyer whose sartorial choices would be considered inappropriate for such an august profession. (Much to my chagrin, our selection was based not on my own stellar dressing abilities; I suspect it was more random than that.)

I’m hoping I can carry off my modeling tasks well. I bet I’ll be able to walk in, turn, and walk out. Wish me luck.

More curious is the question of how attendees will receive the lesson in professional dress. My own experience with the topics reminds me that it can be a powderkeg. I mean, not everyone enjoys being told how to dress.

Back in 2008, our cover story in Arizona Attorney Magazine was titled “Working Class: Being a Pleasure in Practice.” Written by Court of Appeals Judge Ann Scott Timmer, it examined a variety of situations in which the new-ish lawyer might find himself. She explored occurrences like office politics, accepting or declining work from a partner, and work ethic. But she also examined how lawyers dress.

I’ve included a few images from our content on clothing. Looking back today, they seem pretty mild-mannered.

That’s more than I can say for some of our readers. I heard early and often from Arizona lawyers who were offended that we dared to critique their clothing choices. More than three years later, I still hear every few months from an attorney who mentions being irked by that advice.

Here’s hoping today’s attendees at the Bar Leadership Institute take the lesson more cheerfully. Have a great weekend.

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Bar Leadership Lawyers Named

Earlier this month, the State Bar of Arizona announced the names of those selected to participate in its almost-year-long Bar Leadership Institute. As the Bar described:

The State Bar of Arizona’s Diversity Department has selected 17 attorneys from across the state to participate in the 2011-2012 Bar Leadership Institute (BLI).

For the fifth year in a row, the BLI will provide its participants with a nine-month leadership program that will foster their professional growth and enhance their leadership skills.

2011-12 Partipants:

• Alane Breland of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community Tribe
• Edward Maldonado of the Law Office of Edward Maldonado
• Fernanda Sayavedra of Perkins Coie
• Francesca Montenegro of Righi Hernandez
• Guadalupe Gutierrez of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Prosecutor’s Office
• Hesam Alagha of the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office
• Javier Grajeda of Taylor and Associates
• Javier Leija of the Intel Corporation
• Jennifer Valadez of the Law Office of Jennifer Valadez
• John Lopez of Jennings Strouss & Salmon
• Kathleen Weber of Folks & O’Connor
• Kina Harding of The Harding Firm
• Laura Lawless Robertson of Greenberg Traurig
• Magdalena Jorquez of the Arizona House of Representatives
• Martin Quezada of the Law Firm of Martin J. Quezada
• May Lu of Tiffany & Bosco
• Robert Fischer of the Pima County Attorney’s Office

The Bar Leadership Institute provides participants with a rigorous education and training program that includes leadership, ethics, and career development along with up to two years of CLE credit.  It also includes sessions that prepare them for interaction and relationship building with members of the legal, judicial, and executive government sectors as well as diverse organizations and communities.

This year, more than 40 accomplished attorneys applied for the BLI, which made the selection process a difficult task for the selection committee. The 17 participants were selected based on their legal and non-legal community contributions as well as their statements of interest and qualifications. All participants must be active Bar members in good standing. The participants represent a diverse range of racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious communities, among others.

Upon completion, the BLI participants must commit to a full year of active involvement with the State Bar and/or the community.

For more information on the Bar Leadership Institute, contact Rosie Figueroa at 602-340-7393.

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Phoenix School of Law Garners National Recognition for Diversity Efforts

Some great national kudos came the way of an Arizona law school this past Saturday. That’s when the Phoenix School of Law was honored for its remarkable commitment to diversity efforts.

After the school took home the 2011 Law School Admissions Council’s Diversity Matters Award at the organization’s annual meeting in Los Angeles, PSL described the recognition as being for “the top law school in the country for its diversity efforts.” Other schools may disagree with that sweeping characterization, but the LSAC does monitor roughly 215 law schools nationwide and then converts their minority outreach efforts to a numerical scale. Whatever you call them, PSL’s accomplishments are noteworthy.

Read their complete press release down below.

The PSL news follows on the heels of a few other pieces of optimistic news. The first is the graduation of another class of the State Bar of Arizona Bar Leadership Institute this past Friday. That initiative has yielded quite a large field of lawyer-leaders over the years, and it’s great to see the program going strong.

Law School Admissions Council logo

The other news is more nuanced, but optimistic nonetheless. Some recent data show that an accelerating slide in the hiring of minority lawyers appears to have slowed.

As The American Lawyer reported on June 1:

“It’s not much, but it’s enough to make diversity advocates in the legal profession let out a collective ‘phew!’ According to our latest Diversity Scorecard, in 2010 big firms increased their percentage of minority attorneys by 0.2 percent, to 13.9 percent. This small jump is noteworthy because it halts the dip seen last year, when law firm diversity dropped for the first time in the decade that we’ve collected these numbers.”

But a companion news story demonstrates that we still have a ways to go. Data in the same month reveal that the elevation of women to partnership positions in law firms essentially stalled in 2011: “At a time when associates are chasing fewer spots as partners, women lawyers continue to lag behind their male peers in becoming partners, according to the latest data from the Project for Attorney Retention.” (read the complete story here).

Congratulations to the Phoenix School of Law and all in the legal profession who are seeking to make a difference.

Phoenix School Of Law Honored As The Top Law School In The Country For Diversity

LSAC’s Diversity Matters Award Recognizes Commitment To Valuing All Individuals

Phoenix, Arizona (June 6, 2011) -  Phoenix School of Law was honored as the top law school in the country for its diversity efforts with the 2011 Law School Admissions Council’s Diversity Matters Award at the organization’s annual meeting in Los Angeles on Saturday. PhoenixLaw was among the more than 200 LSAC member schools that were considered for the award.  The award is given to schools that are seriously committed to diversity, and who demonstrate this by their recruitment efforts directed toward underrepresented minority candidates.

Phoenix School of Law Dean Shirley Mays on our April 2011 cover

“We recognize that students of color have long been underrepresented in legal education and we are pleased that our efforts in this area have been acknowledged by LSAC,” said Shirley L. Mays, Dean of Phoenix School of Law.  “Our fall 2010 class of 31% diversity students and our spring 2011 class of 40% diversity put us at the forefront of diversifying the legal academy.  As diversity increases in our country and throughout the world, we are proud to reflect in our student body the skills, exposure, and preparation that these future leaders will exemplify in the legal profession.”

According to a 2009 Columbia University Law School study, African American and Mexican American representation in law school has decreased in the last fifteen years.  Applicants from these groups are also denied acceptance by all the schools to which they apply more often than Caucasians.  One of PhoenixLaw’s missions is a commitment to valuing and achieving diversity among students, staff, faculty and administration, so that the school can provide and impart a deeper understanding of the needs of all individuals, especially those who have been underserved.

Phoenix School of Law has made diversity an integral part of its mission through the creation of the Diversity Committee and Dean’s Diversity Council which provide opportunities to identify and resolve challenges facing the school’s diverse community.   The faculty has a 37% diversity rate, and is an integral part of these two committees.  The goals of the Diversity Committee and Dean’s Diversity Council are to promote programs that influence and effect social change at the school, as well as the community, and to promote and advance the goal of diversity in the legal profession. 

PhoenixLaw also hosts an annual High School Law Day and Diversity Day to educate high school students, college students and working professionals about law school preparation and careers in law. 

In 2009, Phoenix School of Law began a partnership with the Arizona State Bar’s Diversity Section for the Diversity Pipeline Project. The State Bar adopted Cloves C. Campbell, Sr. Elementary School (7th and 8th grades) in South Phoenix to start the project. With more than 10 student volunteers from PhoenixLaw, the pipeline project exposes students from diverse backgrounds to the benefits of higher education in an effort to encourage them to attend law school, pass the bar, and become attorneys. Project volunteers mentor the youngsters and guide them through the pipeline from entry to advancement in the legal profession.

About Phoenix School of Law

Phoenix School of Law is Arizona’s only law school offering full-time, part-time day, and part-time evening programs. The School received full approval from the American Bar Association in June 2010.  PhoenixLaw’s mission pillars are to provide student outcome-centered education, produce professionally prepared graduates, and serve the underserved. For more information about PhoenixLaw, visit www.phoenixlaw.edu or call 602-682-6800.

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Balls and Strikes

 

You never know what you’ll unearth as you work on a story.

I’m writing a brief news item about the graduation of the State Bar’s Bar Leadership Institute class of 2009-2010. (I wrote about it briefly the day it occurred; see the story and pictures here.)

A graduation story is a recurring task for writers, especially those who cover the same beat for a long time. So you do not often expect to hear something you haven’t heard before. But the May 14 graduation included a speech by Vice Chief Justice Andy Hurwitz, which was rousing and even informative.

The informative part came when he spoke about Morris “Moe” Berg. He was a baseball player in the majors and occasionally in the minors. He was a spy for the OSS. And, oh yeah, he was a lawyer.

For those of you aiming to become a Renaissance man or woman, the line forms here. A pretty good entry about Moe Berg is here.

Am I impressed? Sure. But the fact that he was a catcher probably caught my eye first. For the catcher is the linchpin of the whole operation, if you ask me. He’s the camshaft that keeps it all working. He is hidden beneath the flashier parts of the engine, and it all rotates around him. After all, who’s at home?

Growing up in upstate New York, the New York Mets were my team (Yankees? Yankees who?). And on that team, especially the World Series-winning 1969 team, was Jerry Grote, the catcher.

Sure, their pitcher, Tom Seaver, was great. But there’s a part of me that’s always appreciated the person who accomplishes much without having to occupy the highest point in an organization, be it a corner office or a mound. I admire the person who operates a well-oiled machine, all while squatting and spying the world from a lower view.

In fact, that may be a telling test:

• Do you admire the ship captain who navigates her vessel across the ocean’s expanse, or the harbor pilot who takes the helm when things get really difficult?
• Do you admire the individual talented at one discrete skill and who rests when it’s not his turn? Or the one who performs at top capacity while keeping an eye on every part of the operation?

Well, the possibility of a baseball career may be a declining possibility. But maybe I could send the ol’ resume to a spy organization or two. Either that or return to law practice. Hmmm.

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Pomp and Circumstance

Looking for a great way to end your week? How about attending a graduation?

Now, I am not someone who ever takes well to those events. I’ve had my own share and almost always find them long, hot and at least a little over the top on the pomposity scale.

But last Friday’s event confounded all those expectations. The speakers—including keynote Vice Chief Justice Andrew Hurwitz—were enjoyable and even inspiring. And the honorees signal something important and positive about the legal profession in Arizona.

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It was the graduation of the third class of the Bar Leadership Institute of the State Bar of Arizona. It acknowledged the hard work of 17 people who had given a significant portion of their past year to attend seminars and give of themselves. Here’s a description of the BLI:

“The Leadership Institute is a nine-month program designed to foster the professional growth and enhance the leadership skills of a diverse group of Arizona attorneys. In doing so, we hope to increase participation and visibility in the State Bar and community-at-large among historically under-represented groups, with a focus on racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability and geographic diversity.”

The July/August issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine will have a story about the event. It also will include better photos than the bad ones that I am able to snap (see above). Until then, here are some of my blurry masterpieces. And congratulations, graduates!

Here are the names of the legal leaders who graduated Friday:

Ann-Marie Alameddin

Alison Bachus

Diandra Benally

Samuel Chang

Ali Farhang

Lukas Grabiec

Amanda Ho

Troy Larkin

Victoria Levin

Lisa Maxi-Mullins

Robert Reder

Juan Rocha

Nicole Siqueiros

Bianca Stoll

Benjamin Taylor II

Alfred Urbina

D’Arcy Vollbracht