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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Attorneys Across Nation Face Rising Threats of Physical Violence

Last Thursday, John Phelps wrote candidly about violence against lawyers in an Arizona Republic op-ed.

John is the CEO/Executive Director of the State Bar of Arizona. Here is how he opened his editorial:

“The murders of Phoenix attorney Mark Hummels and his client Steven D. Singer are part of an unsettling trend in the legal world. Threats and violence are on the rise.”

John Phelps

“In the same week that Hummels was murdered, a prosecutor in Texas, Mark Hasse, was also gunned down. Last year, an attorney in Yuma, Jerrold Shelley, was shot and killed by a man upset over a divorce.”

You can read his complete editorial here.

John goes on to discuss Steve Kelson, a Utah lawyer who has researched instances of violence against lawyers all across the country. (He is in the beginning steps of his process to do the same in Arizona in 2013.) The statistics Keslon reports in John’s op-ed are startling and should give us pause.

In his conclusion, John reminds us of attorneys’ highest duties: “Mark Hummels died after leaving a mediation. His death was the result of trying to find resolution. He died fulfilling Cicero’s belief that ‘we are all servants of the laws in order that we may be free.’”

“Our thoughts and prayers go to Mark and Steve Singer’s family, friends and co-workers.”

News screen grab (referring to shooter Arthur Harmon)

UPDATE: This morning, a shooting in Delaware highlighted the flash point that the legal system can be. News reports indicate that multiple people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a security checkpoint in a Wilmington courthouse. Identities of those killed and hurt have not yet been announced. But the final paragraph of the news article is revealing: “Wilmington Police Chief Christine Dunning, attending a roundtable on gun violence with Vice President Joe Biden and other law enforcement officials in Philadelphia, declined comment on the shooting and deferred to officials on the scene in Wilmington.”

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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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Governor Brewer Declares April “Access to Justice Month”

Last week, we got good news from State Bar of Arizona President Joe Kanefield that April has been named Access to Justice Month by Gov. Jan Brewer. Joe, as you probably know, was the governor’s lawyer (before he headed over to his partnership at Ballard Spahr). So we thank the governor, but also recognize the fingerprints of a man whose commitment to access to justice goes back decades.

(Here’s a profile of Joe I wrote last summer.)

And here is the proclamation itself (click to make the pages larger).

State Bar CEO John Phelps made the following announcement to Bar staff:

“As you all know, our mission statement was changed last year to add ‘access to justice.’ And this theme has been the primary focus of our president, Joe Kanefield. We should take pride in the State Bar’s historical commitment and recent re-commitment, under Joe’s leadership, to this important principle—that to make the promise of equal justice under the law a reality, all Arizonans must have access to the system that underwrites that promise.”

In the coming year, we at Arizona Attorney Magazine would like to tell some of the stories of Arizona lawyers who are improving access to justice. Contact me at arizona.attorney@azbar.org.

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State Bar CEO John Phelps on Merit Selection

A good story—plus video—just ran in the Capitol Times on the subject of merit selection of judges—if we do say so ourselves.

The back-patting has nothing to do with any work done by me or Arizona Attorney Magazine. It arises from the fact the John Phelps, the State Bar of Arizona CEO, was interviewed and featured prominently in the article. In fact, he was videotaped for an interview. Take a look.

The story and photo are by Cronkite News Service writer Channing Turner. (You can read the story here.)

He reports that a compromise—SCR 1001—was hammered out that would allow the State Bar to continue to have a role—albeit diminished—in the selection of those who would serve on the judicial nominating commissions. Who in turn would recommend names of judicial candidates to the Arizona Governor. Who in turn would make a judge appointment.

The Bar’s role is attenuated, yes, but as John Phelps says, the alternative was that the Bar would have had no role to play in judicial selection. Given that Arizona’s attorneys are the ones who interact most regularly with state court judges, that would have been an unfortunate result.

The compromise will head to the ballot for an up or down vote by Arizonans.

As I said, the Cronkite reporter’s story was a good one. But inquiring viewers have to ask: As he taped and interviewed, did he spy anything out of the ordinary in John Phelps’s office? Did anything surprising just beyond John’s right shoulder catch the reporter’s eye?

Was that … a crown?

Hmmm. As John Phelps was communicating the position that the Bar is not elitist and out of touch, there sat a bejeweled crown on his credenza. (OK, it’s a “cabinet,” but “credenza” sounds more elitist.)

Well, hold up. I am not here to blow the lid off a Bar that is a mini-Versailles in the desert. It is not. There is a perfectly good explanation. Honest.

As the Royal Wedding^TM approached last Friday, some unnamed souls thought it would heighten the revelry at the Bar’s Board of Governors meeting held the same day to offer the headgear—temporarily—to the Bar’s own President, Alan Bayham Jr. Kind of Will + Kate + State Bar.

John Phelps, kingmaker, speaks, as Alan Bayham abdicates.

At the appointed moment, John Phelps did indeed offer Alan the crown. He donned it in good spirits, but swept it off his royal head before I was able to snap a photo—though I did manage to catch Alan setting it down on the Board table. Uneasy lies the head, y’know.

And no. No one said, Let them eat cake.

We’ll have more on SCR 1001 as it moves toward the November ballot.

 

Law School at the Lege

Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch at Law School for Legislators, Jan. 6, 2011

Last Thursday, January 6, the State Bar of Arizona hosted its fifth annual Law School for Legislators. I attended for the first time, and it was an insightful way to kick off a new legislative session, especially for the freshmen who are beginning their first term.

Held every two years at the House of Representatives, the school covers a variety of topics, including federal–state relations, how judges decide cases, and how the path can always be made smoother between branches of government.

Presenting were State Bar President Alan Bayham Jr. Bar CEO/ED John Phelps, Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch, and lawyer (and former newsman) Michael Grant. Keeping speakers on track was the Bar’s Chief Communications Officer, Rick DeBruhl. And Kathleen Lundgren, the Bar’s longtime Government Relations guru, put the event together.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (ret.) and Arizona Justice Scott Bales, Law School for Legislators, Jan. 6, 2011

Following the morning session, attendees strolled down the Capitol Mall into the Supreme Court. (Surprisingly but perhaps symbolic, there is no sidewalk that takes you directly between the Legislature and the Court. The path meanders, and more than one walker teetered on a curb, looked for oncoming cars, and dashed across the street. Thus the phrase “checks and balances.”)

At the Court, attendees enjoyed lunch while keynote speaker Sandra Day O’Connor addressed them.

Everyone recalls O’Connor as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. But she reminded those gathered that she had been a legislator herself. Thus, she was able to sympathize with the lawmakers and the hard road that lay ahead of them in regard to the budget.

In that vein, she told them that she was surprised to see that the state’s restrooms were closed for business on the freeways throughout Arizona.

“There must be some way to get those open again.” Justice O’Connor said. “Goodness. Maybe make them pay-as-you-go. Think about that, please.”

She told the legislators that she did not envy them the job of balancing a budget that is reported to be more than $1 billion out of whack.

“Maybe you’ll find a path. I hope so.”

She added her memory of the many affiliated tasks that lawmakers must take up.

“I remember being annoyed that the Legislature had to make the bola tie the official state neckwear. ‘Is that what we’re here for?’ I asked. I guess so.”

O’Connor ended her remarks by talking about her appointment to the Court by President Ronald Reagan. “It was a shock” when Reagan telephoned her, she said, and not an entirely welcome one. Though gratified to be selected, she did not look forward to relocating her family back east.

But when she recently attended oral argument at the Court as a spectator, she found reason to be pleased with the number of women Justices.

U.S. Supreme Court, 2010

“I looked and saw a woman on the far right, and a woman on the far left, and a woman in the middle. It was an amazing sight, and I’m glad that we’ve graduated to that level.”

More photos from the event are here on the Arizona Attorney Magazine Facebook page.

 

Turkish Judges Visit

Yesterday, as I climbed the stairs to the office, my morning daze was interrupted by a colleague’s question.

“So the judges are upstairs in the boardroom. Are you heading up?”

Judges?

She could see my mental RAM struggling to overcome my disappearing REM.

“The judges? From Turkey? They’re meeting now.”

Office Outlook palpitations began in the back of my neck. A meeting that I had calendared—inexplicably—for Thursday was being held 15 feet skyward at this very minute.

The previous week, when I had heard that a delegation of Turkish judges was going to visit the State Bar of Arizona, I naturally requested that I be present. I mean, an awful lot happens in and around the State Bar, but judges from Turkey stopping in for a chat? Definitely once-in-a-lifetime stuff.

I had gotten the green light, but promptly got the day wrong on my calendar.

Though the meeting had already started, I decided to attend. No time like the present, I thought. But I was (I had thought blissfully) suit-free.

The Turkish delegation was led by Ministry of Justice Undersecretary Ahmet Kahraman, who is a member of the Judges and Prosecutors High Council

Understand, when I worked as a lawyer or clerked for a judge, at law firms or prosecutors’ offices, I was all about the nice suit. But since then, I have suited up only on the days that my calendar tells me it will be necessary. And Tuesday’s Outlook appeared judge-free.

Well, I plunged in anyway, and I was happy I did.

The U.S. Department of Justice was ferrying these eight judges and members of the Turkish Ministry of Justice on a whirlwind legal tour. On their trip, which runs December 2 through 11, they will visit Washington, Phoenix and Denver. Here is how the DOJ described the goal of the trip’s Arizona portion:

“In terms of purpose, if the study visit could be boiled down to one word, it would be ‘professionalism.’

“The delegates would like to understand how each section of the judicial system helps to develop, maintain, and improve the professionalism of judges and prosecutors.”

The delegates were hosted in Phoenix by Judge Daniel Barker of Division One of the Arizona Court of Appeals. On their trip, they visited a variety of legal centers, including the federal court and the Arizona Supreme Court. (They also got to attend a rodeo and have lunch at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.)

So on Tuesday for about an hour, the high-level lawyers and judges spoke with the State Bar’s CEO John Phelps and its General Counsel John Furlong. Everything passed back and forth through two translators, and many topics were covered.

(The delegates were extremely friendly, even going so far as to extend me a gift: a flash drive (4GB!) branded with the Turkish Ministry of Justice name and logo. Thank you, Adalet Bakanlığı!)

One of the delegates summed up their visit:

“In Turkey we believe we have some shortcomings to ensure public trust in our legal system. That’s why we are reviewing the Arizona system, which we know has gained significant ground in that process.”

The Turkish Ministry of Justice is online here. And if you really need the English version, go here.

More on the story will appear in the February issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine.

 

Bar Art

No, the title “Bar Art” is not a mistake, and it doesn’t refer to velvet works a la “Dogs Playing Poker.” Today, as I promised last Friday, I am sharing some art from a surprising source. That site is the State Bar of Arizona.

In the past few weeks, the Bar has had all of its current art changed out for new stuff. How was the Bar able to achieve that? Let me tell you.

Bar Art: The State Bar of Arizona did better than this.

As in the past, the art comes to us via the Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale. And as before, the art requires no out-of-pocket expenditure on the Bar’s part (I know some of you were wondering about that). Instead, we run their beauteous ad in Arizona Attorney Magazine.

You can see a few of Larsen’s recent ads here, here, here and here.

Our relationship with Larsen extends beyond art on the walls. Every year, Arizona Attorney features the terrific winners of our annual Creative Arts Competition, and in May 2008, we photographed our winners at Larsen’s terrific space. (More about Larsen Gallery is here.)

Our Arts Winners, May 2008, at the Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale

If you want to see how that arts issue came out, click here.

The path to new art began when the Bar’s CEO, John Phelps, looked around at the office walls. As he did, he began to think some of our art was getting a bit long in the tooth. That led to a few staffers being put on the case, including Executive Assistant Ann Leslie and our own Art Director, Karen Holub. They began interacting with Larsen to make better choices for the space. The only explicit request was that John wanted the art to reflect the southwest.

Most everyone here thinks it’s a great improvement. No art is going to please everybody—one piece adored by a colleague may cause a furrowed brow for another. But overall the change is astounding. And it’s not uncommon this week to see staff pausing in the hallways to talk about—art!

They done brought culture to the Bar. Thank you to everyone involved.

Below, you’ll see some of the Bar’s new art, which I photographed myself. But I have a few caveats:

First, I know: It takes real skill to photograph artwork, which I clearly do not possess. To achieve my creative output, I used our simple department Canon PowerShot (SD 890 IS, for those who care about such things). No, I’m not blaming the machinery; I’m just saying.

Second: Yes, the Bar’s hallways can be narrow in spots, which is why the shots are often angled from the side. Get over it.

Until we publish next year’s Creative Arts Competition winners in Arizona Attorney, sit back and enjoy viewing some of what now adorns our walls. And have a great weekend. 

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