Staff of @AZStateBar present, lead, and are honored by @NABE_News, via @ABABarLeader

No, it’s not Trump Tower, but close. Welcome to Orlando, site of the 2015 meeting of the NABE Communications Section.

In early October, a few of us from Arizona Attorney Magazine had the opportunity to present at a national conference. Today, I’m happy to share great recaps of those two presentations.

Karen Holub, our Art Director, and I spoke at the annual conference of the National Association of Bar Executives Communications Section. It was held in Orlando, which is a (head) trip of its own.

My plenary presentation was on the topic of “the art of presenting.” It was a blast, and I was privileged to share the podium with the talented and long-suffering Catherine Sanders Reach of the Chicago Bar Association. She provided invaluable content to the banquet room of communicators. And I provided … well, why don’t you read the terrific coverage we got from the talented and generous writer Marilyn Cavicchia.

Attendees gather to hear us talk about the art of presenting.

True professional Catherine Sanders Reach exudes patience while Communications Section Chair Russell Rawlings and I trade picture-taking.

The day before, Karen presented with terrific colleagues from San Francisco and Nashville on design for the non-designer. Her presentation was funny and valuable, and she simply crushed it. Here’s how Marilyn described that session.

And here is a photo of Karen presenting.

Karen Holub explains design for a roomful of non-designers. She spoke slowly.

Her slides were eye-opening (which is what you want in slides). Among my favorites was this one, which chastised all of us in legal publications for our often too-easy use of images like gavels (and scales of justice, omigod the scales) to illustrate complex concepts. Try harder, she suggested, and you’ll be surprised what can happen.

Enough with the gavels in legal journalism, ok?

Finally, at the Friday closing luncheon, those of us in the State Bar of Arizona were recognized for professional achievement. My terrific colleague Alberto Rodriguez accepted an award for the Bar’s “Finish the Ballot” campaign. And I got an award for leadership.

Alberto Rodriguez and I with awards from the National Association of Bar Executives, Orlando, Fla., Oct. 2, 2015.

You can read more about the honors here.

Alberto Rodriguez, State Bar of Arizona, right, and fellow honorees at the National Association Of Bar Executives Communications Section workshop, Oct. 2, 2015.

Over time, I’ve learned that presenting and participating in professional service yield great benefits, and that the considerable time we put in garners much in return. I hope you agree.

Congratulations to my great fellow-workers on your achievements and willingness to lead.

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JAG lawyers in Arizona focus of jet-centric feature story

September 2015 Arizona Attorney: JAG lawyers stand in front of F-35 at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. (Photo by Karen Shell)

Today I’m pleased to preview an article on lawyers who serve at Luke Air Force Base. It’ll be in the September issue of Arizona Attorney, and it’s quite a feature.

Written by attorney and JAG officer Rodney Glassman, it’s a complete picture of what goes into serving as an attorney in the Air Force. Adding to the story are the amazing photos, shot on location by photographer Karen Shell.

We’re always happy to feature photos of our Arizona lawyers. But equally exciting was the opportunity to include the new and path-breaking F-35 jet. It’s always nice to break news as well as sound barriers.

Our Luke AFB JAG opening spread (photo by Karen Shell)

Thank you to Art Director Karen Holub for shepherding the photo shoot and for the story design. Here are some photos from the shoot. (Click to biggify.)

Photographer Karen Shell on location at Luke Air Force Base, July 9, 2015.

Photographer Karen Shell on location at Luke Air Force Base, July 9, 2015.

Photographer Karen Shell on location at Luke Air Force Base, July 9, 2015.

Photographer Karen Shell on location at Luke Air Force Base, July 9, 2015.

Photographer Karen Shell and Art Director Karen Holub in front of the F-35A Lightning II, July 9, 2015.

At ease: Photographer Karen Shell and Art Director Karen Holub celebrate a successful photo shoot in front of the F-35A Lightning II, July 9, 2015.

At ease: Photographer Karen Shell and Art Director Karen Holub celebrate a successful photo shoot in front of the F-35A Lightning II, July 9, 2015.

It was also fun, as always, to write headlines for our cover. As you can see, I ultimately opted for Gotta Jet. But my backup—and still a strong favorite—would have been Legal Zoom.

Get it? Yes, probably not as good and definitely more controversial.

The complete story is in the magazine mailed this week to readers. It will be available online September 1.

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Lawyer–artists gather for magazine photo shoot

Attorney Mark Bockel poses in the Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, as photographer John Hall shoots his picture, March 12, 2015.

The annual photo shoot for our Creative Arts Competition winners was held last week, and it looks like it was terrific.

I say “looks” because I was out of town and had to miss it. But that makes me doubly happy that Art Director Karen Holub thoughtfully provided me some “behind the camera” shots. (Which is kind of amazing, as she was herding cats, a photographer, and multiple lawyer-winners.)

All of the professionally shot photos will appear in the May issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine—along with the talented artists’ work. In the meantime, click here to see last year’s winning work.

Thank you to the Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale for hosting our shoot. As always, your space and the work you display are remarkable.

Have a great—and artful—weekend.

Here are a few more shots. (Click them to biggify.)

Photographer John Hall at the Arizona Attorney Magazine arts photo shoot, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, March 12, 2015.

Photographer John Hall with attorney Mark Bockel at the Arizona Attorney Magazine arts photo shoot, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, March 12, 2015.

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Grandparents Day aligns with magazine coverage

Our September 2014 cover

Not to be timely or anything, but …

The September issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine has a great and detailed story on the twists and turns grandparent-visitation legislation has taken—in Arizona and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, National Grandparents Day falls this weekend, on September 7.

And yes, although it will not play for me, there is apparently an official song for the occasion (at least, according to Wikipedia).

A hat tip to Art Director Karen Holub for locating our aww-inspiring cover image. If that doesn’t make you want to call your grandfolks, I don’t know what will.

And thank you to our terrific author Michael K. Goldberg (read his feature article here). And thank you to the calendar for your unintentional cooperation.

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Lawyer-artists to be featured again in Arizona Attorney Magazine

Creative Arts Competition photo shoot, Tempe Center for the Arts, March 3, 2014.

One of my favorite days in the magazine’s year has to be the annual lawyer–artists photo shoot. This year’s version occurred on Monday afternoon.

Once again at the beautiful Tempe Center for the Arts, the shoot requires huge coordination and the establishment of numerous “shots.” We have single portraits (for each winning artist’s page in the printed magazine), as well as numerous group shots for the winners, honorable mentions, entire group, and other spur-of-the-moment combinations.

Karen Shell has been our go-to photographer for a number of years now, and I’m continually impressed by her creativity, willingness to adapt, and calm in the face of chaos.

Kudos also to Karen Holub, our Art Director. She herds multiple cats in the effort to get this whole affair launched, implemented, and sewn up.

Photographer Karen Shell (left) and Art Director Karen Holub consult on a shot.

In previous years, we’ve shot the photos in the light-filled lobby and on the lakeside patio of the TCA. But this spring, we wondered whether it would be possible to do something different. Could we get on the main stage and include shots of the gorgeous cherry-wood theatre?

You never know. Theatres and the acting companies that inhabit them can be a tetchy lot.

The happy answer: Yes. The result is a series of shots that capture the evocative theatre as well as the moody-black of the stage itself.

Here are a few photos (click to make them larger. The real deal—shot by Karen Shell and not be me on my Canon S110—will be in the May issue of Arizona Attorney. (Here is last year’s coverage.)

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Foundation Birthday Deserves a Cake, Magazine Cover

So what tastes good, confuses Accounting, and celebrates Access to Justice?

A cake, of course.

Here is just a slice of our delicious cake cover for the July/August Arizona Attorney Magazine.

The upcoming issue of Arizona Attorney features a history-sharing cover story. We’re pleased to cover the 35th anniversary of the Bar Foundation—currently named the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education. To do so, we are publishing the memories of many of their past Presidents.

At the magazine, we brainstormed what an anniversary needs, and of course we thought of a cake.

Search around in online stock art and you’ll see a lot of cakes. But a great sister like the Foundation only turns 35 once, so Art Director Karen Holub and I agreed a real, honest-to-goodness cake was best.

The craftsmanship was done by the talented Tammie Coe. You should see more of her work here.

Tammie Coe

The cake image above reveals a small part of the beautiful creation. I promised Karen I would not give away The Big Reveal. The whole thing will be visible on our July/August cover.

Oh, and the Accounting-confusion thing? Try sending a cake invoice to your Accounting Department coded for “Professional Services” rather than for “Food/Meals.” You’ll get a phone call.

Here was my emailed explanation to them:

“The cake was made as a prop for our photo shoot. Though it was edible (after quite awhile under hot lights), the bakery was hired first and foremost for its design skills and craftsmanship, not for eatin’!”

We try to keep it interesting.

Because I know you like to see how the cake (and sausage) is made, I share an early conceptual drawing for this cake project (below). The final result was quite a bit different, but we’re all about the process!

Cake concept drawing

Have a wonderful Independence Day. The blog and I may take a few days off (I consulted James Madison, who urged me to write more, a la The Federalist Papers. But my man Ben Franklin urged relaxation, which I will heed.)

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Lawyer-Artists Gather for Our Annual Photo Shoot

In the annual cycle of Arizona Attorney Magazine, an event in early March has become one of my favorites.

That is when we schedule the photo shoot for the winners of the lawyer arts competition.

We publish those winners and their art in the May issue, and so the shoot occurs in March.

Art Director Karen Holub, left, and photographer Karen Shell collaborate at our creative arts photo shoot.

To achieve that, Art Director Karen Holub must wrangle about a dozen busy people to all congregate at the same time and the same place. Once she’s done that, she and photographer Karen Shell can work their magic. (Me? I attend merely to meet the winners, if I don’t know them, and to nosh a bit on the finger foods we offer; that’s my complete contribution.)

Here are a few of my own poor cellphone shots from the shoot (click any of them to view as a slideshow), held at the beautiful and hospitable Tempe Center for the Arts. All of the truly stellar work will appear next month, in print and online.

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Arizona Attorney Magazine Garners Three Awards for Publication Excellence

Here is some great news from the State Bar of Arizona (if we do say so ourselves!). We are pleased to report that some magazine staff (yes, me too) were recognized in a few national awards for terrific work related to Arizona Attorney Magazine.

As you’ll see below, this blog was recognized; thank you to all the readers, especially those who have commented, critiqued and sent me suggestions about blog posts.

Thank you and congratulations to my colleagues Karen Holub and Michael Peel, who routinely generate superior work that I would put up against that of most any magazine.

Here’s the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2012

Contact: Tim Eigo, Arizona Attorney Editor

Phone: 602.340.7310, Mobile: 602.908.6991

E-Mail: tim.eigo@staff.azbar.org

PHOENIX – July 24, 2012 – Arizona Attorney magazine’s own Tim Eigo, Karen Holub and Michael Peel each garnered an award for their respective submissions to the 2012 Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX).

The individual entries represented the magazine in the following categories and proved to be award-winning submissions among the 3,382 that were evaluated by APEX judges:

Blog Category

Arizona Attorney Blog by Tim Eigo, Editor

Magazine Design – Spread

“Lawyers and the Cloud” by Karen Holub, Art Director

Print Ad

“Stop Reading, Start Writing” by Michael Peel, Production Manager

According to APEX officials, “The awards were based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the success of the entry—in the opinion of the judges—in achieving overall communications effectiveness and excellence.”

About APEX Awards for Publication Excellence

APEX Awards for Publication Excellence is an annual competition for publishers, editors, writers and designers who create print, Web, electronic and social media. Business, nonprofit, agency and freelance communicators can enter APEX to win awards for their best writing, publications, campaigns, programs, design, and media. All of this year’s winners are listed here.

About Arizona Attorney Magazine

Arizona Attorney is the official magazine of the State Bar of Arizona. Published monthly and delivered to every attorney and judge in the state, circulation is just over 23,000. The magazine provides articles on substantive law issues, legal trends and feature profiles.

About the State Bar

The State Bar of Arizona is a non-profit organization that operates under the supervision of the Arizona Supreme Court. The Bar includes approximately 16,900 active attorneys and provides education and development programs for the legal profession and the public. Since 1933 the Bar and its members have been committed to serving the public by making sure the voices of all people in Arizona are heard in our justice system.

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Arts Winners Clean Up Good: Behind the Shots at Our Photo Shoot

Photographer Karen Shell captures our arts winners. March 5, 2012, Tempe Center for the Arts.

This week, the May issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine reaches readers. In it, we honor creativity in the arts.

The winners of our annual Creative Arts Competition deserve every bit of the praise they receive. In an upcoming post, I will share some of their unique work.

Today, I honor their patience. Patience, you ask?

Well, yes. Because on March 5, they participated in a photo shoot at the Tempe Center for the Arts. If you’ve never been at such an event, you may think it’s all beautiful settings and delicious canapés.

Hold it. We did have those things.

What I meant to say was, It’s not just a beautiful setting and delicious canapés. It’s also a lot of work—hours’ worth. Add to that the fact that no one really likes to get their photo taken, especially if you’re not a professional model, and the fact that we do not show the arts winners their photos for approval. Well, you get the idea. It can be nerve-wracking.

Congratulations and thanks to all our winners: Allison Quattrocchi, Joel Sannes, Jose Robles, Doug Christian, Keith Lyman, Julie Pace, Russell Kolsrud and Rex M. Anderson.

Thank you also to the professional photographer with whom we partnered again. Karen Shell is detail-oriented, artistic and cool under pressure. That is everything you could want on a photo shoot.

You can read more about Karen and her work here.

Thank you also to our terrific magazine Art Director, Karen Holub. Once again, she organized and directed the shoot masterfully. Her attention to detail and her vision always ensure we get just what we need.

Below are a few of my behind-the-scenes photos. The complete set is on the magazine’s Facebook page.

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Al Dente

Bob McWhirter stays good-natured during our photo shoot at Eliana's Salvadoran Restaurant, Phoenix, October 2010.

The February issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine will include my Q&A with Bob McWhirter. He is a longtime Arizona lawyer who has been hired to head up a delegation charged with improving the justice system in El Salvador.

Bob has collaborated with the magazine many times, usually in regard to his phenomenal illustrated histories of the Bill of Rights. Take a look at some of his work here, here and here.

In the meantime, enjoy a few photos that I shot as John Hall, a professional photographer, shot Bob for our feature article. As you might guess, John’s photos are light-years better than mine, but I enjoyed watching John and magazine Art Director Karen Holub work.

Immediately after the shoot, Karen and I sat down for lunch with Bob at Eliana’s, a great Salvadoran restaurant. Nothing goes better with discussions of criminal procedure than pupusas! Tasty and enjoyable, all around.

And if you’re hoping that I asked Bob why he always defies current fashions by wearing a hat, you won’t be disappointed. The February issue will be online February 1.

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