George Bisharat is Big Harp George, and he’s a presenter at the 2015 #azbarcon

Last week, I wrote about an #azbarcon panel discussion on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. I’ll be there when it starts at 2:00 today.

But in the meantime, you should take a moment to hear from one of the panelists, Professor George Bisharat. (I disclosed before that he was my law school crim-law professor.) Today, he’ll be giving insight on the Palestinian side of the dialogue. But more pertinent for your lunchtime listening? He is Big Harp George, an accomplished harmonica player.

He’s released a CD (maybe more), but here is one of his songs.

Here is news that he was nominated for Best New Artist Album at the Blues Music Awards.

And here is his website and Facebook page.

Here’s hoping you have some chromatic blues in your day!

Hon. Patricia Norris and President-Elect Lisa Loo share a decisive moment, June 26, 2015, Phoenix, Ariz.

More news from the Convention will be in this space Monday. But as #azbarcon 2015 draws toward a close, I share a great photo snapped by the Bar’s Rick DeBruhl. Above you’ll see a historic moment: When Court of Appeals Judge Patricia Norris (L) acquiesced to the urging of President-Elect Lisa Loo to … serve as a Convention Co-Chair for next year’s Convention!

Thank you in advance, Judge Norris, for giving of your time and talents in the coming year!

An April 3, 2015, Arizona Forward event at the Arizona Supreme Court gathered advocates and legal experts to addr4ess access to justice issues.

Our offices will be closed for the Fourth of July holiday on Friday, July 3. But before I head for the hills, I’ll share one more post for this week, this one written by my prolific colleague Alberto Rodriguez.

His piece is in regard to a noteworthy event held earlier this spring. Arizona Forward was a gathering of people and organizations committed to access to justice. Held at the Arizona Supreme Court on April 3, 2015, speakers included American Bar Association President William C. Hubbard.

Now, the event organizers have released their report, which Alberto summarizes for us here (more event photos are at the end of this post; click to enlarge and to view them in a slideshow):

Speakers at the April 3, 2015, Arizona Forward event included (L to R) State Bar CEO John Phelps; ABA President William Hubbard; Arizona Chief Justice Scott Bales; State Bar Governor Jeff Willis; and State Bar President Richard Platt.

Legal professionals and community leaders are one step closer to solving the shortage of accessible legal services in Arizona. Arizona Forward, a day-long conference held in April that focused on finding new and better ways to deliver legal services, has released its findings, which included the following.

To move Arizona forward in the future delivery of legal services to its citizens, the significant changes in demographics, economies and technology must be considered by leaders from all sectors of the community-at-large.

• (We) need to consider further augmentation of the legal services profession, beyond licensed document preparers, to include greater use of non-lawyers and paraprofessionals.
• (We) need to communicate more effectively to those who need legal services about access to the legal system and recognize when legal advice is needed.
• (We) must harness technology in every imaginable way to reach and assist those in need of legal services.

The underlying theme in the report was the need for increased communication. Advancements in technology will help to tackle this communication barrier. As technology continues to advance, it will play a key role in ensuring that it provides the gateway in linking those who need legal services to those who can provide it. Mobile and virtual technology are two elements being considered.

As Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Scott Bales has said, “Having meaningful access to legal services is vital to fulfilling the promise of justice for all. The goal of Arizona Forward is to find new, innovative solutions that advance justice for all Arizonans.” That first step was taken, and the first goal met by the State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona Supreme Court, the American Bar Association and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, who co-sponsored the event, along with community leaders from across the state, was to identify the issues and offer attainable solutions.

For more information on Arizona Forward and to read the report, click here or contact Carrie Sherman at 602-340-7201. To learn more about the nationwide initiative led by the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services, click here.

State Bar of Arizona building

Career news from the State Bar of Arizona:

The Bar has an opening for Intake Bar Counsel. The Intake Bar Counsel conducts initial assessments of new bar charges to determine whether a full screening investigation is warranted. Duties may include performing the following functions: extensive telephone contact with complainants and respondents; evaluation of charges, both written and telephonic, to determine ethical issues; conducting follow-up investigations as warranted; monitoring diversion cases; drafting letters and diversion agreements. On occasion, duties may also include handling formal litigation of discipline charges.

A J.D. required, as well as: being an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Arizona; and minimum five years’ successful practical legal experience (solo or small-firm practice preferred).

The complete job description and application form can be found here.

The State Bar is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes and encourages applications from diverse candidates.

Part of the opening spread in the profile of Bar President Bryan Chambers, Arizona Attorney Magazine, Sept. 2015.

Some organizational moves at the State Bar of Arizona:

As you probably know, the new President of the Bar took his leadership position at the close of the June Convention. At that time, we offered congratulations to Bryan Chambers, from Globe.

While all that was going on, Superior Court Judge Peter Cahill announced his retirement, mid-term, from the Gila County Superior Court. Bryan applied for the judgeship.

Recently, we learned that Bryan had, indeed, been appointed to the bench by Gov. Doug Ducey. You can read about that here.

Of course, that meant Bryan could not serve as a Bar officer, per State Bar bylaws. So at a meeting last week, the Board of Governors elected a new President, Geoff Trachtenberg, of Phoenix. Detail on that is here.

In that press release, we also learn that the board elected: Jeffrey Willis to fill the second vice president post vacated by Trachtenberg; and Steven Hirsch, to fill the secretary/treasurer seat vacated by Willis.

Meantime, I was working on the annual profile of new President Chambers. And he will have served for about 60 days by the time her steps down on August 31, so of course he deserves a profile. That’ll be in the September issue of Arizona Attorney. But now I suppose I’ll gear up to write one on Geoff Trachtenberg too. (That’s OK; it’s one of the perks of the job!)

Silos: How I love them (let me count the ways).

I’ve written previously about our unique initiative called “CLE Snippets,” through which we create and release short videos that are Q&As between a timely author from Arizona Attorney Magazine and their thankful editor, me.

In the current magazine, I wax poetic about how much I appreciate those authors for sharing their time and talents. And I appreciate my Member Services Department colleague Jen Sonier for doing the same, as she brings her substantial videography talents to the endeavor.

Since the issue and my column came out, multiple readers told me they enjoyed seeing our tradition of taking a photo of me and the author. But they wondered about my column’s opening lines:

“O, how I love my silos.”

“I understand that’s not a popular concept. Just saying it out loud might terminate my subscription to Harvard Business Review.”

“But like a lot of people who are equal parts busy and highly committed to quality control, I find broad-scale collaboration … challenging, shall we say. Let me be, live and let live, catch you on the flip side. And don’t touch my cheese.”

“I am aware that different times require different strategies. And so I’ve aimed to take my best cooperative qualities, so visible and valuable in social media, into the realm of real. actual. people.”

“One result of that in the past year has been the launch of CLE Snippets, a pioneering collaboration between two State Bar departments. It brings together those of us who are relatively talented at content creation with those who are expert in online learning. The results? Valuable content for members and increased visibility for magazine articles and our talented authors.”

Specifically, readers wondered how anyone could defend silos. After all, silos have become the bugaboo of the modern office, where collaboration, cooperation, and deference to the short-walled cubicle are supposed to cure all our ills.

Briefly, my experience has been: For some, the demolition of silos has come from a genuine place of organizational improvement. But that’s not the whole picture. So if someone insists you should break down your silos, hold onto to your wallet/budget/resources. For you and your department/magazine/staff may have something the other person wants. For those requestors, silos are a one-way street (just to mangle and confuse some metaphors).

Trust but verify.

In any case, the image at the top of this post is one I created and have posted in my own workspace (talented, right?). It’s a reminder that I may be silly to love silos, but that there’s often something stinky lurking behind requests to tear them down.

And don’t touch my cheese.

What made me rethink my silo-love? Our authors. o’course.

It’s been a long road: Final cover (ever) of the State Bar Membership Directory.

These days, the swan song of a print product could be sung every day of the week. And so I suppose few will mark the eventual passing of the State Bar of Arizona Membership Directory.

A “phone book,” yes, in some ways, but really much more than that, the directory has been around in one form or another for generations. But the growing size of the book (among other reasons) has led Bar leaders to say this will be the last year for the resource.

So why not go out swinging for the fences? Our cover encapsulates the long-road theme, with Route 66 peeling off into the horizon. (I’m still trying to track down my shot of the competing covers arrayed on a wall; staff all got to offer their input before the selection was made.)

If you’re in need of a keepsake that is bound to rise in value over time, head over here to read more about the book—and maybe order your own copy!

September 15 is the deadline to file MCLE compliance affidavits. But that may lead you to have numerous questions.

Fortunately, smarter Bar colleagues than I have anticipated your needs. So head to this page to read some useful FAQs about the process.

The page explains how you must complete your CLE tracking page before completing the affidavit. Once you’ve finished entering your tracking information, you can click to reach your affidavit—which now will be pre-populated with the information you provided.

If you prefer the hardcopy approach, you may be happy to discover that a blank copy of the affidavit can be found in the September issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine, right there between pages 14 and 15. That issue should be in your mailbox soon after August 21.

More questions about the process? Call the Member Resource Center at 602-340-7322.

A Supreme Court task force report on the State Bar of Arizona is described by Justice Rebecca Berch, via video available on the Court’s website.

In July 2014, Chief Justice Scott Bales signed an administrative order creating a task force to examine “the mission and governance of the State Bar.” The new group was charged with drafting its report by September 1, 2015. That draft report is now available, and the Court is seeking comment.

The task force’s website includes detail about its members, information about its many meetings, and a link to the draft report.

You can link directly to the report here.

Also on the website is an introductory video by Justice Rebecca White Berch, who chaired the task force.

Among multiple recommendations, the task force recommends: a reduction in the size of the State Bar Board of Governors (from 30 to between 15 and 18); and clarification of the Bar’s primary mission, which is to serve and protect the public.

One of the elements discussed by the task force was whether the Bar should be maintained as an integrated (mandatory) organization. The task force recommended that it should (though the decision was not unanimous among task force members).

After reading the report, public comment on it can be submitted by email to BarGovernance@courts.az.gov.

You can read Chief Justice Bales’ original Administrative Order here.

More information about the report (and maybe some coverage in Arizona Attorney Magazine) will follow as we head into the fall.

Free is something anyone can support. Fastcase is free for State Bar members, and discounts are available for other services.

You may have noticed that the July/August issue of Arizona Attorney had more heft than usual.

No, that’s not due to our awesome cover story on the wisdom of having a beard on your witness. (Spoiler alert: It’s complicated.) Instead, it is due to the inclusion of a great booklet filled with State Bar of Arizona member discounts.

Normally, that’s not my neck of the woods. But a colleague, Michael Peel, designed the book this year, and when I got my hands on it, I was very impressed.

So much so that I made a Vine (a short video that has nothing to do with vines … just roll with it). You can watch it here (though they do even better if you watch them on your cellphone!).

The State Bar of Arizona 2015 Member Discounts booklet

And because you may be in need not just of a stunning piece of videography, but of discounts themselves, here is where you can find all of them on the State Bar website.

Congratulations to Michael Peel on a job well done!

Update 8/17/15, 9:45 am: State Bar colleagues inform me that they have reached capacity for this event and are no longer accepting reservations. But I would like to hear feedback after the event from this who attend. Write to me at arizona.attorney@azbar.org. And I look forward to seeing you there.

This Thursday, there’s an event occurring that I’m happy to share (and attend). It’s titled “Finding Your True Grit: A Discussion on the Secrets of Success for Women Lawyers.”

Here is how the organizers describe it:

“How does your mindset impact your success in the workplace? Studies have shown that highly successful women lawyers have ‘grit’—the perseverance and passion for long term goals—and that an individual can learn to develop more grit. In this interactive session you will learn from distinguished and accomplished women lawyers what grit is and how to implement a grit approach in your career.”

This is a free event, but registration is requested by Wednesday, August 19.

Here is the detail about the discussion and dialogue among experts and audience members:

When: Thursday, August 20; program 1:00 – 4:00 pm; reception 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Where: National Bank of Arizona, 6001 N. 24th Street, Building 2, Phoenix 85016

Register here.

Faculty:

• Julie Arvo MacKenzie, Arizona Health Facilities Authority
• Shawdy Banihashemi, Jaburg Wilk
• Sonia Martinez, Law Office of Sonia Martinez
• Lisa Maxie-Mullins, Office of the Attorney General
• Hon. Patricia Orozco, Arizona Court of Appeals Div. One
• Rosemarie Pena-Lynch, Office of the Legal Advocate
• Alexia Peterson, DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy PC
• Roberta Tepper, State Bar of Arizona
• Moderator: Elena Nethers, State Bar of Arizona

This program is presented by the State Bar of Arizona Committee on Minorities and Women in the Law and Young Lawyers Division and the Arizona Women Lawyers Association. This program is based on the Grit Project, created by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession.

It is sponsored by the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and the Native American Bar Association of Arizona; and co-sponsored by the Arizona Women Lawyers Association, the State Bar’s Committee on Minorities and Women in the Law and Young Lawyers Division and National Bank of Arizona.

Questions: Elena Nethers, Diversity and Outreach Advisor, State Bar of Arizona, (602) 340-7393.

Today, I share a news story by colleague Alberto Rodriguez.

The State Bar of Arizona and Univision Arizona hosted the Abogados a Su Lado public service program on Monday, August 17, 2015. Volunteer lawyers answered calls relating to viewer’s family law issues. The following is a recap of the program.

There were six lawyer volunteers, two of whom were first-time volunteers:

• W. James Fisher Lopez, William James Fisher Law Offices
• Mark Hawkins, Hawkins & Hawkins
• Carlos E. Noel, Arizona Attorney General’s Office
• Christina Ortecho, Law Office of Christina Ortecho
• Daniel A. Rodriguez, Diaz Rodriguez & Associates
• Alejandra Valdez, Arizona Attorney General’s Office

The volunteer attorneys answered an impressive 84 calls during the two-hour phone bank.

Sample consumer questions:

• How do we begin the divorce process? Do we need an attorney?
• My husband left five years ago, can I file for a divorce without him?
• Can I sue for back child support if my children are over 18?
• How do I enforce a child support order? What if the parent doesn’t comply?
• How do I get grandparent rights?

And I didn’t tell Alberto I was going to do this, but here is a great visual tweet by Gerardo Higginson that shows my co-worker and a lot of the call-in activity:

Preguntas sobre divorcios? manutencion? custodias? llame ya al 602-232-3533 Estamos a su lado! @AZStateBar pic.twitter.com/xNgU6mhGLm

— GeRaRdo HiGGiNsOn (@PoRtAvOz) August 18, 2015

Just saw @azcourts Justice Berch on @azpbs Horizon; great & engaging, even re court cases! http://t.co/a3XLTsheOr pic.twitter.com/39kpyW9hmq

— Tim Eigo (@azatty) August 19, 2015

It’s always good to see an Arizona Justice in the news.

Last week, I mentioned a draft report from an Arizona Supreme Court committee that examines many elements of the State Bar of Arizona. And this week, task force chair and Arizona Justice Rebecca White Berch spoke on the PBS program Horizon about the group’s work.

Justice Berch also invited viewers to read the report and to send their own comments via email to bargovernance@courts.az.gov.

Justice Berch and Horizon provide the email for public comment on the task force report.

The task force’s website includes detail about its members, information about its many meetings, and a link to the draft report.

You can link directly to the report here.

On Horizon, Justice Berch discussed why the task force chose to keep a mandatory bar (with one dissent), and how important it is for all attorneys to pay for the various programs whether they use them or not.

I have a link to the Horizon program with the Justice Berch interview, though I hesitate to have you click it. AZPBS is notorious for posting a link that should work but really won’t be ready for days (<buffer> <buffer> <buffer>). Fingers crossed on this link.

Justice Rebecca White Berch speaks with Horizon host Ted Simons, Aug. 18, 2015.

For this Monday morning, here is some heartening news from my colleague Alberto Rodriguez:

The State Bar of Arizona was one of many organizations who participated in ABC15’s “On the Road with Let Joe Know,” a consumer assistance event held on Thursday, October 8, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Tempe Marketplace. The Bar recruited volunteer lawyers who answered participants’ questions regarding consumer issues.

Topics covered included family law, employment law, construction law, and products liability.

There were five volunteer attorneys:

• Denise Blommel, Denise M. Blommel PLLC
• Dave Degnan, Degnan Law
• Robert L. Greer, Baird Williams & Greer LLP
• Maya Milovic, Law Office of Maya Milovic PLC
• Javier Sobampo, The Sobampo Law Firm PLLC

The volunteer attorneys provided 52 one-on-one consultations during the two-and-a-half-hour phone bank.

Sample consumer questions:

• Do I qualify for worker’s comp? How do I file for it?
• What can I do for nonpayment of wages earned?
• How do I enforce child support?
• Do I qualify for spousal maintenance?
• What do I do when a contractor abandons a job?
• What can I do when a contractor provides defective workmanship?
• My vehicle’s warranty isn’t being honored; what can I do?
• Dealer won’t repair my vehicle although it is covered through an extended warranty; what can I do?

Joe Ducey, consumer reporter for ABC15, reported that more than 300 consumers were seen by more than 35 providers.

We thank ABC15 for including the State Bar of Arizona in this invaluable consumer event.

Former Arizona Attorney General will be the keynote speaker at the Jan. 14, 2016, banquet honoring the winners of the Arizona Corporate Counsel Awards.

You thought you missed it, didn’t you? The deadline for a terrific annual award that recognizes the vital role in-house counsel play in the success of a business.

No need to worry. The deadline for this year’s Arizona Corporate Counsel awards is Monday, October 26. Given your likely wide circle of colleagues to nominate and the blazingly simple nomination form, you won’t even have to break a sweat to offer up a colleague’s name.

Have you met or worked with in-house counsel who impress you with their skills and approach? Organizers of an annual award event seek your nominations.

The awards were founded by AZ Business Magazine and the Association of Corporate Counsel state chapter.

More detail is here. And the nomination form is here.

The 9 categories are listed below. Nominations are welcome in all, but I have heard that award organizers would be very pleased to receive more nominations in the final four areas listed (I have thoughtfully bolded them for your convenience!):

• Public company (large)
• Public company (small)
• Private company (large)
• Private company (small)
• Up-and-comer
• Nonprofit company
• Government/municipal/public sector
• In-house law department of the year
• Intellectual property attorney of the year

The Awards Dinner will be held on January 14, 2016 at Chateau Luxe. Grant Woods will once again be the keynote speaker, so prepare to be entertained.

As in the past, the State Bar of Arizona is a presenting partner for the program.

Silos: How I love them (let me count the ways).

I’ve written previously about our unique initiative called “CLE Snippets,” through which we create and release short videos that are Q&As between a timely author from Arizona Attorney Magazine and their thankful editor, me.

In the current magazine, I wax poetic about how much I appreciate those authors for sharing their time and talents. And I appreciate my Member Services Department colleague Jen Sonier for doing the same, as she brings her substantial videography talents to the endeavor.

Since the issue and my column came out, multiple readers told me they enjoyed seeing our tradition of taking a photo of me and the author. But they wondered about my column’s opening lines:

“O, how I love my silos.”

“I understand that’s not a popular concept. Just saying it out loud might terminate my subscription to Harvard Business Review.”

“But like a lot of people who are equal parts busy and highly committed to quality control, I find broad-scale collaboration … challenging, shall we say. Let me be, live and let live, catch you on the flip side. And don’t touch my cheese.”

“I am aware that different times require different strategies. And so I’ve aimed to take my best cooperative qualities, so visible and valuable in social media, into the realm of real. actual. people.”

“One result of that in the past year has been the launch of CLE Snippets, a pioneering collaboration between two State Bar departments. It brings together those of us who are relatively talented at content creation with those who are expert in online learning. The results? Valuable content for members and increased visibility for magazine articles and our talented authors.”

Specifically, readers wondered how anyone could defend silos. After all, silos have become the bugaboo of the modern office, where collaboration, cooperation, and deference to the short-walled cubicle are supposed to cure all our ills.

Briefly, my experience has been: For some, the demolition of silos has come from a genuine place of organizational improvement. But that’s not the whole picture. So if someone insists you should break down your silos, hold onto to your wallet/budget/resources. For you and your department/magazine/staff may have something the other person wants. For those requestors, silos are a one-way street (just to mangle and confuse some metaphors).

Trust but verify.

In any case, the image at the top of this post is one I created and have posted in my own workspace (talented, right?). It’s a reminder that I may be silly to love silos, but that there’s often something stinky lurking behind requests to tear them down.

And don’t touch my cheese.

What made me rethink my silo-love? Our authors. o’course.

It’s been a long road: Final cover (ever) of the State Bar Membership Directory.

These days, the swan song of a print product could be sung every day of the week. And so I suppose few will mark the eventual passing of the State Bar of Arizona Membership Directory.

A “phone book,” yes, in some ways, but really much more than that, the directory has been around in one form or another for generations. But the growing size of the book (among other reasons) has led Bar leaders to say this will be the last year for the resource.

So why not go out swinging for the fences? Our cover encapsulates the long-road theme, with Route 66 peeling off into the horizon. (I’m still trying to track down my shot of the competing covers arrayed on a wall; staff all got to offer their input before the selection was made.)

If you’re in need of a keepsake that is bound to rise in value over time, head over here to read more about the book—and maybe order your own copy!

September 15 is the deadline to file MCLE compliance affidavits. But that may lead you to have numerous questions.

Fortunately, smarter Bar colleagues than I have anticipated your needs. So head to this page to read some useful FAQs about the process.

The page explains how you must complete your CLE tracking page before completing the affidavit. Once you’ve finished entering your tracking information, you can click to reach your affidavit—which now will be pre-populated with the information you provided.

If you prefer the hardcopy approach, you may be happy to discover that a blank copy of the affidavit can be found in the September issue of Arizona Attorney Magazine, right there between pages 14 and 15. That issue should be in your mailbox soon after August 21.

More questions about the process? Call the Member Resource Center at 602-340-7322.

A Supreme Court task force report on the State Bar of Arizona is described by Justice Rebecca Berch, via video available on the Court’s website.

In July 2014, Chief Justice Scott Bales signed an administrative order creating a task force to examine “the mission and governance of the State Bar.” The new group was charged with drafting its report by September 1, 2015. That draft report is now available, and the Court is seeking comment.

The task force’s website includes detail about its members, information about its many meetings, and a link to the draft report.

You can link directly to the report here.

Also on the website is an introductory video by Justice Rebecca White Berch, who chaired the task force.

Among multiple recommendations, the task force recommends: a reduction in the size of the State Bar Board of Governors (from 30 to between 15 and 18); and clarification of the Bar’s primary mission, which is to serve and protect the public.

One of the elements discussed by the task force was whether the Bar should be maintained as an integrated (mandatory) organization. The task force recommended that it should (though the decision was not unanimous among task force members).

After reading the report, public comment on it can be submitted by email to BarGovernance@courts.az.gov.

You can read Chief Justice Bales’ original Administrative Order here.

More information about the report (and maybe some coverage in Arizona Attorney Magazine) will follow as we head into the fall.

Free is something anyone can support. Fastcase is free for State Bar members, and discounts are available for other services.

You may have noticed that the July/August issue of Arizona Attorney had more heft than usual.

No, that’s not due to our awesome cover story on the wisdom of having a beard on your witness. (Spoiler alert: It’s complicated.) Instead, it is due to the inclusion of a great booklet filled with State Bar of Arizona member discounts.

Normally, that’s not my neck of the woods. But a colleague, Michael Peel, designed the book this year, and when I got my hands on it, I was very impressed.

So much so that I made a Vine (a short video that has nothing to do with vines … just roll with it). You can watch it here (though they do even better if you watch them on your cellphone!).

The State Bar of Arizona 2015 Member Discounts booklet

And because you may be in need not just of a stunning piece of videography, but of discounts themselves, here is where you can find all of them on the State Bar website.

Congratulations to Michael Peel on a job well done!