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!

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.

State Bar of Arizona lawyers answer family-law questions, Nov. 10, 2015.

On Tuesday, November 10, the State Bar of Arizona and 12 News hosted the Lawyers on Call public service program. There, eight attorneys volunteered their time and expertise to answer viewers’ questions on family law issues.

The following update comes from my colleague Alberto Rodriguez:

Eight attorneys volunteered their time:

• Taylor Anderson, Anderson & Cabrera Law Group
• Ryan Borges, The Borges Law Firm
• Rebecca Browning, Browning Law Office
• Tabitha Cabrera, Anderson & Cabrera Law Group
• Craig Cherny, Canterbury Law Group
• Kina Harding, The Harding Firm
• Daniel Rodriguez, Diaz, Rodriguez & Associates
• Jennifer Shick, Shick Law Offices

The lawyers answered 156 calls during the two-hour phone bank.

Sample consumer questions:

• How do I file for a divorce? Do I need an attorney?
• Can I stop paying alimony/spousal support?
• How long do I have to be married to get alimony/spousal support?
• How do I enforce court-ordered child support? Can I modify child support?
• How do I modify a parenting plan/parenting time?
• Do I have any rights as a grandparent?

Four of the eight attorneys were first-time volunteers. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated.

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.

Today is all about cornhole. The game, not the metaphor for the risks of holiday work parties.

By the time you read this, I may be engaged in revelry the likes of which Western civilization has never witnessed. Yes, that means I’ll be at my workplace’s annual holiday party.

Fortunately, just yesterday I was able to benefit from reading a helpful compilation of tips on surviving and thriving at your office party.

Yes, the essay is aimed at law office parties. But I think the messages Adrian Ballinger conveys are universal:

• Think before you talk and act.
• Stay hydrated, but ixnay on the intoxication.
• Chat with folks—even some you don’t normally work with—but don’t overdo it. They can only take so much of you.
• Don’t overstay your welcome. They’re co-workers, not family.

For too many of us, office parties are an opportunity for unfortunate missteps.

Probably his most important advice—ignored too often—is that you are AT WORK while you’re at a holiday party. Disregard that counsel at your peril.

So Adrian’s advice was great, but our own workplace—the State Bar of Arizona—has the added wrinkle that there will be competitive sport involved—cornhole, to be precise.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the game, I offer the research gleaned from Wikipedia. Plus my own advice: Be careful Googling cornhole at work. Be ready to avert your gaze.

Our estimable party committee (they have a more formal name, but I like that one) must have anticipated the rivalries that will ensue when we gather at the restaurant Culinary Dropout at The Yard. (A photo of cornhole at The Yard is below.)

The cornhole field of battle at The Yard. Eight people enter … and eight people leave. (I know, not too dramatic, right?)

How do I know? Well, via email, they provided … the rules of cornhole.

Um. The rules of tossing a beanbag into a hole?

Not just that. It turns out 16 bullet points are needed to explain the intricacies of those cornhole regulations.

Understand, I am not being critical. I know exactly why they’re acting this way: Because crazy competitive.

Many folks here at the State Bar of Arizona are likely in Olympic-level practice sessions, all while I sit at my desk and type. God bless ‘em, they WILL crush the cornhole competition.

Meanwhile, I’ll be looking for a Moscow Mule at The Yard’s accommodating bar. Because the holidays are about all of our diverse interests. And the kids. Always the kids.

Enjoy your own holiday parties. And be careful out there.

The only kind of stubborn I like to encounter in a bar: the Moscow Mule.

If a position at the State Bar sounds good to you or someone in your circle, things may be looking up.

Today, I’m pleased to report that there are some open positions at the State Bar—jobs—and that you and your circle may be interested.

When you get to the web page with the listings, here, you’ll see that they range from jobs for an attorney to those for various other staff positions.

Please read, share, and apply at will.

As you’d guess, each position comes with its own requirements, skills, and experience levels. Among them, I suppose, there’s always a general, free-floating requirement that you get along with others (even for the lawyer position—ha!). HR might disagree with me, but that may be the most important skill of all. But … how best to assess that?

Well, before you consider applying, I urge you to contemplate the following hypothetical, wholly unrelated to my own experience at the State Bar of Arizona. (This is my own entirely un-self-interested way of helping out the HR professionals—you’re welcome!)

Mere drops left in a hot carafe: Whom does this help, I ask you? Whom?

For this hypo, refer to the exemplar photo at right.

You walk into the break room for a cup of coffee. The carafe appears to hold a few teaspoons more than a single cup. Do you:

A. Pour the pot down the drain and start a fresh pot, because the remaining coffee is probably awful.

B. Fill your own cup, and then start a fresh pot.

C. Fill your own cup, replace the carafe onto the hot burner with mere drops left, and walk away.

Answer key:

A. You are a stand-up individual, one who should be considered for employment.

B. Though your taste in coffee is suspect, you would be welcome to be hired in a probationary capacity.

C. I can’t even. Please gather up your application and resume and return to the parking lot. We’re done.

Again, this is a mere hypothetical, not one that an applicant would necessarily be subjected to. Just food for thought.

Happy job hunting!

The State Bar Family Law Institute will be held on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 21 and 22.

Planned your whole workweek yet? Got some time free on Thursday and Friday?

You should consider attending what has often been one of the most helpful continuing education programs of the year: the Family Law Institute of the State Bar.

The two-day event occurs Thursday and Friday, January 22 and 22.

The Institute will be held at the Desert Willow Conference Center, 4340 E. Cotton Center Boulevard, Suite 100, in Phoenix.

I’ve attended the conference in the past and found it helpful and the instructors well selected. And this year’s location is, in my mind, an improvement over the past. The space is bright, new and the classroom space is modern and technology-adept. And the snacks. Hmmm.

A few years ago, a friend created an entire blog to describe CLE opportunities based largely on the food that was offered at each. (Sadly, the visionary piece of journalism is now defunct.) But I imagine she would have given Desert Willow high marks, not just for its lunch buffet, but also for the panoply of treats and snacks on offer throughout the day.

In what world is being schooled on family law—or any law—not improved by a warm and salty pretzel ’round about 3:00 pm? No world I want to be part of.

More information, including the faculty and registration, is here.

And offers related to the Institute can be found here.