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Final Judgments and Appellate Jurisdiction
Original Program Date :
Navigating the intricacies of final judgments and appellate jurisdiction in Arizona’s Appellate Courts requires an understanding of procedural rules and their practical application, both for appellate rules and also rules applicable in Superior Court. This continuing legal education program will delve into the critical aspects of judgments, including under Arizona Rule of Civil Procedure 54 and Arizona Rule of Family Court Procedure 78. The panel, comprising experienced appellate court judges and a leading practitioner, will provide valuable insights into ensuring finality, navigating complex issues involving multiple claims or parties, effectively presenting arguments on appeal and avoiding avoidable delay and frustration. This program will equip attendees with the knowledge and strategies necessary to confidently handle judgments and appeals within the Arizona court system.
Faculty:
Honorable Samuel A. Thumma, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division I
Honorable Paul J. McMurdie, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division I
Eric M. Fraser, Osborn Maledon, P.A.
Samuel A Thumma, Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals - Division One
Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, Phoenix, Arizona, since 2012, and Chief Judge 2017-2019. Sam is a member of the National Judicial College Board of Trustees; is a Uniform Law Commissioner, where he serves as Secretary and on the Executive Committee and is an ABA Presidential appointee to the Advisory Council of the ABA Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence and the Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral and Information Services. He is a member of the Joint Technology Committee, appointed by the National Center for State Courts, and is an Advisor to the American Law Institute’s RESTATEMENT OF LAW (THIRD) OF TORTS: REMEDIES project. Sam chairs Arizona’s Commission on Access to Justice, having previously chaired various Committees, Commissions and Task Forces for the Arizona Supreme Court and the State Bar of Arizona. In 2023, he received the James A. Walsh Outstanding Jurist Award from the State Bar of Arizona and, in 2021, he was named the Judge of the Year by the Arizona Supreme Court. Sam co-teaches evidence at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He has presented at more than 500 law-related programs in more than 20 states and published 18 law review articles, six book chapters and nearly 70 other law-related articles. Sam served as a Judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court for five years; a partner at Perkins Coie Brown & Bain, P.A., Phoenix, and an associate at Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C. He clerked for Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Stanley G. Feldman and Federal Judge David R. Hansen, Northern District of Iowa. Sam received a Master of Laws, Duke University School of Law (2020); J.D., Order of the Coif, University of Iowa College of Law (1988), and B.S., Iowa State University (1984), where he was a Truman Scholar.
Paul J McMurdie, Arizona Court of Appeals - Division One
was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, by Governor Doug Ducey in 2016. Previously, Judge McMurdie spent eleven years on the Maricopa County Superior Court having been appointed to the superior court bench by Governor Janet Napolitano in 2005. While serving as a superior court judge, Judge McMurdie presided over civil, criminal, and family cases. Prior to being appointed to the Court of Appeals, Judge McMurdie was the Presiding Family Court Judge.
Judge McMurdie graduated with a B.A. degree in Political Science from Utah State University in 1982. He received his J.D. from Arizona State University in 1985. While in law school, he was selected for the Truman Young Fellowship as the outstanding criminal law student.
After graduating from ASU, Judge McMurdie worked for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in the Criminal Appeals Section. In 1991, he was appointed as the Section Chief for Criminal Appeals. In 2001, Judge McMurdie began working for the Maricopa Attorney’s Office as the Division Chief for Appeals and Research.
As a lawyer for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Judge McMurdie received the following awards: Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2004); Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Division Attorney of the Year Award (2005 and 2003); Arizona Attorney Generals’ Criminal Division Attorney of the Year Award (1991); Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council Prosecutor of the Year Award (1990), Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation Board of Director’s Award (2005); and United States Department of Labor Special Recognition Award (1990).
Judge McMurdie served in the following capacity as a lawyer: Family Law Executive Counsel for the State Bar (2015 to 2016); Chair, State Bar Criminal Jury Instructions Committee; Secretary-Treasurer Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation; Co-Chair Joint Legislative/Judicial Study Committee on Post-Conviction Relief; Co-Chair Arizona Supreme Court committee on Reducing Appellate Delay; and the Ninth Circuit Task Force on Capital Cases.
Judge McMurdie graduated with a B.A. degree in Political Science from Utah State University in 1982. He received his J.D. from Arizona State University in 1985. While in law school, he was selected for the Truman Young Fellowship as the outstanding criminal law student.
After graduating from ASU, Judge McMurdie worked for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in the Criminal Appeals Section. In 1991, he was appointed as the Section Chief for Criminal Appeals. In 2001, Judge McMurdie began working for the Maricopa Attorney’s Office as the Division Chief for Appeals and Research.
As a lawyer for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Judge McMurdie received the following awards: Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2004); Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Division Attorney of the Year Award (2005 and 2003); Arizona Attorney Generals’ Criminal Division Attorney of the Year Award (1991); Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council Prosecutor of the Year Award (1990), Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation Board of Director’s Award (2005); and United States Department of Labor Special Recognition Award (1990).
Judge McMurdie served in the following capacity as a lawyer: Family Law Executive Counsel for the State Bar (2015 to 2016); Chair, State Bar Criminal Jury Instructions Committee; Secretary-Treasurer Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation; Co-Chair Joint Legislative/Judicial Study Committee on Post-Conviction Relief; Co-Chair Arizona Supreme Court committee on Reducing Appellate Delay; and the Ninth Circuit Task Force on Capital Cases.
Eric Michael Fraser, Osborn Maledon PA
Eric M. Fraser is a partner and co-chair of the appellate practice at Osborn Maledon, where his practice
focuses on major civil appeals. He coauthors a monthly column in Arizona Attorney magazine covering
civil appeals, coedits the azapp.com blog, and contributes to SCOTUSblog. He is a Ninth Circuit
Appellate Lawyer Representative and a former chair of the State Bar of Arizona’s Appellate Practice
Section. Eric received his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and his B.A. in Physics from
Pomona College. Before joining private practice, Eric clerked for Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
focuses on major civil appeals. He coauthors a monthly column in Arizona Attorney magazine covering
civil appeals, coedits the azapp.com blog, and contributes to SCOTUSblog. He is a Ninth Circuit
Appellate Lawyer Representative and a former chair of the State Bar of Arizona’s Appellate Practice
Section. Eric received his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and his B.A. in Physics from
Pomona College. Before joining private practice, Eric clerked for Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Andrew George Pappas
Andrew G. Pappas is an attorney at Osborn Maledon, P.A., where he focuses on appeals, complex commercial disputes, and political and regulatory matters. From 2019 to 2022, he served as general counsel of the Arizona House of Representatives, providing legal and policy advice to the Speaker and members of the Republican majority caucus. He previously served as deputy solicitor general in the Office of the Arizona Attorney General, where worked on constitutional, statutory-defense, elections, federalism, and other matters. Andrew began his legal career as an associate a large international law firm in Los Angeles. Andrew serves on the board of the Phoenix lawyers’ chapter of the Federalist Society and is a fellow of the Civil Society Fellowship, a partnership of the Anti-Defamation League and the Aspen Institute.
