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The Intersection of Criminal and Family Law (2025 State Bar Convention)
Original Program Date :


The Family Law and Criminal Justice Sections have joined forces to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the intersection between family and criminal law. We will explore issues such as domestic violence, orders of protection, law enforcement involvement, and drug convictions and we will discuss the impact of criminal allegations on divorce disputes, especially parenting time and legal decision-making issues. In our discussion, we will work to instruct the attendees on the best practices for handling sensitive cases where family and criminal matters converge, offering practical insights into managing complex cases that require knowledge in both areas of the law.

What You’ll Learn:
• What family law presumptions are impacted by criminal allegations, arrests, or convictions and how to rebut those presumptions
• How to navigate domestic violence and other criminal arrests/ convictions—for both the accused and the victims of criminal behavior
• How to balance a client’s criminal defense interests and the client’s interests in the family court process

Presented By: Criminal Justice Section Family Law Section

Flynn P Carey, Attorney, Mitchell Stein Carey Chapman PC
Flynn Carey is a founder and member of Mitchell Stein Carey Chapman in Phoenix. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law (cum laude) where he was on Law Review, the recipient of the Honorable Rufus C. Coulter Scholarship and President of the Criminal Law Society. Flynn’s practice focuses on the defense of licensed professionals, criminal defense, school discipline, and Title IX litigation. He is one of only two attorneys recognized by the State Bar of Arizona as a Certified Specialist in Administrative Law. Flynn frequently represents and defends students in criminal matters.
Hon. Bruce R Cohen, Judge, Maricopa County Superior Court
was appointed as a Superior Court Judge to the Maricopa County Superior Court in May, 2005. Since joining the bench, he served on a family court assignment for six years (four of which was as Associate Presiding Family Court Judge), followed by a four-year assignment to the Criminal Department of the Court (two years of which he was the Managing Judge of the Post-Conviction Relief Unit), three years assigned to the Juvenile Court and one year on a Civil Court calendar. Since June, 2019, he has been the Presiding Judge of the Family Department of the Maricopa County Superior Court.

In the mid to late 1970s and before entering the legal profession, Judge Cohen worked in the concert industry. He produced shows with many top acts, including Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Bob Seger, Journey, Yes, Janis Ian, Melissa Manchester, Billy Joel, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yvonne Elliman, Black Sabbath (with Ozzy), The Beach Boys, Kenny Loggins, Dicky Betts of the Allman Brothers, Harry Chapin, Elvis Costello, George Carlin, Cheech and Chong, Bob Hope, and the Rolling Stones (featuring Linda Ronstadt). He helped produce a benefit concert held at the U of A Football Stadium in 1977 headlined by Fleetwood Mac and the Marshall Tucker Band, which was attended by 67,000 people and which raised over $400,000 for the American Heart Association. He was given an outstanding service award in 1977 by the Heart Association for those efforts.

After graduating from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Psychology in 1978, Judge Cohen attended law school and earned his J.D at Arizona State University, now known as the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. In 2001 and again in 2021, he served as an adjunct family law professor and has been a guest speaker on many other occasions. He and his wife sponsored an annual scholarship project for a number of years through 2012 for first year law students on the issue of professionalism. Further, Judge Cohen was a participating member of the National Forum on the Future of Legal Education held in April, 2010. In the summer of 2010, he helped develop a mentor program for first year law students to be paired with judicial officers.

Prior to his appointment to the Bench, Judge Cohen was in private practice for 24 years. He was a certified specialist in Family Law and served on the Family Law Board of Legal Specialization for the State Bar of Arizona, as well as the Family Law Executive Council for the State Bar of Arizona. He was a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and was named annually to the Martindale Hubbell Preeminent Lawyers in America. Judge Cohen co-authored legislation on parent information programs and adoption of special needs children.

Judge Cohen served on the Arizona Supreme Court appointed Child Support Guidelines Committee for four quadrennial reviews, commencing in 1996, and served as Chairperson for that committee for the 2008-2010 Review. He was again a member for the 2020-21 review. Judge Cohen also served on the Arizona Supreme Court appointed Family Law Rules Review Committee and on the Arizona Supreme Court Admission on Motion Task Force. He is a past president of the Arizona Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (1992) and served a three-year term as a member of the AzAFCC Board through January, 2011, where he chaired 2010-11 AzAFCC Summit Project, which focused on developing communication skills for parents. He is a past member of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board for the City of Scottsdale, where he served as Chairperson until January, 2018. Judge Cohen is a founding member of the Maricopa County Superior Court Peer Support program. He currently is a member of the Arizona Supreme Court's Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts, the Family Court Improvement Committee, and the Commission on Access to Justice. Judge Cohen also serves on the Judicial Executive Council for the Maricopa County Superior Court. He is now serving as the national co-chair for the Family Law Workgroup of the National Judicial Task Force on Mental Health and the Courts and is presently the Chairperson of the Arizona State Bar Professionalism Advisory Council.

In 1990, he was named Volunteer Lawyer of the Year by the Maricopa County Bar Association. Other awards include the Arizona Family Support Council's 2010 Judicial Officer of the Year, the 2011 AzAFCC Outstanding Service Award, the 2011 "Improving Public Trust and Confidence in the Arizona Court System" award from the Arizona Supreme Court, the 2013 Maricopa County Superior Court Pendleton Gaines Collegiality Award, and he was a nominee for the US Justice Department 2014 National Crime Victims' Service Award. While serving as the managing judge for the Criminal Department Post-Conviction Relief Unit, the National Association of Counties awarded the Unit its 2015 National Achievement Award for innovation. He is a 2016 recipient of a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the State Bar of Arizona- Family Law Section and, in December of 2019, the Phoenix Chapter of the American Board of Trial Attorneys named Judge Cohen "Judge of the Year." He was a co-recipient of the 2021 Excellence in Judicial Education Award from the Arizona Judicial College.

Judge Cohen worked in collaboration with others in 2013 to return to Arizona the program known as "Anytown." The organization brings together high-school aged young men and women for a weeklong camp focused on stamping out bias, prejudice and bigotry and celebrating diversity. He served as a co-director for the 2014 and 2016 camps.

In 2013, Judge Cohen and his family appeared and were champions on the Steve Harvey hosted game show, Family Feud, which allowed Judge Cohen to destroy in 17 minutes a favorable reputation that had taken decades to develop.
Norma C Izzo, Attorney, Spencer Fane, LLP
is Vice-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Department Jennings Strous & Salmon PLC. She concentrates her practice in the area of family law and domestic relations matters, including collaborative divorce, mediation, arbitration, parent coordination, custody and child support. She perceives practicing in the area of family law as a three dimensional experience: legal, financial and emotional. Ms. Izzo Milner serves on the State Bar of Arizona Committee for Family Law Rules of Practice and Procedure and on the Board of Directors for the Maricopa County Bar Association. She received her J.D. from Arizona State University College of Law in 2005.
Wendy A Million
has been a full time Tucson City Court judge for 13 years. Since 2012, she has presided over a dedicated domestic violence docket funded in part by two Office of Violence Against Women federal grants. Her project includes all serious domestic violence misdemeanor offenders, full-time staffing by two independent victim advocates, and a team of prosecutors, public defenders and probation officers dedicated to holding offenders accountable, ensuring that procedural justice is enforced, and guaranteeing survivors both access to services and their day in court. Additionally, the project includes a collaboration focused on providing access to services and the court for Deaf survivors of domestic violence. Judge Million was received an Outstanding Woman Leader in Government Award in 2014. Judge Million is the Chair of the Arizona Supreme Court's standing Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts, she is a member of the Judicial Engagement Network established through the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Center for Court Innovation, and she teaches on the topics of the dynamics of domestic violence, protective orders and firearms laws to judges and staff throughout the State of Arizona and throughout the country.
Shannon L Peters, Owner, Law Office of Shannon Peters
Stephen Spencer Umpleby
Joseph William Waters
Mark S Williams
is a member of the Executive Board of the Criminal Justice Section of the State Bar of Arizona. He is a sole practitioner, limiting his practice to criminal defense. He handles felony and misdemeanor criminal matters, and is a former Assistant Phoenix City Prosecutor. He is an Arizona native and a graduate of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU. He is married with three children and has two granddaughters.
Gregg R Woodnick, Woodnick Law PLLC
Gregg R. Woodnick is the managing attorney at Woodnick Law, PLLC. Gregg is a former adjunct law professor who also lectured for graduate school programs including Creighton University, Midwestern University, Yale, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.

Gregg serves as a faculty member, guest lecturer and trainer at forums on child abuse and neglect litigation throughout Arizona. He was previously appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court’s Task Force on the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure.

Gregg has served as Cooperating Counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) twice, including as lead counsel in the first same-sex adoption in Arizona and currently, as local counsel for the ACLU’s efforts to advance Arizona policy involving Arizona’s Child Abuse/Central Registry.

He is the current Chair of the State Bar of Arizona’s Client Protection Fund and is a member of the National Child Abuse Defense and Resource Center (NCADRC). Gregg served as an expert in litigation in the United Kingdom and consulted for administrative and state courts in Arizona, Florida, and Georgia.

Gregg is a graduate of the University of Arizona and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and was named “Mentor of the Year” by the Arizona Children’s Law Center and was recognized by Defenders of Children.

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