State Bar of Arizona Course on Professionalism (Virtual Course) - 08/15/2023

Renee Bryna Gerstman Related Seminars and Products

Arbitrator | Mediator | Attorney at Law

Gerstman Law

Renee Gerstman is an attorney, mediator, arbitrator and neutral evaluator with over three decades of experience in business transactions, real estate, construction, corporate, contract, commercial and business litigation. Renee has arbitrated and mediated all types of disputes ranging from small consumer matters to large construction defect claims. Renee is on the American Arbitration Association's Roster of Commercial Neutrals, AAA Construction panel and Merger and Acquisition panel. She is also on the Arizona Association of Realtors roster of mediators, a FINRA mediator, arbitrator and chairperson and conducts ad hoc arbitrations and mediations. She has been listed as a Southwest Super Lawyer in alternative dispute resolution since 2017. Renee is a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, AV rated by Martindale Hubbel and a senior fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. She has been a member of the State Bar's Fee Arbitration Program since 1991 and chaired the Program from 2012-2014. She currently serves on the State Bar's Ethics Advisory Group and on the Executive Council of the State Bar of Arizona's Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.

Alexis L Pheiffer Related Seminars and Products

Managing Partner, Mediator

Law Office of Alexis Pheiffer PLLC

Alexis Pheiffer is an employment arbitrator, mediator, and workplace investigator serving the Southwest and Upper Midwest. She has resolved disputes across a variety of industries and in all areas of employment law, with particular expertise in sex harassment, discrimination, accommodation, retaliation, and whistleblower cases. Before opening her own full-time neutral practice in 2021, Alexis spent 20 years as an employment attorney and litigator, both in private practice, and in-house.

Alexis is admitted to practice in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Arizona and is an arbitrator and mediator on the American Arbitration Association’s employment panel. She also belongs to the SheResolves mediator network. Alexis is a Past Chair of the ADR Section of the State Bar of Arizona as well as an active member of the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA), serving as a two-time co-chair of SCMA’s Employment Mediation Institute. She is a frequent speaker on a wide variety of dispute resolution topics.

Alexis received her Certificate in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, and her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Georgetown University.

Alexis’ primary office is in Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up in rural central Wisconsin and spends as much time “back home” as she can. Learn more about Alexis and her approach to dispute resolution at alexispheiffer.com.

Laura E Udall Related Seminars and Products

Laura E. Udall PLLC

Laura Udall is a criminal defense attorney in private practice in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona. She attended the University of California at Berkeley for her undergraduate degree and received her law degree from the University of Utah. Following law school she clerked for the Honorable Alfredo Marquez for District Court in Arizona. She then went to work at the Pima County Public Defender for 4 years. In 1992 she and Dan Cooper opened their firm, Cooper and Udall PC, and practiced together until 2021 when she opened her solo firm Laura E. Udall PLLC. Laura has tried over 110 cases to jury verdict. She is qualified as learned counsel for capital work in both Federal and State jurisdictions. She has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona teaching trial advocacy since 2010. Laura was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2017.

Tracy P Nuckolls Related Seminars and Products

Tracy P Nuckolls Attorney

Tracy P. Nuckolls, Esq. is semi-retired, currently serving as a Professor of Practice of HealthCare Law at the University of Arizona College of Law. He retired as the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for TMC HealthCare in Tucson, Arizona. Before that, he was engaged in private practice, practicing primarily in business law, real estate and healthcare law. During his career he participated in several professional associations such as the American Health Lawyers Association, the Arizona Bar Association, and the Healthcare Roundtable for Corporate Counsel. He has served and continues to serve on several community boards and organizations.

Jeffrey S Silvyn Related Seminars and Products

General Counsel

Pima Community College

Jeffrey Silvyn was appointed as the first General Counsel for Pima County Community College District in 2013. Previously, he spent five years as General Counsel for the Morris and Stewart Udall Foundation, a federal agency based in Tucson, devoted to environmental conflict resolution and education. His duties there included serving as the Designated Agency Ethics Official. Jeff began his legal career with fifteen years in private practice, focused on employment law and commercial litigation, including representing Pima College. Jeff served as a Vice-chair for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources and as adjunct faculty for the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona. He is a former Chair of the Arizona State Bar Labor and Employment Law Section and served as a chapter editor for the Arizona Employment Law Handbook. He currently serves on the Continuing Legal Education Committee for the National Association of College and University Attorneys. Jeff grew up in Tucson and then ventured east, receiving a B.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University and then a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1992. He is admitted to practice in Arizona and California.

Nicholas Klingerman Related Seminars and Products

Office of the Attorney General

serves as the Criminal Division Chief at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. In his capacity, he oversees prosecutors, law enforcement officers and staff; along with the Victims’ Rights Program. Prior to overseeing the Criminal Division, Nick was the Division Chief of the Training and Post Conviction Division at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, where he oversaw the training program, appeals bureau, and limited jurisdiction courts. During his career, Nick has specialized in both appellate and complex economic fraud, illegal enterprise, and anti-racketeering cases. In recognition of his exceptional prosecutorial work, Klingerman was honored with the Felony Prosecutor of the Year award for large jurisdictions by the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council (APAAC) in 2022. Nick received his JD from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of law in 2010, where he was the Case Notes Editor for the Arizona Law Review and graduated summa cum laude and Order of the Coif. Following law school, Nick clerked for the Honorable Maurice Portley in the Arizona Court of Appeals. Before moving to Phoenix, Nick was a part-time professor of practice at the University of Arizona College of Law, teaching sentencing law and supervising the Attorney General Prosecution Clinic.

Matthew E McGregor Related Seminars and Products

Intake Bar Counsel

State Bar of Arizona

Matt McGregor is Bar Counsel with the State Bar of Arizona’s Intake department. Born and raised in the far suburbs of Chicago, IL., his first legal job was with the Maricopa County Attorney’s office, where he worked from 2002 – 2007. Matt worked in the Preliminary Hearing, Juvenile, and Family Violence Bureaus. Matt then moved over to the State Bar of Arizona’s Lawyer Regulation department in 2007, where he worked as a Litigation Bar Counsel, and then transitioned into a part of the Intake department. In 2011, Matt returned to the County Attorney’s office, where he worked in Charging / Grand Jury, Family Violence, Gangs, and as a Mentor for newer attorneys in the Preliminary Hearing bureau. Matt then returned to the State Bar’s Intake department in February 2016, and he also assists in conducting in-person law office assessments for the State Bar’s Law Office Management Assistance Program. Matt regularly teaches as part of the State Bar of Arizona’s Professionalism Course and other CLEs.

Robert M Charles Jr Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP

is a partner in the law firm of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. Rob practices primarily bankruptcy law and commercial litigation in Arizona and Nevada. Rob is a fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. Rob served as Chair and member of the State Bar of Arizona Committee on Rules of Professional Conduct. Rob lectures and writes extensively on bankruptcy law and legal ethics and is Professor of Practice (adjunct faculty) at the James E. Rogers University of Arizona College of Law teaching Introduction to Business Reorganization in Bankruptcy. Rob is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, including the ABI Southwest advisory board, and was a member of the ABI National Ethics Task Force. Rob is vice chair of the Professional Ethics subcommittee of the Business Bankruptcy Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Business Law. Rob joined the law firm in 1984 after a two-year clerkship with the Honorable Earl H. Carroll, U.S.D.C., Arizona.

Laura Lawless Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP

is a Partner at Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP and a trial lawyer who represents employers before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, as well as in arbitration and mediation proceedings, defending employers in matters arising under federal and state employment laws, including claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, and breach of contract, as well as in noncompetition, nonsolicitation, nondisclosure, trade secret and unfair competition cases. Laura also counsels and collaborates with human resources professionals, including assisting in workplace investigations, auditing wage and hour practices under the Fair Labor Standards Act and analogous state laws, reviewing and advising on leaves of absence, preparing executive employment agreements and separation agreements, drafting employment policies and handbooks, advising on drug and alcohol testing and workplace violence prevention, delivering interactive management and executive training, and advising on reduction-in-force planning and implementation. She is also a frequent contributor and speaker on employment and labor law topics, including at state and local affiliates of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). In addition to her labor and employment practice, Laura assists private business owners in complying with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act and analogous state laws, requiring disability accessibility in places of public accommodation.

Bernardo McGee Velasco Related Seminars and Products

Assistant Attorney General

San Carlos Apache Tribe Attorney General's Office

(Bern) primarily practices environmental and natural resource litigation with the San Carlos Apache Tribe’s Department of Justice. Before joining the Tribe in 2024, Bern was a shareholder with Mesch Clark Rothschild in Tucson, where he practiced construction litigation and appeals. Bern clerked with the Honorable Peter J. Eckerstrom of the Arizona Court of Appeals after graduating from the University of Arizona. In his free time, Bern races throughout the Southwest with Bicycle Ranch Tucson. Although fast for a lawyer, it turns out that lawyers are slower than other professionals.

Andrew Paul Meshel Related Seminars and Products

Partner

RPM Law PLLC

Andrew P. Meshel (Andy) is co-founder and a Managing Partner of RPM Law, PLLC, a boutique Family and Juvenile Law-focused firm in Tucson, Arizona. Andy leads and manages a team of legal professionals in representing clients in need of assistance in a variety of practice areas including divorce, paternity, custody, criminal defense, property disputes, injunctive orders, dependency, severance, civil claims, military benefit restoration, wills and probate matters. Andy also serves as a pro bono Best Interests Attorney, Court-Appointed Advisor and Judge Pro Tempore for Family Law and child-related litigation in Pima County Superior Court. He was selected for the State Bar of Arizona’s Bar Leadership Institute and has served as a supervising attorney for the Regional Municipal Veterans Treatment Court (RMVTC) for southern Arizona. Andy was also one of 15 inaugural law Fellows competitively selected for Yale Law School’s collaborative ethics concentration program, The Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE). In addition to his current legal pursuits, Andy serves as a Commissioner on the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services Advisory Commission which provides policy advice to the Governor and the Director regarding veterans’ issues in support of the mission to promote public awareness and enhance the well-being of past and present Arizona service members and their families. Andy is a native Tucsonan and two-time University of Arizona alum; he studied Film Production and was a Haldeman Scholarship recipient, eventually earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree while simultaneously participating in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Andy also participated in the Walt Disney Company’s College Program, and during his last undergraduate year, he served as the Executive Officer for the Wildcat Battalion at the University of Arizona’s Naval ROTC unit. Upon commissioning into the Navy, Andy underwent flight training and earned his “Wings of Gold” as a Naval Aviator. He was named Instructor of the Year as an Instructor Pilot at Training Air Wing Five, earned his Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School and was recognized nationally as a Grampaw Pettibone Award recipient for excellence in promoting aviation safety through publication. Andy eventually returned to Arizona to command Tucson’s Navy Operational Support Center, culminating his Active Duty with the Navy. Following that tour, he immediately affiliated with the United States Air Force Reserve where he flew Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR) as a Reservist and attained the aeronautical rating of Command Pilot while also earning his Joint Professional Military Education certificate from the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College and earning his law degree from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. In January 2018, after 24 years of military service as a decorated combat veteran, Operations Officer, Safety Officer, Quality Assurance Officer, Deputy Commander and three-time Commanding Officer, Andy retired following his last command tour as Commander of the 305th Rescue Squadron aboard Davis-Monthan Air Force base. While most of his professional career has focused elsewhere, Andy never lost his affection for or appreciation of the arts and entertainment (and still finds time to play drums in a rock band). He has sought out opportunities for direct engagement to improve the interrelationship between the private and public sectors in support of restorative recreation (Andy’s substantial consulting work for Arizona Theme Park District Number 1 laid the groundwork for the District’s Request for Proposal process). He remains an avid and enthusiastic supporter of musical and stage performance, visual expression, and cultural betterment via the arts in general. Andy also believes strongly that the arts and entertainment have always been and should remain integral parts of commerce and culture in any thriving community. With a well-developed and multi-faceted skill set, Andy brings a wealth of knowledge and a mature perspective to bear in all his endeavors, relying on his personal and professional experience across a broad spectrum of disciplines to aid him in honed analytical consideration in support of the mission. As a fierce advocate of organizational diversity, efficiency, and agility—and with an unshakeable belief in the synergy of teamwork—Andy has managed, led, and worked with/for organizations of varying sizes in pursuit of all manner of objectives. He is always committed to excellence, both in the pursuit of those objectives, and in the final outcome.

Isaac Daniel Rothschild Related Seminars and Products

Mesch Clark & Rothschild PC

Isaac Rothschild is a shareholder who practices in the Bankruptcy Section of Mesch Clark Rothschild. Since joining MCR in 2009, Isaac has been active in the firm’s bankruptcy section, co-counsel in some of the largest reorganization cases in Arizona, as well as representing Trustees, secured insurance companies, and local banks in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases as well as collection actions. His practice also focuses on asset protection planning, business partnership disputes and probate litigation. Additionally, Isaac is active in several non-profits including being the former Chair of the Tucson Jewish Community Center, on the governance Committee of Literacy Connects and one of four founders of the Tucson Jazz Festival.

Wayne E Yehling Related Seminars and Products

Pima County Superior Court

was born in Tucson in 1959 and attended public schools, graduating from Tucson High School in 1978. After graduating from St. John's College Seminary in 1982, he attended the University of Arizona College of Law, graduating in 1985. After clerking one year for the Hon. Thomas C. Kleinschmidt of Division One of the Arizona Count Appeals, he worked in the appellate division of the Pima County Public Defender's Office for three years. From 1989-2010, he was an attorney for the law firm of DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, P.C. of which he was managing shareholder from 2000-2009. In March of 2010 he was appointed a Superior Court Commissioner by the Hon. Jan E. Kearney. He became a Judge of the Superior Court on October 16, 2020, after having been appointed by Governor Doug Ducey. Since becoming a judicial officer, he has served on the Probate, Juvenile, Family and Civil benches. He currently serves on the Civil Bench.

Donald J Karl Related Seminars and Products

Teri Marscovetra Rowe Related Seminars and Products

Attorney

Miller Weber Kory LLP

Teri Rowe graduated from the University of Arizona with degrees in Physics and Astronomy. She interned for NASA, taught elementary school science, and ultimately worked as a systems engineer at Raytheon in the area of missile design. Teri left the engineering field and attended law school at Arizona State University, during which time she served as an editor on Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science, and Technology. Following graduation, she spent a decade working in a small firm where she handled primarily personal injury litigation, and also practiced in the areas of criminal defense, family law, and probate.

As a partner at Miller Kory Rowe, she has devoted the majority of her time to the firm’s nursing home litigation practice, where she represents the victims of nursing home abuse, neglect, and exploitation. She also continues to represent victims of medical malpractice and catastrophic injuries.

Teri also serves on the Arizona Supreme Court Attorney Discipline Committee and as a settlement conference officer for attorney discipline matters. She is a member of the American Association of Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group, as well as a Sustaining Member of the Arizona Association of Justice (AzAJ). She is the Secretary for AzAJ as well as an executive board member and serves on the AzAJ Seminar Committee where she chairs the annual Ethics Seminar.

Joshua F Hamilton Related Seminars and Products

Attorney/CO-Owner

Hernandez & Hamilton PC

has been an Arizona criminal defense attorney in private practice since 2010. His practice focuses on complex felony cases in both state and federal courts. He regularly represents clients all throughout Arizona, and has been admitted pro hac vice to represent clients in federal cases in other districts nationwide. He has also successfully argued several published Arizona and federal appellate cases. He has vast experience in the area of search and seizure litigation, wiretaps, digital forensics and internet investigations, white collar & racketeering matters, grand jury practice, and preindictment representation of the accused. Mr. Hamilton has been professionally recognized by Southwest Super Lawyers, US News & World Report’s Best Law Firms in America, Best Lawyers in America, is AV Preeminent-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and has served on the AACJ’s Board of Governors, the State Bar of Arizona’s Criminal Rules Committee, and the Criminal Justice Act (“CJA”) Panel Selection Committee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Jacki L Ireland Related Seminars and Products

Maricopa County Attorney

was raised in Prescott, Arizona. She attended Northern Arizona University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. She attended law school at the University of Arizona where she graduated magna cum laude, as well. She then worked at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, prosecuting general crimes, as well as gang and repeat offender cases. She was then hired as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Arizona (Phoenix office), where she prosecuted immigration cases and major drug trafficking cases. She was appointed as a Superior Court Commissioner in Maricopa County in 2007. Since 2015, she has served as a “special assignment” Commissioner which involves rotating to multiple assignments throughout the year. She has rotated through every major department of the court, which includes family, juvenile, probate, criminal and civil. She currently serves on the criminal bench. She is married and has two children. In her free time she loves to travel and spend time with friends and family.

Laura L Roubicek Related Seminars and Products

Deputy County Attorney

Office of the Arizona Attorney General

is a long-time Tucsonan and proud Arizona Wildcat, twice over. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Classical Humanities and from the University of Arizona in 1998 and then her law degree in 2003. She spent more than fifteen years as a prosecutor, first at the City of Tucson and then at Pima County, and has handled all nature of cases from civil traffic offenses to first degree murder before entering civil litigation where she has worked for most of the past four years. In addition to her extensive courtroom experience, with nearly 100 jury trials under her belt, she has also taught CLE’s for the Arizona State Bar, conducted in-house legal trainings on a variety of topics, and instructed law enforcement about various aspects of courtroom testimony, as well as having taught Basic Trial Advocacy at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law for seven years. Ms. Roubicek has been awarded the MADD Southern Arizona Misdemeanor Prosecutor of the Year and the Arizona Narcotics Officers Association Prosecutor of the Year. She currently works for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in the Liability Management Section defending lawsuits against the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry.