Total Credits: 4.25 CLE, 4.25 Ethics
This course explores professionalism principles and analyzes a series of professionalism hypotheticals pertinent to a lawyer's relationship with clients, judges, and other attorneys. The bulk of the seminar is presented in interactive breakout groups. New admittees to the State Bar of Arizona must complete this course within one year of being admitted to the Bar. Space is limited for each session.
In a profession that was designed to be adversarial in nature, it's only natural that conflicts with our colleagues, the judiciary and our clients may arise. How we resolve these conflicts reflects upon the profession as a whole. This course is designed to help restore civility and elevate the standards by which we treat all those with whom we come in contact.
Important: Please make sure the email address we have on file for you is current. You will be emailed information about this course as we get closer to the course date. If you have not received information by October 7th, please check your spam folder or contact member services at Registrations@staff.azbar.org or 602-340-7231.
Krystal M. Ahart is a partner at Kahn & Ahart, PLLC, dba Bankruptcy Legal Center™, in Arizona. She focuses her practice on representing individual and commercial clients through Chapter 7, 11 (including Sub V), and 13 bankruptcies. Krystal obtained her J.D. from Phoenix School of Law in 2012; she started working with James F. Kahn in 2002, moving her way up from file clerk/receptionist, to secretary, to paralegal, and eventually to lawyer. Krystal recently became certified as a Bankruptcy Specialist by the State Bar of Arizona. She is honored to be a member of the 2020 Class of American Bankruptcy Institute’s 40 Under 40 Program and to be on Super Lawyers’ 2021 Southwest Rising Stars® list, an honor reserved for only 2.5 percent of attorneys in the region. Krystal is an active member of the legal community and devotes a substantial amount of time to serving the underserved. She has served as Co-Executive Director of Arizona Consumer Bankruptcy Counsel (“ACBC”) for nearly four years, and recently resigned as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Volunteer Lawyers Program, after four years of service in that role. In her free time, Krystal enjoys snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, and camping.
Geoff Balon was appointed as a City Magistrate for the City of Mesa Municipal Court on August 19, 2024. Prior to becoming a judge, Mr. Balon was a civil attorney in the Mesa City Attorney’s Office where he provided a wide range of legal counsel and advice to the Mesa Chief of Police and employees of the Police Department including advice on criminal investigations, training personnel, risk management, public records, drafting and reviewing contracts and representing the Department on legislative issues.
Mr. Balon serves the community as a volunteer at Feed My Starving Children in Mesa and has served in numerous capacities within the legal community including the Arizona State Bar’s Leadership Institute, Board of Governors, Professionalism Committee, Member Assistance Council, Advancement and Improvement Committee, and the Public Lawyers Section Executive Council. Mr. Balon is a graduate of the Anti-Defamation League’s Glass Leadership Institute and is the former Chair of the Phoenix Jewish Federation’s Cardozo Society.
Mr. Balon began working in the Mesa City Attorney’s Office in 2017 where he defended the City and Department in civil litigation and prosecuted crimes as an Assistant City Prosecutor. Mr. Balon previously served five years as a Deputy County Attorney prosecuting violent and organized crime in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Prior to becoming a prosecutor, Mr. Balon served as a Judicial Law Clerk to then Vice-Chief Justice Scott Bales at the Arizona Supreme Court.
Mr. Balon graduated from The University of Arizona with a B.A. and a J.D. and has completed executive leadership coursework on strategic risk management at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prior to law school, Mr. Balon was the Press Assistant to U.S. Senator Tim Johnson in Washington D.C.
Keelan S. Bodow works as a Commissioner for the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. She currently is assigned to the Juvenile Department, but has previously worked in the Criminal, Family and Probate Departments. Her assignments have included presiding over several therapeutic courts, including Family Treatment Court, Accountability Court, FACT Court, Mental Health/Rule 11 Court, Veterans Court, Drug Court, DUI Problem-Solving Court, Early Disposition Court, in addition to the regularly assigned calendars. She formerly worked as Unit Chief Counsel for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in the Child and Family Protection Division. Prior to the AG’s Office, Comm. Bodow worked in different areas of private practice. Comm. Bodow received her J.D. in 1994 from the University at Buffalo School of Law, and her B.A. in 1989 from Brown University. Comm. Bodow is admitted to practice in Arizona and New York. She is currently a member of AWLA, the ABA, the MCBA, and a volunteer instructor with the Arizona State Bar Professional course. She is a founding member and former board member of the Arizona Justice Museum and Learning Center. She also has been a Maricopa County Bar Association (MCBA) Board Member, chairperson of MCBA Membership Committee, board liaison for MCBA Maricopa Lawyer, member of the Horace Rumpole Inn of Court, faculty for Arizona Trial College, volunteer for the East Valley JCC, volunteer for Tempe Preparatory Academy, volunteer for Tempe South Little League, an officer for the Brown Club of Phoenix, and a regional director of Brown University Alumni Interviewing Program. She is a former Chairperson of the MCBA Tolerance Project and Speakers Bureau, and a former officer for the Arizona State Bar YLD.
Steven L. Bossé is a partner with Bossé Rollman P.C. He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law. He is a certified tax specialist, certified by the Arizona State Bar Legal Specialization Committee. His practice is concentrated in the creation of, and tax planning for, entities (including fringe benefits).
Dale Cardy graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in August of 1998. He began working for the Pima County Attorney’s Office in 2000. In 2002 Dale began work at the Juvenile Unit of the Pima County Attorney’s Office. He became the supervising attorney for this Unit in 2008, and has continued in this role ever since. Dale is currently responsible for supervising three other attorneys. Dale also works closely with Juvenile Court on numerous initiatives to achieve better outcomes for the youth in Pima County.
Ann Ching is a Clinical Professor of Law at Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Prior to this appointment, Professor Ching served as Ethics Counsel for the State Bar of Arizona (2016-2019) and Assistant Professor of Law at Pepperdine University (2013-2015). Professor Ching began her legal career in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (2001-2012), where she achieved the rank of Major and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her service in Iraq.
Outside of teaching, Professor Ching serves on the Arizona Supreme Court Ethics Advisory Committee, the State Bar of Arizona Ethics Advisory Group, and as a judge pro tempore for the East Valley Regional Veterans Court. Professor Ching is also Immediate Past President of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association.
Professor Ching is a graduate of the University of Arizona (B.A.), the University of North Carolina (J.D.), the Judge Advocate General’s School of the Army (LL.M.), and Pepperdine University (M.B.A.).
is an environmental attorney that has been practicing since 2006. She has worked in both government and private practice roles. She advises clients on permitting and compliance under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, and RCRA regulatory requirements. Danielle also performs environmental audits of facilities to ensure compliance under permits and rules. Danielle earned her B.S. from the University of Arizona and her J.D. from Arizona State University and passed the bar exam in Arizona, Idaho, and Colorado.
Michele Feeney is the founder of Michele M. Feeney LLC where her legal practice is devoted to mediation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. She formerly litigated cases in the areas of medical malpractice, wrongful death, personal injury, and other tort litigation. Michele has served as adjunct faculty at the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University for several years, where she teaches “Creative Writing for Lawyers” and “Effective Meeting Management.” Michele designed and implemented comprehensive associate training programs at Mohr, Hackett, Pederson, Blakley and Randolph, P.C. and Doyle, Winthrop, P.C. Michele has planned and participated in extensive Continuing Legal Education programs for the Maricopa County Bar Association, the State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona Association for Conflict Resolution, the National Business Institute, the Piper Writers’ Center at ASU, and others. She is a member of the American Arbitration Association Panel of Neutrals, Arizona Association of Defense Counsel (Board of Directors 1998-2006), and the ADR section of the Arizona State Bar (Vice Chair 2010-2011 and Chair 2011-2012). Michele earned her B.A. degree from the University of Michigan and her J.D. degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Dee Giles is a partner at Schneider & Onofry, a mid-sized firm with offices in Phoenix and Yuma. He has been with the firm for seventeen years. Dee is a litigator and appellate attorney, with a focus on civil and family law issues. He is a member of the State Bar of Arizona’s Professionalism Advisory Council. In his spare time, he enjoys the outdoors and sports. He coaches soccer and enjoys the opportunity to work with youth.
Honorable Peter Hochuli received his undergraduate degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Juvenile Corrections from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1977. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University Of Arizona College Of Law, in 1980. He has practiced law in Tucson, Arizona since 1981. He was in private practice with an emphasis in Juvenile delinquency defense and dependency matters as well as family law/domestic relations cases. In 1996, he joined the Pima County Attorney’s Office, Juvenile Division, and was promoted to supervisor in April, 2003. During that time he represented the Pima County Attorney during the implementation of the Juvenile Detentions Alternatives Initiative.
He was a founding member of the Juvenile Law Section of the Arizona State Bar and was Section Chair from June 1999 to June 2000. Over the course of his career he has participated in a number of state and local juvenile committees, collaborations, and faculty for legal education.
Peter W. Hochuli was appointed to the Pima County Bench as a Court Commissioner/Judge Pro Tempore of the Superior Court, Juvenile Division effective March 17, 2008. In October 2013, he was rotated to the Pima County Probate/Adult Mental Health bench, where he served for 27 months. December 11, 2015, he was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey, to the Pima County Superior Court Bench, Division 13, and is currently serving on the Juvenile Bench, as the Presiding Judge.
He has been married for almost 43 years and has four beautiful children and three exceptional grandchildren.
Honorable Nicholas Knauer has served as a Court Commissioner at the Pima County Superior Court since March 2022. He presides over cases involving domestic relations, alternative dispute resolution, protective orders, and criminal conduct. Previously, he practiced in juvenile law with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the Pima County Public Defender’s Office, and the Pima County Office of Children’s Counsel.
Jessica Kokal is a partner with Broening Oberg Woods & Wilson. Jessica moved to the Valley from the Detroit metropolitan area to attend Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University as a National Merit scholar recruit. She remained at Arizona State University to attend law school at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law while also working full-time at a small Phoenix firm. After joining the firm of Broening, Oberg, Woods & Wilson as an associate in 2016, Jessica was invited to become a partner in 2018.
During her career, Jessica has defended over 30 arbitrations both in what are now known as Tier 1 cases in the state of Arizona and in the AAA forum, taken and defended hundreds of depositions, participated in dozens of administrative hearings and settlement conferences, and defended multiple trials, before both juries and the presiding disciplinary judge and disciplinary hearing panel, to verdict. She currently focuses her practice in the areas of general liability defense, insurance bad faith with a focus in workers’ compensation bad faith, and professional malpractice and lawyer disciplinary proceedings.
In addition to maintaining her practice, Jessica oversees the firm’s mentorship program and chairs the firm’s marketing and recruitment committees. Between 2017 and 2019, she also directed the Phoenix Ladder Down program, designed to help women lawyers extend the “ladder down” to other women lawyers. She currently leads the firm’s mentorship program.
Kareen O’Brien has been practicing law since 2004. A graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles, California, Kareen began her career in the areas of civil litigation and intellectual property rights’ enforcement. Eager to have more trial experience, in 2006 she became a Deputy District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles, where she eventually handled the most serious and violent family violence and sexual assault cases. In 2012, Kareen moved to Phoenix with her family, and became a member of the Arizona State Bar that same year. After a short time as a Deputy County Attorney with Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (“MCAO”) in their sex crimes bureau, Kareen decided to try something different, so she began practicing Family Law. In 2023, Kareen rejoined MCAO where she now works as a prosecutor in the Sex Crimes Bureau.
Elizabeth Burton Ortiz has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, a Master of Arts in Political Science, and a Juris Doctor. After graduating from law school, Ms. Ortiz clerked at the Arizona Court of Appeals. Ms. Ortiz then joined the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, in Phoenix, Arizona, where she prosecuted cases for sixteen years. During that time, Ms. Ortiz served as a Bureau Chief in Juvenile, Pretrial, Charging, and Appeals. In 2009, Ms. Ortiz joined the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council (APAAC) as the Senior Staff Attorney and was subsequently named Executive Director. In addition to her APAAC duties, Ms. Ortiz is co-chair of the Arizona Governor’s Commission to Prevent Intimate Partner and Gender-Based Violence and chair of the State Bar of Arizona Public Lawyers Executive Council. She serves as a board member for the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators, the National District Attorney’s Association, the Arizona Forensic Science Academy, the Arizona Supreme Court’s Commission of Victims in Court, the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization, the State Bar of Arizona Criminal Justice Executive Council, and the State Bar of Arizona Professionalism Advisory Council. Further, Ms. Ortiz is co-chair of the National District Attorney’s Association Training & Education Committee, and chair of the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators Training Committee. Ms. Ortiz teaches extensively throughout Arizona, the United States, and in Mexico on a wide variety of trial advocacy and ethics topics for organizations including the American Bar Association, the Office of the New York Attorney General, the Alliance Partnership Program, the National Crime Victims Law Institute Conference, and for prosecutor conferences in Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Additionally, she serves as a facilitator across the country for the Lessons From the Holocaust: What You Do Matters course. In 2022, Ms. Ortiz was recognized by the State Bar of Arizona with the Michael Cudahy Criminal Justice Award.
Honorable David M. Osterfeld is an appointed judge for the Tohono O’odham Nation in Sells, Arizona. Over his legal career, Judge Osterfeld has served as an Assistant Tribal Attorney and Acting Tribal Attorney for the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Whiteriver, Arizona, as a Tribal Court Solicitor and Legal Services Managing Attorney for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and as private counsel to many Indian nations across the country while managing the Tribal Regulatory Workgroup practice for the law firm Rosette, PLLC.
Judge Osterfeld has also served as an Assistant Attorney General for Arizona, and currently serves as a Major in the United States Air Force reserve, Judge Advocate General’s Corps—helping ensure the Air Force mission to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace. Immediately before his appointment to the Tohono O’odham bench, Judge Osterfeld was twice-elected as the White Tank Justice of the Peace in Maricopa County, and served as Associate Presider for the 26 Maricopa County Justice Courts. Judge Osterfeld enjoys teaching and helping others understand the law and is honored to be part of this course.
Kathleen Stillman is a partner with the Phoenix law firm of Stillman Smith Gadow where her practice is dedicated solely to the area of family law, specifically complex divorce, premarital agreements, child-related matters, post decree modifications, and mediation. Kathleen is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a Certified Specialist in Family Law. She brings thirteen years of teaching experience, advocating for children and working with families, to her practice. Admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 2013, she graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. in Elementary and Special Education in 1995 and the University of Wyoming Law School in 2001. Kathleen served as chair of the Maricopa County Bar Association Family Law Board in 2023, is a Court Appointed Advisor, provides pro bono legal services through the CLS Volunteer Lawyers Program, and serves as a Judge Pro Tem. Additionally, she serves on several mentorship committees within the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is the mother of two college students (a house divided: one at University of Arizona and the other at ASU) and enjoys riding horses and team roping.
Edina A. T. Strum is an attorney with McCarthy Family Law, PLLC, a law firm that is devoted solely to the practice of family law. Ms. Strum has been in practice since 2002, and she is a State Bar of Arizona Certified Specialist in Family Law. Ms. Strum is a trained mediator and Collaborative Divorce Attorney. Ms. Strum focuses a significant portion of her practice on issues related to parenting time matters and serves as a Parenting Coordinator, Child’s and Best Interest Attorney/Court Advisor. Ms. Strum has presented at multiple Continuing Education Seminars for the State and Pima County Bar Associations as well as the Arizona Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.
Geoffrey M.T. Sturr is a member of Osborn Maledon, P.A. in Phoenix. He serves as the firm’s general counsel. He is admitted to practice in Arizona and California. His practice includes legal malpractice cases, fee disputes, Bar admission and Bar discipline proceedings, and advising law firms and lawyers on professional responsibility and law practice management issues. He has previously served on the State Bar’s Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct, its Fee Arbitration Committee, and as a Trustee of the Client Protection Fund. He also served as a Hearing Officer for the Supreme Court of Arizona’s Disciplinary Commission.
Mr. Sturr has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America from 2007-2024 in the categories of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law. He was named Phoenix Lawyer of the Year for Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law in 2021 and Phoenix Lawyer of the Year for Bet-the Company Litigation, in 2019. Mr. Sturr was named “Southwest Super Lawyer” by Law and Policy Magazine, in 2007 and from 2009-2024 Editions. In 2024, he was listed in Top 50 Arizona Super Lawyers.
A graduate of Haverford College and the UCLA School of Law, Mr. Sturr served as a law clerk for the Honorable Cynthia Holcomb Hall, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, before entering private practice.
Anna M. Unterberger was a Deputy Public Defender with the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office for 31 years. After 7 years in the Trial Division and 10 years in the Appeals Division, she spent 14 years in the Capital Trial Unit. Her practice in that unit focused on written advocacy and tenacious negotiations. She does not have any clients on death row. Prior to joining the Public Defender’s Office, she was an attorney in private practice, working primarily in the area of commercial litigation, and an Assistant Attorney General with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in the Antitrust Division. She served as Judicial Law Clerk for the Hon. James Duke Cameron at the Arizona Supreme Court during the 1983-84 judicial term, and as a Congressional Intern in 1979 for then House Minority Leader John J. Rhodes, Jr. Anna received a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from Rice University in 1980, and a J.D. from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1983, where she was a member of The Arizona Law Review. She is a former member of the State Bar of Arizona’s Revised Criminal Jury Instructions Committee and the Bar’s Committee on Professional Conduct (“Ethics Committee”). She was also on the Editorial Board for the Bar’s Revised Ethics Handbook, as well as being a contributing author. She was one of 18 Arizonans who received the Bar’s Gideon Award, in recognition of her contributions to indigent criminal defense. She was also the recipient of the Jack Williams Appellate Achievement Award from the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and she has argued (and even won) cases in the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court.