State Bar of Arizona Course on Professionalism (Virtual Course)- 12/16/25

John C Kelly Related Seminars and Products

Coppersmith Brockelman PLC

John Kelly is a partner with the law firm of Coppersmith Brockelman PLC in Phoenix. He has substantial experience representing profit and not-for-profit companies in a wide variety of legal and business matters, including commercial, employment, real estate and construction, health care, tort and insurance-related litigation. As a trial lawyer, John has tried over 100 cases to conclusion, including jury and bench trials, arbitration matters and administrative law proceedings. He currently serves as a Judge Pro Tem with the Maricopa County Superior Court and has been retained to serve as a private mediator on more than 200 occasions. He is a member of the International Academy of Dispute Resolution and is a trained Neutral (Mediations/Arbitrations) and Peer Review Officer with the American Health Lawyers Association. He has conducted numerous internal and external training sessions and Company seminars on issues such as loss prevention techniques, sexual harassment avoidance, professional conduct in the workplace, litigation preparation, workers’ compensation, business contract review and best employment practices. He conducts workplace investigations into a wide variety of employment issues.

Prior to joining Coppersmith Brockelman, John was the General Counsel of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. In that capacity, John supervised the Human Resources, Benefits, Corporate Management and Parish Administration offices of the Diocese, advised the Bishop on numerous non-profit and corporate governance issues, and advised the Catholic Schools Superintendent on school personnel decisions, education-related policies and procedures, and student disciplinary processes. Prior to joining the Diocese of Phoenix, John was the Vice President and General Counsel and a member of the Executive Board of Directors of Leslie’s Poolmart, Inc., a nationwide retailer of swimming pool supplies. John directed all litigation for the Company and its 900+ stores, and also supervised the Legal, Real Estate, Construction and Facilities Management, Loss Prevention, Risk Management, Safety, Regulatory Affairs and Workers’ Compensation departments. Prior to joining Leslie’s, John was in private practice in Phoenix for 12 years, most recently as a partner in the law firm of Leonard, Collins & Kelly, where his practice concentrated on business, contract and employment litigation.

John holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Arizona State University, and is admitted to practice in Arizona and California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Arizona and the Southern, Northern, and Central Districts of California. He has been awarded the distinguished “AV Preeminent” peer review rating, Martindale-Hubbell (both judicial and peer endorsed), “Top Rated Lawyer in Labor & Employment” by American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell, and is a 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 Southwest “Super Lawyer” in Civil Litigation and a recipient of The Best Lawyers in America: Commercial Litigation. He was appointed to the Professionalism/Ethics Committee of the State of Arizona Trial Practice section and conducts seminars for the State Bar of Arizona on Professionalism.

Devin Sreecharana Related Seminars and Products

May Potenza Baran & Gillespie PC

Devin Sreecharana. Devin’s practice includes all aspects of complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. He is a Shareholder in his firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group, serves as his firm’s Ethics Counsel, and assists with his Firm’s attorney recruitment efforts. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star (Business Litigation) for ten consecutive years, as well as an American Bar Foundation Fellow. Devin has and continues to hold Board and executive positions in a number of community and legal service organizations and enjoys serving as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court.

Nicholas Alexander Knauer Related Seminars and Products

Commissioner

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.

Bernardo McGee Velasco Related Seminars and Products

Assistant Attorney General

San Carlos Apache Tribe Attorney General's Office

(Bern) primarily practices construction and general appeals with Mesch Clark Rothschild in Tucson, where he has been since 2018. 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 competes around the Southwest with the Bicycle Ranch Tucson Race Team. Although fast for a lawyer, it turns out lawyers are slower than other professionals.

Nanette M Warner Related Seminars and Products

Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator

Karp & Weiss PC

Lisa A VandenBerg Related Seminars and Products

Judge

Maricopa County Superior Court

Honorable Lisa A. VandenBerg has dedicated her legal career to serving Maricopa County. For the past 18+ years she has served as both Commissioner and Judge on the Arizona State Superior Court of Maricopa County. She currently serves as the Associate Presiding of the Probate/ Mental Health Department, in the Downtown Court Complex.

Through her previous assignments she has served in the Criminal Department for a combined to-tal of over 12 years, along with service in the Family, Juvenile, Probate/ Mental Health, and Lower Court Appeal Departments. Her service has included numerous CLE, CoJET, and Brown Bag presentations for the Bench and Practitioners throughout the State of Arizona.

Marc C Cavness Related Seminars and Products

Marc C. Cavness, PLLCPLLC

Marc C. Cavness. I am a 79 year old lawyer, fourth generation Arizonan who grew up in Phoenix, attended NAU and U of A law school (my grades at Brophy were good enough to get me 120 miles away from home).

I practiced for seven years with a small firm headed by my dad Jack Cavness, then ran away from home. Since then, I have engaged in solo practice, and have had a diverse mix of clients and practice areas.

I represented (and named) the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when they were under the leadership of Rulon Jeffs, whose son Warren drove that bus off the cliff, representing the town Marshall whose police officer certification was to be revoked because he had three wives and thirty six children; the court ruled that for a fundamentalist Mormon polygamy was constitutionally protected religious conduct with which the state could interfere only for a compelling reason. (I told the then Prophet Rulon Jeffs that while the stale did not have a compelling interest to deny a polygamist town a polygamist police officer, it did have a compelling interest to protect 14 year old girls. That summer Rulon announced at assembly that there would be no underage marriages except for compelling reasons).

Working with Chicago and Detroit lawyers, I represented the Pavilions Shopping Center in Scottsdale and won a three year refund of property taxes
on the ground that improvements constructed on leased ground were exempt from taxation as Indian owned property, and represented Hilton to obtain property tax reductions after 911 clobbered the hotel industry.

My practice now involves probate and estate planning, probate litigation involving will contests and claims against executors for mismanagement, an office practice involving contracts, transactions, and commerce, and limited family law (mainly involving the adult children of other clients).

Joel Brooks Robbins Related Seminars and Products

Robbins and Curtin p.l.l.c.

Joel Brooks Robbins
Robbins Curtin Millea & Showalter, LLC
301 E. Bethany Home Rd., Suite B-100
Phoenix, Arizona 85012
(602) 400-4400
Joel@RCMSLaw.com

BACKGROUND
Partner in the law firm of Robbins Curtin Millea & Showalter, LLC. (One of the preeminent law firms in the country (Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers) - Martindale Hubbell.))

Member and 2017 President of the Phoenix chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, member of the American Association of Justice, Arizona Association of Justice (aka Arizona Trial Lawyers Association) (Board Member, and 2017-2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year), Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, and National Police Accountability Project. Past President of Phoenix Trial Lawyers.

Certified as a specialist in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation by the State Bar and has the highest possible rating by the nation's oldest lawyer rating organization (AV@ "Peer Review Rated" by Martindale Hubbell). One of the best lawyers in Arizona and the Southwest, according to Superlawyers 2007-2025. Selected as one of the top 50 lawyers in Arizona for 2017, 2018, 2021 – 2024.

He was awarded the Kenneth D. Freeman Award for Excellence in Continuing Legal Education for the Maricopa County Bar Association and is the author of two articles for the Arizona Advocate: A.R.S. Section 12-2601: Making Arizona a Playground for Negligent Construction Professionals and The Arizona "Indivisible Injury" Rule in Multiple Collision Cases.

Practice Emphasis

Robbins' practice is primarily in plaintiffs' personal injury cases in construction, automobiles, negligence, and civil rights. Robbins has been responsible for multiple million-dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients.

Appellate Law Accomplishments

In AA Mechanical vs. Superior Court (Vree), the Arizona Court of Appeals declared an unfair statute that required expert affidavits unconstitutional; in Hayes v. Continental Ins. Co., the Court of Appeals found that prohibiting injured workers from suing their worker's compensation insurance companies for bad faith was unconstitutional. In Bachus v. State, the Court of Appeals found that individuals injured by the government statute are not required to provide an exhaustive statement of damages to preserve their claims.

Trial Accomplishments

Robbins' other significant cases include litigating Flanders vs. Arpaio, which established She1iff Joseph Arpaio's knowing disregard of the unreasonably dangerous condition of the Maricopa County tent city. Other important cases were Klatt v. Maricopa County, Walker v. Maricopa County, James Saville vs. Arpaio, Daniel and Donna Saban vs. Arpaio, Richard Post vs. Arpaio, Damon Dreckmeier vs. Arpaio, Nick Tarr vs. Arpaio, and Eric Johnson vs. Arpaio.

Academic Background

Robbins graduated from the University of Arizona Law School in 1986 and was a member of the Moot Court Board. He graduated from the U of A with a business economics degree (cum laude) in 1983 and received the Pat Shelly Memorial Award for service to the University of Arizona.

An Arizona lawyer vigorously seeking compensation for those seriously injured due to the fault of others and guarding the rights of individuals against governmental abuse.

Sally Schneider Duncan Related Seminars and Products

Sally Schneider Duncan is a retired Maricopa County Superior Court of Arizona Judge. After 18 years of resolving disputes on the civil, family, and criminal benches, she transferred her skills to a platform where she could help litigants reach mutually satisfying conclusions to costly and distracting litigation. At Convergent ADR, she serves as a mediator, arbitrator, discovery dispute master, and litigation strategist.

Her “been around the block” experience in all areas of civil litigation equips her to find solutions where others may not. She understands every corner of the courtroom both as a private practice litigator, public defender, and trial judge with dozens of trials. Before her appointment to the bench, Sally worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender and was in private practice for 15 years–first at one of Phoenix’s oldest and most respected firms and later as a partner at two international law firms–where she handled complex commercial cases including contract, environmental, construction, professional discipline, regulatory compliance, insurance, real estate, employment, corporate compliance, trade secrets, and general business litigation.

She regularly serves as a guest lecturer and Adjunct Trial Practice Faculty at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where she was invited to speak on Professional Responsibility and serve as a faculty member teaching Trial Practice Skills. She has also served as a judge presiding over mock trials.

Sally earned her B.A., with honors, summa cum laude, and her J.D. from the University of Arizona. She was admitted in Federal District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where she argued a case and learned that listening before you speak is the surest way to the surest way to find the best answer.

Danielle Miriam Dancho Related Seminars and Products

Senior Attorney

Hiser Joy

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.

Steven C Barclay Related Seminars and Products

President

Barclay Legal PLC

is a Senior Consultant with Consilium Consulting, a Phoenix-based firm that specializes in city, county, state, and federal government affairs, legislative affairs, and general consulting. Steve brings over 40 years of experience in lobbying, government relations, and regulatory law. A native Arizonan and seasoned lawyer-lobbyist, he has successfully represented national and local clients before the Arizona Legislature, Executive Branch, and federal and local agencies. Known for his strategic problem-solving and business development expertise, Steve helps clients navigate regulatory challenges and expand market opportunities. Consistently recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Firms, he strengthens Consilium’s ability to deliver results in Arizona’s evolving policy landscape.

Marki Stewart Related Seminars and Products

Coppersmith Brockelman PLC

assists hospitals, physician groups, telemedicine providers, laboratories, and other health care organizations with a variety of business and regulatory issues, including the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, HIPAA compliance, breach reporting, value-based reimbursement issues, medical practice acquisitions, Arizona Department of Health Services licensing issues, AHCCCS policies and payment disputes, and hospital-physician joint ventures. Marki has a special focus and interest in telemedicine, including licensing, reimbursement, credentialing, and security issues.

Kareen O'Brien Related Seminars and Products

Associate Attorney

Maricopa County Attorney's Office

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.

Kathleen Stillman Related Seminars and Products

Attorney

Stillman Smith Gadow

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.

Sarah E Selzer Related Seminars and Products

was appointed to the bench in 2020 and presided over hospital-based civil mental health proceedings before rotating to Probate. She graduated from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law and began her legal career by clerking for Judge Patricia K. Norris on the Arizona Court of Appeals. She subsequently practiced law in the private, government, and non-profit sectors: she practiced commercial litigation at Lewis and Roca, represented state licensing agencies at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, worked as a career law clerk for U.S. Magistrate Judges David K. Duncan and Deborah M. Fine, and was Associate General Counsel for Chicanos Por La Causa.

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.

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.

Megan K Page Related Seminars and Products

Pima County Public Defender's Office

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.

Walter L Palser Related Seminars and Products

Elizabeth Burton Ortiz Related Seminars and Products

Executive Director

Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council

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.