It is the mission of the Committee on Minorities and Women in the Law:

1. To educate the legal community and general public on issues relating to minorities and women in the practice of law;
2. To support and serve minority and women practicing attorneys and students, by advocating the retention and advancement of minority and women lawyers;
3. To develop strategies to broaden the legal opportunities for minority and women attorneys; and
4. To promote the "Statement of Goals for Increasing Minority and Woman Representation and Retention."

Member roster and committee leadership

For member roster, please click here. CMWL's co-chairs for 2007-2008 are Mary Dolores Guerra and Bryce Suzuki.

Upcoming CMWL events

How to Join CMWL

Appointments to CMWL are made by the President of the State Bar each year.  To apply, an individual must complete the application for State Bar committee appointment, which is found on the Bar’s website by clicking here.  Applicants may apply in the Spring of each year, and appointments are made around the time of the Bar’s annual convention – late June/early July.   Members’ terms are for 3 years. Return to Top

History of CMWL

More information coming soon!   Return to Top

What can CMWL do for you?

CMWL operates many programs through its subcommittees:

State Bar Convention CLE Program
Each year, CMWL organizes a CLE program about minorities and women in the law at the State Bar’s convention in June. This year, our program will be an entire day of programming, rather than a half day.  Details will be available in the 2008 Convention Brochure distributed by the bar and posted on its website.

Chairs:  Kathleen Hale and Sonia Nayeri

Past seminar topics include:

• 2005 – “Civil Rights in Wartime: From Korematsu to Hamdi and Beyond”
• 2003 – “The Economics of Diversity:  How Attracting and Retaining Diverse Lawyers is Good for Business” (President’s Award Winner)
• 2002 – “Women in Arizona’s Legal Profession:  Celebrating Victories and Recognizing Challenges”
• 2001 – “The Continuing Role of Race in the Judicial System:  An Analysis of the Wen Ho Lee Case and the Rampart Scandal”  (Showcase Program)
• 2000   – “Diversity in the Practice:  Why It Matters”

Tang Writing Competition
Each Spring, CMWL sponsors an essay competition in which law students at each of Arizona’s three law schools (ASU, U of A, and Phoenix School of Law) may participate. The competition is named after the late 9th Circuit Judge Thomas Tang, in recognition of and to honor his special achievements and interest in diversifying the legal profession.

Prizes:  $1000 for first place essay, $500 for second place essay.  Winners are announced and prizes are distributed at the annual Minority Bar Convention in April.  In the past, the winning essay has been printed in the Arizona Attorney.

2008 Tang Competition information – 2008 question

Past Tang Competition information – 2007 question and winning essay

Chair:  Susan Anderson

ASU Minority Writing Program
Each year, in conjunction with ASU’s legal writing program and the Maricopa County Bar Association Minority and Women Task Force, CMWL provides a unique opportunity for second-year law students in Phoenix to clerk with private law firms to enhance their legal education.  

Brochure for Minority Writing Program

Chair:  Jo Ellen McBride

Law School Outreach
CMWL actively coordinates events with bar members and students at each of the Arizona law schools in order to encourage the advancement of minorities and women in the law through recruitment and hiring.  Committee members provide information, advice, and contacts to law students about State Bar programs and CMWL specifically. For current law school outreach events, please see our Upcoming Events section of this page.

Chair:  Maricela Meza

Statement of Goals
In 1992, CMWL surveyed legal employers within Arizona to determine minority and women participation, and the State Bar Board of Governors adopted CMWL’s “Statement of Goals for Increasing Minority and Women Representation and Retention.” Various legal employers became signatories to the Statement of Goals, and data was collected and studied from 1993 to 2003.  CMWL submitted its report on the Statement of Goals to the Board of Governors in April 2006.  From that report came many recommendations, including the hiring of a full-time Diversity Director for the State Bar and formation of a Bar Leadership Institute, which have since been adopted. Click here to view the April 2006 report.

To view the Statement of Goals, please click here.

Chair:  Jenae Naumann

CMWL Award
 Each year at the State Bar Convention, CMWL presents the CMWL Award to an attorney who meets the following criteria.

Criteria:  

Individual has achieved professional excellence in his/her field AND

1. Influenced minorities and/or women to pursue legal careers OR

2. Opened doors for minority and/or women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them OR

3. Advanced opportunities for minority and/or women lawyers within a practice area or segment of the profession OR

4. Advanced an initiative or project on behalf of or to promote minorities and women in the law.

This year, the deadline for submission of written nominations to Paula Bickett is April 16, 2008. Submit your nomination by completing this form and submitting it to Paula Bickett.

Past recipients of the CMWL award include Cal Udall, Hon. Frank X. Gordon, Jr., Roxana Bacon, Arizona Public Service Company, Herbert I. Zinn, Cynthia A. Zwick, Hon. Thomas Tang, Comm. Jesse Filkins, Anita Royal, Sharon L. Frye, Stephen Montoya, Hon. Patricia A. Orozco, Marian M. Yim, Jo Ellen McBride, Hon. Michael D. Ryan, Chris Nakamura, JoAnn Garcia, Jenae Naumann, Patricia Green, and Mari Valenzuela.

Chair:  Paula Bickett    Return to Top

Minority Bar Convention
 CMWL co-hosts the annual Arizona Minority Bar Convention, held each April.  Committee members are encouraged to attend the convention, and the committee’s April meeting is held on the Saturday of the convention each year.

Chairs:  Roxann Gallagher and Taren Ellis    Return to Top

Website
 CMWL maintains a website about its programs.  The site links to the State Bar’s diversity website, which contains information about diversity in the legal profession and links to sister bar organizations.

Chair:  Alison Bachus   Return to Top

Links
State Bar Diversity Department
Through the efforts of CMWL and others, the Arizona State Bar created a Diversity Department.  Please see its web page for a wealth of information on diversity in the legal profession, State Bar diversity programming, and links to sister bar organizations.

State Bar Leadership Institute
Also through the efforts of CMWL and others, the State Bar created the Bar Leadership Institute (BLI).  BLI is a one-year program designed to foster the professional growth and leadership skills of a promising group of diverse attorneys.  Because space is limited, selection is competitive.   2007-08 was the inaugural year, and plans are already underway for another successful year.   Return to Top

SBA Committee Contacts: