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Bar Foundation Newsletter & Updates

Bar Foundation Newsletter & Updates

Thank You for a Memorable 2026 Awards Luncheon

On June 25, the Arizona Bar Foundation welcomed hundreds of legal, judicial, and community leaders to its annual Awards Luncheon at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson.

 

This tradition allows the Foundation to celebrate those bridging legal access gaps in Arizona through specialized services, philanthropy, and teaching efforts. The six categories of awardees, alongside the top 50 pro bono attorneys in the state celebrated at the luncheon, represent the very best in public service that Arizona has to offer.

 

The Foundation is honored to spotlight the incredible talent that makes up its programs and partnerships and sincerely thanks every luncheon attendee, awardee, and generous sponsor for making this year’s event one of its best yet.

 

Click HERE to learn more about this year’s award winners and see event photos on our social media.

 

 

Susan Brichler Trujillo, Foundation Board President, presenting Judge Samuel Thumma with the Walter E. Craig Distinguished Service Award.

Read Our Annual Report

 

‍The Arizona Bar Foundation has released a comprehensive report covering the ways its accessible legal services, resource websites, and educational programs have helped it advance toward its goal of promoting access to justice to all Arizonans. Most importantly, it showcases the tangible differences made statewide by hundreds of invaluable Foundation volunteers, partners, donors, and supporters.

 

The Foundation’s 2025 Annual Report, now live, covers all these subjects and more. It features the achievements of its legal service grantees, who helped Arizonans retain or recover more than $11.2 million in funding that would have otherwise been unlawfully taken this year.

 

It also spotlights the collaborative Domestic

Violence Legal Assistance Project, which helped 1,200 victims of domestic violence in legal clinics. The report offers an in-depth look at several law-related school safety trainings, academic competitions, and legal resource websites that together reached hundreds of thousands of

new users with accessible legal insight and

engaging law materials.


The Arizona Bar Foundation thanks its supporters for a fantastic 2025 and looks forward to another year of lasting positive change.

 

Click HERE to read the full report.

Honored to Advance Civics

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The Arizona Bar Foundation was named the 2026 recipient of the National Center for State Courts' Sandra Day O'Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education on June 10. This annual award celebrates an organization, court, or individual who has sparked innovation in justice-related civics education.  

 

NCSC representatives said, "by creating engaging resources, supporting educators statewide, and helping students connect constitutional principles to their daily lives, the Foundation has built one of the nation's most impactful civic education efforts." 

 

Since its formation in 1978, the Arizona Bar Foundation has managed multiple educational programs, trainings, and websites designed to bring legal knowledge to Arizonans across all counties, age groups, and backgrounds. This includes our LawForKids.org website, a free resource with legal lessons, videos, and quizzes that served more than 200,000 users and accumulated more than 1.5

million page views in the 2025 school year. 

 

The Foundation is deeply honored to be nationally recognized by NCSC and the Arizona Supreme Court. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers, grantees, and experts who donate the time and resources necessary to keep these impactful programs going.

 

As the very heart of our education efforts, this achievement would not have been possible without supporters like you.

Another Year of Critical Legal Service Funding

This year, Arizona’s legislature approved a $3 million state funding appropriation for civil legal aid services. This commitment matches last year’s historic appropriation and reaffirms Arizona’s commitment to supporting civil legal services for low-income Arizonans. These investments come at a critical time, as Arizona continues to face federal funding cuts - including the Legal Services Corporation, Arizona’s largest funder of civil legal aid services.  

 

Statewide civil legal aid makes a real difference. It prevents wrongful evictions, supports survivors of domestic violence, protects the income and rights of Arizona workers, helps veterans and older Arizonans access health and economic benefits, and much more. The Foundation sincerely thanks Arizona lawmakers and Governor Hobbs for their continued support in securing this critical funding and the individual supporters and law firms who signed letters of support for continued funding. 

 

While this decision marks a major step towards improving access to justice, there is no guarantee of ongoing funding for statewide civil legal aid services. The need for support among all legal service organizations and volunteers to provide pro bono assistance remains constant in every Arizona county. Join our efforts by donating to an approved legal service organization and signing up to volunteer today!

‍Volunteer Highlights

The Arizona Bar Foundation is proud to recognize

 its Volunteers of the Month:

 

June - Estevan Roman
Officer Estevan Roman played a critical role in the CSI Arizona State Competition by volunteering to judge both the qualification scenario and state

competition. He also shared the opportunity with

four officer cadets, whom he brought with him to help him judge the state competition. Roman is revered for his ability to encourage students by providing formative feedback. The Foundation

sincerely thanks him for his lasting dedication.

 

July - Luis Aponte

Sergeant Luis Aponte is a cornerstone of the

Arizona Bar Foundation’s competitions. Not only does he volunteer at every event, but he is

constantly rallying and recruiting new volunteers to support each program. In addition to assisting with the CSI Arizona, Project Citizen, and We the People

competitions, he serves as a School Resource Officer, maintaining an active and supportive

presence in Arizona schools. The Foundation is

incredibly grateful for everything Aponte does to

help advance civic education in Arizona. 

‍Spotlight on Service

 

Thank you to the volunteers who made our recent Wills for Heroes events in Tucson and Prescott a success.


We are grateful to everyone who donated their time and expertise to serve our community's first responders and their families.

 

To date, the program has completed more than 10,000 wills and estate documents during almost 23,000 hours of free legal services.

 

 

Upcoming events:

 

September 19 - Winslow, AZ

October 24 - Chandler, AZ

November 14 - Sacaton, AZ

December 5 - Surprise, AZ
January 9 - Phoenix, AZ

 
Learn more about Wills for Heroes, including how to volunteer, HERE.

 

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

 Help Revise Youth Legal Booklets


‍When teenagers turn 18, they face a rush of

newfound rights and responsibilities. These

individuals are officially adults, according to Arizona law, and will be treated as such in a court of law,

governmental matters, and countless everyday tasks. New obligations can be overwhelming, but

up-and-coming adults do not have to face them alone.

 

The Arizona Bar Foundation produces specialized resource packets, called “When You Turn 18” Booklets, that provide a baseline explanation of dozens of laws — from ones on banking, marriage, and employment to jury duty, power of attorney, and criminal charges.

 

Help the Foundation continue informing Arizona youth by volunteering to help revise its “When You Turn 18” resources with updated statutes.

 

Individuals with legal expertise who are interested

in contributing can reach out to Andrea Viel at [email protected].  

Constitution Week

September 14-18

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Every year, the Connecting with Classrooms: Constitution Week initiative introduces thousands of Arizona students to the rule of law and professions in the legal system.

 

Attorneys and judges visit K-12 classrooms to share legal insights, apply constitutional concepts to real-world scenarios, answer important questions, and spark curiosity in all things civics.

 

This year, Constitution Week is September 14–18. The Foundation is looking for inspiring legal minds to volunteer as visiting speakers across the state.

 

Participating attorneys and judges choose from a list of schools that submitted requests for presenters.

 

There, volunteers may use the Foundation’s lesson plans, activities, and educational gifts, including pocket constitutions and gavel pencils to bring the law to life in Arizona classrooms.

 

To learn more about Constitution Week and register online to become a volunteer speaker, click HERE.

Judge the Next Mock Mediation Tournament

Mock Mediation allows high school students to practice resolving civil disputes, all while developing their problem solving, public speaking, improvisation, and negotiation skills. In teams of three, students take on the roles of an advocate, a client, and a mediator while volunteer attorney judges score them on a provided rubric.

 

As the next state tournament approaches, the Foundation is looking for legal mentors to serve as judges in the program’s morning and afternoon mediation rounds. This year, the Mock Mediation tournament will be held on November 20 in Chandler, Arizona.

 

To learn more about Mock Mediation and register to volunteer, click HERE.  

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