Award of Special Merit
Established in 1988, the Award of Special Merit is presented by the Board of Governors to members of the State Bar of Arizona who have made significant contributions to the furtherance of public understanding of the legal system, the administration of justice, and confidence in the legal profession.
2022 Recipient
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Know Your Rights (KYR), a collaboration between the Maricopa County Library District and Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender, provides insightful content through innovative podcast forums on current legal topics often requested by listeners. Within its first year, the podcast expanded to over forty podcast episodes geared toward giving the public a better understanding of the legal profession, administration of justice, local laws, the legislative process, as well as connecting our listeners to vital community resources. The KYR's overall goal is to educate the public on their rights and increase their comfort level when interacting with an often-intimidating and complex justice system. By bringing in qualified legal experts to discuss real issues, free of charge, access to important legal information is now more available and approachable. |
Previous Recipients
The award has been presented to:
| 1988 | Hon. Frank X. Gordon, Jr |
| 1989 | Not awarded |
| 1990 | Hon. L. Ray Haire |
| 1991 | Prof. Charles M. Smith Hon. Morris K. Udall |
| 1992 | Not awarded |
| 1993 | Mark I. Harrison Charles T. Stevens |
| 1994 | Hon. Nikki A. Chayet Patricia A. Sallen John M. Schlosser |
| 1995 | E. Calvin Fuchs II Duke Nordlinger Stern |
| 1996 | Christopher Johns |
| 1997 | Michael M. Grant |
| 1998 | Not awarded |
| 1999 | Hon. Norman S. Fenton |
| 2000 | Sen. Marc L. Spitzer Hon. Thomas A. Zlaket |
| 2001 | Timothy M. Hogan Norman L. Miller |
| 2002 | Daniel Cracchiolo |
| 2003 | Walter Cheifetz |
| 2004 | Hon. Edward E. Davis (posthumously) |
| 2005 | Frances L. Johansen |
| 2006 | Anthony W. Clark Susan R. Agrillo Norma L. Classen |
| 2007 | Theodore Campagnolo Hon. Gary E. Donahoe |
| 2008 | Larry C. McVey Sidney T. Marable (posthumously) |
| 2009 | John W. Rogers |
| 2010 | Gary R. Stickell Alex E. Navidad |
| 2011 | Hon. Daniel A. Barker James W. Richardson |
| 2012 | Hon. Ann A. Scott Timmer Stephen Weiss |
| 2013 | Mark E. Meltzer |
| 2014 | William W. Owsley |
| 2015 | David B. Rosenbaum |
| 2016 | Gary M. Kula |
| 2017 | Robert L. Gottsfield |
| 2018 | Hon. Michael P. Pollard |
| 2019 | Hon. Dan R. Slayton |
| 2020 | Stacy Rupprecht Butler Denice R. Shepherd |
| 2021 | Anne Ronan |
| 2022 | Know Your Rights |
State Bar Annual Awards
- Award of Appreciation
- Award of Special Merit
- Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award
- Hon. John R. Sticht Disability Achievement Award
- James A. Walsh Outstanding Jurist Award
- Mark I. Harrison Excellence in Mentorship Award
- Member of the Year Award
- Michael C. Cudahy Criminal Justice Award
- Outstanding In-House Counsel of the Year Award
- President's Award
- Sharon A. Fullmer Legal Aid Attorney of the Year Award
- Tom Karas Criminal Justice Award