Member of the Year Award

Established in May 1991, this award is presented to that attorney(s) who has rendered extraordinary contributions to the programs and activities of the State Bar in the prior year. Hundreds, even thousands, of the Bar's members contribute their time and talent to the work of the Bar, but this award is limited to that individual(s) whose contributions are exceptional.

2023 Recipient

Steven M. Guttell has been a member of the Arizona Bar since 1982. He is currently Chair of the Fee Arbitration Program and was instrumental in developing the Fee Arbitration Arbitrator Training Program and the Fee Arbitration seminars for Conventions over the past many years. He has been a member of the Labor and Employment Section and served on the Board of the ADR Section. Steve was chapter editor and contributing author of the Arizona Employment Law Handbook.

Steve was Chair of the Scottsdale Personnel Board, on the board of the Scottsdale Bar Association, and president of the Arizona Association for Conflict Resolution.

Steve is on the AAA and FINRA arbitration panels and a mediator for the U.S. Postal Service. He is a hearing officer for the Phoenix Employment Relations Board and the Phoenix Civil Service Board. He was an adjunct professor of law teaching ethics, employment, and ADR courses, and judge pro tem in Superior and Justice courts.

Steve practiced law with the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and Gust Rosenfeld PLC, and Walker & Peskind PLLC in Arizona.

He has a B.S. degree from Northeastern University and law degree with honors from Suffolk University Law School where he was an editor of the Law Review.

Steve is a veteran and served in the Republic of Vietnam.

Previous Recipients

The award has been presented to:

1991	Ed Hendricks William R. Jones, Jr. Tom Karas Daniel J. McAuliffe Thomas A. Zlaket
1992	Larry W. Suciu
1993	Roxana C. Bacon
1994	Kenneth J. Sherk
1995	Crane McClennen Robert E. Schmitt
1996	Diane L. Drain
1997	Charles T. Stevens
1998	Michael R. Murphy
1999	Denise M. Blommel Mary Mangotich Grier John E. Lundin
2000	Andrew R. Sherwood
2001	Robert W. Browder
2002	Craig Mehrens Ted A. Schmidt
2003	Hon. Michael Owen Miller Steven A. Hirsch
2004	Sarah R. Simmons Aaron Kizer
2005	Michael V. Mulchay Ronald W. Messerly
2006	Jeffrey H. Jacobson
2007	Lynda C. Shely
2008	Jeffrey A. Hursh
2009	Daniel J. McAuliffe
2010	J. Scott Rhodes Jeffrey Messing
2011	James E. McDougall
2012	Todd F. Lang
2013	William G. Klain
2014	Amelia Craig Cramer
2015	George C. Chen
2016	Jodi Knobel Feuerhelm Andrew Jacobs Brian J. Pollack
2017	Jo Ellen McBride
2018	Paul F. Eckstein
2019	Hon. Patricia K. Norris (ret.)
2020	Gregory R. Gautam
2021	Mark I. Harrison
2022	David D. Dodge
2023	Steven M. Guttell

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Member of the Year Award

2023 Recipient

Previous Recipients

State Bar Annual Awards

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