President's Award
Awarded, at the discretion of the president, to that individual(s) who has contributed enormous effort towards the furtherance of the president's goals and priorities during his or her year as president. (Award established in 1996).
2025 Recipients
| No Photograph | Michael R. Murphy has been a Member of the State Bar of Arizona since 1972. He has been a Certified Specialist in Personal Injury & Wrongful Death from the inception of the program to present. He is a previous Member of the State Bar Board of Governors, served as President, 1994-1995, and Member of the Year, 1998. Mr. Murphy is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, International Society of Barristers and International Academy of Trial Lawyers, all of which proudly support the importance of the Rule of Law in America. |
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Jennifer Rebholz is Senior Counsel at Zwillinger Wulkan and a Certified Specialist in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death litigation in Arizona. She has been practicing law for 20 years, with extensive experience in civil litigation, including insurance defense, coverage matters, and bodily injury claims across most counties in Arizona. She now focuses her practice on personal injury and serves as a mediator and arbitrator in both third- and first-party cases. Jennifer has tried more than 35 jury trials and handled hundreds of arbitrations. She previously served as a judge pro tem and continues to be active in alternative dispute resolution. She regularly evaluates matters for settlement and is prepared to take cases to trial when resolution isn’t feasible. She is a past president of the State Bar of Arizona (2021-2022) and a Lifetime Fellow of the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education. She currently serves on the executive board of the Phoenix chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. |
Previous Recipients
The award has been presented to:
| 2002 | Janet Napolitano Hon. Robert B. Van Wyck Hon. Barry C. Schneider |
| 2003 | Craig Y. Fujii Danny R. Ortega, Jr. Neal Kurn Barry Wong Michael R. Rooney Richard H. Whitney |
| 2004 | Art Hamilton Kathleen A. Mayer Thomas M. Thompson |
| 2005 | Colleen A. Lomax, Esq. Hon. Rebecca A. Albrecht Paul Bennett Edward F. Novak |
| 2006 | Diane L. Drain Jenae R. Naumann Michael L. Walker Rawuel Centeno-Fequiere David B. Rosenbaum |
| 2007 | Michael L. Gallagher Michael Allen Berch |
| 2008 | Herbert I. Zinn Mari I. Valenzuela Sal J. Rivera Larry J. Cohen John W. Rogers William G. Klain |
| 2009 | Pamela A. Treadwell-Rubin Patrick J. McGroder III Jessica Gifford Funkhouser |
| 2010 | Saji Vettiyil Brigadier General Richard Gregg Maxon |
| 2011 | Maret Vessella Amy K. Rehm |
| 2012 | Senator Jon Kyl Alan P. Bayham, Jr. |
| 2013 | Hon. Janet Napolitano Lawrence F. Winthrop |
| 2014 | Patricia Lee Refo |
| 2015 | Robert E. Schmitt William C. Porter |
| 2016 | Thomas M. Ryan Alex Lane |
| 2017 | Thomas L. Hudson Sheena S. Chiang |
| 2018 | Larry W. Suciu |
| 2019 | Charles W. Wirken Laura Zeman-Mullen |
| 2020 | Dr. Kolette A. Butler Hon. Donn G. Kessler (ret.) |
| 2021 | Lonnie J. Williams, Jr. |
| 2022 | Sam Saks |
| 2023 | Staff of the State Bar of Arizona |
| 2024 |
Hon. David Allen II |
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