Government Relations

The State Bar of Arizona's Government Relations Department interacts with and is a resource to state and federal governmental entities, as well as members of the Bar. Please feel free to contact the Government Relations Department if you have questions about these processes, specific legislation or rule changes, or the Bar's position on particular issues.

Annual Report 

Legislative Advocacy

The Government Relations Department monitors the legislative priorities of the State Bar of Arizona based on the directive of the Board of Governors, and as set forth in Rule 32(a)(1), Arizona Rules of the Supreme Court.

Any State Bar section or committee may initiate new legislation. Their proposal may be vetted among other relevant sections or committees for their review in advance of the Board of Governor's consideration.

Proposals are then submitted to the Board during the fall preceding the beginning of the legislative session in January. If the Board endorses the proposal, the State Bar Lobbyist will guide the bill through the legislative process.

The basic public positions the Bar may take are: support or opposition, or no position if a bill is not sufficiently relevant to the Bar's mission to warrant taking a public position. The support or oppose position is limited to a relatively small number of bills in order to preserve the Bar's lobbying effectiveness and is reserved for bills which are seen as central to the interests of the Bar and which appear to have some viability in the Legislature.

If the Board does not endorse the proposed legislation, their action in no way diminishes the right of every member to express, in his or her individual capacity, support or opposition to any legislation. Individuals in a section or committee are free to advocate their own position as long as they clearly indicate that they are not speaking on behalf of the State Bar of Arizona.

Keller v. State Bar of California 496 U.S. 1 (1990) requires that the State Bar's legislative positions must be narrowly limited to specific issues. The Bar's credibility is related to the expertise, which the Bar is able to bear on any given issue, and the extent to which our views are not seen as being self-serving, but as promoting the interests of the legal profession, the public in improving the administration of justice and in promoting advancements in Arizona jurisprudence. The Bar does not take positions that are divisive among its membership.

The State Bar's ability to maintain an effective legislative program is directly dependent upon its members continuing to devote their time and efforts to legislative analysis, and their active involvement in the legislative process.

Other Legislative Resources:

How to Find Your Legislator
Member Roster - Arizona House of Representatives
Member Roster - Arizona Senate

Contact Information:

Kathleen A. Lundgren
Administrator, Government Relations Department
Phone: 602.340.7371
Fax: 602.416.7571
kathleen.lundgren@staff.azbar.org