Tom Karas Criminal Justice Award

The Tom Karas Criminal Justice Award is  presented by the Board of Governors to a criminal defense practitioner who during his or her career has worked tirelessly to advance the principles of criminal justice by representing clients or the public with integrity, fairness, tenacity, creativity, brilliance and above all professionalism.  The award was established in 2004, and the language was amended on March 17, 2006.

2012 Recipient

Darrow Soll, one of Arizona's most prominent criminal defense lawyers, was named after ClarenceDarrow. He served his country in the US Army Ranger Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division, where he was member of a reconnaissance section and an anti-tank platoon. After military service, Darrow earned his B.A. in Russian Language from ASU and his J.D. from the U of A. As an attorney Darrow was a State Bar of Arizona Certified Criminal Specialist. Over the course of his career, Darrow pursued justice at the law firm of O'Conner Cavanaugh, Arizona Attorney General's Office, Pima County Public Defender's Office, Maricopa County Public Defender's Office, and the local office of Quarles & Brady, Streich Lang. He was a legal consultant for television networks and was well known for his political and legal debates on MSNBC and CNN. He served as an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona, where he was an inspiring figure to law students interested in criminal defense. Darrow represented Padre Matt Bush, boxer Mike Tyson, and numerous pro bono clients. To the innocent he was the warrior of justice; to the downtrodden he was the archangel of compassion. He died in 2007 at the age of 39.

Previous Recipients

The award has been presented to: