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Committee on Minorities and Women in the Law

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Committee on Minorities and Women in the Law (CMWL):

  • To educate the legal community and general public on issues relating to minorities and women in the practice of law;
  • To support and serve minority and women practicing attorneys and students, by advocating the retention and advancement of minority and women lawyers;
  • To develop strategies to broaden the legal opportunities for minority and women attorneys; and
  • To promote the "Commitment to Inclusion Goals for Increasing Minority and Woman Representation and Retention."

How to Join CMWL

Appointments to CMWL are made by the President of the State Bar each year.  To apply, an individual must complete the application for State Bar committee appointment, which is found on the Bar's website by clicking here.  Applicants may apply in the spring of each year, and appointments are made around the time of the Bar's annual convention - late June/early July.   Members' terms are for three years.

What can CMWL do for you?

CMWL operates many programs through its subcommittees:

Tang Writing Competition

State Bar Annual Convention CLE Program

ASU Minority Writing Program

Law School Outreach

CMWL Award

Arizona Minority Bar Convention


Commitment to Inclusion Goals


In 1992, CMWL surveyed legal employers within Arizona to determine minority and women participation, and the State Bar Board of Governors adopted CMWL's "Statement of Goals for Increasing Minority and Women Representation and Retention." Various legal employers became signatories to the Statement of Goals, and data was collected and studied from 1993 to 2003.  CMWL submitted its report on the Statement of Goals to the Board of Governors in April 2006.  From that report came many recommendations, including the hiring of a full-time Diversity Director for the State Bar and formation of a Bar Leadership Institute, which have since been adopted. Click here to view the April 2006 report.

In January 2009, the State Bar's Diversity Department sent letters to private and public law offices encouraging them to become Signatories to the Bar's Commitment to Inclusion Program.  The Program seeks to provide for full participation of all groups of people in the legal program and encourages law offices to follow guidelines describing best practices in hiring; retention; and promotion of minority, women and underrepresented groups of lawyers.  It was a project of the CMWL and endorsed by the Arizona Women Lawyers Associations, Arizona Black Bar Association, Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association and Native American Bar Association.

Law office participation requires the completion of a short survey a well as providing the Bar with statistical information.  Fourteen law offices submitted information as of April 13, 2009.  Current Signatories include:  Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP, Bowman and Brooke LLP, Bryan Cave LLP, Fennemore Craig PC, Gallagher & Kennedy PA, Gust Rosenfeld PLC, Kutak Rock LLP, Lewis and Roca LLP, Osborn Maledon PA, Perkins Coie Brown & Bain PA, Quarles & Brady LLP, Ryley Carlock & Applewhite PA, Snell & Wilmer LLP and Waterfall Economidis Caldwell Hanshaw & Villamana PC.


To view the original Statement of Goals, please click here.

List of 2009 Signatories


Osborn Maledon PA
Bowman and Brooke LLP
Kutak Rock LLP
Quarles & Brady LLP
Snell & Wilmer, LLP
Lewis and Roca LLP
Fennemore Craig, PC
Ryley Carlock & Applewhite PA
Gust Rosenfeld PLC
Gallagher & Kennedy PA
Perkins Coie Brown & Bain PA
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
Waterfall, Economidis, Caldwell, Hanshaw, & Villamana, P.C.

Chair: Dawn Valdivia, Greg Gautam, Roxann Gallagher

State Bar Diversity Department

Through the efforts of CMWL and others, the State Bar of Arizona created a Diversity Department. Please see its web page for a wealth of information on diversity in the legal profession, State Bar diversity programming, and links to sister bar organizations.

State Bar Leadership Institute


Also through the efforts of CMWL and others, the State Bar created the Bar Leadership Institute (BLI). BLI is a one-year program designed to foster the professional growth and leadership skills of a promising group of diverse attorneys.  Because space is limited, selection is competitive.

For more information:


Elena Nethers
4202 N. 24th Street, Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ  85016-6266
602.340.7215