Award of Special Merit
Established in April 1988, the Award of Special Merit is presented by the Board of Governors to members of the State Bar of Arizona who have made significant contributions to the furtherance of public understanding of the legal system, the administration of justice, and confidence in the legal profession.
2026 Recipient
![]() |
Jennifer Rebholz is a Board-Certified Specialist in Personal Injury & Wrongful Death law in Arizona, a designation held by fewer than two percent of personal injury attorneys in the state. Certification requires documented trial experience, peer review and written examination. She is Senior Counsel at Zwillinger Wulkan in Phoenix, representing individuals and families as plaintiff’s counsel in catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters. She served as President of the State Bar of Arizona (2021–2022), overseeing attorney regulation, ethics policy and initiatives supporting public trust in the legal system. In 2025, she received the State Bar President’s Award for leading the Task Force that modernized Arizona’s Certified Specialists Program. She chairs the Working Group continuing that reform across all 10 Arizona legal specializations and serves on the Arizona Supreme Court Ethics Advisory Committee, appointed by the Chief Justice. She is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an invitation-only national organization of experienced trial lawyers committed to preserving the civil jury trial, and serves on the Phoenix Chapter Executive Board. She is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Her career spans more than 20 years of civil litigation and 35+ jury trials as first chair across five Arizona counties. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law and Northern Arizona University. |
Previous Recipients
The award has been presented to:
| 1988 | Hon. Frank X. Gordon, Jr |
| 1989 | Not awarded |
| 1990 | Hon. L. Ray Haire |
| 1991 | Prof. Charles M. Smith Hon. Morris K. Udall |
| 1992 | Not awarded |
| 1993 | Mark I. Harrison Charles T. Stevens |
| 1994 | Hon. Nikki A. Chayet Patricia A. Sallen John M. Schlosser |
| 1995 | E. Calvin Fuchs II Duke Nordlinger Stern |
| 1996 | Christopher Johns |
| 1997 | Michael M. Grant |
| 1998 | Not awarded |
| 1999 | Hon. Norman S. Fenton |
| 2000 | Sen. Marc L. Spitzer Hon. Thomas A. Zlaket |
| 2001 | Timothy M. Hogan Norman L. Miller |
| 2002 | Daniel Cracchiolo |
| 2003 | Walter Cheifetz |
| 2004 | Hon. Edward E. Davis (posthumously) |
| 2005 | Frances L. Johansen |
| 2006 | Anthony W. Clark Susan R. Agrillo Norma L. Classen |
| 2007 | Theodore Campagnolo Hon. Gary E. Donahoe |
| 2008 | Larry C. McVey Sidney T. Marable (posthumously) |
| 2009 | John W. Rogers |
| 2010 | Gary R. Stickell Alex E. Navidad |
| 2011 | Hon. Daniel A. Barker James W. Richardson |
| 2012 | Hon. Ann A. Scott Timmer Stephen Weiss |
| 2013 | Mark E. Meltzer |
| 2014 | William W. Owsley |
| 2015 | David B. Rosenbaum |
| 2016 | Gary M. Kula |
| 2017 | Robert L. Gottsfield |
| 2018 | Hon. Michael P. Pollard |
| 2019 | Hon. Dan R. Slayton |
| 2020 | Stacy Rupprecht Butler Denice R. Shepherd |
| 2021 | Anne Ronan |
| 2022 | Know Your Rights |
| 2023 | Barbara Atwood |
| 2024 | D. Christopher Russell |
| 2025 | Joseph Kanefield |
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

