Outstanding In-House Counsel of the Year Award
Established in October 2015, this award recognizes an Arizona in-house counsel that has made outstanding contributions to the in-house counsel practice and the community at large. The recipient of this award is a respected strategic and innovative leader who exemplifies the following traits: sound and trusted judgment, excellent legal and business acumen, vision, leadership, integrity and ethics.
2026 Recipient
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Javier Garcia Ramos is the General Counsel for the Gila River Indian Community (the “Community”). The Community appointed Javier as its fourth General Counsel in October, 2023 and leads an office of 19 dedicated attorneys and staff. Javier grew up in the small town of Cashion, Arizona and is a 1996 graduate of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Javier began his in-house legal career serving under Arizona Attorneys General Grant Woods and Janet Napolitano as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona. His employment with the Community began in 1999 under Rodney B. Lewis as an Assistant General Counsel. Among other roles, he has served the Navajo Nation as the In-House Counsel for the Office of the President and Vice-President and as the Director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office. Now in his 30th year of practice, Javier continues to strive to apply his diverse background, as well as the traits of respect and integrity to provide sound and trusted judgement in implementing and executing the Community’s policies. In his limited spare time, he considers himself a Lowrider aficionado – “low and slow.” |
Previous Recipients
The award has been presented to:
| 2016 | Nima Jacobs Kelly |
| 2017 | Michael J. O'Connor |
| 2018 | Patrick J. Duffy |
| 2019 | Nona M. Lee |
| 2020 | Lisa Bossard Funk Michael J. Minnaugh, III |
| 2021 | Mark Rogers |
| 2022 | Mona Stone |
| 2023 | Kevin P. Schutz |
| 2024 | Matthew B. Meaker |
| 2025 | Daniel Jurkowitz |
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