State Bar of Arizona

“As provided in rule 32 (c) of the rules of the supreme court of arizona and the bylaws of the corporation, membership is divided into five classes: active, inactive, retired, suspended and judicial. Every person licensed to practice law in the state of arizona is an active member except for persons who are inactive, retired, suspended or judicial members. All persons admitted to practice in accordance with the rules of the court shall, by that fact, become active members of the state bar. Upon admission, the applicant must pay a fee as required by the supreme court and an annual membership fee to maintain membership status. Members have limited rights to vote on certain issues regarding the governance of the organization and do not receive any of the organization's profits, excess dues, or receive a share of the organization's net assets upon dissolution.”

“Per rule 32 of the supreme court of arizona, 19 of the members of the board of governors are elected by members in specified districts, 3 at-large members are appointed by the supreme court, and 4 are public members who are not members of the bar and are appointed by the board of governors.”

“The organization's affairs are conducted in accordance with, not only the organization's bylaws, but also the rules of the supreme court of arizona. Consistent with this structure, membership fees are established by the board with the consent of the supreme court of arizona.”

“The chief financial officer reviews the return with the tax preparer. A complete copy of the final form 990 is provided to the ceo/executive director and members of the board of governors for review prior to the filing of the return. The human resources, finance and audit, and the scope and operations committees are also provided with a complete copy of the final form 990 for review.”

“The state bar of arizona has a written conflict of interest policy. This policy is discussed with all new employees and new board members. All employees are required to sign a written statement that they have read the policy. In addition, the state bar has monthly employee meetings and mandatory annual ethics training. All board members are required to sign a conflict of interest disclosure statement on an annual basis at the beginning of the board of governors term year.”

“The executive compensation committee sets and adjusts the salary of the ceo/exectutive director. The ceo/executive director's salary is reviewed annually. The policy allows the board to seek assistance from outside advisors and consultants to obtain objective and market-based data, such as compensation studies, independent firm reports, etc. The executive committee performs the research and makes recommendations to the board. The board then votes to approve, modify, or reject the recommendation.”

“The governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are made available to the public upon request. Financials are also published annually in our magazine. Audited financial statements are posted on the organization's website.”

“In arizona, the state bar is responsible for the regulation of attorneys. It receives this authority from arizona supreme court rule 32. The state bar receives and investigates complaints and inquiries against attorneys which may lead to a formal hearing and discipline sanctions, if warranted. In addition to regulation, rule 32 gives the state bar responsibility to provide a forum for the discussion of legal subjects, as well as research in the areas of substantive law, practice and procedure. The ultimate goal is to maintain a level of honor and dignity in the legal profession that is effectively and efficiently carried out in the public interest. To that end, the state bar is also involved in a number of programs that reach out and educate the public directly. The state bar also preforms the role of a professional association for attorneys in arizona. Beyond the desire to improve their knowledge of the law, it also provides programs and assistance that help attorneys in their daily work lives.”