State Bar of Arizona

Arizona's Top Ten News Stories of 2012

All in all, 2012 hasn't been that bad of a year. Some good stuff transpired, and some of it happened because New Times' scribes made it happen. Usually to some very deserving recipients. The great H.L. Mencken said it long ago, and it still holds true today: "Journalism is to politician as dog is t ... More >>

No Charges for Arpaio: U.S. Closes Criminal Investigation of Maricopa Sheriff and Former County Attorney Andrew Thomas

See also: Investigating Joe Arpaio The U.S. Attorney's Office announced today that it has closed its investigation into criminal conduct by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas with no charges against either man. The announcement came after 5 p.m. o ... More >>

Death-Penalty Lawyers Are Making a Killing Off Maricopa Taxpayers

DREAMers Vulnerable to Scams, Activists and Feds Warn

See Also: DREAMers Score a Win with Obama's Immigration Initiative, But the War Is Far from Over Young illegal immigrants should be wary of scam artists promising work permits as a result of the Obama administration's new immigration policy toward them. That's the message from pro-immigrant activi ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Exploits Victims of Probate-Court Scandals in Apparent Attempt to Gain Sympathy After Disbarment

Andrew Thomas is a failed politician in serious need of good publicity.After being disbarred in April for unethical acts as Maricopa County Attorney, Thomas also wants to strike back at the judiciary system, which he feels screwed him over.So now, he's putting himself on public display as the face o ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon Law License to be Yanked by July 2; No Stay While She Appeals Disbarment, Court Says

Lisa Aubuchon's law license will be canceled officially as of July 2, the state Supreme Court ruled today.Aubuchon and former boss, failed politician Andrew Thomas, were disbarred in April following weeks of testimony over the bad decisions they made in their fight with county leaders.Unlike Thomas, ... More >>

Grant Goodman, Phoenix Attorney In Probate Court Mess, Suspended From Practice

Some would say that Grant Goodman caught a break yesterday when a disciplinary hearing panel suspended him from the practice of law for only two years after finding that the Phoenix attorney violated several Rules of Professional Conduct--exploiting "vulnerable individuals" and lying to the cou ... More >>

Mark Goldman, Lawyer Friend of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas Who "Researched" Don Stapley, Seeks Votes in State Bar Election

Mark Goldman, the wealthy lawyer buddy of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and disgraced former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, is seeking votes in a State Bar of Arizona election.He's one of eight candidates vying for the Maricopa County District position on the State Bar's Board of Governors, whi ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Could Be Hit With $296,000 Bill for Disciplinary Proceedings

Andrew Thomas could be forced to pay $296,300 for the disciplinary proceeding that resulted in his disbarment. A three-member state Supreme Court disciplinary panel decided to disbar the former Maricopa County Attorney and deputy prosecutor Lisa Aubuchon after a lengthy investigation and weeks of h ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Should be Charged, Eric Holder Told in Letter by Former Prosecutors

Phil Gordon, Paul Charlton, Rick Romley and Terry Goddard sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today asking him to have Sheriff Joe Arpaio charged for abusing his power. Gordon's a former Phoenix mayor; Charlton a former Arizona U.S. Attorney; Romley a former Maricopa County Attorney a ... More >>

Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon Discipline to be Revealed in April 10 Hearing

The findings of the State Bar of Arizona's Disciplinary Panel into alleged ethical violations by former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will be announced during an April 10 hearing.The three-member discipline panel led by State Bar Disciplinary Judge William O'Neil will take place at 9 a.m. o ... More >>

Angela Wilson-Goodman, Gilbert Lawyer, has Law License Suspended for Failing to Play Fair in Her Own Court Case

A Gilbert lawyer's State Bar license will be suspended for 30 days because of her bad behavior as a defendant in a lawsuit.Angela Wilson-Goodman, who started her own firm in 1997, specializes in commercial litigation and "general business advice," according to her Web site.If she gives good advice, ... More >>

Moral Of This Little East Valley Yarn: Kill [Most of] The Lawyers

As far as lawsuits go, the Maricopa County Superior Court case of Alice and George Kaplan v. Chandler was anything but monumental. Heck, all it concerned was a broken water pipe at an unoccupied building that the couple own in the East Valley city.​The Kaplans claimed that the city was negligent b ... More >>

Tom Horne's Pal Carmen Chenal's Bar File Partially Sealed by Judge

It's been a while since I first wrote about Attorney General Tom Horne's close friend Carmen Chenal's problems with the State Bar of Arizona and her being hired by the Arizona Attorney General's Office as an attorney in the criminal division, at a salary of $108,000.Chenal is one of many cronie ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Judgment Day May be Delayed Until April 2

A ruling on potential punishment for former Maricopa Attorney Andrew Thomas may be put off until April 2.Citing the extensive filings and thousands of pages of exhibits in the ethics case, Arizona State Bar Disciplinary Judge William O'Neil decided to extend the time to make the ruling by 30 days.&n ... More >>

Grant Goodman, Disgraced Local Attorney, Shot Down By Appellate Court

Grant Goodman, a Phoenix (now suspended) attorney who had his 15 minutes of fame a few years ago as an alleged champion of local folks being abused by their legal guardians/conservators and by the Maricopa County Probate Court, has lost yet another case--his own.   ​  In a memoran ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon Puts Brakes on Appeal to Get Prosecutor Job Back While Waiting to Learn if She'll Be Disbarred

Lisa Aubuchon doesn't want to work on the appeal to ger her job as prosecutor back -- not when she's close to getting disbarred.​ Lisa Aubuchon is apparently finding it hard to think positive as her likely disbarment, and that of her former boss, Andrew Thomas, approaches.Aubuchon has been fi ... More >>

Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon Must be Disbarred to Help Restore Public Trust, State Bar Counsel Urges

Andrew Thomas, former county attorney, must be disbarred to restore public trust, says the Arizona State Bar's independent counsel.​ Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and his former underling Lisa Aubuchon must be disbarred in order to restore public trust in the legal system, the ... More >>

Don't Bet on Arpaio Resigning Over the El Mirage Botched Sex-Crime Cases

State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Officially Concludes for Andrew Thomas and Underlings; Decision Expected by March

Andrew Thomas will wait until March to find out if his law license will be yanked.​ The Arizona State Bar's disciplinary proceeding against former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and two of his former employees wrapped up today. The three-man panel that oversaw the case is expected ... More >>

Decision in State Bar Disciplinary Case Not Expected Till Spring; Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander Face Punishment

Image: Arizona Supreme CourtState Bar Disciplinary Judge William O'Neil, the same guy who stopped Andrew Thomas' bogus prosecution of Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe, will now help decide whether Thomas can keep practicing law in Arizona.​ The Arizona State Bar's independent ... More >>

Andy Thomas Longtime Shill Barnett Lotstein Gets To Spin One More Time

To hear Barnett Lotstein tell it, ex-Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Peyton Thomas was willing to sacrifice his political career in order to do the right thing by going after alleged "corruption" in county governmentThis guy was Maricopa County Attorney for six years.​Lotstein spun, um, testified ... More >>

Lindsay Lohan (We Mean Rachel Alexander) Thumbing Nose At Panel Through Blog Won't Help "Cause"

We watched the morning news a bit ago as onetime Disney superstar turned train wreck Lindsay Lohan slipped in the back door of the Los Angeles County morgue to do ghoulish penance for whatever it was that got her on probation.Rachel Alexander's testimony yesterday was the proverbial train wreck.​L ... More >>

Tom Horne's Redistricting Investigation Blasted by ex-AG Terry Goddard

I missed ex-Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard's recent appearance on Horizon, wherein he criticized current AG Tom Horne's investigation of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, particularly Horne's grandstanding statements to the media about the probe. Oddly, I caught it as I ... More >>

Andrew Thomas' Rachel Alexander: "Incompetent" Bankruptcy Lawyer with a $128K Price Tag, and Counting

alexanderbankruptcylawfirm.comWould you hire this former hatchetwoman for Andrew Thomas as your bankruptcy lawyer?What I love about so-called "conservatives" who regularly rail about entitlement programs is that these same limited-government types are often the first ones to turn around and take a h ... More >>

Tom Horne and His Office's Possible Conflict in Redistricting Probe

Horne's probe of the AIRC raises a possible, Andrew Thomas-like conflict of interestIn this week's column, I addressed the claims of Arizona Tea Party members, and some Republicans, concerning the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. One of these claims is that the AIRC may have violat ... More >>

Grant Goodman, Attorney, Gets Law License Suspended For Exploiting "Vulnerable" Probate Court Clients

​Local attorney Grant Goodman had his law license suspended for five years following a finding that he habitually exploited "vulnerable" Probate Court clients.In an order signed yesterday by William O'Neil, the presiding disciplinary judge for the Arizona State Bar, Goodman's actions are described ... More >>

Nancy Grace Made Us (Almost) Root for Casey Anthony to Walk

Seems that everywhere we went yesterday, everyone wanted to discuss the surprise acquittal of Florida's Casey Anthony, who went in one moment from facing the death penalty to being on the cusp of being set free into a world that hates everything about her. Nancy Grace: "The Devil is dancing t ... More >>

Grant Goodman (a.k.a. Mr. Litigious) Offers to Engage in "Cross-Interview" -- Maybe Another Time

Last year, our former colleague Sarah Fenske wrote a scathing article about a goofball Phoenix barrister named Grant Goodman. Here it is.   Federal judge Mary Murguia​The upshot of the piece came in what we call the "nut graf," a sentence or two that tells the reader why he or she ma ... More >>

Grant Goodman, Phoenix Probate Attorney Once Lauded by Arizona Republic, Blasted Financially by Federal Judge

Our former colleague Sarah Fenske (now toiling as the managing editor at our sister paper in St. Louis, the Riverfront Times, wrote a cool story last April about a shady and shaky attorney named Grant Goodman. Bernie Madoff, the crook who's got to be near and dear to attorney Grant Goodma ... More >>

Andy Thomas' Flunky Rachel Alexander -- Now Facing Suspension of Her Law License -- Teaches Course for State Bar "Ethics Credits"

You may remember the name Rachel Alexander, a former "special assistant"deputy county attorney under Andrew Peyton Thomas, her kindred ideological spirit   Rachel Alexander in a undated photo ​Alexander now finds her law license in serious jeopardy with the State Bar of Arizona, ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, February 24, 2011

Russell Pearce, Phil Gordon, D-Backs and even New Times to Crowd the Arrogant Butcher

http://www.etsy.com/shop/YeeHaw?ref=seller_info​It's being billed as "one of the most comprehensive series of grand opening events in Valley restaurant history," but to be honest, the line-up for Sam Fox's Arrogant Butcher is giving us a serious case of heartburn. Jason Rose -- the pu ... More >>

ADL's Jared Loughner Report: Mental Illness, Not Ideology Likely Led To Tragedy

Mental illness, rather than Tea Baggery's likely to blame for Loughner's rampage, says the ADLSince Saturday's massacre in Tucson, both the left and the right have parsed alleged killer Jared Lee Loughner's YouTube videos, the statements of his supposed school chums, his favorite books (everything f ... More >>

Andy Thomas and Ed Montini of Arizona Republic Odd Bedfellows?

We were fairly deluged this morning with e-mails from readers of Arizona Republic columnist E.J Montini about a blog post he did about ex-Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Peyton Thomas.   Officially Still A Lawyer At Presstime: Andrew Peyton Thomas​"Has E.J. Montini become an ... More >>

Andrew Thomas May End Up Disbarred, But He Really Belongs in a Prison Cell

Lawyers Can Help Marijuana Businesses Without State Bar Penalty -- for Now

​ For the next few months, Arizona lawyers can assist the needs of marijuana businesses without any repercussions from the State Bar. In a recent news release, the Bar noted that it hasn't taken any official stance on legal work related to Proposition 203, despite public comments by its e ... More >>

Gary "Dr. Buzzard" Karpin's Criminal Convictions Upheld--See Ya In About 12 Years

The Arizona Court of Appeals has upheld the criminal convictions of Gary Karpin Jr., aka "Dr. Buzzard," a disbarred attorney who preyed on people, mostly women, who hired him as a "mediator" in their pending divorce cases.   ​The unanimous appellate decision upholding Karpin's conviction ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, August 5, 2010

State Bar of Arizona Presents A Coveted Award to Our Favorite Librarian

We have made many a visit over the years to the law library at the downtown Phoenix county court complex, to do legal research (believe it or not) or to write our stories away from the distractions (i.e. procrastination) over at the newspaper.   ​During that time, we have come to know a ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon's Personnel File: County Attorney Was Involved in New Times "Disorderly Conduct" Arrest

Was Lisa Aubuchon involved in the decision to charge Ray Stern? Her personnel file says yes.​In October 2007, New Times reporter Ray Stern was cited with a criminal charge for supposedly raising his voice while in the office of a lawyer working for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office -- and ... More >>

Mark Briggs, Attorney in Deadly Sanctuary Production, Facing Complaint From State Bar

The Bar found probable cause to act on a complaint filed by novelist Sylvia Nobel.​The State Bar of Arizona has found probable cause that attorney Mark Briggs -- formerly a partner with Quarles & Briggs -- violated a host of ethical rules in his dealings with a local novelist and her abo ... More >>

Dennis McCarthy, Nebraska-Based Attorney, Is Gila County's Pick to Prosecute Stapley/Wilcox Cases

Dennis McCarthy​The Gila County Attorney's Office is recommending that a Nebraska-based attorney prosecute cases against Maricopa County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox.The Gila County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the appointment of Dennis McCarthy as special pro ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Nemesis, Dan McAuliffe, Former State Bar Prez, Will Be Missed

We met Dan McAuliffe at a downtown Phoenix coffee shop about a month after deputies representing the malevolent interests of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andy Thomas arrested the owners of this paper for political reasons.   ​Toothpick in mouth, Mr. McAuliffe (in the photo ... More >>

J. Scott Rhodes, Special Investigator into Andrew Thomas, Withdraws from Case

Another one bites the dust: J. Scott Rhodes​ That was fast.Just one short week after he was appointed to be a special investigator, charged with probing Bar complaints into Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, J. Scott Rhodes has withdrawn from the task.The news came in a written stateme ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Caused a "Cancer" on Our Justice System with His "Appearance of Impropriety" in Cases Against Supervisors and a Judge

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Is "Disappointed" In County Attorney Andrew Thomas' Prosecutors. Seriously.

Apparently, prosecutors thought that calling Chief Deputy David Hendershott to testify would NOT help their case. Smart prosecutors.​In a press release issued last week, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office expressed "disappointment" with the fact that witnesses friendly to the sheriff, including ... More >>

MCSO Detectives Question Former State Bar chief counsel Bob Van Wyck, Alleging He “Intimidated” Ernie Calderon, Who Backed Andrew Thomas in a Bar Probe

Old Glory

Veteran Phoenix lawyer Gary Peter Klahr fought The Bar and The Bar won

DEBT IN THE WATER"ZERO-DOWN " BANKRUPTCY FIRMS COST THEIR CLIENTS PLENTY