< PreviousI know what you’re thinking. At- torneys are the most valuable con- tributors. After all, it’s not a law firm without an attorney to provide legal advice, work on cases, and at- tend court. While these are income generating activities, I’d like to chal- lenge your thinking on the MOST im- portant role to get right at your firm. Without this VIP, you would not have client matters to work on. YOUR SECRET VIP The most important person in your firm is the one handling your custom- er service, typically, your reception- ist/intake specialist. They are patient, warm, professional, and knowledge- able about your firm and practice ar- eas. Potential clients are calling right down the list and want to connect and feel heard, so the first step is getting the right staff. POOR SERVICE BLUES I was recently referred by a reputable firm to a real estate attorney. My call went straight to voicemail where he explained he can’t afford to have some- one just sitting around answering his phone all day, so he no longer answers at all and requested an email or text. You’ve probably guessed that I did not move forward with hiring him. Sadly, poor, or worse, no, service at all is not an uncommon practice with small firms. Great service is very doable for all firm sizes! PROCESS MAKES PERFECT If your receptionist doesn’t have a documented process they should re- peat consistently, it’s time to get one in place. All it takes is an hour of time and a little brain power. START WITH THE FEELS How do you want clients to feel when they interact with your firm? Elizabeth, is a fun spirited estate plan- ning attorney who makes TikTok vid- eos and aims to entertain. She creates a personal connection and puts her humanness on full display. Her call flow and intake process syncs with who she is. INTAKE WIZARDRY After conducting thousands of in- takes, I can tell you the number one factor in converting a shopper into a client is your intake person’s ability to give your potential the warm and fuzzies. Dale Carnegie nailed it when he said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming inter- ested in other people than you can by trying to get other people interested in you.” I’d take this a step further and say we can do more to foster a rela- tionship with a prospect in two min- utes by becoming interested in them than spending 20 conducting a dull, impersonal intake. Start the relation- ship building by adding a couple of open-ended questions. Showing in- terest in why the prospect needs help, expressing genuine warmth, and then offering a path to help is the key to winning new clients. SET EXPECTATIONS Before you wrap up that initial in- take, make sure to set expectations. Mark, a bankruptcy attorney has his intake specialist recap that the ini- tial meeting will occur on this date, at this time and will take place over phone/video and the client will need to have X documents together before the meeting. PLAN FOR UNEXPECTED INTERRUPTIONS What do you want to happen when callers are looking for you, or another member of your staff? Peter, a per- sonal injury attorney gets calls from insurance adjustors all day long ask- ing for him. His customer service team knows that even though he’s being asked for, these calls should go to a paralegal and get them routed ap- propriately. He only wants to be inter- rupted for scheduled appointments. This gives him freedom to focus on tackling what’s most important to him. WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE Once you have a process, you need to ensure it’s being followed to your standards. I have my team audited a minimum of six times each month to ensure adherence to the firm’s stan- dards for each call. Place a test call or two and provide your team feedback and coaching to improve the process. Emily LaRusch | Marketing Emily LaRusch is the CEO of Back Office Betties (www.BackOfficeBetties.com), the only Legal Receptionist so- lution to offer unlimited call plans for small law firms. As a customer service expert, Emily and her team help lawyers provide superior customer service and land more clients with relentlessly friendly and knowledgeable legal receptionists. The Most Important (and Overlooked) Person in Your Firm 10 ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · PHOENIX· VOL. 12 NO. 4We are now a solid three months into the pandemic of 2020 and have achieved a new norm-ish. As best we can tell, things will never go back to normal and life will never be the same. That norm is much more distributed and virtual. People will use office space differently. Courts are and will con- tinue to operate much more virtually, increasing access to justice and reduc- ing costs to clients based on travel for hearings. As lawyers, our business models have needed to adjust to a distributed work force where we minimize con- tact with our clients and co-workers. We are doing more video calls and video appearances than ever before. Video is undeniably more effective than voice alone and the ability to screen share and chat with whomever you are meeting with makes Zoom, Go-To-Meeting, and other platforms very popular for meetings with your team members, clients, and court hearings. Many people fall into the trap of acting less formal and less pro- fessional on video. We simply can’t afford to have our productivity or professionalism suffer due to the pan- demic or for any other reason. The good news is that our distrib- uted work force can be just as produc- tive and effective as our pre pandemic workforce with the right systems and processes. While video is just one piece to that remote/distributed for- mat, it’s a major piece we should all be tackling. Here are some rules and tips to make the most of the video software. 1. Silence your notifications. Min- imize interruptions from texts, slack, or upcoming calendar invites. 2. Make sure the camera angle is straight on. You will likely need to prop up your computer or phone to avoid a lovely view of your double chin or up your nostrils. You can use books or any other flat platform to raise your device to eye level. 3. Look into the camera, not the screen. You want your conversation to be as real as possible, so make eye contact with the camera, and avoid watching yourself or getting distract- ed by other screens, phones, emails, etc. 4. Lighting is critical to looking good on camera. Either position your computer across from a window or invest $30 in a ring light for your desk. Lighting makes a massive differ- ence, so take some time to play with the settings and warmth to find what works best for you. 5. Zoom has a setting to “touch up your appearance” and it’s amazing! Get an immediate facelift + airbrush with this under preferences in the video section. 6. Check your background. Whether you are working from home or the office, check your background to make sure it is tidy and profession- al. This may take some thought and investment, but it’s worth it! If you don’t have the ability to get your back- ground set up as you would like, use a virtual background. You can find some great ones for free on Canva, or make your own and simply upload to Zoom. 7. Be just as formal in your speech, appearance, and word choice as you would be in your office. That means the way you dress, your hair, makeup, and word choices should communi- cate the message and brand you want. Colors really brighten a video call, so consider wearing color or having col- or in your background. 8. Get a good microphone. You can use air pods, or another mic to make sure your sound is crisp and clear. 9. Use the screen share to col- laborate on documents, go over fee agreements, or prepare for trial/set- tlement conferences. Have whatever visuals you need prepped and ready to go before your conference. 10. If you are having a company meeting or a meeting where many people are present, there are a few additional rules to make the most out of the meetings: a. Mute yourself when you are not talking. This will save bandwidth and reduce background noise. b. Keep your video on and stay fo- cused on whoever is speaking when possible. The exception is if you need to move. If you need to move or you are eating, by all means, kill the video temporarily. c. Have a microphone available to pass around a conference table so that those who are participating remote can actually hear everything that those at the table can hear. d. Minimize inter- ruptions. e. Consider a wide view camera that will capture every- one in office for ev- eryone at home or remote. BILLIE TARASCIO | Practice Management Billie Tarascio is the owner of Modern Law, a family law firm in the greater Phoenix area and Modern Law Practice, a consulting firm for attorneys looking to systematize and modernize their practices. She is the author of Decode Your Divorce, and co-author of Tiger Tactics, Powerful Strategies for Winning Law Firms. Find her on twitter @ mymodernlaw. Advanced Zoom Techniques 11The Arizona State Bar Association and the Arizona Su- preme Court are considering changing the involvement of non-lawyers in the ownership of law firms and in pro- viding certain legal services. The Arizona Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services, proposes rule changes that include dropping the rule forbid- ding non-lawyer ownership stakes in law firms and legal ser- vices operations. The state isn’t alone. California and Utah are also considering similar rules, as well as to those that define the unauthorized practice of law. But Arizona may be the first state to effect changes—and its changes could do the most to shake up the system. Some say eliminating Arizona’s Ethical Rule 5.4 could make legal services more affordable. Others have expressed concern about loosening such rules, which exist in states across the United States because of potential business conflicts regarding non-lawyer owners which could emerge. Regardless of the ultimate rule-change outcomes, with the emergence of alternate legal providers and technology, the role of non-lawyers is and will continue to expand. In our first ever cover story featuring non-lawyer, we meet someone who deeply “gets” the industry, having seen it from all sides. Meet Paul Ward, a non-lawyer who has had a big im- pact on the legal industry over the past 20 years as an Arizona- based legal recruiter, marketer and business strategist. “Investors did not see massive room for growth. Not so today. Today there are venture funds focused strictly on legal innovation and transformation, representing hundreds of millions of dollars in investments.” PAUL WARD 12 ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · PHOENIX· VOL. 12 NO. 4MANY HATS “I’ve known Paul in all three of his areas of focus,” says Phillip Guttilla, Phoenix office managing partner at the national law firm Polsinelli. “He was my client, so I knew him as a business strategist. I was his client, so I knew him as a marketer and business developer for law firms, and he has recruited for us and brought us some amazing candi- dates for consideration. He’s an impact player, there is no doubt.” This is a common refrain from the lawyers who have worked with Paul Ward. And Ward says his role dwarfs in comparison to what he sees other “nons,” do every day. “In every firm I’ve ever been with, there has been great syn- ergy between lawyers and non-lawyers in delivering legal services. Roles are changing and new business models are emerging, but there are tens of thousands of heroic “nons” who have made the industry go from the start,” Ward says. Let’s forget that Ward co-founded the now massively trafficked website law.com with three local attorneys (Charlie Davis, Scott Gillette and Bruce Whiting); forget that he co-founded Arizona’s first privately funded tech incubator; forget that he was communications lead in the famous Erin Brockovich legal case, or that he was among the country’s first law firm chief marketing officers at the Orrick law firm in San Francisco; and among the coun- try’s first if not the first non-lawyer chief client innovation officer for a 500-lawyer national law firm – charged with helping transform the practice of law. Ward would rather talk about today. Whether he’s working on digital marketing initiatives or access to justice programs with the Davis Miles McGuire Gardner law firm in Tempe (co-founded by his former business partner Charlie Davis), co-producing the Is That Even Legal podcast with attorney host Robert Sewell, or advising legal startups such as Fenix.AI, in Boulder, Colo- rado – a patent drafting and filing automation company – Ward is clearly looking forward, not back. “Law is at the heart of commerce. It is basically at the heart of everything we do in society. Non-lawyers have always been a critical part of how legal services are pro- vided, from legal secretaries to administrators to financial advisors and marketers, to intake professionals and tech- nologists. What is happening now is the confluence of two massive forces on the industry and the world itself: rapid technological transformation and a deep societal need for access to justice.” Ward says that means non-lawyers – including in new roles ranging from project managers to data scientists, will continue to play a bigger and bigger role in some areas of the delivery of legal services – either within law firms, companies, or as competitors to traditional law firms. TWO MAJOR FORCES COLLIDING TO DRIVE CHANGE IN LAW “With my startup hat on, we used to have to beg for in- vestment in anything legal related,” Ward says. “Investors did not see massive room for growth. Not so today. Today there are venture funds focused strictly on legal innova- tion and transformation, representing hundreds of mil- lions of dollars in investments.” Ward says all aspects of legal service delivery are in one stage or another of being disrupted. From algorithms ac- cessed by chatbots that can calculate the value of a per- sonal injury case; to artificially intelligent agents that can write and file patents; to blockchain applications provid- ing data governance and data compliance tracking solu- tions for companies; to even the way legal work is pur- chased, change is rapid. And while individuals can now talk to their law firm and even pay their legal bills via text, giant corporations increasingly will be able to use platforms to procure le- DAWN OF THE NON? NON-LAWYERS MAKING MAJOR IMPACT The role of non-lawyer could change in Arizona beginning as soon as 2021. But they have been influencing the legal industry for decades. BY KATHERINE BISHOP 13gal services through bidding pro- cesses driving down their legal costs and driving big law firms to be ever more creative in their pricing and pitching – a process that Ward says is where lawyers, operations experts and financial teams usually combine on both sides of the buy-sell equation. “With my marketing hat on, I see continued rise of sophisticated tools for us to use, and the ability to have real time data to know whether some- thing is working or not,” Ward says. Websites are becoming less digital brochures and more interactive plat- forms that provide good information and access to lawyers. There has never been higher demand for good digital marketers. I know some folks with law degrees who are awesome at it. Others know the legal business and help law- yers rapidly scale their practices.” From a recruiting standpoint, Ward sees continued emphasis on making law firms better environments for lawyers and – with more emphasis on human fit, and not just financial fit. Lawyers are looking as much to fulfill their original ideals – make the world a better place through law – as they are simply looking for financial gain, he says. Firms and companies must provide diverse, supportive environ- ments that provide for growth paths for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. While COVID-19 has put all jobs in a bit of a commotion, Ward predicts the race for top talent in legal, both lawyer and non-lawyer alike, will al- ways be fierce. He notes that his work in recruiting partners for national firms has slowed, but not stopped as part of the financial slowdown. Just as in marketing, smart firms and com- panies move aggressively on the re- cruiting end during a time when their competitors may be sluggish. WHAT INCREASING ROLES OF NON-LAWYERS COULD MEAN FOR THE FUTURE “Non-lawyers have all kinds of views on this I suppose,” Ward says. “In my view, no matter what kinds of processes we improve and solutions we create to make lawyers more ac- cessible and their jobs more reward- ing and their clients lives easier … lawyers will always be at the heart of providing legal services. There is an application of wisdom and judgement and nuance that are simply irreplace- able,” he says. Still Ward says traditional roles of both lawyers and business people will continue to evolve and change. Ward says it goes both ways … business people being more involved in the legal industry, and lawyers with key skills being highly valued by business. One law firm managing partner with whom Ward worked with in Phoenix for five years, Rudy Parga (who was the first ever lawyer featured on the cover of this magazine), is now the CEO of a technology firm. “Rudy is the personification of a lawyer/leader who gets business and uses his legal acumen to help companies. His own and his customers.” Parga returns the compliment. “Paul understands the business of law and lawyers. He epitomizes the synergy of how lawyers and non- law- yer pros can and should work togeth- er,” Parga says. Because of his unique experience, Ward says his personal future may not change much regardless of any rule changes regarding law firm own- ership. “We work our entire careers to find people we work with who click with our passions and personalities, when those are in sync, everything else works out,” he says. Ward cites bank- ruptcy attorney Pernell McGuire as an example in a long list of attorneys with whom he loves to work. “Integrity is everything when I work with a firm,” he says. With his recruiting hat on, he sees some possible changes in the industry overall. “I have heard from investor groups who may want to purchase law practices in the future and com- bine legal opportunities with other services someday. They already are thinking about how that would work. I also know some sales professional who, if they could be compensated as they are in other professional services – getting a percentage of the fees they help bring into a firm – would find law firms more attractive than they are at the moment for that business development/sales role, because fees cannot be split. I have lost some good candidates in other markets over the years because they could not be com- pensated on their ‘sales,’ in a simple formula.” One thing that will likely continue to accelerate nationwide is expanded recognition of the vital role of non- lawyers in the industry, according to Ward. Alternative legal service providers, sometimes led by non- lawyers, are increasingly carving into the market share of traditional law firms. Outside of the United States, accounting firms comprise the largest “law firms,” globally. But that does not mean law firms are going to go away in Ward’s view. He believes they are just going to become more nimble, more creative and better. “I have been very fortunate in my career to never have felt a divide be- tween myself and the lawyers. I have always had amazing lawyers around me who see me and treat me as a professional and who have skillsets and vision very complimentary to my own. So I love being a small part of always trying to perfect the law firm model, even as waves of change come. Although I never went to law school, and always wanted to be a business journalist, I just have an unusual tool- box.” According to Bryan Pratt, an IP partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney who counts the world’s largest technology companies as his clients, and who worked with Paul at a prior law firm, “unusual,” is a good thing. “Paul’s combination of skills, in marketing innovation and recruiting makes him like a Leatherman or a Mac Book Pro for helping law firms solve problems,” said Pratt. WANT TO DISCUSS THE SHIFTING FU- TURE OF THE LEGAL INDUSTRY MORE? CONNECT WITH PAUL ON LINKEDIN AT HTTPS://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/PAUL- WARD1/. ONE OF WARD’S FAVORITE PROJECTS IS CO-PRODUCING THE IS THAT EVEN LEGAL PODCAST WITH LOCAL ATTORNEY ROBERT SEWELL. THE PODCAST IS AVAIL- ABLE ON ALL MAJOR PLATFORMS AND DIRECTLY ON EVENLEGAL.COM. 14 ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · PHOENIX· VOL. 12 NO. 4Searching for members of the AZ Bar who are former or current members of the military to spotlight in an upcoming issue. To participate, submit your headshot and a photo from your days in uniform to info@attorneyatlawmagazine.com. Veterans in Law S P E C I A L I S S U E Then & NowThe Eight ‘Hamilton’ Quotes That Inspired My Legal Career By Ashley Stephenson As an unabashed and unapologetic fan of “Hamilton: An American Musical,” I interpret some of the lyrics that helped inspire my legal career as much as the lyrics apply to the Founding Fathers. I’d argue that one of the musical’s most important threads deals with overcoming adversity, drive and success. While reflecting back on my own experiences starting as an intern and working my way up the chain of command, it only seemed appropriate to convey my thoughts on the legal profession based on the lessons embedded within this musical masterpiece. These thoughts are intended to help encourage and motivate others who are entering the career field or climbing up the ladder in their legal careers. “The Room Where It Happens” Lyric: “When you got skin in the game, you stay in the game. But you don’t get a win unless you play in the game. Oh, you get love for it. You get hate for it. You get noth- ing if you … Wait for it, wait for it, wait!” Thriving in the legal field requires tough skin and one to be engaged. As I grew in my career, I learned that I need to be part of the program and contribute my ideas or views, while also sharpening my skills and continuing my legal education through learning opportunities and events with local bar associations and law firms. When dealing with different personalities, dif- ficult cases, and tight deadlines, it quickly be- came apparent that possessing confidence, time management skills, and the ability to speak up was imperative. In order to be engaged, having confidence and sharing ideas is fundamental, as well as being invested in what we say, do, and how we do it. “The World Was Wide Enough” Lyric: “What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” We rarely, if ever, will get to see our legacy, but if you are fortunate, you can know what you are trying to grow. We each create our own legacy by the seeds we choose to plant. As part of the legal profession, I succeeded when learning those seeds are spread wider to those we interact with and clients who we represent. I, as I’m sure many others, want to have a fulfilling im- pact and career. In order to have an impact and a connected sense of purpose, I invest time in pro bono work and volunteer to speak with stu- dents interested in the field. If I can offer some guidance to others, those who I have helped will be proof that I have contributed to making a difference. In closing, “Hamilton” has been a powerful re- minder of the free-will and unlimited potential we all possess. How we think, act, and respond can make the difference in having a mediocre, good or great legal career. It is important to rise up, take your shot and get into the rooms where it happens. ASHLEY STEPHENSON IS A SOLUTION-ORIENTED LE- GAL PROFESSIONAL WITH DIVERSE LITIGATION EX- PERIENCE AND FREELANCE WRITER, WHO VIEWS EV- ERY CHALLENGE AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH. HER WRITINGS HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN HUFFING- TON POST AND MEDIUM. ASHLEY IS BASED IN NEW YORK CITY AND IS A MEMBER OF THE LOCAL BAR AS- SOCIATION, MINDFULNESS IN LAW SOCIETY, AND THE ALEXANDER HAMILTON AWARENESS SOCIETY.“Aaron Burr, Sir.” “Talk less. Smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.” This one can be viewed as very contex- tual depending on your mindset. Starting off in my career, I approached every meeting and interaction with a mindset of listening and ob- serving others. Talking was always secondary. Stopping to listen and pay attention to others in order to truly understand what was being said is all too rare. Deciding when it’s best to say something and when it isn’t is crucial. My goal was always to learn faster. With this, I en- couraged myself to ask questions when neces- sary, learn from others, and choose my own path to maximize learning. Taking a step back to smile and listen turned out to be quite re- warding and, as I learned in my career, often results in a more meaningful connection. “Right Hand Man” Lyric: “I’ll rise above my station, organize your information …” Throughout my career, as I took on new roles or responsibili- ties, I became a valuable member to the team. No matter where I was in my career, I learned there was always much more progress to be made and more to be accomplished. Learning that lighten- ing the load for influential leaders can result in greater visibility, I have gained valuable experience and a faster path toward moving up the organizational ladder—plus, it has often helped place me “in the room where it happens” (see below). “My Shot” Lyric: “I am not throwing away my shot!” A “shot” can be interpreted as a window of opportunity. While being proactive in my ca- reer, I made a decision early on to take on any new opportunity wholeheartedly, as I recog- nized that opportunities are transient and un- derstood I must act quickly and effectively to seize an opportunity before a window closes. Understanding that there is no perfect time for opportunities to materialize, I have made an effort to get as much exposure and expe- rience in the field as possible. Whether that be Pro Bono work, accepting a new position, or taking on a new case in a different practice area, I have learned to seek, develop, and take on windows of opportunities. I never let my age, background, uncertainty or challenges I faced determine what I could do in life. I had a vision for what I wanted my world to be and then seized every opportunity to turn my vi- sion into reality. “Wait for It” Lyric: “I am the one thing in life I can control.” Early on in my career, I learned to commit to my goals and realized I am the master of my own destiny. While there is so much we can worry about that we have no control over, the only thing we truly can control is ourselves. I didn’t wait for someone to present me with a platter of opportunities, I recognized what I wanted to do and worked to make it happen. I decided who I was and who I wanted to be, while believing in myself, deter- mining my direction, and following my own path that I made for myself. Being self-aware, making decisions, identifying my obstacles, and building a plan to remove those obstacles helped me move toward achieving desired goals. “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” Lyric: “Hercules Mulligan, I need no in- troduction, when you knock me down I get the f*** back up again!” This line represents the ability to embrace failure through grit, resilience and determina- tion, and the capacity to handle challenges and to rise up for hardships. These are the building blocks of success. There have been times I have failed and times when I made bad career choices, more so than many oth- ers even try, but throughout the challenging times, I’ve had the resilience to keep mov- ing forward. I have never let the defeatists stop me from following my direction and achieving my goals. Throughout the many times I have been knocked down, I have al- ways pulled myself back up and came out stronger and smarter in the end. “Non-Stop” Lyrics: “Why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room? / Soon that attitude may be your doom!” Being successful in law has two components: one’s techni- cal legal skills and your ability to work well with others. From the time of having a “listening mindset,” to advanc- ing and developing more confidence in my career, I have acknowledged that many may certainly be the smartest person in the room, but without the competence of facili- tating interaction and communication with others and an understanding of the needs of one’s clients and colleagues, their perceived arrogance can place serious limits on their careers. In other words, when you put your needs in front of those of your client’s and colleagues and when you’re overly prideful, you’re often the one who will get hurt the most. Over the years, I have learned that a simple smile, greeting, or inquiry on how someone is doing goes a long way. 17Attorney at Law Magazine recently spoke with Judge Anna Huber- man who was elected as the first Country Meadows Justice of the Peace in Arizona in 2013. The daughter of immigrants, Judge Huberman spent much of her youth in Argentina where she perfected her Spanish, a lan- guage that has served her well as a judge. In 2019 the Justice of the Peace Association named her J.P. of the Year. AALM: How did growing up in Argentina impact you as an adult? AH: Coming of age in Argentina under the rule of a military dic- tatorship made it difficult to consider going into the foreign service or anything related to government and politics. But being a lawyer would allow me to follow any of the many paths that could become available in the future. Although I worked at a law firm that primarily did commercial work, I was always drawn to community outreach and criminal law and volunteered my time working pro bono cases and on prison reform. After I moved back to the United States, I stopped practicing law but remained involved in my community and advocacy. There was not a democratic government when I turned 18 in Argentina, so I was not able to vote. I have never taken voting for granted ever since and have never missed casting a ballot in an election, however minor. Before becoming a judge, I was also active in local politics, working for issues and candidates. Which is why I am particularly proud to now hold an elected office. AALM: You worked for many years as the interpreter for the Supe- rior Courts. Can you talk about that experience and how it helps you in your role as Justice of the Peace? AH: Even though I was an attorney, in Argentina I became involved in subtitling movies for video, at first as a favor to my father. But I truly enjoyed the work, both for my love of movies and my love of language. When I moved to Arizona, I applied to become a court interpreter I am sure that being an interpreter helped make me the judge I am today. Interpreters are neutral parties who only facilitate communication and do not insert themselves in the proceeding.” JUDGE Anna Huberman: Big Challenge, Big Reward BY SUSAN CUSHING 18 ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · PHOENIX· VOL. 12 NO. 4where I was able to combine my knowledge of law with my bilingual skills. I am sure that be- ing an interpreter helped make me the judge I am today. Interpreters are neutral parties who only facilitate communication and do not in- sert themselves in the proceeding. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have my opinions. I was able to understand communication between attorneys and clients and judges and litigants from a unique perspective. Once I became a judge, I might not have been sure what kind of judge I wanted to be, but I was sure the kind of judge I did not want to be. I was able to understand the fear and confu- sion litigants face in court and how important it is to express matters to them in a simple, reassuring manner. And that behavior is not changed with an iron fist, but with compassion and tolerance. I feel that defendants should be allowed to make repairs within their means without having to sacrifice their own or their family’s well-being. AALM: What is most challenging about your job? AH: The biggest challenge of being a justice of the peace is also the biggest reward — deal- ing with self-represented litigants. Most land- lords and debt collectors are represented by attorneys, but hardly any tenant or defendant has legal representation. And on the criminal side we only appoint attorneys for defendants charged with misdemeanor domestic violence or DUI if they can’t afford or have not hired their own attorney. Self-represented litigants do not under- stand the law or the court process, they let emotions interfere with reason, and they feel the system is stacked against them. What I enjoy most about my job is engaging with litigants, being able to explain the procedure, what is expected of them, what decisions they must make and making sure they are fully able to participate in their cases and exercise their rights. So many times as judges, our hands are tied and the black and white letter of the law does not allow for much discretion. In those cases, I make sure to let the litigants know that I rec- ognize their situation but that unfortunately I have to follow the law. I find that defendants usually accept the result, even if it not in their favor, if I can explain it to them with empathy and understanding in a clear, simple language they can understand. AALM: What are some challenges you see negatively impacting the judicial system? (other than COVID-19) AH: We need to make sure that the courts are fair and equitable and not have devastat- ing effects on our most vulnerable popula- tion. We must question if the poor are being overly punished by fines (mandatory or not) that they can’t afford and what consequences that brings. Sometimes it feels like a vicious circle. Not being able to afford registration brings on mandatory fines for no registration which then triggers registration suspension. And drivers find themselves in an ever deeper hole which they can’t dig themselves out of. Another challenge is access to justice. How to allow litigants to fully participate in the court process. On the criminal side, it is a constitutional right to have an attorney for felony charges. But not so for misdemeanors. In our Justice Courts, we always appoint attorneys when the defendant is facing jail time. And many courts, as does mine, appoint attorney in domestic violence cases. But there are many other misdemeanor charges that can carry significant consequences for defendants, yet they must defend themselves. Because of lack of funding it is nearly im- possible to get legal aid for civil cases. And Arizona eviction law allows for quick pro- ceedings and few defenses. Most defendants don’t show up for their court cases, even those few that actually file an answer to a complaint. They are scared, they don’t understand the system and they feel that they can’t win, es- pecially if the plaintiff is represented by an at- torney. AALM: Tell us about your life outside the law. AH: Over the years I have been involved with a variety of organizations and programs. When my children were still in school, I was active in the PTO and the Band Booster Club and after they graduated I remained active in education advocacy both as the community member of the PTO and with Support our Schools, a grass-root advocacy group in sup- port of public education. I founded a PAC to recruit candidates for local school boards. I also mentored Latina girls to keep them on a path to college. My husband is retired from American Air- lines so we love to travel, both to the visit family outside of the country and to vacation in new places. I have 2 children and 3 step- children (with four grandchildren for now), all of them in different cities in three differ- ent countries. When I am not travelling you can find me interpreting or granting wishes for Make a Wish Arizona or serving comfort food for homeless seniors. 19Next >