State Bar of Arizona holds annual convention at Wild Horse Pass

July 1, 2016

Brittany Burnette

Community Newsperson

On June 15, Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis made a brief introduction speech to open the Annual 2016 State Bar of Arizona convention at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass.

Gov. Lewis welcomed the State Bar members to the Gila River Indian Community. “Though we are a sovereign nation, we function side by side with hundreds of members of the Arizona Bar as partners, as colleagues, as clients, and as employers,” he said.

Rod Lewis, the father of Gov. Lewis, was the first Native American to become a member of the State Bar of Arizona and developed the Indian law section of the bar during the early 1980’s. He addressed the relationship between the State Bar and the Community. “It’s been a good relationship, all of our attorneys are members of the State Bar and with the Community, so they are a major part of our lives…”

Gov. Lewis encouraged the State Bar attorneys to review issues involving Native American tribes, and to be helpful in their community. He addressed his father, who had a successful career in the legal profession and chose to come back and serve the Community with pride and integrity. Gov. Lewis concluded his speech by encouraging the members to learn as much as they can in the seminars, and to enjoy their three-day stay at the Sheraton Grand.

The annual convention was a three-day event for members of the State Bar of Arizona; this event also provided 50 seminars, and opportunities to network. The State Bar of Arizona is a non-profit organization that is supervised by the Arizona Supreme Court, and has been around for over 83 years. Rod said the State Bar is composed of all the attorneys who have passed the State Bar exam. They regulate the legal proceedings of Arizona and address issues on behalf the general public.