Recognizing emerging leaders in law is vital to fostering innovation and progress in the legal profession. These rising stars bring fresh perspectives, drive diversity, and address evolving challenges. Highlighting their achievements inspires others, ensures a robust leadership pipeline, and strengthens the profession’s ability to adapt to future societal needs.
MORE NEWS: The Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona for 2025
50 emerging leaders in Arizona law for 2025
Alejandro Barrientos
MayesTelles
Practice areas: Personal injury and appellate attorney
Brandon Bodea
Medalist Legal
Practice areas: Real estate
Background: Bodea is managing partner at Medalist Legal, focusing on real estate and business law. With extensive experience in litigation and transactions, he represents agents, brokers, appraisers and other professionals in disputes, contract negotiations, and property issues. He routinely drafts and negotiates commercial, residential and business documents and assists with due diligence.
Source of pride: “A high degree of client satisfaction is by far the professional accomplishment I am most proud of. I believe that true success is listening to clients about their goals and objectives. No two clients are the same, and so a cookie-cutter approach to representation is inherently ineffective.”
Surprising fact: “My wife and I recently rescued and adopted a baby Desert Sonoran Tortoise that we hope to have for the rest of our lives, given the life expectancy of the animal.”
Learn more: medalistlegal.com
John S. Bullock
Osborn Maledon
Practice areas: Public law, appeals, and professional liability
Background: Bullock’s practice focuses on public law, appeals, and professional liability matters. He has litigated a wide range of constitutional disputes in both state and federal court. A 2023 Southwest Super Lawyers Appellate “Rising Star,” Bullock has briefed several appeals in Arizona’s courts. He clerked for Judge Mary Schroeder (Ninth Circuit) and Judge G. Murray Snow (District of Arizona) and graduated with honors from Harvard Law. Bullock also maintains a pro bono practice, particularly in immigration appeals.
Source of pride: “I’ve had the privilege of working on a wide variety of cases, including those with significant statewide impact. However, my most rewarding professional accomplishment is successfully representing individual clients on appeal in immigration matters, where the stakes are deeply personal and life-changing.”
Learn more: omlaw.com/jbullock/
Taylor Burgoon
Fennemore
Practice areas: Business litigation
Background: Burgoon is a business litigation attorney at Fennemore, handling complex cases involving contract disputes, tort and wrongful death claims, real property issues, and insurance coverage, among others. Burgoon’s interest in law developed at a young age. She honed her skills through internships and an externship with the Honorable John J. Tuchi, later earning the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Award for excellence in constitutional law studies. Burgoon is dedicated to advocating for her clients and thrives on the analytical demands of litigation.
Source of pride: “My most prideful professional accomplishment as of now is winning six motions for summary judgment over the last 14 months. This may sound silly to some, but any litigator knows the difficulty of obtaining summary judgment, especially in complex commercial cases like those we handle at Fennemore.”
Learn more: fennemorelaw.com/people/attorneys/taylor-burgoon/
Samantha Brown
State 48 Law
Practice areas: Family law
Parker C. Bunch
The Cavanagh Law Firm
Practice areas: Commercial litigation, specifically insurance coverage and bad faith litigation
Ashley Caballero-Daltrey
Jones Skelton & Hochuli
Practice areas: Federal and state appellate matters and dispositive motions
Courtney Casiano
Zelms Erlich & Mack
Practice areas: Automotive liability, professional liability
Shannon Cohan
Fennemore
Practice areas: Business litigation
Background: Cohan represents a diverse range of clients — from sole proprietors to Fortune 500 companies — in business litigation, mediation, arbitration, and appeals. Initially drawn to filmmaking, Cohan’s passion for law was reignited in an “Ethics in Film” class, leading her to earn her J.D. from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law.
Source of pride: “The accomplishment I’m most proud of was obtaining a $1 million judgment, including punitive damages, in private arbitration. I later crafted a collections strategy for the client that resulted in nearly full payment after the defendant initially refused to pay. It was so rewarding to get justice for the client after he was wronged and then help him move forward in his career and life with the funds he lost due to the defendant’s conduct.”
Learn more: fennemorelaw.com/people/attorneys/shannon-cohan/
Alejandra Curiel
Cohen Dowd Quigley
Practice areas: Commercial litigation
Background: Curiel has been an associate at Cohen Dowd Quigley, P.C. since 2022 where she practices commercial litigation. Alejandra is a client-centered problem-solver with a talent for finding creative ways to represent her clients’ interest. Alejandra has experience handling complex matters including partnership and contract disputes. Prior to joining CDQ, Alejandra was a Deputy Public Defender with the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office. Alejandra is involved in the
Los Abogados Hispanic State Bar Association and the Latina Mentoring Project where she participates in the mentorship of aspiring legal professionals.
Source of pride: “Working alongside admirable attorneys at CDQ and soaking up knowledge in every way that I possibly can for the benefit of our clients.”
Learn more: cdqlaw.com/alejandra-curiel-2/
Angelika Doebler
Davis Miles
Practice areas: Civil litigation, commercial and civil litigation, real estate
Background: Doebler’s orientation toward solution-finding and knack for research make her an ideal litigator. She graduated with honors from ASU Law where she served as an articles editor on the Arizona State Law Journal. She won numerous moot court competitions during law school, including the coveted Jenckes Cup. As a result of these successes, she was inducted into the Order of the Barristers honor society. Before attending law school, Doebler taught Economics and Algebra at a high school in Chandler, Arizona. Doebler is an Arizona native and enjoys spending her free time outside with her husband and their daughter. They enjoy hiking in the Superstition Mountains, gardening, and tending to their flock of backyard chickens.
Learn more: davismiles.com
Aaron Duell
Burch & Cracchiolo
Practice Areas: Employment litigation
Background: An Arizona native, Duell grew up in the Valley and found his way to a law degree after briefly considering an engineering career. He joined Burch & Cracchiolo in 2019 to focus his practice on employment law, litigation and commercial litigation. Before joining Burch & Cracchiolo, Duell worked at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office as an assistant attorney general in the Government Accountability and Special Litigation unit. There, he was awarded the 2017 “Emerging Star Award” for the Civil Litigation Division.
Learn more: bcattorneys.com
Kaylena Ferrin
Greenberg Traurig
Practice areas: Real estate and corporate matters
Timothy Forsman
Gammage & Burnham
Practice areas: Business organizations and commercial transactions
Derek R. Funk
Comitz Stanley
Practice areas: Insurance and insurance bad faith
Kristi L. Hill
ERISA Benefits Law
Practice areas: Labor and employment
Rory Juneman
Lazarus & Silvyn
Practice areas: Real estate, zoning and land use
Background: Juneman brings extensive experience to Lazarus & Silvyn in the practice areas of real estate, zoning and land use planning, including a specialization in sustainable development. He has represented clients in land use entitlement processes and hearings, negotiations with local jurisdictions, agencies and neighborhoods, and before boards of adjustment, planning commissions and design review committees. He also has worked with local jurisdictions to draft zoning ordinances and planned area developments.
Professional accomplishments: Juneman was named a partner at Lazarus & Silvyn in January 2022. He is a graduate of Baylor University and a graduate cum laude from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. He currently serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Pima Alliance and the Law College Association at the James E. Rogers College of Law.
Learn more: LSLawAZ.com
Patrick Keery
Keery McCue
Practice areas: Debtor and creditor Chapter 11 bankruptcy representation
Janet M. Howe
Perkins Coie
Practice areas: Environmental compliance, state and environmental regulatory matters and water rights
Katya Lancero Norris
Sacks Tierney
Practice areas: Indian and tribal relations
Elsa Landeros
Davis Miles
Practice areas: Estate planning, corporate and business transactions, real estate
Background: Landeros is a three-time Sun Devil, having completed her undergraduate, master’s and law school degrees at ASU. The daughter of small business owners, Landeros experienced first-hand the needs of entrepreneurs, which sparked her interest in helping business leaders. After completing her master’s at WP Carey School of Business, Landeros became a consultant at LMI Solutions, where she helped her clients in the imaging industry develop competitive marketing and operational strategies. Landeros works in the transactions practice, where she focuses on helping clients with a wide range of business matters including entity formation, real estate transactions, and contract review. She also advises clients in estate planning and asset protection. During law school, Landeros served on the board of the Chicano/Latino Law Students Association, where she focused on mentoring law students of color.
Learn more: davismiles.com
Amberlee B. Lapointe
Snell & Wilmer
Practice areas: Employee benefits
Colby Larson
Gibson Knecht
Practice areas: Commercial real estate
David Lundmark
Lundmark Barbaric Lamont & Puig
Practice areas: Workers’ compensation
Ashley Marsh
Gammage & Burnham
Practice areas: Land use and zoning
Vincent Miner
Sanders & Parks
Practice areas: Complex civil litigation
BethEl Nager
Weiss Brown
Practice areas: Mergers and acquisitions, emerging businesses
Benjamin Nielsen
Quarles
Practice areas: Complex commercial and civil matters
Mina O’Boyle
Tiffany & Bosco
Practice areas: Real estate
Kortney Otten
Gallagher & Kennedy
Practice areas: Commercial bankruptcy and business law
Background: Otten’s practice focuses on commercial bankruptcy and business law, including contracts, transactions, wind ups, and settlement resolution, and providing outside general counsel advice to top companies and cannabusinesses. With significant litigation experience in state, federal, and appellate courts, she is also a skilled mediator and settlement advocate.
Source of pride: “The ability to help clients through challenging times, reassure them, and find a way to resolve their legal issues is always rewarding, and it’s the reason I do what I do. A win in court is great — and I am certainly appreciative of those, but helping clients prevent or move past their legal obstacles and giving them transformative solutions that positively affect their business going forward gives me the most pride because it makes a tangible long-term difference in their lives.”
Learn more: gknet.com/attorneys/kortneyotten/
Seema Patel
May Potenza Baran & Gillespie
Practice areas: Mergers and acquisitions
Alana Porrazzo
Jennings Haug Keleher McLeod
Practice areas: Fidelity and surety law
Hannah Porter
Gallagher & Kennedy
Practice areas: Civil litigation
Background: Porter is a shareholder in G&K’s litigation practice group and chair of the firm’s Professional Women’s Group. She represents clients in all stages of civil litigation, including through trial and appeal, in disputes such as breach of contract, fraud, trade secrets, business ownership, class actions, and bid protests for government contracts. Prior to joining G&K, Porter clerked for Justice Robert M. Brutinel (ret.) of the Arizona Supreme Court.
Source of pride: “After a hard-fought 16-day administrative hearing challenging the award of a large government contract, I was thrilled to review the 60-page decision from the administrative law judge finding in favor of my client on all of the major issues. It was a major victory for the client, especially considering that the standard of review makes it difficult to successfully protest contract awards.”
Learn more: gknet.com/attorneys/hannahporter/
Rachael Pugel
Snell & Wilmer
Practice areas: Intellectual property, technology
Brianna Quinn
Sanders & Parks
Practice areas: Medical malpractice and professional liability defense
Afsanieh Rassti
Frazer Ryan Goldberg & Arnold
Practice areas: Estate planning, probate, and trust administration
Background: A Dallas native who grew up in Fountain Hills, Afsanieh earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and law degrees at Arizona State University. While a student at the ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, she served on the executive council of the Pro Bono Board and helped establish the Law Society of Human Rights to support law students in participating in human rights missions abroad. Before she began her practice in estate planning in 2017, she focused on global immigration issues, assisting Iranian families with family and employment-based visas. Afsanieh joined Frazer Ryan in the summer of 2022 to expand her practice. As an estate practitioner, Afsanieh has met with hundreds of families regarding their individualized estate planning needs. She focuses on planning objectives and strategies from a fresh foundation to updating pre-existing and outdated estate plans.
Learn more: frgalaw.com
Michelle Ronan
Jaburg Wilk
Practice areas: Estate planning
Anna Schiffman
Schiffman Law Office
Practice areas: Social security disability
Melissa Shingles
Littler
Practice areas: Traditional labor law
Ryan “Bucky” Slomski
Burch & Cracchiolo
Practice areas: Catastrophic injury, wrongful death, motor vehicle and trucking collisions, and victims of medical malpractice.
Background: Slomski focuses his practice solely on serious personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims, and he provides much-needed representation and support to clients across Arizona who have suffered an injury or lost a loved one as a result of someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing. Throughout the course of his career, Slomski has earned a reputation as an intensely passionate trial lawyer who aggressively pursues the most favorable outcomes for his clients, no matter how serious or complex their challenges are.
Learn more: bcattorneys.com
Melissa Soliz
Partner // Coppersmith Brockelman
Background: Soliz’s regulatory health and data practice focuses on health IT contracting and compliance with data privacy and interoperability laws, health information networks/exchanges (HIN/HIEs), development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), behavioral health/substance use disorder law, data breaches and HHS investigations, as well as clinical research compliance and contracting.
Source of pride: “My greatest professional accomplishment as a regulatory health, data privacy, and interoperability attorney has been advising nonprofit health data utilities across the country. These organizations are vital to expanding and improving access to clinical and social health information exchanges, which ensure care teams have the actionable information they need when it matters most. I have had the privilege of guiding these entities through complex regulatory landscapes, including navigating federal and state privacy laws, and helping them design governance structures and policies that enable secure and efficient data sharing. My role has been to help these organizations integrate diverse health data sources, including social determinants of health, into meaningful exchanges that improve care coordination and decision-making. By focusing on sustainability and scalability, I have supported these utilities in overcoming legal and operational barriers to deliver data-driven solutions that enhance patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. My work has particularly emphasized expanding access in underserved communities, ensuring that care teams can provide more effective, holistic care. I am proud to have played a role in advancing the mission of health information exchanges to transform the healthcare system and make meaningful, lasting improvements to how care is delivered.”
Attraction to the legal industry: “I was drawn to the legal industry because it offers a unique opportunity to apply expertise and passion to achieve meaningful, real-world impacts. The law is a powerful tool for shaping society, resolving disputes, and addressing some of the most pressing challenges individuals, organizations, and communities face. For me, the ability to work through complex problems, to assist clients in achieving their goals to advance patient care and improve public health, and to help navigate uncertainty in a rapidly changing technology and regulatory environment, is deeply fulfilling. As an attorney, I can take abstract principles and translate them into actionable strategies that make a tangible difference. The legal profession is dynamic, and it’s a pleasure to combine legal expertise with creativity, adaptability and empathy to advance the business innovations that are necessary to meet the needs and improve the health and wellness of our communities.”
Learn more: cblawyers.com
Erica Spurlock
Jones Skelton & Hochuli
Practice areas: Personal injury, wrongful death and general liability
Shayna Stuart
Sherman & Howard
Practice areas: Litigation, trials and appeals
Gregory Terhune
Lerner & Rowe
Practice areas: Personal injury
Hannah Torres
Dorsey & Whitney
Background: Torres represents U.S. lenders in all aspects of negotiating and documenting financing transactions of all types and sizes, including single-bank and syndicated commercial loans, real estate loans, asset-based financings and loans secured by multiple properties and collateral in different states. Torres also regularly represents financial institutions in construction lending transactions across all asset classes, including multifamily, hospitality, industrial, and mixed-use projects throughout the Valley of the Sun and across the United States.
Source of pride: “The professional accomplishment that gives me the most pride is the finance team that we’ve brought together in the Phoenix office. Our group has a foundation of trust, accountability, and flexibility at all levels — from our staff to our senior partners — that makes working together truly enjoyable, and ultimately benefits our clients when we can all work together and contribute in unique ways to get the deal done in an efficient and business-smart manner.”
Learn more: dorsey.com/people/t/torres-hannah
Mario Vasta
Fennemore
Practice areas: Business litigation
Background: Vasta is a skilled attorney in intellectual property and business litigation, helping resolve a broad range of civil disputes, trademark and copyright issues. He’s known for defending companies against counterfeiters and scammers who use misleading website names to divert customers. Vasta also represents clients in water rights litigation, securing crucial outcomes for Arizona farmers. A Cornell and ASU Law graduate, he pursued his dream of practicing law in Arizona, where he works closely with clients resolving disputes efficiently. Vasta’s career is marked by his dedication to protecting clients’ businesses and brands and resolving complex disputes with strategic, effective solutions.
Source of pride: “I am most proud of being elected as a director at Fennemore in 2023! I’ve had the pleasure to work and grow with Fennemore since 2014. This achievement allows me to reach clients better and help them problem solve.”
Learn more: fennemorelaw.com/people/attorneys/mario-c-vasta/
Michele N. Washington
Quarles
Practice areas: Patent portfolio development and patent infringement
Robert Williams
Gust Rosenfeld
Practice areas: Bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors’ rights
Jessica Zink
Shapiro Law Team
Practice areas: Personal injury and wrongful death
