Melissa Ho, a shareholder in the Phoenix office of the national law firm Polsinelli, is among three outstanding legal professionals who will be honored at the Judge Learned Hand Awards luncheon on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. Melissa will be recognized for her exceptional professional achievements and profound dedication to civic and
philanthropic causes and organizations.
“Once again, we are blessed to be able to honor three of Arizona’s finest lawyers and most worthy citizens. Matthew Feeney, Paul Bender, and Melissa Ho embody the very best in our legal community. Their professional and personal contributions help advance a more just society and their philanthropic efforts help shape a world in which human rights and human dignity are protected for all peoples.” said Timothy J. Eckstein, co-chair of the AJC’s Judge Learned Hand Awards luncheon.
Established in 1964, the Judge Learned Hand award program recognizes those who have contributed meaningfully to the legal community and whose work reflects the integrity and broad humanitarian ideals exemplified by Judge Hand. The honorees are selected by an independent committee of prominent judges, law professors and practitioners.
Ho will be honored with the AJC’s Emerging Leadership Award, which is a tribute to an attorney practicing 12 years or less who has demonstrated a commitment to the values of public or community service. A tireless volunteer, Ho dedicates her time to the State Bar of Arizona serving on six different committees over the past several years. At present, she is the youngest member of the Bar’s Board of Governors. Ho is a former past president of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association and has served on numerous boards and commissions for the City of Phoenix. She regularly volunteers her time on domestic violence, guardianship and immigration matters, helping vulnerable individuals and families.
Ho is a past recipient of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association “Best Lawyers Under 40”, an honor bestowed on only a select few attorneys in the United States. In 2013, she was chosen by the Phoenix Business Journal as a recipient of its “Forty Under 40” award honoring the best and brightest leaders in the Phoenix metro area. Ho has also been named to the “Lawyers of Color Hot List” and most recently was selected by AZ Business Magazine as a “Generation Next Forty Under Forty.” Southwest Super Lawyers named her as a Rising Star in 2012 and 2013 in the category of Criminal Defense – White Collar.
Ho practices law in the areas of government investigations and white collar criminal defense. She is Past President of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association and an active member on numerous Arizona State Bar Association committees. She earned her B.A. with honors and a B.S. from Arizona State University and her J.D. from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.
