Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch entered Administrative Order 2009-110, announcing the appointment of Ed Novak to a seven-year term as a member of the Supreme Court’s Committee on Character and Fitness. Novak, who is the immediate past president of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Arizona, is a shareholder with the law firm of Polsinelli Shughart PC where he concentrates his practice on government investigations and white collar criminal defense. For more than ten years he has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and was listed as a 2009 Southwest Super Lawyer. Novak currently serves as a judge pro tempore and is a member of the board to the United States Veterans Initiative Inc., which provides housing and job training for homeless veterans.
“I am very proud to have the opportunity to serve my profession and my fellow Arizonans through membership on the Committee on Character and Fitness,” said Novak. “This Committee has the critical responsibility to ensure that applicants have the character to be lawyers. Honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, reliability and respect for the law and its institutions are paramount in our legal system. I am honored and humbled by the appointment.”
The Committee members are responsible for the investigation and recommendation of applicants for admission to the practice of law in Arizona. Committee members review all applications for approximately 1,200 potential new members of the Bar per year and attend hearings for further investigation of applicants. The Arizona Supreme Court accepts recommendations from the Committee in making decisions about admission of candidates to the State Bar of Arizona. The Committee is made up of 19 members, including members of the Bar and public members.
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About Polsinelli Shughart PC
With approximately 470 attorneys, Polsinelli Shughart PC (www.polsinelli.com) is a national law firm that is a recognized leader in the areas of business litigation, financial services, real estate, business law, construction, life sciences and health care. Serving corporate, institutional and individual clients regionally, nationally and worldwide, Polsinelli Shughart is known for successfully applying forward-thinking strategies for both straightforward and complex legal matters. The firm has 13 offices located in Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Wilmington, Delaware; Chicago and Edwardsville, Illinois; Overland Park and Topeka, Kansas; Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and St. Joseph, Missouri; New York City; and Washington, D.C.