Ms. Staton joined the firm in 1984 and has been a partner since 1991. She concentrates her practice on personal injury, employment, and municipal liability litigation. Ms. Staton received her law degree from the University of Kansas College of Law in 1974. She is a member of the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Arizona Women Lawyers Association. She is admitted to practice in Arizona, Kansas and Illinois State Courts, the U.S. District Court, Districts of Arizona and Kansas, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Civil Rights Defense
Education and School Law
Employment Law
General Civil Litigation
Governmental Liability
Wrongful Death and Personal Injury Defense
EDUCATION
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, J.D., 1974
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
B.A., English and Russian, 1971
BAR ADMISSIONS
Arizona, 1977
Kansas, 1974
Illinois, 1983
U.S. District Court District of Arizona, 1977
U.S. District Court District of Kansas
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court, 1980
PAST EMPLOYMENT
Arizona Attorney General's Office
1976 to 1982; 1983 to 1984
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Chief Counsel Market Integrity Section, Central Regional Office, 1982 to 1983
District Attorney's Office, Wichita, Kansas, 1974 to 1976
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
American Bar Association
Arizona Women Lawyers Association
State Board of Directors (1984 to Present)
International Association of Defense Counsel
Member (1996 to Present)
Chair, Government and Administrative Law Committee (1999-2000)
Arizona Association of Defense Counsel (1995 to present)
Maricopa County Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education Committee (1986 to 1995; Chair 1989-90)
Board of Legal Specialization for the State Bar of Arizona (2003 to present)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Defense Research Institute; Speaker - "Use of Technology in Trial - First Grader's Approach to Trial Practice," Civil Rights & Governmental Tort Liability Seminar, February 2007
Public Practice Legal Seminar; Speaker - "So...How Badly Can We Get Hit? Damages in Employment Lawsuits," May 2006
Public Practice Legal Seminar; Speaker - "Handling Section 1983 Cases," May 2005
State Bar of Arizona; Speaker:
Trial Advocacy Today, June 2005
Getting Inside the Jury's Mind, May 2005
The Art of Opening Statements, April 2005
Trial Advocacy Today: Opening-to-Closing Arguments, June 2004
Defense Research Institute; Speaker - "Age Discrimination...The 'Graying' of Employment Lawsuits," Civil Rights & Governmental Tort Liability Seminar, January 2004
International Association of Defense Counsel; Speaker - "Providing Accommodation to the Deaf Under Title III of The Americans With Disabilities Act," 2001
Defense Research Institute; Speaker - "Employment Retaliation Claims - The Tail that Wags the Dog," 2001
Defense Research Institute; Speaker - "Current School District Liability Issues: Sexual Harassment, School Searches and Disaster Plans," 2000
Counsel on Education in Management; Speaker - "Reasonable Accommodation Under The ADA," 1999
International Association of Defense Counsel; Speaker - "Parallel Proceedings - A Discovery Minefield," 1998
Defense Research Institute; Speaker - "Americans With Disabilities Act," 1997
Defense Research Institute; Speaker - "Jury Selection in Sexual Harassment Case," 1996
Arizona State University College of Law - Adjunct Faculty member 1994 to 1996
Arizona Trial College - Faculty member 1991 to present
The Persuasion Edge -- Winning Persuasion Strategies and Tactics for Trial Lawyers - Instructor 1989
Evidence Workshop, State Bar of Arizona, Instructor 1988
Federal Trial Advocacy - Instructor 1987
National Institute of Trial Advocacy - Instructor 1985-87
Chair and faculty member of the following Maricopa County and Arizona Bar Association CLE Seminars, 1985 to present:
RICO - The Ultimate Commercial Weapon
Dram Shop Liability
Making a Record; Objections
Comparative Negligence/Contribution
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Issues
Ethics in Practice
Intangible Damages
Liquor Liability in Motor Vehicle Accident Cases
Sexual Harassment: Surviving the Nightmare
Ethical Questions for Lawyers in Personal Injury Cases
Negotiation Strategies for Women Lawyers
Sexual Harassment Litigation
Juror Challenges Under Batson
Legends of Litigation ... Discovery and Deposition
OUTSIDE RECOGNITION
Martindale-Hubbell AV� Rating
President's Award, Arizona Women Lawyer's Association, 2006
Sarah Herring Sorin Award, Arizona Women Lawyer's Association, 2007
CERTIFICATIONS/SPECIALTIES
Certified Specialist in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation, Arizona Board of Legal Specialization
PUBLISHED WORKS
Mum's Not the Word - Intersection of Title VII and The NLRB, Arizona Attorney, November 2005
Campus Violence - School District Liability and Students' Fourth Amendment Right Arizona Attorney, August 2000
Rule 68 Offers of Judgment "Defense Counsel's Sword" Defense Counsel Journal, July 2000
A Practical Perspective on Employee Violence and Americans with Disabilities Act, Arizona Attorney, April 1999
Parallel Proceedings - A Discovery Minefield
Arizona Attorney, July 1998
Sexual Harassment: The Reasonable Woman" Standard,
For the Defense, Defense Research Institute, December 1991. |