Ohio Northern Alumna to Lead Lawyer Regulation in Arizona
PHOENIX – Aug. 21, 2009 – The State Bar of Arizona’s chief executive officer today appointed Maret Vessella, who earned her law degree at Ohio Northern University in 1992, to serve as its new Chief Bar Counsel. The Chief Bar Counsel oversees the State Bar’s Lawyer Regulation Department. The department helps to ensure that 16,000 attorneys permitted to practice in the state meet professional conduct standards and that Arizonans are protected from potential harm caused by attorneys who fall short of the state’s ethical standards. Vessella will work closely with the Arizona Supreme Court on discipline proceedings. She will supervise the State Bar’s team of 40 lawyers and legal support staff.
Vessella already has extensive experience in the area of lawyer regulation. She has worked at the State Bar for more than a decade and at the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel for three years prior to that. She has been a member of the State Bar of Arizona since 1998 and the Pennsylvania Bar since 1992.
“I am so pleased to have the opportunity to continue working with attorneys and the public to ensure that the lawyer regulation process becomes even more efficient and effective,” Vessella said. “Arizona has many excellent lawyers who work diligently to provide quality service for their clients. I want to partner with them to further improve the regulatory process and to continue efforts to enhance the profession.”
Vessella has worked at the State Bar since 1998 and she has served as the Deputy Chief Bar Counsel since 2002. In that role she has worked with the court, as well as State Bar committees and multidisciplinary groups to ensure the fair and efficient regulation of the profession. She also has served on the State Bar’s Discipline Oversight Committee, and has supervised the day-to-day operations of the Lawyer Regulation Office.
Prior to working at the State Bar, she served as disciplinary counsel for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel from 1994 to 1997. She was in private practice in Lawrence County, Pa. from 1992 to 1994 and served as a legal intern for Justice Stephen A. Zappala of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
“This may be the most critical position at the State Bar, and Maret Vessella is absolutely the right person at the right time to lead us forward in our efforts to support the Arizona Supreme Court’s role in overseeing the legal profession,” said John Phelps, State Bar CEO/Executive Director.
Vessella earned her law degree at Ohio Northern University in 1992 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 1989. She is a member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association. She and her husband, David McNeil, have a son, Noah, and live in Phoenix. Vessella is a native of Ellwood City, Pa.
About the State Bar
The State Bar of Arizona is a non-profit organization that operates under the supervision of the Arizona Supreme Court. The Bar includes approximately 16,000 active attorneys and provides education and development programs for the legal profession and the public. Since 1933 the Bar and its members have been committed to serving the public by making sure the voices of all people in Arizona are heard in our justice system.
