Arizona Black Bar Association

The Arizona Black Bar (ABB) was founded as the Arizona Black Lawyers Association (ABLA) in 1971 by three energetic and recent graduates of the Arizona State University College of Law: Joshua Bursh, Charles Murray, and Cecil Patterson. In the mid-1970s, there were approximately eight African American lawyers in the Phoenix community. In the early years, ABLA members gathered for “happy hour” every Friday to discuss experiences from the past week. An early goal of the organization was to increase visibility of Black attorneys in the Arizona legal community, and to support and encourage prospective Black law students and attorneys to join the legal profession in Arizona.

ABB’s Mission Statement is to enhance the professional lives of its members; further the cause of justice in Arizona through active participation in the court system and other bar associations; recognize its special duty to the public; and enhance the public perception of African-American Lawyers. ABB is affiliated with the National Bar Association and the Maricopa County Bar Association. Membership in ABB is open to any person who adheres to its purposes and objectives. Licensed attorneys are voting members, and non-voting members include law school graduates, paralegals, law students, and anyone who agrees to work to further the goals of the organization.

The ABB holds an annual Hayzel B. Daniels scholarship dinner to recognize community leaders who advance diversity and engage in community service. The ABB was previously named the Hayzel B. Daniels Bar Association in honor of Hayzel B. Daniels, who was the first African American lawyer in Arizona and became the first African American appointed judge in Arizona in 1965. The ABB has many distinguished members, including Jean Williams who was the first female Black judge appointed in Arizona in 1976, and Justice Maria Elena Cruz, who became the first Black and Latina justice on the Arizona Supreme Court when she was appointed in 2025.

The Arizona Black Bar continues to create a community of strong legal representatives with a dual mission: to support its members and enhance their professional lives, and to further justice in Arizona through public and community service. Some current areas of focus include supporting attorney well-being, fundraising for law student scholarships, informal mentoring of black law students, and providing pro bono legal services. The ABB participates in activities with other bar associations and the Collaborative Bar.

Co-founder of ABB, retired Judge Cecil Patterson, said that the organization has “carved out an area of advocacy and presence that is unique, valid, and has lots of resourceful people.” Learn more about the Arizona Black Bar by visiting its website.