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ofImportance

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ImportanceBeing

Ernie

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construction hard hat is notan item you typically find in alawyer’s office. Then again,Ernie Calderón is not yourtypical lawyer.

The newest President of the State Barof Arizona is universally regarded as one ofthe hardest workers and hardest chargerson the legal landscape. As if that were notenough, his ascension to the position ishistoric: Calderón, the Bar’s 70thPresident, is also the first of Hispanicdescent.

His path to the Presidency began in thesmall mining town of Morenci. WhenCalderón was a boy, the Presidency andpartnership in a prestigious law firm werenot on the horizon. “The only lawyer Iknew of was the county judge,” saysCalderón, “so I had no idea what lawyersdid, how they bill their time, or anythingof that sort. I didn’t learn that until I gotinto private practice. So I really didn’t havean expectation.”

Today, the AV-rated Calderón is a part-ner at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon. Hispractice, as well as his volunteer and pro-fessional commitments, keep him on themove.

In fact, when friends and colleagues areasked what makes the new President standout from the pack, it is Calderón’s energythat is most often mentioned.

“He’s a very thoughtful person and hegets a lot done; he’s a doer,” says RobertCrozier, Mananger of the NAUFoundation. Crozier first met Calderón,the Morenci Student Body President,when Crozier visited the high school.

Calderón explained his career plans thatday, including his intention to become alawyer and “to be either a senator or gov-ernor of the state,” recalls Crozier. “He’sbeen pretty much on target, I’d say.”

“He’s a very goal-oriented person,”agrees Hon. Steven C. Villarreal of thePima County Superior Court. “He’s goingto accomplish everything he sets out to do.That is Ernest Calderón: He’s a doer. Hedoesn’t just talk; he performs.”

Not that Calderón doesn’t like to talk,report his friends with a smile. He is knownas an opinionated advocate unafraid toshare his thoughts—with one and all. Onesuch exchange has taken on the aura of leg-end and arose from a Board of Governorsmeeting. There, Calderón admonished hislistener—with a stern tone and a pointedfinger—“Let me give you some advice,”which he then did. The listener—formerChief Justice Thomas Zlaket—may havebeen unused to such straightforward con-versation from an attorney, but Calderónlikes to get to the point.

Jennings, Strouss partner “Buzz”Alston says that Calderón “likes to be aconsensus maker,” but adds, “He’s atough guy. He’s a boy who grew up in asmall mining town, and if you want toargue and debate, that’s OK; if you wantto fist-fight, he’ll accommodate that, too.”

Alston, the head of the LitigationDepartment at JSS, finds Calderón a first-rate lawyer, whose ability to communicatemakes him one of the best. He has“tremendous energy, and his people skillsare almost without equal.”

“He is probably the best lawyer that

I’ve ever seen in the area of keeping hisclients informed,” says Alston. “He com-municates nonstop with his clients. As aresult, he has a real unique ability of main-taining client relationships. The quickestway to get in trouble with Ernie is to nottreat one of his clients right. That is nottolerated.”

And member relations are also foremostin Calderón’s mind.

José Cárdenas, managing partner atLewis and Roca, believes that memberswill be pleased by “the amount of person-al attention that they would receive.”

Attorney General Janet Napolitanoagrees. She says that members will find that“he’s accessible, he is incredibly hardworking, and that he will do what he canto improve the lives of lawyers in thestate.”

Calderón and Napolitano first met in1977 when they each were appointedTruman Scholars in the program’s inaugu-ral class. Since then, her opinion of him hascontinued to rise: “He’s a terrific leader;he’s going to be a great president of theState Bar.”

Calderón’s interpersonal skills providesome insight into how he will guide theBar. Lewis and Roca’s Cárdenas describeshim as compassionate and always con-cerned about other people: “There’snobody I know who is as thoroughly con-scious about the personal touches as he is.”

Those touches are a central part ofCalderón’s effectiveness. Asked in passingabout others who can speak on a topic, heeasily mentions a dozen people—and theirtelephone numbers.

Ernest Calderón Becomes State Bar President

ABY TIM EIGOPHOTOGRAPH BYALLEN SHAYO

20 A R I Z O N A AT T O R N E Y J U LY/A U G U S T 2 0 0 2 W W W. A Z B A R . O R G

�In a word, he�s just one helluva swell guy. He�s theson every man would want.�

Knowing people and what makes themtick is important to Calderón, says Alston.“He works at it; he makes it his job. It’svery flattering when you are the subject ofErnie’s attention. He’ll meet somebody,and they’ll give him a business card; in aquiet moment, he’ll sit down and writesomething on the back of the card aboutthe person, just to help him rememberwho they are and what they’re about.”

Most important, his attentions are sin-cere, and many speak of his generosity oftime and talent—in legal matters and inmatters beyond the firm.

In fact, the amount of Calderón’s com-munity service is staggering (see sidebar).

If that were not enough, he is theCubmaster of Pack number 148, Ss.Simon & Jude Catholic Parish. SaysCalderón with a smile, “I do a whole lot ofcamping.”

Calderón’s legal experience began atthe University of Arizona Law School.After earning his degree, he served as a lawclerk to senior U.S. District Judge WalterE. Craig, one of President John Kennedy’slast appointments. Craig was the onlyArizonan ever to serve as President of theAmerican Bar Association. On senior sta-tus, his experience was in demand on far-flung cases: fishing rights cases in thePacific Northwest, environmental cases inSan Francisco, and even a bankruptcy casein Hawaii—and Calderón went on thosetrips, too.

He then worked for Arizona PublicService for a year, where he litigated“everything from fender-benders to utilityissues.” That was followed by a five-yearstint as Director of Legal Affairs at BlueCross and Blue Shield of Arizona.

At Blue Cross, Calderón worked longhours, but he began to think about mov-ing to private practice to aid his family.Thus, he joined the Phoenix office of anational firm that contacted him. Withinone year, however, the firm’s financial

troubles in other branch offices led tobankruptcy, and he looked elsewhere. Hemade his new firm Jennings, Strouss.

If the firm ever needed a booster, theyfound it in Calderón. He speaks withpride and fondness of the people and prac-tices that contribute to the “‘nice’ quo-tient among our lawyers.” He’s pleased atthe firm’s treatment of clients and lawyersas well as the ethical standards that are setby the firm. “It’s been home for over 12years,” he says.

If the friendships Calderón has made areany indication, his commitments are strongones. He has a “deep, deep sense of loyaltyto his friends; he is there for you,” saysCárdenas (the godfather of Katie, one ofCalderón’s triplets). Another friend andlawyer, Danny Ortega, concurs: “If he isyour friend, you can trust him under anycircumstance and in any situation.” And atJSS, Alston gets to the point: “In a word,he’s just one helluva swell guy. He’s the sonevery man would want.”

While building his practice, Calderónalso has contributed to the judiciary in hisservice on the Arizona Supreme CourtCommittee on Judicial PerformanceReview and the Arizona Commission onAppellate Court Appointments.

His interest in the judiciary should beput to good use, say some colleagues.“He’d make a great Supreme Court jus-tice,” says Cárdenas.

Alston agrees that Calderón wouldmake an excellent judge. “He has a com-mon sense about him, an ability to get tothe heart of a problem that is uncom-mon.”

Ortega sees great things for Calderón:“Once Ernie gets done with his term asPresident, the sky’s the limit. Ernie is anexcellent lawyer. On top of that, he hasproven that community service is impor-tant to him. When you get that kind ofindividual, it’s the kind of person thatbelongs on the bench.”

Does a judge agree? Judge Villarrealsays, “I think Ernie would make an out-standing judge, because he’s a good listen-er; he enjoys talking to people, and heenjoys listening to them. He’s a very fair-minded person.”

Listening well and being fair are toolsthat he will need in abundance as State BarPresident. He says that the Bar needs to askits members, “What more do you want usto do?”

“I think we’re at a crossroads now forthe Bar,” Calderón says. “We need to focuson, What can we do to serve our membersbetter? Second, What can we do to servethe public better?”

His outreach would aim at better under-standing of member needs: “Our membersclearly have to feel that this is their Barassociation. How can we help them feelbetter about the organization? I wouldhope that people felt welcomed in the Bar.”

Besides member outreach, Calderónpoints to two other goals for the upcomingyear.

One is consumer protection. In thatrespect, he continues on the path set lastyear when the President and Board begantheir focus on document preparers whogive legal advice, often resulting in harm tocustomers.

The other goal is also outreach, but tothe community. “This Bar associationshould be a player in as many civic endeav-ors as our members will allow it to beinvolved in,” he says. “We are a tremen-dous underutilized resource.” As an exam-ple, he points to specialists in tax law whocould aid a community group seeking tohelp the poor with planned giving.

Talk to Ernie Calderón for very long, infact, and he’s sure to mention the poor orother marginalized citizens. In Morenci, hegrew up in housing that was segregated,“so I know what it’s like to be left out forreasons that don’t make sense.” Given thatbackground, it’s not surprising that his

21J U LY/A U G U S T 2 0 0 2 A R I Z O N A AT T O R N E YW W W. A Z B A R . O R G

Ernest Calderón is a member of the law firm Jennings, Strouss & Salmon. His practice includes commercial litigation,business law, labor and employment law, and administrative law.

education:B.A., Northern Arizona University J.D., University of Arizona

bar experienceHe has served on the Bar’s Board of Governors for morethan five years and is a past Chair of the DisciplineOversight Committee.

legal & professional organizations

He is a member of the American Law Institute, LosAbogados Hispanic Bar Association, the Arizona WomenLawyer’s Association and the Federal Bar Association.

community serviceHe serves on numerous boards, including those of theCommunity Leadership Association, Central ArizonaShelter Services, the Grand Canyon Boy Scouts ofAmerica and the Arizona Community Foundation. Hehas been the President of the St. Thomas More Society,past Chairman of the Catholic Community Foundationand past President of Valley Leadership.

personalMarried to Karen Calderón, a judge at the IndustrialCommission of Arizona (married 16 years this December).They have three children: Michael, who is 11, andStephen, Katie and Mary Margaret, 8-year-old triplets.

major goals center on communication,inclusion, diversity and, as he says,“connecting people together.”

Those connections run deep forhim, and are evidenced by a card thatis sometimes visible in his shirt pocket.That card contains the words of theApostle’s Creed, a prayer used for cen-turies by Christians as a testimony oftheir faith. But why does this busylawyer carry the prayer? “I’mCatholic,” he explains, “and I needreminders of what it’s all about.Sometimes I just read it to myself forinner peace, to remind me that there isa greater purpose in life.”

For the coming year, one of hismain purposes will be to facilitate thecommunication that can improve theBar. At the end of his Presidency,Calderón says, “I would hope thatpeople would say, ‘Ernie tried tounderstand us.’ I try to embrace thatSaint Francis saying that ‘It’s better tostrive to understand than to strive tobe understood.’”

Understanding others, of course, isone of the hardest tasks to set for one-self, which Calderón knows: “As theleader of the Bar, I have to recognizethat there will always be people in ourlegal community that are concernedabout yesterday. There will be a lot ofpeople working for the Bar who willtake care of today. But I have to leadthe Bar into tomorrow.”

His friends say he will do just that.As Buzz Alston puts it, members are“going to get their money’s worthwith this President.”

�He�s going to accomplish everything he sets out to do. He doesn�t just talk; he performs.�