Gold 'n Gavel 2016
Michael Gallagher
Michael Gallagher is a co-founding partner of Gallagher & Kennedy. He practices in a wide variety of litigation matters. He has been consecutively recognized by Best Lawyers of America since 1995 and was most recently awarded the “2013 Phoenix Sports Law Lawyer of the Year.” Mr. Gallagher was also a professional athlete and major league baseball scout.
Throughout his successful career, Mr. Gallagher has represented national and local airlines, physicians and healthcare providers, insurance companies, attorneys, law firms, architects, engineers, manufacturers of numerous products, municipalities, public utilities, and other local and national clients on litigation matters. In the area of professional sports, he has represented athletes, franchises, leagues, and cities.
Mr. Gallagher is a graduate of ASU Law’s inaugural class. He was chosen as this year’s Alumni Service Award winner for his work on the O’Connor Justice Prize Advisory Board and continued support for the law school from mentoring graduates to helping establish professorships. He is also no stranger to the Gold ’n Gavel event, serving as the auctioneer for the past two years, helping raise over $240,000.
Mr. Gallagher has been deeply committed to public service dating back to the 1980s, with recognition from former Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard and former Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt.
Paul Eckstein
Paul F. Eckstein is a partner in the Phoenix office of Perkins Coie LLP, a national law firm with over 1,000 lawyers. A graduate of Pomona College and Harvard Law School, Mr. Eckstein has practiced law at Perkins Coie LLP, and its predecessors, since he was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 1965.
For more than 40 years, Mr. Eckstein’s practice has focused on civil litigation matters at both the trial and appellate level, with special emphasis on First Amendment, federal and state constitutional, election (including numerous cases involving initiatives and referenda), antitrust, intellectual property and commercial law issues.
Among his many achievements, Mr. Eckstein served as co-prosecutor in the impeachment trial of Governor Evan Mecham in 1988. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, founder and past president of the board of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, former chair of the board of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, an emeritus trustee of the Pomona College Board of Trustees, a member of the board of trustees and regional vice president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
A respected leader in the Phoenix legal community, Mr. Eckstein was chosen as this year’s Amicus Award recipient for his many years of generous support of ASU Law including his support in building the Ross-Blakley Law Library in Tempe, and in recent years the Beus Center for Law and Society in Phoenix.
Marcus Bishop
Marcus Bishop earned a BA in political science and a Master of Arts in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. While completing his graduate degree, Marcus began his career in higher education as an admissions recruiter for Alabama’s undergraduate admissions office, and then eventually began work at ASU.
Marcus is pursuing his Master of Sports Law and Business degree and focuses his studies on sports marketing, fundraising/development, student-athlete development, and media operations within intercollegiate athletics. He interns with the Marketing and Game Presentation office of Sun Devil Athletics and volunteers as a committee member of the Media Operations Committee for the Fiesta Bowl organization. He also recently created the Sports Law and Business Scholarship Fund and was awarded the Chairman’s Choice Award for his dedication to the Fiesta Bowl organization.
Marcus would like to thank the donors for their generosity and investment. “Receiving this scholarship reaffirms my potential for success in the sports industry and drives me to continue contributing to the Sports Law and Business Program. Through this scholarship, I hope to seek out professional development and networking opportunities within the sports industry.”
Krizia Verplancke
Krizia Verplancke is a third year law student at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. She graduated cum laude from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in sociology and communications.
Krizia is involved in a variety of extracurricular activities at ASU including an articles editor for Jurimetrics: the Journal of Law Science and Technology, president of the Chicano/Latino Law Students Association which was named the 2016 student organization of the year by the Hispanic National Bar Association, and serves as a research assistant for Professors Glenn Wong and Rodney Smith within the Sports Law & Business Program. Krizia has also held leadership positions in the Sports and Entertainment Law Students Association and the Homeless Legal Assistance Project.
Krizia credits the generous gifts from donors which afforded her the opportunity to take advantage of various opportunities. “The support from the donors has encouraged me to continue to strive for my goals and to put all of my efforts into not only being the best student I can be, but to also have a positive effect on the community that we live in.”