Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 2002 and became the chief justice July 1, 2009. Before her appointment to the supreme court, she served as a court of appeals judge, solicitor general of the State of Arizona, first assistant (chief deputy) attorney general, and ASU College of Law faculty member. Following graduation from law school, Chief Justice Berch practiced law in Phoenix, becoming a named partner of her firm in 1984. In 1986, she joined the faculty at Arizona State University College of Law. During her years at the law school, Justice Berch earned a master’s degree in English and authored more than a dozen law review articles, two books, and several other articles. The textbook she co-authored, Introduction to Legal Method and Process, is now in its fifth edition and is used in law schools throughout the nation. Chief Justice Berch is a member of the Conference of Chief Justices, the Board of Trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (vice chair), and several other public organizations. She speaks regularly on law-related topics to students, civic groups, and legal organizations.
