Snell & Wilmer Partner Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier Begins Term as Chair Elect of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section

PHOENIX – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that Partner Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier began her term as Chair Elect of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section following the conclusion of the Section’s Fall Meeting in Toronto. McNeil Staudenmaier will assume the role of chair of the section in September of 2026. She just concluded her position as vice chair of the section, which included serving as Editor in Chief of The Business Lawyer, the section’s prestigious academic journal.

The Business Law Section, which is the largest section of the American Bar Association, is a global network of over 30,000 business law professionals from around the world interested in expanding their knowledge, engaging with their professional communities, and advancing their experience. The Business Law Section’s mission is “to serve its members, the profession, and the public by providing educational resources to its members, assisting members in serving their clients ethically and competently, and furthering the development and improvement of business law.”

‘’I am honored to continue to ascend the Business Law Section leadership ladder and look forward to continuing the excellent content, programming, and networking provided by the section,’’ said McNeil Staudenmaier.

McNeil Staudenmaier’s previous leadership roles within the Business Law Section includes serving as Secretary, Editor-in-Chief of the Business Law Today Editorial Board, Executive Council member and Chair of the Committee Support & Resource Board, Business & Corporate Litigation Committee Chair, and one of the Section’s first Fellows. In 2019, she received the Section’s prestigious Jean Allard Glass Cutter Award, which is presented annually to a woman who has cut through barriers to attain high accomplishment in business law, and she is the only Arizona attorney to ever receive this high honor. McNeil Staudenmaier was recently recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2025, as well as by AZ Business Leaders 2025 Magazine, which profiles Arizona’s most respected and influential business leaders, The Best Lawyers in America® for Gaming Law and Commercial Litigation, and Phoenix Lawyer of the Year for Native American Law. She is an inductee of the Maricopa County Bar Association Hall of Fame; named to the inaugural class of Arizona Capitol Times’ Women Achievers of Arizona; honored as a Finalist for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce’s ATHENA Awards; and recipient of the University of Iowa College of Law’s Alumni Service Award.

In her legal practice, McNeil Staudenmaier is both nationally and internationally recognized in the areas of Native American law, gaming law, and business litigation. She represents tribes, tribal entities, and businesses that engage in commercial transactions in Indian Country, including gaming licensing, compacting, economic development, and governmental matters.