Snell & Wilmer Partner James Melendres Joins the Board of the Arizona Bar Foundation

PHOENIX – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that Phoenix Partner James P. Melendres has been selected to serve on the Board of the Arizona Bar Foundation effective January 1, 2026.

The State Bar of Arizona created the Arizona Bar Foundation for Legal Services & Education as a separate 501(c) 3 organization in 1978, charging it with the mission of promoting access to justice for all Arizonans. The Foundation strives to fulfill this mission by preparing Arizona youth for civic responsibility and providing access to justice for Arizonans most in need. Through the provision of technical and financial assistance to probation and resource officers, teachers and administrators, private attorneys and judges, and legal service attorneys and advocates, the Foundation works to level the playing field, so that all in Arizona have knowledge and access to the justice systems.

“It is a privilege and honor to be selected as board member for the Arizona Bar Foundation, and work in support of its commitment to access to justice across Arizona. I am grateful for this opportunity,” said Melendres.

Firm Chair Barbara Dawson shared, “We are delighted that James will join our Partner Joe Adams, who is currently President-Elect of the Foundation, in board service and will follow in the footsteps of many here who have proudly served in Foundation leadership. We so value the Foundation’s meaningful mission and know that James will do a great job in supporting its important work.”

Melendres chairs Snell & Wilmer’s Litigation, Investigations, and Trials Practice Group. He also chairs the firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Defense Industry Group and co-chairs the Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy Industry Group. As a trial lawyer and crisis strategist, Melendres leads high-stakes internal investigations and defends companies and executives in complex federal and state criminal, civil, and regulatory matters. He has extensive experience litigating complex criminal and civil matters, including multi-party disputes, parallel proceedings, and high-exposure cases involving significant financial, regulatory, and reputational risk. He also advises clients on managing enterprise cybersecurity risk across the full incident lifecycle, including data breaches, cyberattacks, and related enforcement actions. Melendres is frequently called upon to guide clients through bet-the-company crises and public-facing enforcement matters. He has appeared on CBS, CNBC, and MSNBC, and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.