Snell & Wilmer Partner Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier Begins Leadership Tenure with the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section

PHOENIX – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier has begun her term as Secretary of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section. In this role, McNeil Staudenmaier will serve as the Co-Editor in Chief of the Business Law Today Editorial Board, among other duties. After completing her term as Secretary, McNeil Staudenmaier will serve other officer “ladder” positions and will ultimately ascend to Section Chair in September 2026.

“We are so pleased to see Heidi’s outstanding and sustained record of service to and accomplishment in the ABA result in this leadership role,” said Firm Chair, Barbara J. Dawson. “She is an innovative and collaborative leader who will offer much to the organization.”  

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.” 

McNeil Staudenmaier’s previous leadership roles within the Business Law Section include serving as a member of the Business Law Section’s Executive Council, as past chair of the Committee Support & Resource Board, the former Editor in Chief of Business Law Today, as past Chair of the Business & Corporate Litigation Committee, and a member of the Section’s first class of Fellows. She is a past recipient of the Business Law 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 also recently recognized by AZ Business Leaders 2023 magazine, which profiles Arizona’s most respected and influential business leaders, and selected as one of The Top 25 Attorneys of Arizona for 2023 by Attorney Intel. She is an inductee to 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.

James C. Schulwolf, outgoing Chair of the Business Law Section, and a partner with Shipman & Goodwin LLP shared “The Section is thrilled to have Heidi join the officer ladder as our new Section Secretary. Heidi has been a great leader and ambassador for the Section, and we are confident that she will do a fantastic job and continue the excellent works of the Section.”

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 economic development ventures and other commercial transactions with Native Americans.

About Snell & Wilmer
Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 450 attorneys practicing in 16 locations throughout the United States and in Mexico, including Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, California; Denver, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Dallas, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals, and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit swlaw.com.