Thomas A. Zlaket

Thomas A. Zlaket, a distinguished trial attorney and Arizona Supreme Court justice, has had an enduring commitment to civility and decency in the practice of law.

Zlaket graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1962 and earned his LL.B. in 1965 from the University of Arizona College of Law. He and his brother, Eugene, began a successful private practice together, focusing on personal injury and criminal defense.

Zlaket was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 1992 by Governor Fife Symington. His ten years on the Court, including five as Chief Justice, were marked by his commitment to improving the fair administration of justice and to enhancing the public’s understanding of the role of law in society. One of his most influential innovations was discovery reform – known as the “Zlaket rules” -designed to encourage full disclosure and cooperation among trial lawyers and to reduce the cost of litigation.

When Zlaket retired from the bench in 2002, he resumed an active civil practice and continued with his extraordinary public service. In 2003, friends and colleagues created the Thomas A. Zlaket Professionalism in Teaching Endowment, to recognize his outstanding professional contributions and to support College programs on professionalism. Zlaket was the Inaugural Zlaket Professor and has been a popular Adjunct Professor of Law at the College for decades.

Zlaket has received many awards for his judicial work and public service contributions, including the Chief Justice Richard W. Holmes Award of Merit from the American Judges’ Association, the State Bar of Arizona James A. Walsh Outstanding Jurist Award, and the Paul C. Reardon Award from the National Center for State Courts. Always a devoted public servant, he was President of the State Bar of Arizona and founding Fellow of the Arizona Bar Foundation, among other activities.

As lawyer, jurist, and tireless public citizen, Zlaket has had a profound impact on the public’s access to justice.