Mills + Woods Law PLLC

06/29/2020

"Chief Justice John Roberts and his four more liberal colleagues ruled that a law that requires doctors who perform abortions must have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals violates abortion rights. "

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting...

06/23/2020

"Attorney General Mark Brnovich is going to begin enforcing Arizona’s civil rights laws against private employers who discriminate based on someone’s s*xual orientation.

In a new court filing, Brnovich said that he now considers last week’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to be binding in all cases of s*x discrimination in the workplace. More to the point, the filing says Brnovich will interpret the law that way even though state legislators have not amended Arizona’s own statutes."

06/02/2020

This firm uses our voices to stand up for those who feel voiceless. We'll continue to support the black community and this entire movement.

Also, please only use the hashtag today. The other tags are clogging social media.

04/28/2020

COVID infection in AZ prisons is set to be well out of hand. Only 173 out of 42,000 inmates have been tested as of the publishing of this article. This may be due to the fact that 90% of inmates in Arizona prisons live in dormitory-style settings instead of individual cells, making it much easier for the virus to spread.

03/30/2020

This past weekend Governor Doug Ducey announced $5 million in new funding to help Arizonans struggling to make rent due to COVID-19. The new dollars will be included as part of a Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Program being launched by the Arizona Department of Housing and will help families and individuals who are facing a loss of income due to COVID-19 with monthly rent assistance.

Rental assistance may be made available to households:

Whose primary residence is a rental unit located in Arizona and who have seen a reduction in income due to COVID-19, that when annualized, does not exceed 100 percent of the area median income adjusted for family size for the county in which they reside.

The Arizona Department of Housing launched the program today. The State Housing Trust Fund provided $5 million for initial program funding.

Additional funding may be identified for the program as the Department assesses program utilization along with need. Application for assistance will be available Monday, March 30 via an online application system accessible from the Arizona Department of Housing’s website at www.azhousing.gov. Interested applicants who do not have computer access can call their local Community Action Agency to initiate an application over the telephone.

03/17/2020

Meet Liz!

Liz Small was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona on February 19, 2020. She started with Mills + Woods as a law clerk in May 2017 and is now an attorney. She enjoys plaintiff’s work of all kinds, but her passion is civil rights litigation.

Liz graduated in May 2019 from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU. During her time at ASU Law, she was awarded two merit-based scholarships, served as Treasurer of the American Constitution Society, and was a member of the Womens’ Law Students Association. Liz is originally from Spokane, Washington, but moved to Phoenix in July 2016 for law school. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Eastern Washington University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with Pre-Law focus and a minor focus in Business Administration. During her time at EWU, she was a member of the mock trial team and won best attorney at one of her trials. Prior to completing her undergraduate degree, Liz worked in insurance for nearly a decade and was a licensed insurance agent and adjuster.

When she isn’t working, Liz enjoys spending time with her husband, Mike, and their dogs, Achilles and Ned, and cat, Zeus. She also loves to travel, trying new food, and a good craft cocktail. Liz is an avid football fan and loves the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington State Cougars.

03/13/2020

Meet Tom!

Knowledgeable. Passionate. Innovative. Creative. Tenacious. Versatile. Responsive

Thomas A. Connelly has been called all those things by his clients. And his clients call him time after time when their businesses need legal expertise or if they are threatened with or embroiled in litigation of all types – from business formation and transactions to ownership disputes to contract disputes to protection of intellectual property or trade secrets to regulatory issues. With a legal career that includes time spent as a prosecuting trial lawyer, in-house counsel for a Fortune 300 corporation, and 15 years in private practice at Beus Gilbert, PLLC, a high-powered nationally-recognized plaintiff’s firm specializing in high-stakes civil and commercial litigation, Tom has cross-discipline legal skills and experience to provide valuable and cost-effective legal and business advice to businesses ranging from start-ups to major corporations. While he is passionate about the law, and loves being in front of a judge or jury, having worked in corporate America and been a small business owner himself, he understands his business client’s needs and priorities and appreciates the importance of getting legal issues addressed quickly and efficiently so his clients can concentrate on tending to and growing their businesses. Tom doesn’t just practice law, he inhabits it. And his first and last question is always: “How can I help?”

Tom has represented clients in several industries, including cannabis and medical ma*****na, where he has developed a recognized expertise, computers and technology, architecture and design, construction, medicine, hospitality, securities, and others.

Outside of being a lawyer, Tom is a devoted dad who enjoys taking his family on trips skiing, surfing, and visiting exotic locales near and far. His love for music takes him from arenas to clubs to see established bands and up-and-comers. He is widely read, writes prose, poetry and limericks, and enjoys making art out of photographs he takes with his iPhone.

03/12/2020

Meet Scott!

Scott earned his Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from ASU, his Master's degree in Educational Leadership from NAU, and his law degree from the Phoenix School of Law. Before becoming a lawyer, Scott used his degrees in education to help run a school in Phoenix. Since being admitted to the Arizona Bar in 2011 Scott has worked on a variety of cases and has developed a particular interest in Civil Rights, Medical Malpractice, and Wrongful Death. Scott is extremely passionate about helping his clients and brings a positive attitude even when it seems impossible to have one.

Outside of work, Scott loves to spend time with his wife, gardening, and hanging out with any number of his five dogs.

03/11/2020

Meet Sean Woods!

Sean is an Arizona native born in Tucson and raised in Phoenix. He attended Brophy College Preparatory High School and has attended each of the major universities in Arizona including Northern Arizona University for his Masters Degree in Educational Technology and Arizona State University for his Juris Doctor.

During his time at ASU, he participated in the Innovation Advancement Program clinic working closely with clients analyzing both their business and legal needs including business entity formation and accompanying agreements, licensing agreements, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Sean has a strong technical background and has an interest in staying current on legislation affecting this sector in all aspects – especially Intellectual Property. Sean further enjoys fostering entrepreneurship in his community and has a passion towards helping startups.

Sean focuses his practice in technology and business matters. With his strong technical background and an interest in staying current on legislation affecting this sector in all aspects – especially Intellectual Property, Sean fosters entrepreneurship and helps startups become successful.

Sean has helped clients recover millions of dollars in damages in litigation matters relating to contractual breaches and including but not limited to theft of trade secrets.

When Sean isn’t spending his free time traveling, he can be found at a local brewery or spending time with his wife Merry and his two children.

03/09/2020

Over the next few days we will be giving you a chance to learn about the people in our office. So let's start with the guy whose name is on the door, Robert Mills.

For the past 18 years, Bob’s practice has focused on complex commercial litigation, including accountant liability, attorney liability and liability of underwriters in securities offerings. Bob honed his litigation skills while practicing for nearly 17 years at Beus Gilbert PLLC, one of the most prestigious plaintiff’s litigation firms in Arizona. There he represented bankruptcy trustees in actions brought to recover hundreds of millions of dollars from “Big Four” and other accounting firms. He also represented scores of businesses in contractual and other disputes. Bob also has substantial experience in both commercial and residential real estate litigation. In addition, Bob has litigated numerous personal injury cases, including medical malpractice actions. Before moving to Arizona in 1997, Bob practiced at Thompson Coburn, a prominent firm in St. Louis, Missouri. There, for over seven years, Bob’s practice focused on representation of railroad companies in actions brought under the Federal Employers Liability Act, and in numerous railroad crossing accident cases in Missouri and Illinois courts. Bob has briefed and argued appeals in the United States Seventh and Second Circuits, as well as in the appellate courts of Illinois and Arizona. Bob graduated from the University of Illinois in 1986 with a bachelors degree in journalism, then graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1989 with a juris doctor degree cm laude. Order of the Barristers. Law Review. He served as a judicial law clerk to the late Hon. Howard C. Ryan, Supreme Court of Illinois from 1989 – 1990. Admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1989 and to the Missouri Bar in 1990. (Currently active in Arizona only.) Admitted to the Arizona Bar in 1998.

Outside of work, Bob enjoys spending time with his son and his English Bulldog. I have also recently discovered that Bob is a huge history buff with a particular interest in the Civil War. Bob has been known to be an encyclopedia of historical facts on firm trips.

03/03/2020

One of our founding partners, Sean Woods, argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals again yesterday.

An argument like this requires attorneys to think on their feet and respond quickly to questions from the judges. You must know your case in and out because you have a very limited time in which to make your arguments. That's why we put in the long hours ahead of time so that we are prepared for days like this. Great job, Sean!

An appeal from the denial of defendant law enforcement officers’ motion to dismiss on the basis of qualified immunity in an action brought pursuant to 42 U.S...

03/02/2020

How does Mills + Woods Law advocate for our clients? Check out this oral argument at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by Sean Woods to see.

Mills + Woods Law firm works tirelessly to ensure we give the best representation possible to our clients. From consultations, to briefing issues, to taking cases to trial, and even appeals. We are with you every step of the way and are committed to being YOUR advocate.

An interlocutory appeal from the district court's summary judgment in favor of defendants, on statute of limitations grounds, in an action brought by a forme...