Stephen Tully Discusses New Arizona Court Focusing on Commercial Lawsuits

Stephen W. Tully, co-partner-in-charge of the firm's Phoenix office, was quoted in the article "Commercial Court Approved to Resolve Business Disputes," published in Arizona Capital Times on May 26, 2015. The article discusses a Maricopa County (Arizona) court that will specialize in commercial lawsuits. The court will begin operations on July 1 as part of a three-year pilot program

As noted in the article, Mr. Tully — a member of the committee that designed the new court — "sees [the court] as a selling point for businesses to locate to Arizona." Commenting on the practice of Maricopa County judges "rotat[ing] assignments every few years, and [being] assigned to an area of law in which they have no experience[,]" Mr. Tully said that "his goal is for the commercial court judges to have terms of between eight and 10 years to bring a degree of sophistication by the judges and degree of predictability of the outcome." He added, "[i]f a judge has seen an issue several times, you might have an inclination as to how they would likely rule on an issue, and therefore be able to advise your client accordingly.”

Mr. Tully focuses his practice in complex commercial and governmental litigation and the provision of strategic advice and counsel to business and government. He litigates contract disputes including those concerning insurance contracts, professional liability claims, directors and officers disputes, governmental/municipal disputes, and securities matters. Mr. Tully has been actively litigating cases for more than 24 years, and has substantial experience representing both defendants and plaintiffs. His clients include local and national businesses, governmental entities, and major national and regional insurance carriers and their policy holders.