This is a time of great change — some regulatory and statutory but some the result of social forces or business advances. Attorneys guide businesses on how to safely navigate the potential pitfalls and looming landmines.
At the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, we are committed to preparing future legal professionals for this evolving role. Today’s leaders and lawyers must understand not only the law but also the industries, technologies and communities they serve. Businesses increasingly rely on counsel who can anticipate challenges and collaborate across disciplines.
That responsibility has become even more critical as artificial intelligence and emerging technologies rapidly reshape nearly every sector of the economy. From data privacy and cybersecurity to intellectual property, employment practices and regulatory compliance, organizations need professionals who can navigate innovation thoughtfully and ethically. Legal education must evolve alongside these changes.
At ASU Law, we are focused on creating forward-looking educational experiences across our degree programs — including legal master’s, JD and LLM offerings — that equip students with practical skills, technological fluency and the adaptability needed in today’s business environment. Innovation in legal education is no longer optional; it is essential to preparing professionals who can lead with insight, agility and integrity.
Law touches every function in business. For this month’s cover story, local attorneys share their expertise on six aspects of business operations: real estate, inclusive work cultures, technology (not just AI), drug testing, workplace mandates and hiring foreign workers. In Business Magazine asked these attorneys to address what’s important for businesses/employers to be aware of that they might not already know or might be overlooking given all the changes.
At this time of renewed public attention on high-profile sexual misconduct cases, Dr. Brecken Blades, a forensic psychologist based in Phoenix, offers insights and strategies related to how systems and institutions miss predictable warning signs that allow misconduct to continue unchecked. “What High‑Profile Cases Reveal about Institutional Risk” is this month’s Roundtable feature.
Also this month, a new Guest Columnist debuts, Marco A. López Jr., founder and CEO of Intermestic Partners and past member of the Council on Foreign Relations, whose quarterly column will address cross-border trade, investment and broader issues of commerce between Mexico and the State of Arizona. June’s feature explores what he calls “the most consequential industrial transformation in our state’s history” in “Arizona Is Already the Center. Act Like It.”
John Ravaris focuses on how businesses can make their “unique value proposition” truly unique – and sustainable — in his feature article “The Most Defensible Differentiation Is Already Inside Your Organization.”
Filling out this June edition is the usual broad coverage of business-relevant topics and activity in our local business community. Topics span from an analysis of Arizona’s Q1 2026 Jobs Report as the By the Numbers feature to “Why Infill Development Is Becoming a Strategic Advantage in Arizona” in the CRE section to “The New Economics of Mental Health Care” in the Healthcare section.
The special section this month is In Business Magazine‘s annual Legal Guide, the most comprehensive guide to local lawyers and their firms. The guide is available online for the full year, where it lists local firms by practice areas relating to business.
I’m pleased to help bring you this June edition of In Business Magazine and hope you enjoy the read.
Sincerely,
Angela M. Banks
Vice Dean and Charles J. Merriam Distinguished Professor of Law
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Arizona State University
Angela M. Banks is Vice Dean and Charles J. Merriam Distinguished Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. An internationally recognized scholar, she leads innovation initiatives at ASU Law, helping develop, launch and curate curriculum for the college’s part-time, online JD. Her work focuses on preparing future legal professionals to meet the evolving needs of business, technology and society across the college’s degree programs, including master’s, JD and LLM offerings.
