Paul Eckerstrom (left), the Pima County
Democratic Party's chairman, and John Munger,
attorney, debate political issues on PBS's
"Arizona Illustrated."
For some attorneys, "family" isn't the type of law
they practice, but the kind of person they work with.
Tucson has its share of married attorneys - Pima
County Superior Court Judges John F. and Virginia
Kelly and Jan E. Kearney and Charles S. Sabalos are
prominent examples.
Over the years, there have been many father-child
attorneys. Laura Udall, a top criminal attorney, is
the daughter of David Burr Udall.
Tucson's most notable practitioners of this kind of
"family law" were the colorful Roylston twins, Robert
and Richard. The Roylstons, who are now deceased,
appeared on the "Tonight" show with Johnny Carson
because they were twin judges in Superior Court.
There are no twins now practicing law in Tucson,
but there are plenty of sibling attorneys.
Paul and Peter Eckerstrom used to confuse judges a
lot when they were public defenders.
"Judge (Thomas) Meehan used to call me Peter all
the time," said Paul Eckerstrom, 45. "I'd say, 'No,
your honor, I'm Paul.' He said, 'I call you both Peter
so I'm right 50 percent of the time.'"
Another judge asked Paul how to tell them apart.
"I'm the handsome one," Paul would joke. "And now,
I'm the one with more hair."
Paul Eckerstrom, who is an assistant Arizona
attorney general, is chairman of the Pima County
Democratic Party, and Peter, 43, is an Arizona Court
of Appeals judge.
Attorney John Munger, 56, is the county Republican
Party chairman, and his brother is Pima County
Superior Court Judge Clark Munger, 61.
"So while our brothers are squaring off," Peter
Eckerstrom said, "Clark and I are standing aside with
our 'no comments' because we're judges."
Clark Munger says the differences between his
chambers and his brother's office are indicative of
their distinct personalities that make each brother
suited to his line of law.
Clark Munger's downtown office is straightforward,
neatly filled with the expected law books and a couple
of personal touches, but not so much that a visitor
gets much introspection into the judge's personal
tastes.
John Munger's East Side office is jammed with
memorabilia such as photos with various Republican hot
shots - the birthday card from President Bush is a
joke, he points out - and campaign buttons including a
"flasher" that alternates between Eisenhower's
portrait and the famous "I Like Ike" slogan. The walls
are lined with professional certificates and awards,
including being named a "father of the year" by a
local magazine.
Then there's the portrait of Munger in ranching
duds painted by his wife and many, many family photos.
"What's most
important is family," John Munger
said.
Wendy Gamble, an associate
professor in the University of
Arizona's family and consumer
sciences school, is surprised Tucson
is so rich with sibling attorneys.
"To have siblings in the same
professional practice together is
fairly unique," Gamble said.
Not only shared genetics but also
shared temperaments might explain
why so many lawyer siblings work
well together because that leads to
good verbal skills, she said.
"And that leads to being a good
attorney," Gamble noted.
Siblings who had parents who
treated their children similarly
also might tend to be more similar
in adulthood, Gamble said.
"If they fought as children, they
probably wouldn't have the level of
trust you need to work well
together," she said.
The Mungers
grew up with a grandfather who was a
judge and a father who was an
attorney. Michael and Carl
Piccarreta, however, had no family
history of lawyering before older
brother Mike got his law degree. The
brothers are partners in a private
firm, but while Mike is a
high-profile criminal attorney, Carl
is a personal injury attorney.
"In a way, we're doing the same
kind of thing," Carl Piccarreta
said. "We both represent individual
human beings. His sometimes cross
the wrong line, while I'm dealing
with people who are victims.
"But we represent real people for
the most part, small people, not
corporations, not big money. And
together, we make the system work,"
Carl said.
One firm that specializes in
representing victims of accidents
and injuries makes sure everyone
knows it's a family business. The
Price brothers - Dan, 53; Tim, 50;
John, 47; and Tom, 39 - and their
uncle, John Price, use the slogan
"Let Our Family Protect Yours."
"Some people hire us because they
feel sorry for us," joked Tim Price,
who started the firm with Dan in
1979. They were joined by the
younger brothers in 1991. "They
figure if we can get along as a
family, we might as well handle
their case."
Tim Price said Uncle John was the
brothers' inspiration for going into
law.
"Sometimes you see families where
there's two or three doctors or
dentists or accountants. I think
there's a natural tendency when
somebody in the family does
something well, others will follow."
Tucson also is home to the
state's only mother-daughter law
firm.
Royanna L. Moore went to law
school when her daughters, Annalisa
and Angela, were girls. Later, the
sisters worked for her as high
school students.
Together, they form the law firm
of Moore, Masunas & Moore. Annalisa
Moore Masunas is a family law
specialist while her mother and
sister handle estate planning.
"We work very well together,"
Masunas said. "We have good rapport,
good communication skills, similar
morals, values and goals.
"I can't imagine practicing law
any other way," Masunas said.
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