Law Offices of Christopher Hitchcock, P.L.C.

Attorney at Law

1 Copper Queen Plaza

P. O. Box AT

Bisbee, Arizona 85603

(520) 432-2279

Fax: (520) 432-5152

Email: lawyers@bisbeelaw.com

Law Offices of Christopher Hitchcock, P.L.C.

Local Links

Entrance to the Historic District of

Old Bisbee

The Current Firm and its Predecessors

Christopher Hitchcock is the present owner and sole partner in the firm. A previous partner, Jim Conlogue, began his full-time duties and responsibilities as a Judge Pro-Tem for the Cochise County Superior Court back in July 2000.

Fred A. Sutter established the original firm in 1913. Mr. Sutter went on to become the first Judge of the Superior Court of Cochise County. The following represents the chronology of the firm:

1913 - Law Offices of Fred Sutter

1928 - Sutter, Roche & Gentry

1949 - Gentry & Gentry

1955 - Gentry, McNulty & Kimble

1969 - Gentry, McNulty, Toci & Borowiec

1979 - Gentry, McNulty & Desens

1986 - Desens & Hitchcock

1992 - Hitchcock, Hicks & Conlogue

2000 - Hitchcock & Hicks

2003 – Law Offices of Christopher Hitchcock, P.L.C.

The successive law firms have produced several Superior Court Judges, one United States Congressman, an Arizona State Senator, and a State Attorney General.

Bisbee, Arizona

Bisbee is located in the heart of the Mule Mountains. It is 100 miles southeast of Tucson.

Bisbee is a quaint little mining town. It was originally "founded" by Army scouts in the fall of 1877. After prospecting, the scouts found a large deposit of copper. The town grew by leaps and bounds. By 1880, the Camp of Bisbee was renamed the Town of Bisbee. Copper mining flourished. In 1892 the Phelps Dodge Company came in, built a railroad into Bisbee, and began its operations. Phelps Dodge continued to mine copper in Bisbee until the 1970's.

Old Bisbee is on the National Register of Historic Places. Numerous buildings are likewise Arizona State Historic properties, as is the building where the law firm is located. The building at One Copper Queen Plaza originally housed the Copper Queen Hospital, which was one of the first, if not the first, hospital in southeastern Arizona. Most of the buildings in Old Bisbee were built in the early 1900's.

Following the closing of Phelps Dodge, many people left. However, the "new" settlers to Bisbee, i.e. artists, Bisbee natives, etc., wanted to retain and restore the town's natural beauty and historic value. Bisbee is now a culturally diversified showplace for arts, craft, music, and much more. At an altitude of 5,300 feet above sea level, the average temperature is 65 degrees.

Local Links

Local Newspaper: www.theriver.com/bisbeeobserver

Sierra Vista newspaper: www.svherald.com

Bisbee Chamber of Commerce: www.bisbeearizona.com

Christopher Hitchcock

About Chris:

He was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky in December 1951. He obtained his Bachelor's degree (Psychology/Sociology, music minor) from the University of Arizona in 1973 and went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from Arizona State University in 1976. In college, he was a member of Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Psi Chi. He is married and has two adult children.

Member, State Bar of Arizona; Fellow, Arizona State Bar Foundation (1988-present); also admitted to practice before United States District Court for the District of Arizona and United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Professional experience includes: Private practice (1986 to present); Volunteer Juvenile Hearing Officer for the Cochise County Superior Court (1990-1994); Deputy Cochise County Attorney (1981-1986); Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Inc. (1977-1980).

Community involvement: Bisbee Boys & Girls Club, Board member (2000- ); Catholic Community Services Advisory Board (1994-1998); AYSO Bisbee Soccer Club (12 years) including Regional Commissioner and Head Referee; Bisbee Council on the Arts & Humanities, President 1992; Member, Board of Trustees for the Bisbee Hospital Association (1990-1996) and its President from 1993 to 1995. Member, Health Systems Agency of Southeast Arizona (1977-1981) and its President 1980-1981.

Practice Areas:

Utility law; regulatory law; probate law including ancillary probate; real property law including tax lien foreclosure; business transactions; general litigation.

Attorney for: Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Southwest Transmission Cooperative, Inc., Humane Society of Tucson. Previously: City of Bisbee.

Reported Court Cases:

Syndey Brooks v. Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, 951 F.2d 1050 (1991) [involved federal court challenge to SSVEC's tariffs]; State Ex rel. Munoz v. Bravo, 678 P.2d 1974 (1984) [established use of HLA blood tests for paternity]; McMullen v. Hargis, 624 P.2d 339 (1980) [first established the requirement that counties provide an indigent medical program]; Coffman v. Coffman, 591 P.2d 1010 (1979) [eliminated "Lord Mansfield's Rule" and allowed spouses to testify regarding actual paternity of children].

Helpful/Useful Links:

Securities & Exchange Commission: www.sec.gov

National Institute for Occupational Safety: www.cdc.gov/niosh

Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov

Arizona State Legislature: www.azleg.state.az.us

Arizona Corporation Commission: www.cc.state.az.us

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: www.ferc.fed.us

Arizona Electric Power Cooperative: www.aepnet.com

Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative: www.ssvec.org

California ISO: www.caiso.com

Perry Hicks

About Perry:

He was born in Childress, Texas in January 1953. He obtained his Bachelor's degree (General Agriculture) from Tarleton State University in 1975 and went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Texas in 1982. He is married and has five children.

Member, State Bar of Arizona and is on the Board of Governors (2000-); Member of: Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice (Board of Governors 1992-1996); Cochise County Bar Association (President, 1985); and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Professional experience includes: Private practice (1988-present); Cochise County Public Defender (1986-1988); Chief Deputy Public Defender (1985-1986); Deputy Public Defender (1984-1985); Staff Attorney for Papago Legal Services, Inc. (1983-1984).

Peace Corps Volunteer as Agricultural Extensionist with the University of Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica (1978-1980); Assistant County Supervisor, Farmers Home Administration (1976-1978).