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Greetings,
The first few weeks of the fall semester keep us busy welcoming and settling new students, so it takes a while for all of the "summer stories" of the upper-class students to percolate. We continue to hear about those summer experiences, many of which shape the course of our students' professional futures.
In this edition we detail the summer work of two of our students -- Rachael Lopez (2L) and Aaron Green (3L). Our Career Development Office helps open doors to summer employment each year. This past summer, 96 percent of our rising 2L students and 99 percent of our rising 3L students worked in professional settings with lawyers, judges, nonprofit or advocacy groups, or in government offices. Also this week, we're proud to roll out two new certificate programs designed to expand the legal expertise of health and regulatory science professionals.
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Spotlight on Rachael Lopez (2L)
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Meet second-year Arizona Law student Rachael Lopez.
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Rachael played collegiate volleyball at Loyola University in New Orleans and later transferred to the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University where she earned a bachelor's degree in business management.
Rachael is pursuing longstanding interests in both criminal law and sports law. As an undergraduate, she explored criminal law by writing an honors thesis on gender and the death penalty while the infamous Jodi Arias trial was going on. Her years in competitive volleyball were a natural "set" for her interest in sports law.
Before entering law school, Rachael interned with the National Football League Players Association (the players' union). She was the marketing and business development intern for NFL Players, Inc., the licensing and marketing for-profit arm of the union. There, she saw how NFL players interacted with their union through the collective bargaining agreement and worked with the business development team on licensing deals.
This summer, Rachael had the opportunity to clerk with the Nolan Law Firm, a Mesa criminal defense firm. She was drawn to the firm's significant appellate work and says she had a wonderful experience. "I did some classic first-year summer assignments like legal research and writing memos on topics from abandonment and the Fourth Amendment to criminal impersonation in a casino. I had the opportunity to meet with clients and shadow attorneys in court. I attended hearings on substantive motions, as well as oral argument in the Court of Appeals." Rachael shares two takeaways from her summer law firm experience. First, she says, "Managing client expectations is key and is not something you explicitly learn how to do in law school. Often the client's expectations are on one side and reality is on the other side, and it is your job to bridge that gap. It is especially important in the criminal defense area, as I'm sure it is in other areas, where a client's livelihood is at stake." Second, Rachael says that building a reputation as a nice, yet professional, person will take you a long way. In one instance, the Nolan firm's reputation as "nice, down-to-earth people" helped her secure expedited court transcripts for free, benefiting their client. Back on campus for her 2L year, Rachael is involved in a number of activities. She is currently secretary of the UA's Latino Law Student Association and the director of operations for the Sports and Entertainment Law Society. She is also a member of the Arizona Law Review, working on a Note contrasting the NFL Arbitration System with the criminal justice system. "I am delighted to be combining my two main areas of interest in this Note, and I look forward to what this upcoming year holds." Rachael already has plans in place for next summer: "I went through the on-campus interview process, and landed with Gallagher & Kennedy. I am very excited to work there because they have a combination of transactional and litigation work. Gallagher & Kennedy is well-known for sports law in the Phoenix area, and they have a criminal practice as well." After graduation, Rachael hopes to build on her significant summer experiences to work in Phoenix for a law firm and eventually in sports law, aspiring to one day become the general counsel of a professional sports team.
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Spotlight on Aaron Green (3L)
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Aaron Green (at right) with fellow Arizona Law student, Logan Cooper,
on the Speaker's Balcony at the Capitol.
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Third-year Arizona Law student Aaron Green says, "I have wanted to study law from the moment I discovered that I liked debate. The adversarial exchange of ideas is something I find exhilarating, and is what draws me into both law and politics." Aaron is originally from Tehachapi, California. He orients those of us unfamiliar with the town in customary Californian fashion: "It's 45 minutes east of Bakersfield on the 58, and roughly two hours north of L.A." Aaron earned his Bachelor's degree in political science from Corban University in 2016. As a law student, two classes stand out as Aaron's favorites so far: Freedom of Speech and Religion with Professor and Dean Emerita Toni Massaro and Constitutional Theory with Professor Andrew Coan. He says that both classes spoke to his deep and abiding interest in constitutional law. Over the summer, Aaron completed a legal internship with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley's judiciary committee staff in Washington, DC. He was tasked with producing hearing materials and research memos on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. He also did some early document and case review in preparation for the first days of the Kavanaugh hearing.
Aaron says, "Perhaps the most striking realization I had while in DC is the degree to which staff decisions can impact the legislative process.
Overall, I was proud to work under competent, talented counsel for Senator Grassley, and honored to have the opportunity to work on meaningful legislative issues. Without question, I could not have asked for a better summer position." Once he graduates next spring, Aaron would like to complete a judicial clerkship. He would like to then either return to the Hill to do policy work for legislators or find his way into appellate advocacy for conservative legal positions.
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Announcing New Graduate Certificates in Health Law
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Associate Dean Christopher Robertson
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Professor Tara Sklar directs both Graduate Certificates in Health Law from Washington, DC.
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I am pleased to share news of two new certificate programs through the College of Law that are the result of an innovative collaboration with expert faculty across law and the health science colleges and industry leaders.
We recently launched a fully online Regulatory Science Certificate to provide specialized training in how to accelerate the development of medical products through greater understanding of the ethics, policies, and regulations that govern regulatory science in the United States and abroad.
Associate Dean Christopher Robertson says,
"Students will gain specific insight into how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is structured and regulates drugs, biologics, devices and diagnostics, from early discovery and development to bringing products to market."
Professor Tara Sklar directs both Graduate Certificates in Health Law, and says: "Both certificates address a large and growing need for professionals in regulatory science and health care to be able to identify, interpret and effectively communicate the legal issues that inevitably arise in these highly regulated environments. All of the courses in both certificates are developed by academics, along with industry experts, to ensure there is direct application from what is being taught to what is needed in the workforce." Each program can be completed part-time within a year, and credits may be applied to the Master of Legal Studies degree. Applications are currently being accepted for courses scheduled to begin in January 2019.
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Last Friday, I had the great pleasure of visiting with University of Arizona alumni and other friends in Prescott at a gathering hosted by the Prescott Chapter of the UA Alumni Association and the Yavapai County Bar Association.
We had a large and enthusiastic turnout. I was already a huge fan and regular visitor to Prescott, both for professional and personal reasons, and this visit and warm reception will inspire even more frequent returns. Let me encourage any student who thinks about practicing outside of big urban centers to consider Prescott. You will find a strong, thoughtful, and welcoming bar and bench, opportunities to serve a range of clients, the possibility of significant responsibilities early in your career, and a beautiful place to live and work. Some of the lawyers I met had clients throughout the state and beyond; others focused their work more locally. I know from this visit that there are superb lawyers and judges who would welcome the chance to speak with interested students.
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We climbed to the rooftop of the Yavapai County Courthouse for a beautiful view -- thanks to Judge David Mackey ('82). |
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Join Us for Events on Campus
We have an overflowing calendar of thought-provoking events -- many of them free and open to the public. Here is a partial listing of exciting events in the next three weeks, all on the University of Arizona campus:
And of course it's just one month until Homecoming and Reunion, Oct. 26 and 27! Save the dates and make plans to be in Tucson for the College of Law's celebration:
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Arizona Public Media, quoting professor Christopher Robertson
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As you can see, this is a wildly busy time at our college, with great lectures, workshops, and gatherings cascading one after the other. To me this overabundance of ideas and engagement is the mark of a great law school at a great research university.
In our descriptions of the summer work of two superb JD students we are reminded of the varied day-to-day lives and pathways of each student.
In the announcement of two important new regulatory science and health certificates you get a window into the ongoing life of the law school and our continuing efforts to respond to major opportunities in legal education beyond the traditional JD and graduate core.
In my visit to Prescott we have a reminder of what a large, varied, interesting, and wonderful state we represent.
For all of our national and global people and initiatives, for all of the varied topics and modes of courses and research, for all of our very broad ambitions, we never forget, and always celebrate, that we are the University of Arizona.
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