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law.arizona.edu | Link                                                                                  April 30, 2014

Greetings,

 

This week we feature new Student Bar Association President Harry Aaron ('15), new Director of Development Kelly Holt, and alumna Robin Quarrier ('08).

 

Until the footnotes,

 

Marc

Student

Harry Aaron '15

 

Last week, our students elected rising 3L Harry Aaron as the 2014-2015 Student Bar Association President.   

 

Harry, a native of the Berkshires in Massachusetts, received his undergraduate degree from Union College in Schenectady, NY. When it came time to choose a law school, Harry applied to a number of schools across the country. He explained that "after the acceptances came, I began to think about what schools fit my needs. I went to a liberal arts college so I didn't want to be a number in a large class, and I preferred to be in a community setting that fostered academic thought." Arizona Law met the mark in all categories, drawing this Northeasterner to the desert. It didn't hurt that Harry's godfather, William Wanago, is a two-time alumnus of the U of A (1967, M.D. 1971) with fond memories of his time in Tucson. 

 

Last summer Harry clerked with Judge Sam Myers in the Maricopa County Superior Court's Family Division. This summer he will be working for the public defender in Clarke County, Nevada. While still contemplating his post-graduation plans, Harry hopes that his future includes work in constitutional law, saying that, "I have been fortunate to have Professor Massaro for Con Law I and II, and I really love the subject."


I can understand how he feels: as the new SBA President Harry had the honor of announcing yesterday that this year the students have voted Professor Massaro the John Strong Teaching Award for what I believe is her eighth time since joining the Arizona Law faculty. Awesome.

 

I asked Harry about the SBA and his goals for next year. His highest priority is helping more students connect with Arizona Law alumni. "Networking is key to landing jobs, and in this uncertain economy I feel it's important to make sure that students are able to meet alums who can help."

 

Harry, I couldn't agree more. I look forward to working together to connect Arizona Law students with our 7000 Arizona Law alums.

 

 

Alumni
Robin Quarrier '08


After graduating from Dartmouth in 2003, Robin Quarrier worked as a utility consultant in Boston for two years before coming to Arizona Law.  

 

"I knew I wanted to become involved in more socially responsible work. I made the difficult choice whether to apply to law school, business school or a master's program in public policy. I believe a law degree offers the most expansive array of options for future work opportunities. You really can do anything with a law degree."

 

At the encouragement of her father, Robin applied to Arizona Law. "The U of A admissions team was by far the most friendly and helpful, and offered me a scholarship, further cementing my decision."   One trip to Tucson and Robin knew it was the place for her. "It was so beautiful that I took photos of the mountains from the Target parking lot to show my parents!"

 

Robin's start to law school was auspicious:

 

"As I neared Tucson in my Toyota Corolla at midnight in August 2005 to begin my first year, a series of thunderstorms broke out across the landscape of vast desert and sky. I knew I had made the right choice as adrenaline pumped through me - tingling like the electrons in the sky."

 

When she graduated in 2008, she knew she wanted to live in San Francisco, ideally working in renewable energy and intellectual property. Many of the big firms weren't hiring due to the recession and those that were hiring weren't offering the kind of work Robin was dreaming of, so she looked around for creative options. She applied for all kinds of jobs at companies that she felt positive about, it didn't matter if they were hiring for attorneys, directors, consultants or analysts. The non-profit Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) was hiring for a Green Energy Analyst. At the interview, she offered to do that job, and also to be their in-house counsel for just a nominal amount more. She was their first paid attorney on staff and while they were leery at first, Robin says "I demonstrated the value I added." Of course she did! And six years later, she is the Chief Counsel and has a job she enjoys immensely. Robin puts it nicely: "I didn't wait to find my ideal job, I created it." 

 

Robin is involved in certification mark licensing, state and federal renewable energy policy work, and a small amount of employment and nonprofit law. She regularly deals with state and federal officials in her day-to-day work. She has guest-taught classes on Introduction to Energy Law at Berkeley Law and Certification Marks at University of San Francisco. Along the way, she has become an expert in a niche field.

 

In 2012, the State Department invited Robin on a fully-funded trip to Mongolia for the International Women's Leadership Forum to meet with government and industry leaders to discuss the nexus between women's rights and renewable energy.

 

Robin is passionate about helping others carve their own paths. The Center for Resource Solutions offers robust internship opportunities including opportunities in Robin's office.

 

In addition to a great job, Robin is thrilled with the opportunities she has found in San Francisco. " I work a 9 to 5 job in a building located in a national park--The Presidio, enabling me to be active in outdoor activities, like bike racing and training for an Ironman, which I completed a few years ago." Robin is very active on a number of volunteer boards, including Women of Wind Energy and the Woman's Environmental Network, and she is currently training five days a week in Aikido.

 

 

Staff
Director of Development Kelly Holt

There is a brand new face at Arizona Law this week. Please join me in welcoming the newest member of our Alumni and Development team - Director of Development Kelly Holt, who will help us expand our outreach to those 7000 alums. While her home is in Tucson, Kelly will spend the majority of her time in the Phoenix area, engaging with our more than 3000 alumni and many friends there. Kelly will help to remind the legal community in Phoenix that we are the University of and for all of Arizona.

 

While Kelly is new to the Arizona Law team, she is not new to the University. She comes to us from the University of Arizona Foundation where she has spent the past eight years on the GIFT Center/Foundation Development team and was Director there before transitioning to the College of Law.

 

Kelly is also a U of A alumna (BA Theatre Arts, '01), and has two children, Brittany (23) and Nicolas (17), and a charming Bassett-Dachshund mix, Hamlet. Kelly brings 13 years of development experience and deep connections in the campus and local community. She is originally from Tennessee, but has lived, worked, and traveled numerous places before settling back in southern Arizona 18 years ago.

 

Kelly--welcome!

 
Footnotes

 

Honoring Jim Anaya

 

Last Friday, the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program honored Regents' Professor Jim Anaya for the completion of his second term as United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights. Jim's tenure in this role over the past six years has been transformative on a global scale, and here at the College of Law. The faculty joined with conference participants from around the work to celebrate Jim and his work. (see pictures below)  

   

 

 

 


Coming soon!

 

College of Law Commencement Ceremony and Reception

Saturday, May 17  

5:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Centennial Hall

 

We are delighted to announce that the graduation speaker will be Judge Andrew Hurwitz of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  

 

* * *

 

Arizona Law Alumni Reception in LA

Arizona Law will be in LA May 29th. For more information contact Marissa White at 520-626-8132 or mailto:mwhite@email.arizona.edu.

 

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SAVE THE DATE - PLAN AHEAD - Centennial Homecoming Weekend

November 7-9, 2014 

For more information, CLICK HERE to visit our Homecoming 2014 website.

 

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Arizona Law Week in DC

AZ Law will be in DC June 23rd - June 27th    

 

* * *

 

Volunteer Lawyers Needed to Help Asylum Seekers  

 

Catholic Social Service of Tucson seeks a volunteer lawyer willing to make a half-time commitment of at least one year to represent immigrants seeking asylum.  No background in immigration law is required; Spanish proficiency is preferred.  Contact Professor Lynn Marcus at lmarcus@email.arizona.edu with the subject line, "CSS Volunteer Attorney Position."

  

* * *

Warmly,

   

 

Marc Signature      






Marc L. Miller 
Dean & Ralph W. Bilby Professor of Law 
James E. Rogers College of Law    



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