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I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I
also hope you had a chance to participate in Arizona
Law's Giving Tuesday campaign yesterday. With
over 20 donors and nearly $5,000 raised in just the last
two weeks, we are well on our way in reaching this
year's Giving Tuesday fundraising goal in support of
the Huerta Scholars Program.
If you have not yet
participated, there is still time
to give to the Huerta Scholars and the college's other
worthy programs In Favor of Students.
This week, we describe the progress of our
first-in-the-nation BA in Law program, profile one of
its teaching fellows, and provide an update on the
growing Sports and Entertainment Law
Society.
Until the footnotes,
Marc |
The BA
in Law program is going strong! Launched in the fall of 2014, the first
and only undergraduate law degree in the country is the
product of a partnership between the College of Law and
the UA's School of Government and Public Policy (SGPP),
part of the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
(SBS). Courses are taught by faculty in both units. The
BA in Law program is directed by Professor Najwa Nabti.
Along with government
and political science courses provided by SGPP, law
majors take law core courses and electives taught by
Arizona Law faculty. The core undergraduate law
courses provide a practical understanding of property,
contracts, torts, procedure, and constitutional
law. They also encompass a skills-building
component, training students to analyze and brief
cases.
Besides these core classes,
students have the
opportunity to take electives
in such areas
as international law, immigration law,
and criminal law and procedure.This
rigorous foundation will benefit students who go on to
law school, those who pursue law-related careers that do
not require a JD, and those who follow work and
scholarly paths away from the law.
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Professor Williams
teaches
undergraduate courses linking the core
common law subjects. |
The BA in Law has proven to be extremely
popular, growing from a handful of students in Fall 2014
to nearly 300 this semester.
Of the first four
BA in Law graduates in May 2015, two have gone on to law
school and the others are interested in pursuing
immigration work and joining the Navy.
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| The
first class of BA in Law graduates, May
2015.
| May 2015
graduate Ruben Canastillo (above, left) is now a 1L in
Arizona Law's JD program. Ruben
says that Professor Rob Williams,
who is part of the core teaching faculty, reinforced his
decision to attend law school:
"The way he
challenges his students to think critically about
problems made me appreciate how important the rule of
law is" ( read more here).
Another 2015 graduate, Korey Cowan
(above, right), who is now attending Boston University
School of Law, described the BA in Law program
as:
"the best
educational experience that I had while at the
University of Arizona. The opportunity to work with
current law school professors teaching at Arizona Law
while also learning some of the most basic skills
necessary for law school will truly prepare me for
success in the next level of my
education."
While students can declare the law major upon
matriculating at the UA, they need to obtain a minimum
3.0 GPA in order to take the law core courses and
complete the major.
Double-majors and
interdisciplinary study are encouraged. Current law
majors are double-majoring in such subjects as
psychology, sociology, Spanish, molecular and cellular
biology, economics, history, English, journalism,
philosophy, political science, gender and women's
studies, environmental studies, theater, and dance.
Wow.
The College of Law's
Homecoming Centennial Week in October also featured a BA
in Law event for undergraduates: "Arizona Law Day" drew
prospective law majors and JD applicants from across the
UA. The day
included a tour of the college, advising sessions, a
student panel, and classroom experiences with current
faculty.
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Arizona
Law Day tour
of the College of
Law.
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"Back
to the Classroom"
with Professor David
Marcus.
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Undergraduates interested in law school enjoyed
hearing the perspectives of alumni who attended the
"Back to the Classroom" event featuring short faculty
lectures and lively discussion.
As the program grows
and more law electives are offered, law majors are eager
to work with JD students and faculty in the legal
clinics through supportive roles such as interpreters
and coordinators. These experiences provide real-world
experience, benefit the clinics and their clients, and
also create mentoring relationships that we hope will
last throughout their legal
careers.
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Teaching Fellow and JD
Alum ('15) Luis
Bergolla
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Last spring Luis
completed an externship at the International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris.
This photo was taken from the rooftop
of the ICC
headquarters. |
The BA in Law program
has provided opportunities for JD students and graduates
to gain teaching experience by serving as teaching
assistants and discussion group leaders. Such valuable
opportunities have traditionally been available only to
doctoral students in other degree programs.
One
recent JD graduate, Luis Bergolla, has seized this
opportunity to diversify his skill set while pursuing
his LLM.
Luis obtained his
first degree in law in Venezuela in 2005 as a 5-year
undergraduate degree. There, he pursued his interests in
international law and alternative dispute
resolution.
After moving to the United States, Luis worked
for the Organization of American States in Washington,
DC, with the Department of International Law. He worked
on developing judicial training on "enforcement and
recognition of international arbitral awards" and a
project related to the rule of law and the
Inter-American Model Law on Freedom of Information.
Luis recalls
that,
"Working on both
of these projects allowed me to advance my understanding
of international law at the same time I was travelling
through the Americas to meet with experts and train
local judges."
In Washington, DC, Luis found a mentor who happened
to be an Arizona Law graduate, John Wilson ('96).
Demonstrating the value of a strong alumni network, his
mentor provided professional advice and recommended Luis
for the JD program at Arizona Law. Luis says:
"Coming to law
school in Arizona has been a life-changing event, and
having a JD from Arizona is a credential that allows me
to market myself as a dual-qualified attorney in the
world of international dispute resolution. Looking back,
it all started in my senior year in High School when I
had already made up my mind to major in law!"
Now Luis is giving back by teaching UA law majors
the fundamentals of contract and tort law in discussion
sections for Professor Williams' common law course. At
the same time, he is taking courses in bankruptcy,
international trade, and mergers and acquisitions
to further develop his specialization in
commercial law with an LLM. After
completing his teaching fellowship and LLM, Luis hopes
to join the cross-border dispute resolution
practice of an international law
firm.
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Sports and Entertainment Law
Society
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Arizona Law's sports law program continues to
grow as membership in the student-run Sports and
Entertainment Law Society (SELS) tripled this year
alone, from 10 to 30 students.
This past November,
students sat down for a Q&A panel with front office
members of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks
before taking in the Detroit Pistons vs. Phoenix Suns
game. Later in the month, students and faculty went on a
tour of the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility with
University of Arizona Athletics Director Greg Byrne (see
photos).
In addition, SELS hosted several
guest speaker events in 2015. Arizona Law alum Matt
Muehlebach ('96) and
the original (real life) Jerry Maguire, Leigh Steinberg,
both spoke to a packed house of captive students and
professors about their experiences in sports law.
Looking ahead, our sports law program leaders
continue to explore collaborative efforts with the
Sports Management Program at the Eller College of
Management.
None of this would
have been possible without the Sports Law Fellowship
created by Jackson
Lewis and the hard
work of this year's fellow, 2L student Storm Byrd. We
look forward to continued successes in this growing
program.
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| Speakers at the Suns
event were (from top to bottom on the left side of
the picture), Caleb Jay, Arizona Diamondbacks
Senior Director of Legal Affairs and Associate
General Counsel; Trevor Bukstein, Phoenix Suns
Assistant General Manager; and Melissa Goldenberg,
Phoenix Suns General
Counsel. |
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Athletics Director
Greg Byrne alongside Arizona Law faculty
and
SELS members. |
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Discussing the future
of two winning programs
-- Arizona Law and
Arizona Athletics -- with Greg
Byrne. |
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Reminder:
Opportunity to Help
Detained
Immigrant Survivors of Domestic
Violence
We
have updated information on the pro bono opportunity
organized by the UA Bacon Immigration Law & Policy
Program and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Project. As circulated last week, these two groups are
jointly launching an effort to ensure high-quality
representation for immigrant women detained in Arizona
with strong claims for asylum based on severe domestic
violence.
If you are looking
for a pro bono opportunity that will develop a diverse
set of legal skills, including brief-writing and oral
advocacy, give you the opportunity to work closely with
a survivor of domestic violence, gain expertise in
asylum law, and be a part of a social justice campaign,
please consider joining this effort. Learn more here
(PDF).
For attorneys
interested in getting involved or learning more, please
consider attending a CLE
training, An
Introduction to Representing Detained Clients with
Domestic Violence-Based Claims for
Asylum. The
training will be eligible for 1.5 hours of CLE credit
and will be held in both Phoenix and Tucson. Information
is below and on the linked flyers:
PHOENIX: December 9, 3:30
- 5 p.m., hosted by Perkins Coie, 2901 N. Central Ave.,
Ste. 2000. See
flyer.
TUCSON:
December 15, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Rm. 118 of James E. Rogers
College of Law.
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Remember to join the Arizona
Law online alumni directoryand to
encourage your fellow alumni to sign up, too (contact us for instructions). The
winner of our weekly drawing from among new directory
members is Sharon Haynes
('83). Congratulations! We draw a new name
each Wednesday morning, so sign up
now! |
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In closing, I want to
say thank you to the firm of Rusing Lopez &
Lizardi, LLC. The
firm has just completed its final payment on its pledge
funding our beautiful Law Commons, begun in 2007. What a
difference you have made to students, faculty, and life
at the College of Law.
Thanksgiving for 2015 is now in the past, but
our thanks for your giving is never in the
past.
When you hear about
our amazing students, path-breaking faculty, innovative
programs and major intellectual events, know that every
story is also about you.
Law schools don't
need expensive machines, or big labs. We run on
the electric combination of just two things: great
people and great ideas.
Your engagement,
advice, and support enables and leverages both people
and ideas. We
cannot say it enough, at any time of year. Thank
you.
Warmly,
Dean
& Ralph W. Bilby Professor of Law
Shaping
the next century of legal
education
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