|
Greetings,
For
one hundred years, Arizona Law graduates have used their
legal education to launch interesting careers, within
and outside of traditional legal practice. This
week, we feature two Arizona Law alumni -- Kathleen Hale
('04) and Meghan Cocci ('98). Meghan has followed
a practice-oriented path to the top of the profession,
and Kathleen has moved from practice to become an
entrepreneur.
If
you are planning to attend the State Bar of Arizona
Convention, please make sure to stop by the Arizona Law
reception, where we will be celebrating a century of
educating Arizona Law alumni, on Thursday, June 25, at
6:30 in the evening.
Until the Footnotes,
Marc |
|
Instead
of the standard offices where many Arizona Law graduates
work, Kathleen Hale checks in at a large open global
incubator space called 1776.
Kathleen
began her career clerking for Judge Neil Wake on
the US District Court for the District of Arizona and
then for Judge William Canby on the US Court of Appeals
for the 9th Circuit. After clerking,
Kathleen worked at Haralson Miller Pitt Feldman &
McAnally in Phoenix. Then Kathleen moved to Washington,
DC.
After a
few years of practicing law in DC, Kathleen became a
founding partner of a law firm and had the opportunity
to think in a different way about her workspace.
Concerned about the negative health effects of sitting
at a desk for several hours each day, she created a DIY
treadmill desk, with the encouragement and assistance of
her husband, Jeff.
Kathleen
couldn't believe how working at a treadmill desk
transformed her day. After extensive market
research, Kathleen and Jeff -- a graduate of the UA's
Eller College of Management -- realized that they had a
great product idea. A few months later, Rebel Desk was born and Kathleen left
the practice of law to become a full-time
entrepreneur.
Rebel
Desk has grown very quickly, with thousands of customers
across all fifty states. Kathleen and Jeff office at
1776 in DC along with hundreds of other new
companies. The space and the exposure to other
companies and entrepreneurs has benefitted Kathleen and
Rebel Desk. I understand from the Alumni and
Development team that the best way to describe this
space is "uber cool."
One of Rebel Desk's
first customers was another Arizona Law alum and
Kathleen's colleague at Miller Pitt, Cassandra Meynard
('08). Our Senior Director of Development and
Alumni Relations Jonelle Vold is enjoying her own Rebel
Desk here at the College and has promised to let me take
it for a test drive.
In
addition to being a source of customers, Kathleen
credits her legal training for helping her successfully
launch and manage her business.
"My
legal skills have helped me in the more obvious ways,
such as setting up and forming the business, drafting
and negotiating contracts, and assessing and securing
insurance needs. It also has helped in less
obvious ways. My writing skills and courtroom
experience have helped me to persuade potential
customers of the benefits of using active-working
products."
Kathleen
is enjoying the transition from being a lawyer to being
an entrepreneur. She and Jeff balance running
their business with running after their six-year-old
daughter and seven-year-old son. In their spare
time they love to camp, play soccer, and explore the
museums of DC. To learn more
about Rebel Desk or to connect with Kathleen, visit the
company's website.
|
The
National Law Journal recognized
alumna Meghan Cocci ('98) in its special "Outstanding
Women Lawyers" feature. The May 4 NLJ
issue profiles 75 exceptional female attorneys. Among
the factors considered were success of practices,
leadership roles, big wins, high-level work, and service
to the underserved.
Meghan
is the only Arizona lawyer on the list, and she is one
of just a handful who practice outside of New York,
California, or Washington, DC. Let's forgive the
coastal bias of the National Law Journal, and
celebrate Meghan's well-deserved
recognition.
When
Meghan was choosing a law school, Arizona Law appealed
to her for a number of reasons -- it was in the
Southwest, it was a place where she felt she could stand
out as an individual and not as a number, and she
received a graduate tuition scholarship which certainly
helped sway her decision! As with so many
graduates, one essential factor was the focused outreach
by former Assistant Dean Terry Holpert that really made
her feel unique. According to Meghan,
"I
figured that any school that took that much time to know
an applicant had to be a good place to learn and grow."
Meghan's
first position out of law school was in Tucson with what
was then Mendelsohn, Oseran & Eisner. Though
slightly nervous about not having a job as she walked
across the stage on graduation day, Meghan interviewed
the day after the bar exam and started shortly
thereafter. Meghan explains that,
"Deborah
Oseran was a wonderful mentor and she set the bar
extremely high. I couldn't have asked for a better
place to have started my career."
Meghan
joined Squire Sanders in 2001 and that's where, in the
course of representing leisure-industry clients, she
found her love of the hotel sector. In 2004,
Meghan moved in-house with what was then Cole
Companies, a real-estate investment firm.
Meghan
eventually realized that she missed private practice
and returned to Squire Sanders. In 2006, she
opened the Phoenix office of Sonnenschein, Nath &
Rosenthal with a number of her colleagues. Over
the past few years, Meghan's firm has undergone a
number of combinations and mergers, becoming SNR Denton
and now the global mega-firm Dentons.
Meghan
was appointed managing partner of the Dentons Phoenix
office in 2012 and appointed to the firm's US board at
the beginning of this year. Meghan feels fortunate
to be part of the largest law firm in the world at a
very exciting time in the firm's trajectory.
"So,
long story short, I started my career with a firm of 6
in Tucson and am now part of a firm of 6,600 with
offices in 125 cities."
Meghan
routinely tells people that she might be the happiest
lawyer she knows.
"I
know some lawyers hear this and roll their eyes, but I
get to work every day on amazing and complex hotel and
resort projects around the globe with clients who I also
call friends. And I love to travel -- so it is a
win-win all around. I'm also fortunate to have an
amazing husband who helps maintain the balance in our
lives and takes care of me and our two sons. I
wouldn't be where I am today without his support and
guidance and willingness to let me try to have it
all."
Meghan,
congratulations on being recognized as one of the
"Outstanding Women Lawyers." It is very rewarding
for all of us to hear from you and other alums who revel
in their career as a lawyer.
Connect with
Meghan on Linked
In.
|
|
Centennial Snapshot - Justice
Francis X. Gordon ('54)
|
This
week we highlight the career of Francis X. Gordon ('54),
who was appointed by Governor Raul Castro ('49) to the
Arizona Supreme Court in 1975. In fact, he was the
first justice appointed to the Court under the judicial
merit selection system adopted in 1974. He served
until 1992.
Gordon
grew up in Kingman, Arizona, and received a BA from
Stanford University in 1951 before returning to Arizona
to attend law school at the UA. He was president
of the SBA (pictured below, front row and center).
After graduation he returned to Kingman to practice with
his father and later became a Mojave County Superior
Court judge.
According
to the Arizona Supreme Court's Legends of the Judiciary biography of
Gordon:
"Chief
Justice Francis X. Gordon presided over what is perhaps
the biggest constitutional crisis in Arizona's history,
the impeachment of sitting Governor Evan Mecham by the
Arizona State Legislature. Justice Gordon's poise
and dignified manner educated the thousands who watched
the televised proceedings about the role of the
judiciary. His performance enhanced the stature of
the judiciary for generations. In addition,
Justice Gordon made major improvements in the judiciary,
including initiating the groundbreaking Commission on
the Courts, a multi-disciplinary body that made
recommendations to improve the court system that are
still in place today. Justice Gordon is also
credited with being the father of judicial
education."
Do you
have photos or memories of a legendary classmate?
We would love to hear from you. Please contact Emily
McGovern, Centennial Coordinator, to share your
images and stories.
|
|
Summer Alumni Receptions
We'd
love to have you join us at one of our upcoming alumni
receptions.
- Phoenix
-- all-alumni reception at Arizona State Bar
Convention, Thursday, June 25, 6:30-8:30 pm,
Arizona Biltmore, Salon F of the Frank Lloyd Wright
Ballroom, 2400 E. Missouri Ave. RSVP here
- Washington,
DC -- Wednesday, June 17, 5-7 pm at
Morgan Meguire, 1225 I St. NW, Ste 1150. RSVP here
- Nogales
-- Tuesday, June 30, 12-2 pm, details to
come.
- Sierra
Vista -- Tuesday, June 30, 5-7 pm,
details to come.
- Portland,
OR -- Wednesday, July 8, 5-7 pm at
Stoel Rives, 900 SW Fifth Ave., Ste
2600.
- Seattle,
WA -- Thursday, July 9, 5-7 pm at
Williams Kastner, Two Union Square, 601 Union St., Ste
4100.
- Prescott
-- RESCHEDULED for July, details to
come.
- Flagstaff
-- RESCHEDULED for July, details to
come.
- Yuma
-- Tuesday, August 4, 12-2 pm, details to
come.
And,
make plans to return to Tucson and connect with more
alumni during this year's special
Homecoming-Centennial Week, October
19-25!
RSVP for
any alumni reception by contacting Marissa
White or following the links
above.
|
I
look forward to seeing many of you around Arizona and
around the US this summer. And whether or not you
will be at a College event, remember to stay in
touch.
Warmly,
Marc L. Miller
Dean & Ralph W. Bilby Professor of Law
Shaping
the next century of legal
education |
|
| |
| |