Spring break--already! (Or, for some...at last!).

 

Last week I had the opportunity to connect with friends of the College at the thrilling Pac 12 tournament in Las Vegas. Thank you to the many alums who attended one of our Arizona Law events. A special thank you to alums Cisco Aguilar '04, Dev Sethi '97, and Ted Schmidt '77 for their support.    

 

In the spirit of March Madness and Wildcat basketball spirit, this week we focus on our nationally competitive appellate advocacy team where, as with Wildcat Basketball, team and individual efforts are deeply intertwined. 

 

The appellate advocacy team joins our trial team this year in earning its way to a national competition.   While many students are enjoying a break from classes, the trial team and appellate advocacy team are both working hard to prepare for their respective competitions.   

   

Here at the College, we are taking advantage of the lull in classes to plan our summer schedule.  We are adding a new event to this year's calendar -- Arizona Law Week in DC, from June 23 to June 27.

 

One of our events will be a swearing in ceremony at the Supreme Court.  All eligible Arizona Law alumni and friends are invited to join us in DC and take part in this exciting opportunity to be sworn into the Court.  To be eligible for Admission to Practice in the Supreme Court you must be admitted to the state Supreme Court for three years, have a clean disciplinary record, fill out the application, and have two sponsors.  If needed, the College can assist you in finding sponsors. Click to reserve your spot at the swearing in ceremony.    

 

Like many of our best innovations, Arizona Law Week in DC is a result of suggestions from alumni -- in this case leaders among our many alumni in the DC area.  We are still finalizing the details but the week will include many opportunities for alumni, friends and prospective law students, now and down the road, to gather and connect in DC.  Stay tuned to future issues of the Letter of the Law for more details.    

   

In the wake of the Trial Team's success last month, yet another Arizona Law legal skills competition team demonstrated the College's prowess in training winning advocates.  

From left to right: Will Pew, Omar Vasquez, Kevin Moyer, Hope Sullivan, Kristine Alger, and Jonathan Loe

 

The 3L team of Jonathan Loe, Kevin Moyer, and Hope Sullivan was among four teams to win the Boston Regional of the American Bar Association's National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) on Saturday, March 8.  Jon, Kevin, and Hope now advance to Nationals, which take place in Chicago from April 10-12. Arizona Law teams frequently advance to the semifinal or final rounds of the regional. This is the first Arizona Law team to advance to nationals since Erin Ford, Shane Ham, and Danita Ng did it in 2009.

 

Arizona Law sent two teams to the Boston Regional. Although the other team -- 3Ls Kristine Alger, Will Pew, and Omar Vasquez -- did not advance past the preliminary rounds, all three advocates delivered solid oral arguments and received good scores and glowing feedback from many judges.

 

Team coach Professor Susie Salmon says that  

 

"both teams should be proud of their performances but I am particularly impressed with the team spirit Kristine, Will, and Omar demonstrated. After two frigid days in Boston, Saturday afternoon was gorgeous and warm, but those three chose to spend it in the courthouse providing moral support, helping Jon, Kevin, and Hope practice, and cheering them to victory in the semifinal and final rounds."

 

The road to Boston was a long one. To earn a spot on the NAAC teams, each student needed to take Advanced Legal Writing and Advanced Appellate Practice during their 2L year. The Advanced Appellate Practice course culminates in the Samuel M. Fegtly 2L Moot Court competition. The six students with the highest scores in that competition become the College's two NAAC teams.

 

The ABA's National Appellate Advocacy Competition is one of the most prestigious and competitive in the country. More than 200 teams from law schools compete in the six regional rounds. NAAC competitors participate in a hypothetical appeal to the United States Supreme Court. 

 

The ABA releases the problem in early November, and each Arizona Law team briefs a different side of the issue. After submitting the briefs in early January, the teams spend several hours multiple times a week developing, rehearsing, and fine-tuning their oral arguments, both in a formal practice setting and in informal brainstorming sessions.

 

This year, the teams enjoyed feedback from some stellar practice judges, including Arizona law faculty members David Marcus, Derek Bambauer, Jane Bambauer, Nina Rabin, Kirsten Engel, and Sherry Downer, 2010 NAAC team alum Tim Reppucci (freshly returned to Tucson), 2011 NAAC team alums Naomi Claxton, Nick Knauer, and Ryan Thomsen, 2012 NAAC team alum Jason Quackenbush, and 2013 NAAC team alum Johnny Anderson.  Now that is an incredible coaching staff.

 

As a bonus, our professor Chris Robertson, who is a visiting faculty member at Harvard Law School this year, came out to support the teams in action in Boston.