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UPCOMING EVENTS

Greetings,

This week we  have photos to share from our exciting, winning, wonderful homecoming and reunion weekend. 

Thank you to all of the alumni, family, friends, faculty, staff, and students who came together to celebrate Wildcat and Arizona Law pride with us.

Friends enjoying the 2017 Arizona Law Red & Blue BBQ
 
We also shine the spotlight on our flagship Trial Advocacy program, directed by Professor Barbara Bergman and founded by Professor Tom Mauet

It's an exciting time for our students participating in our advocacy coursework and trial skills teams. The program also continues to involve alumni coaches and mentors, such as Brian Chase ('11) and Brian Laird ('00).
 
In the last year, Professor Bergman has overseen the expansion of the curriculum to include new courses in interviewing, counseling and negotiating, and taking and defending depositions. Also in 2016 we saw the creation of the Barry Davis National Trial Team.


From left to right: Professor Tom Mauet, Professor Barbara Bergman, 
coach Brian Chase, and coach Brian Laird 

Two of our trial advocacy students, Matthew Ashton (3L) and Hanees Haniffa (2L), will represent Arizona Law this Friday, November 3, in the Jenckes Closing Argument Competition at ASU. The competition begins at 5 p.m. and will be in Room 141, W.P. Carey Armstrong Great Hall, located in the Beus Center for Law and Society. Everyone is invited to support our team! 

We welcome current students and alumni from all law programs (JD, LLM, MLS, SJD, BA) to join me on the bus we've rented for the trip to Phoenix and back (sign up by contacting Professor Bergman).

Until the footnotes,

Marc

The Barry Davis National Trial Team

The 2017-2018 members of the Barry Davis National Trial Team are coached by alums Brian Chase ('11) and Brian Laird ('00). The team is currently preparing for the regional round of the National Trial Competition to be held in Albuquerque in February.
 
The team reached the national competition in the past two consecutive years. We can't wait to cheer them on again this year.
 
Team members Kristian Garibay, Julia Brown, William Vitkus, Hanees Haniffa, 
Matt Ashton, John Paul Barnard, and coach Brian Chase (l-r). 
Not pictured: Sasha Charls.

 
Members of this year's team are:
 
Matt Ashton (3L) is now in his third year on the team, and he hopes to again make it to the nationals round in Austin, Texas. Because of his passion for advocacy, he is hoping to try the real thing by becoming a prosecutor after he graduates.
 
John Paul Barnard (3L) is a three-time member of the trial team. He has always had a passion for public speaking and presenting. It all started when he was cast as Hans in his second grade play, "The Elves and the Shoemaker." Since that performance Jean Paul put his focus into acting until he stumbled upon a club called mock trial in college. There he discovered he could put his talent to use in the courtroom. After his first mock trial he decided to go to law school. The Barry Davis Trial Team and its reputation was one of the reasons he decided to apply to the University of Arizona. Being a member of the trial team has been the best part of his time in law school and he would not trade it for the world. Jean Paul hopes to take the skills and experience he has obtained from trial team into his career as a county attorney.
 
Julia Brown (3L) graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a B.A. in Communication. Prior to returning to graduate school, she worked for six years as a business analyst. In addition to trial team, Julia is a member of Christian Legal Society and Black Law Students Association. She is also a member of the Pima County Bar Association, Arizona Minority Bar Association, and the law student division of the ABA. She spent her second-year summer as a legal intern for the Attorney General's Office. After graduation, she is interested in a career as a criminal prosecutor.
 
Sasha Charls (2L) obtained her undergraduate degree in sociology from ASU, where she also worked as a research assistant in several psychology studies. This summer, she worked as a judicial extern for Judge Frank Zapata ('73) at the federal district court and at the City Court of Tucson's Public Defender's Office. She is currently working on a second judicial externship, with Judge Jennifer Zipps at the district court. After graduation, she hopes to work as a judicial law clerk for a year, and then as a public defender.
 
Kristian Garibay (2L) grew up in Mammoth, Arizona. She attended high school in San Manuel, Arizona, and later earned degrees in political science and psychology from the University of Arizona. Kristian spent her 1L summer at the United States District Court as a judicial extern for Judge Stephen M. McNamee. Outside of law school academics, Kristian is the president of the Latino Law Student Association, a 2L writer on the Arizona Law Review, and coaches the undergraduate mock trial team at the University of Arizona.
 
Hanees Haniffa (2L) was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in the Middle East, and attended college in the UK and the US. He has lived in Arizona for the past 17 years. Hanees hopes to pursue a career in IP law. Prior to law school, he worked as a software engineer. Hanees holds a B.Sc. in computer engineering and an M.Sc. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Arizona. He loves riding motorcycles and enjoys a number of recreational activities with his three children.
 
William Everett Vitkus (2L) sums up his legal aspirations as follows: "Growing up, two of my biggest role models were my father and my grandfather. Both were civil servants. My father was a police officer for over 20 years. My grandfather worked in group homes and was a staunch advocate for the rights of disabled people. Working for the public good has always been a source of pride in my family, and I hope to follow in the footsteps of my role models by working in the public sector."
 
Support the Barry Davis National Trial Team
 
In 2016 Arizona Law created an endowment fund in honor of Barry Davis, who worked as a trial lawyer for nearly four decades. During that time, he forged a stellar track record as an extraordinary advocate. 

Barry Davis's passion for "lawyering" and championing for his clients was matched only by his impeccable ethics, quality reputation amongst his peers, and deep respect for his profession. Barry was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and was part of the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.
 
Funds from this endowment support the Barry Davis National Trial Team's attendance at the regional and national levels of the National Trial Competition.
 
Add your support to the team by contributing to the Barry Davis National Trial Team Fund.

Around the College
A Snapshot of Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2017
 
The Class of 1997 celebrated together at the home of Dev Sethi.


The Class of 2010 gathered at The Shanty.


Friends from all years reunited at the Friday evening reception...

...and at the Red & Blue BBQ on Saturday





For classes ending in a 3 or 8 (2013, 2008, 2003, 1998, 1993, 1988, 1983, etc.) start planning now, for Homecoming 2018! We need members of each class interested in helping us organize great homecoming and reunion events next year.
 
And remember, homecoming is for everyone. This year we had a wonderful turnout of grads from last year, and from many years that were not reunion classes. This speaks to a basic truth: once a family member at the UA, always a family member -- you are "Wildcats for Life," and the door is always open.

Arizona Law in the News
The Hill op-ed by Dean Marc Miller and Professor Christopher Robertson 
UA News 2017 awardees includes Arizona Law alum, Steven R. Lainoff

  



Our homecoming lived up to high hopes -- great company at all events, full gatherings, special celebrations, including the Alumnus of the Year honor for Steve Lainoff, and news about gifts in support of the public interest efforts of the new, student-led Justice Advocates Coalition.

Steve Lainoff accepts the 2017 College of Law Alumnus of the Year Award
Student Drew Warner (2L), a past recipient of a Justice Advocates Coalition (JAC) stipend,  speaks at JAC event
 
And, to top it off, we all got to enjoy the expected (?) victory (!!) over Washington State, which I watched and celebrated with a great group of law alums as we sat near increasingly less-vocal Cougar fans in the southwest corner of the stadium.
 
On to November! 

This Friday we'll pursue the eighth year in a row of our own legal Territorial Cup at the Jenckes Competition. 

And on Saturday, for UA football, on to Southern Cal, and the road to the Pac-12 South title.
 
Bear down,

 

 

 
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