Our SBA President, 3L Josh Miller, took a leap of faith in 2010, and he has no regrets.

Josh, originally from Louisiana, graduated from LSU in 2007 with a BA in Political Science. After graduating, he joined Teach for America, but unlike many of his colleagues "didn't travel to another location for my service because there was no other place in the country that needed good teachers like the post-Katrina communities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans did." After two years there, Josh had the opportunity to teach in Madrid, Spain and took it. He taught ESL students there, and says it was "a wonderful experience and my last hurrah before law school."

While in Madrid, Josh applied to law schools in communities that would be new to him. With a generous AZ Law scholarship offer, his inner outdoorsman decided to move to Tucson without visiting. Now in his third year, he says, "I could not imagine attending another school and have enjoyed my time at the College of Law since my first day here."

Josh has accepted an offer to join Fennemore Craig, PC in September 2013. Although he's not sure exactly which group he will work with, "I think I will work mainly in Commercial Litigation. I also really enjoyed my work with the Employment Law group and would love to work with those attorneys more as well. My summer at FC was incredible, and I couldn't be happier that I'll be joining that firm next fall."

When Josh isn't managing his duties as SBA president, you can find him taking advantage of Arizona's beauty by hiking, playing golf, or playing soccer where he, and fellow law school classmates, look forward to avenging an intramural semifinal loss this fall and "bringing home a championship this spring." Feel free to wish Josh well as he prepares for his final semester and the upcoming bar exam. You can contact him at his LinkedIn Profile.

For the past six years, alumni Andrew Kohn and Jennifer Lutz have been practicing law together in the San Diego firm they co-founded, Pettit Kohn Ingrassia & Lutz. The firm has offices in San Diego and Los Angeles.

Prior to starting their own firm, the two Arizona Law alumni met working together at another firm. "Jennifer is my good friend and business partner, and it's been our good fortune to have worked together for the past 15 years," said Andrew.

"We decided to follow our collective entrepreneurial spirit, and not only practice law, but create a fantastic place to work," Jennifer added. "We began our endeavor with 10 lawyers and seven staff members and have now grown to 36 lawyers and 51 staff members. It has been quite a ride and we are excited for our firm's future."

And although they both graduated from the College, they did so by different paths.

"Tucson was my home town," said Andrew. "I went back east for my undergraduate study and returned to the Old Pueblo for law school to be close to friends and family... and because there is a lot less snow to shovel in winter in Tucson than there is in Boston!" But his passion for high-quality athletics also played a part, "I returned to the U of A as a student/fan after following great Lute Olson teams, Dick Tomey teams, Jerry Kindall teams through my youth, high school, and college years."

Jennifer had her family's influence to thank for the fact that she stayed in Tucson for both her undergraduate and law degrees: "I come from a UA family - there was never any doubt about the high-quality legal education I would receive at the UA."

They both do, however, remember law school fondly. "First year small section, Torts, with Professor Schneyer - not only were we given the analytical building blocks to become lawyers, but we also developed meaningful lifelong friendships and had a lot of laughs as well," Jennifer recalled. Andrew mentioned several faculty among his favorites, "Great, engaging, passionate professors who were thought leaders and respected nationally - Massaro, Ratner, Strong, Dobbs, Mauet, and so many others!"

Andrew loves what he does and feels "blessed to be surrounded by great people and great lawyers." When he's not in the office, you can find him home "with a beautiful and amazing wife and four great, smart, hysterically funny kids." He has also recently discovered a new love: ice hockey, but admits that he wishes he would have started playing "before I turned 37." You can find contact information for Andrew on his Attorney Profile.

Richard Grand Legal Writing Competition Winners Announced

Last Thursday, we celebrated the finalists of the Richard Grand Legal Writing Competition and it was, as it is every year, a wonderful event. From 23 entries, five finalists were selected: Matthew Chandler (3L), Brendan Haberle (1L), Sandra Jonas (1L), Bret Shaw (2L), and Germar Townsend (3L). Professors Suzanne Rabe and Susie Salmon read excerpts from the finalists and announced the awards, including the first prize awarded to Sandra Jonas.

This year's finalists all produced powerful work, and the attendees at the ceremony all wanted to hear more. I do not envy the task of judging such qualified candidates. The essays remind us of the rich array of life experiences and deep values that each person brings to the College of Law. We also have many strong writers and storytellers, a reflection in part of our nationally respected legal writing program.

Congratulations to all!

On Tuesday, February 5, from 3-4pm in room 164 (Ares Auditorium), we will host the Water Sustainability 2013 Distinguished Speaker Series, cosponsored by the Water Resources Research Center. The speaker, Justice Gregory J. Hobbs, of the Colorado Supreme Court, will cover the topic: Living the Four Corners: Honoring Our Water Short Character - Preserve, Conserve, Sustain and Inspire. For details, visit wsp.arizona.edu.

The 39th Annual Law College Association (LCA) Dinner is scheduled for April 27, 2013 and will be held at the Westward Look Resort in Tucson. This year, the LCA, with the University of Arizona Alumni Association, will honor six outstanding individuals: Anna Maria Chavez ('94), Catherine Douglass ('76), Prof. Steven Duke ('59), Larry Hecker ('69, '72), Prof. Thomas Mauet, and The Honorable Frank Zapata ('73). For more information, or to register, click here.

Warmly,