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law.arizona.edu | Link                                                                                        March 20, 2013

Greetings!

I hope you'll enjoy our spotlight this week on three members of the Arizona Law community: student Germar Townsend, Prof. Sheldon Trubatch, and alumna Michelle Gregory. Don't forget to vote on your favorite name for this weekly email - e-balloting ends on Friday March 22.

 

Until the footnotes,

 

Marc

 

Student News
Germar Townsend (Class of 2013)

Germar Townsend has moved around quite a bit as an adult, but he's always found time to give back to his community.

 

Townsend, Germar

"My family's spread throughout the southeast, but if I had to pick one place to call home, it would be Atlanta," he said. "It was always the hub of my life: I began life as an entertainer, performer, and producer." In fact, he began performing at age seven, and continued as a dancer, actor, musician, writer, and director through college.

 

But he's always worked with kids - as a teacher, camp counselor, coach, and mentor. "At some point I realized that I enjoyed working with youth more than pursuing Hollywood. I wanted to make a difference." While working as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, he moved to Tucson and applied to Arizona Law.

 

Throughout law school, he has continued to give back. "I've had the privilege to work with undergraduates and first-year law students as a mentor, instructor, and adviser. It is by far the most rewarding part of my Arizona Law experience. The impact of these relationships is immediate and awesome."

 

Germar is an excellent ambassador for the College as well. "I met a Tucson native at an LSAC forum in LA," he recalled. "We talked for a while, and because of that meeting, she's now a student here! Twice, I've participated in panels for first-generation undergraduates. And now twice I've taught for the law school's undergraduate course titled Sex, Race & Power in the Supreme Court. Those students still contact me for advice about law school applications and interviews."

 

Outside of the law, Germar admits that he mostly does... well, law. "My life is a jumble of internships, moot court, student and faculty committees, a research assistantship, conferences, and competitions." But he also managed to keep his mentoring and media skills sharp. "I've done video editing and A/V for the school and community organizations. And I've worked as a youth director at a local church for the past four years."

 

After graduation, he hopes to work for the federal government, preferably in Washington, DC. "I've crafted my coursework and experiences for a variety of related paths, and I'm currently clerking for the Federal Public Defender's Office, which I absolutely love doing!"

 

You can connect with Germar on his LinkedIn Profile.

 
Faculty News
Sheldon Trubatch

Adjunct Professor Sheldon Trubatch retired from practice after more than 35 years, but that hasn't slowed him down at all.

 

"I started volunteering at the law school as soon as I moved here to retire," he said. Initially, he was an adviser to the Arizona Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, which was natural for him because he has been on the board of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law since he graduated.

 

"Later, I suggested a new rulemaking workshop course because clients have a growing desire for young lawyers who have some immediately usable legal skills. The course was my first teaching experience at the College." Trubatch, Sheldon The class fits closely with the larger shift in legal education and here at Arizona Law towards more "experiential" learning opportunities.

 

This semester, Sheldon is teaching energy law because "it is a topic of substantially growing interest. Again, it was somewhat of a natural fit for me because my practice was as a nuclear lawyer mainly involved with the power plants. I also did a fair amount of client training as a lawyer."

 

Beyond the classroom, Sheldon also tapes CLE courses for an online provider. His courses cover topics including federal contracting, judicial recusal, Supreme Court cases involving nuclear matters, and, most recently, art law.

 

"My favorite type of course to teach is one that involves extensive direct interactions with the students, such as the rulemaking workshop, in which I provided feedback early and often. Lectures with a lot of questions and answers are a close second. The worst is talking to a camera, as I do for the CLE courses."

 

Sheldon holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics and was a professor at Cal State Long Beach when the California governors were Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown (the first time around).

 
Sheldon reveals insights from his extensive and varied energy practice when he talks about changes in the rhetoric of judicial decision-making. "I pay close attention to the changes in the ways that judges describe and explain their decisions so as to better appreciate the factors which currently are important to obtaining a favorable outcome." You can connect with Sheldon on his Faculty Profile.
 

 

Alumni News
Michelle Gregory ('10)

Michelle Gregory is serving as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force. While law school took her from Florida to Arizona, her JD has taken her from Japan to Afghanistan.

 

Michelle earned her undergraduate degree from U of A and always intended to return to Florida for law school. "I applied to a bunch of Florida law schools, even went on a visit to FSU and UF to see what they were all about. But right after I came back to Tucson, I went to a prospective students' weekend here and fell in love with the school."

 

"Dean Massaro spoke, and her silver-tongued wit and wisdom got me thinking about my original plan," she continued. "I already loved Tucson and felt like I wasn't just another number at Arizona Law."

 

The students also affected her decision to stay. "They seemed well-adjusted, happy, friendly, and enthusiastic about their lives." And at orientation when the Dean said, "Look to your left, look to your right. Both of these people will bGregory, Michellee with you at graduation," Michelle knew she had made the right decision.

 

One of Michelle's favorite classes was Professor Hershey's Globalization and Preservation of Culture Class. "That class was a great way to think about what the law can be and can do - outside of the traditional contracts and criminal law constructs we can get caught up in. Every week, we debated things like Monsanto's engineering and business practices, the preservation of indigenous cultures, and I even wrote a paper about the impact of movie location shoots on the environment."

 

"But my favorite part was dressing up for the final - as the medieval Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, for "Meeting of the Minds." I never thought in a million years that while in law school I would get the opportunity to do such a thing. It was such a diverting class in every sense of the word."

 

After graduation, Michelle joined the United States Air Force. "It's honestly something that I never expected or planned on doing when I went to law school - even though I knew I wanted to work in government."

 

In 2011, immediately after graduating from the Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course, she moved to Japan to begin work as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base. In that role, she has advised commanders at the base regarding what employment actions they can take against members of the Air Force, to include whether or not they can initiate punishment proceedings for misconduct.

 

"I've also served as Trial Counsel for several courts-martial, with the cases running the gamut from drug use to assault to possession of child pornography. Currently, I'm deployed in Afghanistan, serving as a Recorder for Detainee Review Boards at the Afghan National Detention Facility in Parwan."

 

The official language for her current deployment is: Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435, Bagram, Afghanistan. "Yes, we love our words here! But practically, I am a part of ensuring that those individuals captured in the battlespace in Afghanistan receive the hearing they're entitled to under US Law and Law of Armed Conflict."

 

After she completes her deployment in July, Michelle plans to move to Little Rock, Arkansas to continue work as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate.

 

"While this road is certainly not the one I expected to take on Day One of law school, I have zero regrets. I've been exposed to so much in the less than three years since I graduated. Being an Air Force JAG is so much more than what you see in A Few Good Men or on the TV show JAG."

 
Even though she's currently overseas, Michelle knows she's not alone. "My friends from Arizona Law are still with me, even while I'm in Afghanistan. Their support and friendship means the world to me, and I wouldn't have met them if it wasn't for law school. It sounds super cheesy, but when you're in a war zone, you get a little sentimental, especially when the friends you took a Torts final with send you care packages!"
 
You can connect with Michelle through her LinkedIn Profile. 

 

Footnotes

Name This Email

The final four is here, and this is your last chance to cast your vote for the name of this weekly email:

  • Wildcat Wednesday - Arizona Law Rules
  • Wildcat Wednesday - Law School Lowdown
  • Wildcat Wednesday - Law Matters
  • Wildcat Wednesday - Letter of the Law
 
Athletic Director Greg Byrne is waiting to hear what we select. We will tally the votes and reach our verdict this Friday, March 22.
 

 

Spring Visitors Expand Curriculum, Intellectual Diversity

Five distinguished legal scholars and practitioners serve as visiting faculty for the spring semester as part of the ongoing Visiting Faculty Program at the James E. Rogers College of Law. You can read about them here.

 

Thank you to the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade for its support of the Spring Visitor Program. 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Pima County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Happy Hour - DATE CHANGE!

Arizona Law students and young professionals in Tucson are invited to a March Madness Happy Hour on this Thursday, March 21st (NOT Friday as originally reported) at 5:30pm at Social House, located at 446 N. Campbell Ave in Tucson. Appetizers and soft drinks will be provided. For more information, contact Mark Heckele (President) or Robert Fisher III (President-Elect).

 

Distinguished Lecture - Larry Kramer

On Wednesday, March 27 from 12:15pm - 1:15pm, Larry Kramer will present the Distinguished Lecture on campus in room 164, the Ares Auditorium. The topic will be "The Past, Present, and Future of Legal Education."

 

Larry Kramer is president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a position he took up in September 2012. He is on leave from the Stanford Law School faculty until 2014. He joined Stanford Law School in 2004 as Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean.

 

As Stanford Law School's 12th dean, he spearheaded significant educational reforms, including dramatically expanding joint degree programs as part of a multidisciplinary approach to legal studies, enlarging the clinical education program to promote reflective lawyering, revamping programs to foster a public service ethos, and building the international law program to support a growing emphasis on globalization in legal practice.

 

Visit this link to RSVP for the lecture.

 

Conversations with Bob Mundheim

In the current term, Professor Bob Mundheim teaches a course on corporate governance. As part of that class, Bob hosts lunchtime conversations with general counsel from Fortune 500 corporations, and top lawyers in private practice, many who come to speak at Arizona Law from New York.

 

The four remaining dates and participants in the "Conversations" this year follow. If you would like to join the conversations, please let us know as seating is limited.

  • Wednesday, March 27 - Tim Flynn, former CEO of KPMG
  • Wednesday, April 3 - Brandon Becker, General Counsel for TIAA-CREF and formerly Director of Trading and Markets at the SEC
  • Monday, April 8 - John Cannon, Shearman & Sterling
  • Wednesday, April 10 - Gene Sykes, head of Goldman Sachs' mergers and acquisition practice

 

These are the kind of opportunities that make Arizona Law unique and connect our students and the larger community to the cutting edge issues in corporate law, governance, finance, and regulation.

 

CLE Opportunity

On Wednesday, March 27 from 12pm - 1pm, IPLP is partnering with the State Bar to offer a series of CLEs focused on navigating Indian Law. This month's topic: "The ABC's of Practice in Arizona Tribal Courts," features speakers Mary Guss, Staff Attorney, IPLP and Professor Robert Hershey (invited). For more information, contact Melissa Tatum.

 

Location: State Bar office, 270 N. Church Ave., Tucson, AZ.

 

LCA Dinner - Get Your Tickets Now! (the price goes up March 29)

We hope you already have the 39th Annual Law College Association (LCA) Dinner on your calendar. It will take place on April 27, 2013, at the Westward Look Resort in Tucson.

 

We look forward to seeing you as we celebrate: 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 for the dinner, click here.

 

Warmly, 

Marc Miller

             Marc Signature





 
Dean & Ralph W. Bilby Professor of Law
James E. Rogers College of Law

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