Karen Kowalski has joined Arizona Law as the new Assistant Dean for Career Development, continuing and building upon the nationally respected work of her predecessors, Deans Mary Birmingham and Paula Nailon ('94, BA '91).

Most recently, Karen served as a Managing Director in the Chicago office of the largest and oldest international legal search firm, Major, Lindsey & Africa. She focused on counseling attorneys of all experience levels on job opportunities and assisting law firms and corporate legal departments with attorney hiring at all seniority levels.

Prior to joining Major, Lindsey & Africa, Karen was a partner at the international law firm Winston & Strawn LLP, specializing in federal and state tax law. She was actively involved in recruiting and chaired committees responsible for the firm's summer program. In 2008, she was recognized by the publishers of Law & Politics and Chicago Magazine as a "Rising Star" in the Chicago legal community.

Karen holds a law degree from DePaul University College of Law, where she was an article and note editor for the DePaul Law Review, and an LLM in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. Perhaps knowing on some level that her future path led to Tucson, she also earned a BA in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

At Arizona Law, Karen oversees a career development operation that features three counselors with JDs -- Leah Won ('05), our Director based in Phoenix, and Virginia Clarke, Director of Judicial Clerkships and Professional Development and, of course, Karen herself. Our program also includes on-campus and off-campus interview programs in more than 10 US cities beyond Arizona and a robust first-summer employment program, in which more than 90 percent of first-year law students obtain clerkships and internships -- one of the highest rates of 1L employment in the country.

"I am excited to join the team at the College of Law and look forward to working with our alumni and employers to expand opportunities for our students," Karen says.

Karen is a warm weather enthusiast (adios, Chicago!) and enjoys running, hiking, and swimming in her free time.

You can learn more about Karen on our website.

Arizona Supreme Court Justice Robert Brutinel will be on campus this coming Tuesday, October 1, to hear oral arguments as part of the Arizona Supreme Court's statewide public education effort. The judicial visit, in which the Court will be in session and hear real cases, is hosted by the William H. Rehnquist Center on the Constitutional Structures of Government.

"It's been a pleasure to return to the law school for arguments each year since I started on the court," Brutinel says. "The original large classroom where I took Torts seems a lot smaller, sitting up front. I appreciate the opportunity to meet the new professors, and to see a few old friends."

He adds, "I should note that this will be the third year I've hired a clerk from the U of A -- they've all been great." Justice Brutinel's clerks from Arizona Law have included Michael Shumway ('13), Emily Ward ('12), and Amanda Heitz ('08).

Justice Brutinel has been on the state's highest court since 2010. He was previously Presiding Judge and Presiding Juvenile Judge on the Yavapai County Superior Court and practiced law for several years. He earned his BS from ASU.

"Serving on the Supreme Court has been a very rewarding experience," he says. "The other justices and the staff here are great to work with, and the cases are very interesting."

As a trial court judge in Yavapai County, Justice Brutinel was deeply engaged with the community, helping to plan new court facilities, preserving the historic downtown courthouse in Prescott, and working with schools, foster parents, and others in the juvenile justice system.

When he was to be sworn in as Justice, he chose Yavapai County as the site for his investiture. Many of his Arizona Law classmates attended the standing-room-only ceremony at Yavapai College.

Justice Brutinel returns to Prescott "just about every weekend," where he enjoys fly-fishing and hiking.

On Tuesday, Justice Brutinel will be joined at Arizona Law by fellow Justice and alum John Pelander (see below); Vice Chief Justice Scott Bales, who has for years taught a course at Arizona Law on Separation of Powers (one of the most popular classes at the law school); and their colleagues, Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch and Justice Ann Scott Timmer (BA '82).

Patent Attorney Rob Matson ('07) Joins Cantor Colburn             

Congratulations to Rob Matson, who has been hired as an associate by IP law firm Cantor Colburn in its Hartford, Conn., office.

An engineer at Bechtel Corp before practicing law, he has extensive experience providing patent-related legal services in aerospace and aircraft design, medical devices, lasers, semiconductor manufacturing, carbon capture, and petroleum.

Read the announcement here.

 

 Professor David Gantz Authors Book on International Trade

 

 

David Gantz, the Samuel M. Fegtly Professor of Law and Director of Arizona Law's International Trade and Business Law Program, has written a new book, Liberalizing International Trade after Doha: Multilateral, Plurilateral, Regional, and Unilateral Initiatives.

 

The book discusses alternative routes for governments seeking trade expansion, given the failure of the World Trade Organization's Doha Development Round of negotiations. 

 

For more information on the book, click here.

 

 

Professor Mona Hymel Speaks at Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy

 

On Saturday, Mona Hymel, the Arthur W. Andrews Professor of Law, kicked off a daylong program on Arizona's budget and fiscal system with her presentation, "What Makes Good Tax Policy," as part of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy at the Heard Museum. The Academy works "to help expand the cadre of future state-level leaders with the skills, knowledge, and commitment to address Arizona's long-term issues."

UPCOMING EVENTS

Meet and Greet with Kristine Huskey - Thursday, Sept. 26, Washington, DC

Join other alumni in greeting Kristine Huskey, our new Director of the Veterans' Advocacy Law Clinic and an expert and scholar in national security law, tomorrow evening, from 6 to 8 pm at District Commons, 2200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC. Last chance to register! Register here.

Arizona Supreme Court Visit - Tuesday, Oct. 1

The Supreme Court of Arizona will hear arguments from 2 to 4:30 pm in Ares Auditorium (Room 164) at the law school. Register here or contact Bernadette Wilkinson at bwilkins@email.arizona.edu. For more information, contact The Rehnquist Center.

 

Arizona Court of Appeals Visit - Wednesday, Oct. 9

John Donohue III

"The Data Speaks: A Closer Look at Gun Violence" - Stanford Law Professor John Donohue III - Thursday, Oct. 17

One of the world's leading empirical legal researchers, Stanford Law Professor John Donohue III has conducted large-scale statistical studies of how law and public policy impact gun violence and other issues. His lecture is the inaugural event of our new QuantLaw Program. From 5 to 6 pm, Ares Auditorium. Register here. 

Homecoming Alumni Weekend: Friday - Saturday, Nov. 8 - 9

For information and to register, click here.