The Team

Students Colleen Adelson (2L), Chris Ambrosio (2L), Greg Laver (3L), and Will Pew (3L) are in the home stretch for their bid to win the West Coast Regional Rounds of the 2013 National IP LawMeet® at Santa Clara Law in California. Now in its third year, this event is the premier lawyering competition for students interested in transactional law practice focusing on IP. Arizona Law is one of 20 teams from law schools around the country competing in the event.

The 2013 National IP LawMeet is this Friday, November 1. If you are an alum living near Santa Clara, I encourage you to come out to meet these impressive students and support the team. If Arizona Law wins, the team will face off in a "virtual" competition against the East Coast Regional winners on Friday, November 8.

Colleen Adelson (BA '11), a Michigan native and double Wildcat, is a member of the Arizona Law Review, President of the Law Women's Association, and President of the Sports & Entertainment Law Society. This is her first law student competition.

"I feel very prepared," Colleen says. "Professor Derek Bambauer has given us some very creative terms to consider for the deal. Professor Margaret Koppen has made herself available to give us feedback on our contract drafts, which has been a huge benefit for our team."

The students have received light coaching from Derek (see his profile in the Oct. 16 issue of this newsletter) and Margaret, as well as Professors William Sjostrom and Lawrence Hecker.

To relax, Colleen enjoys spending time with her fiancé, Lowell, and her weimaraner, Emma. All three enjoy watching NCAA Basketball and Major League Baseball. You can connect with Colleen on LinkedIn.

Chris Ambrosio was principal of Terrion Capital Advisors, LLC, a boutique wealth management company, for two years before starting law school. He currently buys and sells property tax liens and maintains a rental portfolio.

Chris is a board member of the National Contract Management Association's Arizona Law student chapter. Chris is involved in the drafting portion of the competition, but will not engage in the negotiations at Santa Clara. This is his first law student competition.

"We have a strong team from diverse backgrounds," Chris says. "It has been great to draw from our collective strengths to prepare a solid document."

The National IP LawMeet® is one of two LawMeets held each year to give students hands-on practice during a live, interactive competition. Like his teammates, Chris will also participate in the other LawMeet, the National Transactional LawMeet, which will take place at UCLA School of Law in February.

For Greg Laver, the IP LawMeet will be his second law student competition; he previously competed in the 2013 National Transactional LawMeet.

Before law school, Greg interned at FUNimation Entertainment in its Acquisitions and Licensing department. He is a Certified Commercial Contracts Manager with the National Contract Management Association and President of the group's Arizona Law student chapter.

Greg currently works as a Legal Intern for Intel Corporation's Technology Manufacturing Group Legal Department, where he assists with procurement transactions and other issues. He plans to join the company as a Contract Manager after graduation. Greg is focusing on business and IP law in school and is Note and Comment Editor for the Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law.

"The LawMeet competitions are what I have enjoyed most about law school," Greg says. "The experience drafting, redlining, and negotiating commercial contracts has helped me develop the skills necessary for success in my future career. In fact, my managers and the other attorneys I work with at Intel often comment on how effective I've been with minimal supervision -- a direct result of the practical training I have had through the LawMeet competitions." You can connect with Greg on LinkedIn.  

Will Pew (see the April 3 issue of this newsletter) competed with Greg in last year's Transactional LawMeet and looks forward to doing so again in 2014. Last year Will also competed in the College of Law's Appellate Advocacy Competition, where he won the F. Britton Burns Award for Best Oral Argument; the Samuel M. Fegtly Award for Best Combined Brief & Oral Argument Score; and the Award for Excellence in Brief Writing. He will compete in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition in 2014.

At the IP LawMeet, Will looks forward "to negotiating the terms of this deal. Once you are sitting across the table from an opposing party, it is all about working with your teammate to find common ground and move the deal forward. That requires careful listening and negotiating skills. It is a great opportunity to have some 'real world' experience in this arena." You can connect with Will on LinkedIn.  

Sherry Janssen Downer ('04, BA '00)

Arizona Law is proud to call employment and business lawyer Sherry Downer our own, not just as an alumna (in fact, a double Wildcat), but as a member of our adjunct faculty.

As you might have heard, Inside Tucson Business recognized Sherry in its 2013 "Women of Influence" list of 10 inspirational women who will be celebrated at an awards program at Tucson's Westward Look Resort on November 19.  

Earlier this year, the Arizona Daily Star and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce named Sherry to the 2013 "40 Under 40" list of leaders. Her peers recognized her as a 2013 Southwest Super Lawyers "Rising Star" in the category of Employment Litigation: Defense; as one of The Best Lawyers in America (2014) in the area of Employment Law - Management; and rated her AV - Preeminent, the highest Martindale-Hubbell peer rating available.

Originally from St. David, Arizona, Sherry joined the Tucson office of Fennemore Craig, P.C. in 2006 after practicing law at Chandler & Udall, LLP. At Fennemore Craig, she helps her clients navigate complex business problems and employment issues. "I enjoy sharing my knowledge with clients and working with them to find effective solutions to achieve their goals," Downer says.

At Arizona Law, Sherry teaches Employment Discrimination, Employment Law, and Contemporary Issues in Employment Law. Like our students featured above, Sherry participated in law student competitions. She represented Arizona Law at the annual Jenckes Cup Closing Argument Competition in 2003, was a 2003 Moot Court semi-finalist, a Richard Grand Damages Closing Argument Competition finalist, and argued a sexual harassment case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as a law student.

Sherry is active in the Tucson community, currently chairing the Tucson Metro Chamber's Candidate Selection Committee, vice-chairing its Government Relations Committee, and participating in the Chamber's Business Expansion and Retention project to help retain and attract business to Tucson. She is also a member of the Primavera Cooks! Committee and has helped to organize and support a series of fundraising dinner events for the Primavera Foundation since 2009.

Husband Randy Downer, Jr. (BA '86), a Tucson native and fellow Arizona alum, owns private investigative business Inter-State Investigative Services, providing investigative services in civil, criminal, and insurance matters. Randy is a frequent guest lecturer at Arizona Law, teaching law students about investigation and working with investigators, and has volunteered his expertise and resources to assist the Arizona Justice Project for many years.

Sherry, Randy, and their daughter Ava (age 3) enjoy the Arizona outdoors, jet skiing at Apache Lake, riding ATVs in Greer, exploring Mount Lemmon, and snow skiing every chance they get.

You can connect with Sherry at sdowner@fclaw.com.

Upcoming Events:

Professor and UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya Issues Final Report to UN

Last Monday, Professor James Anaya, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, presented his sixth and final annual report to the UN General Assembly.

Read his report  here; read his statement  here; view his presentation here.

Arizona Journal of Environmental Law & Policy Ranks No. 1

The Arizona Journal of Environmental Law & Policy was recently the highest-ranked environmental law review. ExpressO, a free submission management service for law reviews, asked authors subscribing to the service to rate their favorite law reviews in a variety of disciplines, including environmental law. For more information about the service and ranking, click  here. 

Alan L. Goldberg ('97) & Canine Collaborator Lead Presentation in Disability Law Class

 Psychologist and alum Alan L. Goldberg ('97) and his trained medical service dog, "Whitney the Wonder Dog," visited campus last week for a presentation to students in Adjunct Professor Rose Daly-Rooney's Disability Law class.

Alan discussed public accommodations for individuals with disabilities (pertaining to Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act) and reviewed service dog statutes in Arizona. 

You can connect with Alan on LinkedIn.

I hope to see you at Homecoming -- for as many as possible, in person, and for everyone, in spirit!  

Warmly, 

  

    

  

Soll Lecturer Judge Nancy Gertner

  

    

 

  

  

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

alumni@law.arizona.edu