| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW |
APRIL 15, 2026 | | | |
Greetings,
This week we recognize Jeff Leonard, the 2026 recipient of the Law College Association Award. A true LawCat for Life, Jeff remains active in the Arizona Law community more than fifty years after his graduation.
Congratulations, Jeff!
| | Jeff Leonard Honored with 2026 Law College Association Award | | |
Arizona Law and the Law College Association (LCA) recently recognized Jeff Leonard (’74) as the 2026 recipient of the Law College Association Award for his longstanding leadership, mentorship and significant service to the legal community and the College of Law.
Leonard is an accomplished and experienced civil trial lawyer in business and commercial cases involving banking, contract, business fraud, securities, real estate and public liability defense. In recent years, he has led the Navajo Nation’s litigation team at Sacks Tierney in the Arizona General Stream Adjudication for the Little Colorado River System and Source, one of the largest Indian water rights cases in the country. He also is widely respected as a mentor, regularly training lawyers at Sacks Tierney, including many Arizona Law alumni.
Leonard has remained deeply engaged with Arizona Law throughout his career. He has served for many years on the College of Law’s Board of Visitors; organized and supervised the Sacks Tierney Scholarship, established in memory of Marvin Cohen; and is a longtime member and supporter of the McCormick Society.
“My experience at Arizona Law meant everything to my future development as a lawyer. It afforded me an opportunity for a first-class legal education with a faculty of accomplished scholars and teachers,” said Leonard.
See the full story here.
| | Students Argue Their Way Through Grand Competition Final | | Finalists (l–r): Aiken Umholtz, Ella Spoor, Kyle Dayton and Danny Fisher | | |
On March 31, the College of Law hosted the final round of the Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition.
The finalists are:
1st place: Aiken Umholtz
2nd place: Kyle Dayton
3rd place: Ella Spoor
4th place: Danny Fisher
Now in its 30th year, the competition was created by Richard Grand (’58) and features jury arguments focusing on damages. We are especially grateful to Marcia Grand for her continued generosity and support, which helps sustain this longstanding program. Thanks as well to Ron Mercaldo (’70), Carlo Mercaldo, Amy Hernandez, Frances Lynch (’80), Bonnie Dombrowski (’80), Dev Sethi (’97) and Peter Akmajian (’84), who served as the jury for the 2026 edition.
| | Bacon Immigration Speaker Series to Discuss “Holding ICE Accountable” | | |
The Bacon Immigration Law & Policy Program invites the College of Law community to participate in the next installment of its interactive speaker series featuring experts and advocates for change in the field of U.S. immigration law and policy.
Event: Holding ICE Accountable featuring Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director, Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR)
When: Monday, April 20, 12–1:15 (MST)
Where: College of Law, Room 164 or on Zoom
During the first Trump administration, LCR filed some of the country’s earliest lawsuits to defend welcoming cities, preserve humanitarian programs, reunite families separated at the border and challenge immigration enforcement in sensitive locations such as courthouses. More recently, LCR filed cases challenging attacks on birthright citizenship, opposing efforts to dismantle Temporary Protected Status and seeking to block federal attempts to defund immigrant-friendly cities.
During this event, Espinoza-Madrigal will examine the legal theories and causes of action that LCR and other organizations are using to hold ICE accountable, highlighting key litigation strategies and takeaways.
| | Alumnus Marvin Slepian Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science | | |
Dr. Marvin Slepian (’23), a member of the Arizona Law faculty and Regents Professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Arizona, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The honor, awarded annually by vote of the AAAS membership, recognizes researchers for sustained contributions to their fields.
Slepian’s laboratory developed the first biodegradable coronary stent and pioneered a technique “arterial paving” that prevents tissue regrowth after arterial widening as well as long-term fatty plaque accumulation. Slepian also co-developed the first FDA-approved total artificial heart, commercialized through SynCardia Systems, a company he founded.
Slepian is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation, a university-wide center connecting faculty science with real-world clinical needs to drive translation and entrepreneurship.
Slepian, who is recognized for his contribution to intellectual property leadership, said earning a law degree was a natural extension of his scientific work. A holder of more than 100 patents, he was appointed to the Patent Public Advisory Committee of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2023.
“You need science, medicine, and engineering to innovate,” Slepian said, “but you also need law to operate.”
See here for the full story.
| | Richotte’s Book Wins Association of American Publishers Award | | |
The Association of American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE Awards) has awarded Director of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program and Professor of Law Keith Richotte, Jr.’s book, “The Worst Trickster Story Ever Told: Native America, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Constitution,” with the 2026 PROSE Award for Excellence in Social Sciences and a 2026 PROSE in the sub-category for Legal Studies and Criminology.
Since 1976, the PROSE Awards have recognized the best in professional and scholarly publishing by celebrating the authors, editors and publishers whose landmark works have made significant advancements in their respective fields of study each year.
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Do You Have News?
Your success is the college’s success and we want to celebrate with you! If you have landed a new job, received an award or recognition, stepped into a leadership role or have good news in general, let us know.
| | | Alumni and friends are indispensable to our community. Active involvement by friends like Jeff Leonard and the volunteer jurors for the Grand Closing Argument Competition helps keep our College of Law as vibrant as it is. Thank you. | | | | |
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