| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW |
AUGUST 20, 2025 | | | |
Greetings,
The academic year begins this week! Last week, we welcomed new students for orientation, including many who gave their time for a service project at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. Leading the way at orientation were our Arizona Law Ambassadors, some of whom you will meet in today’s newsletter.
Students often are drawn to Arizona Law for our innovative programs and degrees. Featured today is a new dual degree that is opening doors for future law librarians.
| | New Degree Pathways Expanding Access to Law Librarianship: Tanya Furlong’s Journey to Law Librarianship | | |
Tanya Furlong first thought about becoming a law librarian after reading an open job posting at the University of Florida.
“I read the description and educational requirements and thought, ‘I’d love to do that one day,’” says Tanya. “My heart has been set at the intersection of law, information science and psychology for a long time. I have a strong desire to help people by arming them with accurate information, legal resources and access to justice.”
Now, she is the University of Arizona’s first student to pursue the new dual degree Master of Legal Studies (MLS) and Master of Arts in Library & Information Sciences (MLIS) created in partnership between the James E. Rogers College of Law and the College of Information Science (iSchool).
Two key figures behind the new dual degree are Professor of Law Teresa Miguel-Stearns, associate dean of Legal Information Innovation and director of the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library, and Cas Laskowski, law librarian, head of Research, Data & Instruction, and director of the Law Library Fellows program. Together, they co-authored “Democratizing Law Librarianship: Reducing Barriers to Entry through Alternative Pathways to the Profession and Increased Support to Students: A Call to Action,” an article that examines the current state of the profession and outlines the work underway at the University of Arizona to make law librarianship more accessible.
Jennifer Bedier, a former Law Library Fellow, played a central role in designing and promoting these pathways, while Law Registrar and Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs Lynna Nguyen and Professor Keith Swisher, faculty director of the BA in Law and Master of Legal Studies Programs, contributed expertise on the law programs of study.
“Access is the key,” said Prof. Miguel-Stearns. “There is this notion amongst librarians and library educators that you have to have a law degree, a JD, to be a law librarian. And sure, a JD can be helpful and sometimes even required for certain positions (only about 20% of law library positions require both a JD and MLIS) but most do not, so we thought: How do we open up the profession and encourage people to consider law librarianship by giving them foundational law training in addition to the required MLIS? The answer was right in front of us and we leveraged already-existing programs at the University of Arizona: the BA in Law and the MLS, in addition to the JD. They all just seemed like the obvious pathways to law librarianship.”
For the full story, see here.
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During orientation, the JD Class of 2028 and LLM Class of 2026 proudly represented our community during their first community service activity as Arizona Law students.
Throughout orientation, new students heard about the law school’s emphasis on the call to service that is fundamental to our legal profession. They put that call to action into immediate practice, packing over 4,190 boxes of food – totaling over 55,400 pounds – for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
| | Meet the Arizona Law Ambassadors | | |
Arizona Law Ambassadors are often the first to welcome prospective students to our community. This select group of student leaders supports admissions and alumni events, answers questions from admitted students and their families about life at Arizona Law, and helps new students feel at home during orientation. Ambassadors also play a key role in building connections between current students and our alumni community.
Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing the Arizona Law Ambassadors for the new academic year. If you see them at an upcoming event, like Homecoming, be sure to say hello and thank them for all they do!
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Kyle Dayton ’26
Hometown: Riverside, CA
Legal Area of Interest: Agriculture law, international trade law, business litigation
Name a favorite a place in Tucson. My favorite place to take people visiting Tucson is the Sonoran Desert Museum. It is an outdoor museum that feels closer to a wildlife sanctuary. If you love the outdoors, it’s a great way to learn more about the Sonoran Desert and the wildlife in and around Tucson. Also there is a student discount!
Why did you choose Arizona Law? I chose Arizona Law because of its academic rigor, small class sizes, affordability and welcoming culture.
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Jocelyn Ehalt ’27
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Legal Area of Interest: Criminal law and immigration law. Specifically, I would love to work for an immigration firm handling cases involving previous criminal offenses.
What advice do you have for incoming 1Ls? Don’t get nervous about the academics of it all. One of the most important parts of law school is figuring out what area of law you are passionate about. The connections you will make and the experiences you will have are so much more valuable than any GPA could ever be! That being said, do try your best! You will never regret it.
What has been one of your most memorable classes at Arizona Law? My immigration professor allowed me to watch an asylum hearing just a few weeks after we had covered that material in class. At the hearing, the judge granted the client asylum, and it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I loved seeing the law in practice, especially since it saved this person’s life.
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Isabella Genovese ’27
Hometown: Southbury, CT
Legal Area of Interest: Corporate law (business transactions)
What has been one of your most memorable classes at Arizona Law? My most memorable class so far was Legal Writing first semester of 1L. This class really forces you to engage with your classmates and work in groups effectively. Your small section from this class will be some of your greatest resources throughout the rest of law school.
Why did you choose Arizona Law? I chose Arizona Law because of the great scholarship I received. Law school is expensive, and having a scholarship to help minimize debt upon graduation was extremely important to me.
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Mason Hagemann ’27
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Legal Area of Interest: Commercial litigation and business transactional law
Name a favorite a place in Tucson. Tucson Botanical Gardens (especially during the winter to see the light decorations)
Why did you choose Arizona Law? I choose Arizona Law because of the collaborative community, affordability and emphasis on accessibility to faculty.
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Vincent Kroll ’27
Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MN
Legal Area of Interest: Criminal law, human rights law, reform
Name a favorite a place in Tucson. Agua Caliente Park is one of my favorite places around! It is such a peaceful and gorgeous place.
What has been one of your most memorable classes at Arizona Law? Torts (and basically nobody knows what a tort is before law school). Prof. Desai is a great, engaging lecturer, and I found the cases in this class to be the most interesting.
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Keaton Markley ’26
Hometown: Hays, KS
Legal Area of Interest: Intellectual property litigation, patent litigation, life sciences, healthcare law
What is one thing every student should experience at Arizona Law? Trivia Night. It’s a fun time where a ton of students really bring the energy for a great experience in one of the classrooms. It’s a great way to take your mind off school and interact with your fellow students!
Name a favorite a place in Tucson. Definitely Mount Lemmon. The trails, view and complete change in scenery is very refreshing. It feels like a mini vacation.
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Braydon Mathis ’26
Hometown: Surprise, AZ
Legal Area of Interest: Public health law, healthcare law, insurance law
What is one thing every student should experience at Arizona Law? Homecoming! Getting to meet with LawCat alumni from throughout the years with so many amazing stories who are willing to share their experiences and advice is one of the greatest experiences at Arizona Law!
What clubs and organizations are you involved in outside of class? I am president of the Health Law Society, a member of the First Circuit Student Success Program and a council member for the Library Advisory Council.
| | Interview LawCats This Fall: Employer Deadline Sept. 2 | | |
The Career Development Office is preparing for the fall recruiting season. Employers including firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies and nonprofit organizations are invited to participate in the Fall Virtual Interview Program on October 3.
Interview students for summer and post-graduate positions, as well as externships. The employer registration deadline is September 2.
| | Calling Attorney Mentors! | | |
Innovation for Justice at Arizona Law is seeking attorneys in Arizona who have or are prepared to develop subject matter expertise in family law, orders of protection, eviction or professional responsibility.
Attorney mentors support our community legal education programs, which have been serving low-income community members in Arizona since 2020 and are now authorized by the Arizona Supreme Court through Arizona Code of Judicial Administration 7-211. Mentors are paired with certified community legal advocates to support their work in delivering preventative civil legal problem-solving through the social service organizations where they work. Anticipated time commitment is 4-5 hours per month. Attorneys can participate for a stipend or as volunteers.
For more information contact cle@innovation4justice.org or visit www.innovation4justice.org/education/community.
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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.
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The new school year is one of the most exciting times to be at Arizona Law. I was thrilled to meet our new students last week during orientation and welcome returning students back as classes begin this week.
Looking forward to seeing what the upcoming year has in store for all of us!
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