Transformative.

There is no other way to describe the impact and success of the James E. Rogers College of Law over the past year. At the same time we are building on a century of tradition and excellence, changing legal education, reshaping our curriculum, and embracing a global perspective. 

 
This year:

• Our new class has students from 24 different US states and 24 different countries extending our reach further than ever before. Our new class is as strong as ever, reflecting a vast range of backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and experiences.

• We committed ourselves to the growth of post-graduate employment opportunities through two Community Law Groups -- including one through a new partnership with the Arizona Attorney General.

• We have a re-envisioned Career Development Office -- with stunning new quarters in the Robert Carroll Stubbs Career Development Suite; our new electronic communications platform, CareerCAT; new off-campus interview events in Phoenix and elsewhere; and a great new CDO team.

• Clinical representation is at an all-time high in our Veterans' Advocacy Law Clinic, Child and Family Law Clinic, Quarles & Brady Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic, Immigration Clinic, Criminal Prosecution Clinic, IPLP Clinics, Wrongful Conviction Clinic, Civil Rights Restoration Clinic, 9th Circuit Appellate Clinic, and Criminal Defense Clinic.

• We established the first Bachelor of Arts in Law in the United States to provide undergraduates with the analytical, research, writing, and investigative skills to support all levels of industry, government, and the non-profit sector.

• We launched programs in Civil Justice and Quantitative Legal Studies (QuantLaw), hosted many speakers and conferences including the recently concluded The Mind & the Law series, and collectively we published up a storm.

• We welcomed new faculty and program directors -- Andy Coan, Sergio Puig, Negar Katirai, and Najwa Nabti; reached new records of alumni and partner involvement (with over 300 attending the Homecoming BBQ); kept the Jenckes Cup at Arizona Law for a record fifth straight year; and reduced the cost of tuition for a second year in a row, maximizing access and affordability.

I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished this year, and thrilled for things to come in 2015.
 

Throughout all of these efforts, one element has been consistent -- your support. We would not have been able to maintain our traditional strength or transform the College of Law without you. From everyone at the college, please accept our profound thanks.
 

As this year comes to a close, I ask you to renew your commitment to Arizona Law. Every contribution makes a difference. 

Your investment will go directly to new post-graduate opportunities, scholarships, and other ways of supporting students. In all of these areas you can see your gift in action. 

Ryan LaMaster and Autumn Kycia share their stories below illustrating how your support changes lives.

Join us as we shape the next century of legal education. Renew your support by clicking below.

https://www.law.arizona.edu/Alumni/onlinegiving.cfm

If you need assistance or have a special gift in mind, please reach out to Jonelle Vold, our Senior Director of Development, by email or phone at 520-621-8430. We can work with you to get set up before the tax year ends.
 

Until the footnotes, 

Marc
 

Arizona Law's Community Law Groups (CLGs) are law firms staffed by recent graduates who are licensed in Arizona and committed to one year of public interest practice. Graduates are hired as Community Law Group Fellows and employed by the University. Under the direction of Negar Katirai, they will assist clients across a broad spectrum of legal issues that are traditionally under-supported by existing practice models. 

One of our fellows this year is Ryan LaMaster, who serves as a full-time pro bono immigration attorney. His area of responsibility includes asylum and U-visa claims, but he is able to assist in a wider range of immigration law issues for qualified clients.

Ryan came to Arizona Law in 2011 because he had a strong desire to stay in his lifelong home of Tucson. "The law school here is so highly respected and provides such a great atmosphere for students," he said. "I couldn't imagine going anywhere else."

While a student, he spent two semesters in the criminal defense clinic working in the Office of the Pima County Public Defender, where he represented clients in three felony jury trials.

CLGs aim to empower recent graduates with the skills and experience necessary to pursue any career objective. We are working with Fellows like Ryan to make a difference by providing pro bono legal services in critical areas of unmet need. In doing so, we help Ryan and other graduates continue their education, akin to a medical residency, and we help to achieve their goals. Says Ryan:

"My long term goal is to be in private practice in Tucson focusing on criminal defense, family law, and immigration law. The clinic is playing a big role in this long term goal by providing me an opportunity to get experience representing clients in immigration matters while being mentored by highly experienced immigration attorneys."

In his spare time, you can usually find Ryan building something. He describes himself as a longtime tinkerer, amateur woodworker, machinist, and fabricator. He puts these skills to use across a wide range of hobbies -- everything from building parts for race cars to making jewelry. He also enjoys a good sci-fi movie and a Belgian beer.

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.

We hold steadfast to the tenet that a legal education should be accessible and affordable, so financial support for students is one of our largest expense categories. Scholarships have the ability to change a student's life.

Autumn Kycia is the 2014-2015 recipient of the Susan Barber Memorial Scholarship, founded by Sidney and Suki Barber in honor of their late daughter Susan, a former Arizona Law student.

Autumn has a passion for serving vulnerable and underserved populations in our society. After earning a BA in Spanish at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, she taught English as a second language in Northern Spain to students of all ages and levels. Several years and many students later, Autumn found herself back in Boston at a disability law firm where she became a paralegal.

She shared what first sparked her interest in practicing law.
 

After that experience, Autumn signed up for the LSAT, applied, and enrolled at the University of Arizona, where she is not only a first year student at Arizona Law, but also a Master of Public Health candidate at the Zuckerman College of Public Health. Beyond her studies, she is the 1L student representative in the Pride Law student organization and served as a Public Health Graduate Assistant.

She is determined to apply her skills from both degrees by serving as an advocate for those who are vulnerable and silenced in our society. Over the next two and half years, she will surely leave a lasting impression on the college and a mark on the Tucson community.

Her favorite thing to do when not studying is relaxing with her friends, family and two dogs, Rigby and Bella. You can usually find her crocheting, cooking, baking or reading as much as possible.

Connect with Autumn on LinkedIn. 

Investing in scholarships enables students like Autumn to achieve their dreams, and supports a stronger class of graduates from Arizona Law.  

For all of our donors 70 ½ and older, you may be able to take advantage of a recent change in legislation and make a charitable gift directly from your IRA before December 31, 2014. Last evening, the Senate passed the Tax Extenders Bill 76-16. The President is expected to sign the bill into law. See this Washington Post article for more information.  

The window of opportunity to take advantage of this change is very short; the extension will be retroactive to January 1, 2014, but it will expire on December 31, 2014.  

The transfer can count as part of the required minimum withdrawal that most IRA owners 70 ½ and older must take annually.

If you are interested in making a gift from your IRA, please contact Jonelle Vold or 520-621-8430.

Students, staff, and members of the Arizona Law community collected toys and gifts for families affiliated with the Child and Family Law Clinic. Here are a few of the heartwarming moments of student-attorneys delivering gifts that make the holiday season all worthwhile. 

Never forget that no matter how busy life can be, puppies make everything better! Pet Partners joined us at the law college to help students destress before finals. 

Back by popular demand, the Gutter Bowl returns in the spring. Mark your calendars and start practicing now. Special Thanks to Alison Bachus, Jessica Post, Tom Stack, Geoff Balon, Coree Neumeyer, and honorary co-chairs Steve Hirsch and Chas Wirken for planning this event. 

SAVE THE DATE: March 4, 2015

Again, thank you your support... for the College, for our students, and for our larger community.

Thank you for joining us... at our annual lectures, our alumni receptions, our career development workshops, our lecture series, and numerous other events throughout the year. 

We take great pride in the lives and work of all of our 7,000 alumni, and hope to maintain and deepen relationships with all of our graduates in this coming Centennial year. 

The Arizona Law community cherishes its roots in a century of providing legal education in Arizona. With your help we will continue to educate, prepare, and place students in a career where they can make a lasting impact on our profession and on our society. 

Join us.