Greetings,

This week we feature alumna Elizabeth Rollings, Professor and alumnus Greg Sakall, and JD/LLM Candidate Moshe (Jeff) Admon. 

Marc

Elizabeth and Doug at Milford Sound in New Zealand.

As a third generation Tucsonan, Elizabeth Rollings has always loved the Old Pueblo. Her family has been involved in restoring buildings in Barrio Viejo for over 40 years. And after a short stint on the East Coast, she is here to stay.

Elizabeth entered Arizona Law in the fall of 2009 and found that Tucson's community values are echoed at the College. As we often note, it is possible and indeed ideal to be both local and global, regional and national.

"Community has always been a priority for me and among all of the law schools across the country, the community at Arizona Law was one that I felt would be both supportive and motivating."

As a student, Elizabeth was one of the early leaders of the Arizona Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. She volunteered and directed the National Lawyers Guild Legal Referral Clinic. She clerked for the University of Arizona Foundation. She likes people and she likes building strong relationships, and you see that reflected in all that she does.

Today, Elizabeth is an attorney at Fleming & Curti, a firm she got to know when she worked there part time as a student. Her practice focuses on guardianship, conservatorship, estate planning and trust administration.

She continues her commitment to her community as an associate partner at Social Venture Partners, as a member of the Development Board at the University of Arizona Poetry Center, and as co-director of the Pima County Bar Association's Lawyers for Literacy program.

Duncan and Elizabeth on the move in Tucson!

And of special note to College of Law alumni in the Tucson community, Elizabeth serves as chair of the Tucson Recent Graduate Committee, working with a team of dedicated alumni to network and share opportunities. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to Elizabeth.

One opportunity to do just that is at the next Tucson Happy Hour, set for tomorrow, February 12th from 5-7 pm in the lounge area at Barrio Cuisine (188 East Broadway).

Elizabeth and her partner, alumnus Doug Friman ('12), met on the first day of law school orientation. They have a six-month-old goldendoodle puppy, Duncan, who goes to work with Elizabeth every day. She and Doug enjoy running, fishing, and taking trips -- Northwestern Australia and Scotland on are next on the to-visit list.  

Connect with Elizabeth on LinkedIn. 

Greg and his family.

From the office to the classroom, Greg Sakall embodies the strength, decency, and thoughtfulness of the Tucson legal community, and of our alumni. While maintaining an active practice and a busy home life, Greg has also taught at Arizona Law every semester since the spring of 2004.

Greg's core subject matter is Arizona Civil Procedure but he has taught everything from Legal Writing to Insurance Law, and recently took over and reshaped the high-profile Law 389 course taught to undergraduates.

Greg was inspired to attend law school by seeing lawyers in a problem-solving role for his parents. That image -- of law as a service profession -- has shaped his career since.

"After attending Hillsdale College, I worked for several years before attending law school, and believe that, for me, that break was invaluable."

As a student, Greg was an Ares Fellow and the business editor of the Arizona Law Review. He spent his first summer as a clerk at O'Connor Cavanagh Molloy Jones.  During his second summer, he worked at the US Department of Justice in the Federal Programs Branch.  After law school, he clerked for the Honorable William D. Browning and the Honorable Cindy K. Jorgenson in the US District Court of Arizona.

Two years ago, Greg brought his extremely high marks as a professor to our Undergraduate Law Program. He teaches the Law 389 course, titled Sex, Race, Drugs & Power in the Supreme Court.  The class was created four years ago by Professor Christopher Robertson, but when Chris was a visiting professor last year at a very old law school in the Boston area, Greg took over the class, and has now made it his own. 

"I really enjoy working with the law school students who serve as TAs for the undergrads, and also getting to get to better know the law school faculty who come in to guest lecture."

When not on campus, you can find Greg at Goldberg & Osborne. His practice consists of various plaintiff's personal injury matters in both the trial and appellate courts, as well as insurance coverage and bad faith claims.

In the community, Greg serves on the board of the Pima County Bar Association, and is the chairperson of the rules committee. He is a barrister with the Morris K. Udall Inn of Court. He was recently appointed as a member of the task force on the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure working to restyle those rules.

Greg was born in Tucson and raised in Arizona, splitting time between Prescott and Tucson. He has been married for 14 years to Jennifer Wortman, who currently works at Opening Minds to the Arts (OMA), serves as a choir teacher in TUSD, and also is an assistant director with Tucson Girls Chorus.  Greg credits Sr. Development Director (and law school classmate) Jonelle Vold ('01) with introducing them. 

Jennifer and Greg have 2 sons -- Grady, age 6, and Alton, age 4. His describes his hobbies as chasing after the boys, finding new wineries with friends, swimming, and heading to the beach whenever possible. (I can certainly empathize with the first hobby!)

Defined by a spirit of global advancement and individual perseverance, Moshe Admon -- who goes by Jeff -- stands out as a student who never been deterred by a belief that something is impossible.  

Jeff says, "My path to the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law has been a long, arduous, and defining road."  Apart of a unique academic program, Jeff is a transfer student who is completing his JD while pursuing an LLM in International Trade and Business.

He is a dual American/Israeli citizen, and his story is one with many chapters. Before he began his undergraduate studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey, he sought out a career in the financial services industry. 

"For days on end, every morning I took the train from New Jersey to lower Manhattan and stood in front of the commodity exchange asking for employment from everyone that walked into the trading floor. After several emotionally taxing weeks I finally found an exchange member who was willing to grant me entry. Eventually I became a licensed series 3 commodity futures broker on the exchange floors of both 4 World Trade Center and the World Financial Center in Manhattan."

He eventually left trading to study mechanical engineering and economics. Upon graduation, he says, "I had no interest in a typical engineering job but instead sought adventure." He moved to Mexico with one of his closest friends and set up a business buying, refining, and exporting precious metals for nearly two years.

After returning to the States, he saw the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina playing out on national television. He knew his engineering background could be useful so he packed his belongings and drove down to New Orleans. Originally volunteering as a construction laborer for several months, he was soon was offered partnership in a company building steel frame homes. He went on to design and manage the largest roll-form steel factory in the State of Louisiana.

This business was successful until the Great Recession. After multiple forays into other businesses, he happened to be in New Orleans during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. Jeff was able to form a partnership with one of the largest oil remediation firms in the Netherlands to bring in oil-cleaning booms as part of the clean-up effort. After myriad delays and large amounts of oil leakage into the Gulf, BP agreed to use of the booms in the Gulf.

Jeff credits his parents as being one of  the most encouraging forces of his life.

As an intimate participant in the recovery from two national disasters, Jeff shares that he "came face to face with the injustices perpetrated against helpless people in the pursuit of profit and the clutter of bureaucracy." He decided to pursue an LLB at the University of London, graduating with distinction, and then an advanced JD from a US law school. Originally starting at the University of Arkansas, he transferred to the University of Arizona.

Today, Jeff is an active member of the Arizona Law community. He has interned at the National Center for Inter-American Free Trade and is currently a clerk at the patent firm of Grossman, Tucker, Perreault & Pfleger, PLLC, in Tucson.

Jeff is also a member of the Arizona Law Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA), and the president of the National JLSA. Of special note, he is organizing a trip supported by the Jacobson Family Foundation to bring a group of Arizona Law students to Israel for the upcoming Spring Break.

In the future, Jeff plans to practice patent law. He has a keen interest in helping start-ups protect their ideas, raise funds, and devise innovative ways grow their businesses. 

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.

This week we humbly shine the spotlight on alumnus Hayzel B. Daniels, a true groundbreaker in the state of Arizona. Daniels was raised in Ft. Huachuca and Nogales, Arizona. In 1949, he became the first African-American graduate of the College of Law. Daniels was also the first African American to be admitted to the State Bar and, in 1950, was one of the first two African Americans to be elected to the Arizona legislature. During his lengthy career in Phoenix, Daniels sponsored legislation and litigated cases to reduce segregation in Arizona's public schools. In 1965, he was the first African American to be appointed judge in Arizona. In 2012, Daniels was posthumously recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the College of Law. 

Thank you to all of our panelists and attendees at The Rehnquist Court: Ten Years Later presented by the William H. Rehnquist Center on the Constitutional Structures of Government. 

The 2nd Annual Civil Justice Lecture Featuring Patrick McGroder ('70)

Patrick McGroder, a shareholder in the Phoenix-based law firm of Gallagher & Kennedy, specializes in high profile, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death litigation. As an architect of social change, Pat has been on the cutting edge of litigation that has led to HMO reform, road design improvement, motor vehicle and aviation safety changes and nursing home regulation.

During forty years of trial practice, McGroder has been lead counsel in more than 100 cases in which there has been a verdict or settlement in excess of $1,000,000. He has recovered more than $500 million for his clients during this time.  

He will present on "The Art of Oral Advocacy." 

Thursday, February 19, 2015

4 pm - 5 pm

Ares Auditorium (Room 164)

Reception to follow in the Snell & Wilmer Courtyard

RSVP Here.  

The Gutter Bowl is coming! Are you able to beat your managing partner and get the lowest score? Remember lowest score wins! How about your old classmate? Under the expert leadership of co-chairs Steve Hirsch and Chas Wirken, teams compete for the coveted Gutter Bowl Pin! Join us for an evening of fun, food, and good ol' fashioned competition.

March 4, 2015

6 pm - 9 pm

Bowlmor Scottsdale.

7300 East Thomas Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.
 

Alumni, faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend.