 |
Greetings,
Great
law schools share a common trait. They have distinctive
programs that push the boundaries of excellence, with
impacts reaching throughout the country and around the
world. The Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP)
program at Arizona Law is just such a program.
The IPLP
program does not simply teach students -- it trains the
next generation of advocates to make a difference. It is
one of the few places where the opportunity to study
with the top scholars in the field is paired with nearby
tribal externship opportunities.
This
week we feature the outstanding work of our Native
American Law Students Association (NALSA), alumna Leah
Lussier Sixkiller, and Professor Rob Williams, whose
internationally acclaimed scholarship and engagement as
a public intellectual has been reflected
in national media.
Until
the Footnotes,
Marc
|
|
Arizona
Law's Native American Law Students Association
(NALSA) |
 |
NALSA members at an outreach
event. |
Student
organizations offer the opportunity for students to
apply their interests and skills. The Native American Law Students Association
(NALSA) at Arizona Law strives to build community among
its members and to promote the study of federal Indian
law, tribal law, and international human rights law.
In
recent years, the National NALSA
has recognized two Arizona Law students as students of
the year, and named Arizona Law as the national chapter
of the year. Arizona Law students frequently serve on
the National NALSA Executive Board, and our local
chapter has twice hosted the National NALSA writing
competition.
This
year NALSA embarks on a new opportunity. On March 6 and
7, 2015, the College of Law will host the National NALSA Moot Court Competition.
Arizona Law will welcome 71 teams from law schools
across the nation.
In their
bid to host the competition, now-alumnus Chad Ambroday and current NALSA President
and 3L Chase Velasquez created a strong bid and
an engaging YouTube video highlighting why Arizona
Law was the best place for the 2015 competition. Their
creativity, hard work, and determination paid off and
gained us the prestigious honor of hosting the
competition.
Chase, a
member of the White Mountain
Apache Tribe and current Vice President of the
National NALSA, serves as the competition's organizer.
Chase competed in 2014 and is excited about bringing the
competition to Tucson.
 |
NALSA's annual Fry Bread and
Taco Sale at the
college. |
"Supporting
NALSA's desire to host the competition demonstrates
Arizona Law's commitment to supporting the diversity of
its students as well as recognizing the issues
indigenous peoples face globally. This competition gives
the law school the opportunity to promote the Indigenous
Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) program as well as the law
school in general to students across the country. IPLP
has the potential to recruit students for its LLM and
SJD program."
After
this leadership from our students -- and making sure we
have the necessary space! - the next most important
element is you! With 71 teams, it is going to be a
largest competition in NALSA history, which is great
news, but also a bit daunting. NALSA needs 120 oral
argument judges, volunteers for registration and
information desks, and timekeepers for the rounds.
If you
are interested in volunteering, please contact Carrie
Stusse in the IPLP office at cms1@email.arizona.edu or
520.626.6497.
|
|
Leah
Lussier Sixkiller
('10) |
Leah Lussier Sixkiller knows the
challenges and rewards of leading NALSA.
She
formerly served as president of the organization, during
which time the chapter received the National NALSA
chapter of the year award and she received the National
NALSA 2L of the year award. She is also a big supporter
of the National NALSA Moot Court Competition. She and
her teammate (now husband) made it to the "elite eight"
round at the competition.
Today,
based in Minneapolis, she is an associate at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP in the corporate
group, focusing primarily on business and financing
transactions in Indian Country. She recently represented
a tribe in its acquisition of a Minnesota limited
liability company, and is now representing another tribe
in issuing bonds.
In her
community work, Leah serves as a Council Member for the
Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, the
Breck School Alumni Council, and the Harvard Club of
Minnesota. She also helps law students in the area
explore Indian Law careers.
For
Leah, the path to law school entailed an enduring
commitment to herself and the ability to make a
difference in Indian law.
 |
Leah's beautiful
family! |
"I
had wanted to be a psychologist since I was 10. Then in
college I took a few courses in which I learned about
how law and policy affect American Indian tribal nations
and individuals. By the end of my college sophomore
year I was set on becoming the first lawyer in my
family."
In
addition to her student activities and competitions, she
was a summer associate at her current law firm during
her first summer, and a summer associate at another law
firm in Minneapolis during her second summer. At
the end of her 3L year, she received the James M.
Livermore Service Award and gave an eloquent
commencement speech to her classmates.
After
law school, she became a lifelong teammate with her
college sweetheart and fellow Arizona Law classmate, Jesse Sixkiller ('10). They live in
her hometown of Minneapolis with their "energetic and
intelligent 15-month-old daughter." They enjoy winter
activities such as skating, snowshoeing, and ice
fishing, which she missed (she must have been just too
busy!) while in Tucson.
|
As
Co-director of the IPLP
Program, Professor Rob Williams knows the importance of
supporting students in their professional pursuits, and
how many opportunities emerge through experience. Rob is
a highly engaged scholar, and hundreds of students have
been mentored by him through their work with
organizations, firms, and tribes.
Recently,
Rob was invited to participate in an interview that
aired on PBS's Bill Moyers & Company
discussing a variety of Native American topics from
sacred lands in Arizona to the legacy of US
government-American Indian relations.
This
interview gained widespread attention and included a Web Extra, in which Rob discussed the
IPLP program, the new Undergraduate Law Program, and many of
the great projects happening right now at Arizona Law.
Rob also
guest authored a post on Moyers' website
and worked with the show's staff to develop a timeline of Native American history. It
is a fascinating graphic -- I hope you will check it
out.
Also of
note: Rob's book, Savage Anxieties, zoomed up on
Amazon into the top 250 books sold for several days
following the interview, and took the number one spot
within the category of History-Native American and
History of Civilization and Culture.
And on
Monday, Rob became one of 53 historians throughout the
United States invited by New York Magazine to
participate in a national project on the legacy of President
Obama.
Rob's
pathbreaking work makes us proud to have him as a
colleague. The IPLP program he has built with his close
friend Professor Jim Anaya and others is a model for how
scholarship, teaching, mentorship, and policy can be
combined to the benefit of each dimension. More than a
generation of graduates -- graduates like Leah Lussier
Sixkiller who are themselves changing the legal
profession and their communities -- testify to this
success.
|
|
Centennial
Snapshot -- The School of Law becomes a
College |
 |
Professor Samuel Fegtly (middle) became
the Dean of the
new College of
Law |
Professional instruction in law
was started at the University of Arizona in September,
1915, and in 1925 the School of Law was changed to the
College of Law. This made it the fifth College at the
University of Arizona. The other four were the Colleges
of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Mines and Engineering;
Agriculture; and Education.
|
Arizona Journal of
International and Comparative Law: Symposium Conference
on the work of James Anaya

Alumni, partners, and friends
are invited to the International Journal's Symposium
Conference. There will be seven authors presenting --
including four authors traveling from overseas --
on material published by Professor James Anaya
while he was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (May 2008-May 2014). A
part of this conference will be acknowledging Professor
Anaya's Nobel Peace Prize Nomination.
Brown
Bag Lunch Discussion
Thursday, January 22
12 - 1 pm
Sullivan
Conference Room (Room 272)
Symposium
Conference
Friday, January 23
1:30 - 5:15 pm
Ares
Auditorium (Room 164)
No RSVP
Required.
|

The
Gutter Bowl is coming! Are you able to
beat your managing partner and get the lowest score? How
about your old classmate? Join us for an evening of fun,
food, and good ol' fashioned competition.
March
4, 2015, Bowlmor Scottsdale.
7300
East Thomas Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.
Alumni,
faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend.
|
 |
Arizona Law and the Jenckes Cup
serves as motivation for UA Athletics in this weekend's
Arizona Daily Star by Greg Hansen.
My
two cents: Territorial Cup matters in Tucson,
Tempe
 |
Jenckes
Cup |
Arizona's
88-41 loss to Arizona State in Thursday's women's
basketball game was the second-worst loss in school
history. The Wildcats lost 95-44 to Washington in 1988,
a 51-point margin.
Worse,
Niya Butts' team pushed its recent streak against the
Sun Devils to 2-18. It's difficult to remember that
Arizona beat ASU 14 consecutive times in women's
basketball from 1994-2000.
Furthermore,
sitting on ASU's bench Thursday was Salpointe grad Sybil
Dosty, an ASU grad who is now a graduate assistant on
the Sun Devils staff.
Though
it's not that popular, if nothing else, UA women's
basketball matters in Territorial Cup points.
Here's how much it matters around campus: The
universities' law schools have their own "Territorial
Cup" every November. It is called the Jenckes Closing
Argument Competition. Arizona has won five consecutive
"Jenckes Cups," coached by professor Tom Mauet. The
trophy is on display in the Cracchiolo Law Library on
the UA campus.
Maybe
Greg Byrne can get some Territorial Cup credit for
that.
|
QuantLaw Presents: A
Conversation with John Donohue (Stanford), Jeff Fagan
(Columbia), and Saul Levmore
(Chicago)
Theory
Work on Data
John
Donohue, "The Big Controversy in Empirical Evaluation of
Law and Policy"
Data
Work on Policing
Jeff
Fagan
Theory
Work on Aging
Saul
Levmore, "Aging: Retirement by Contract"
Monday,
January 26th
4:00-5:30
Ares
Auditorium (Room 164)
No RSVP
Required.
|
Terrorism
In America
Arizona
Law presents "Terrorism in America: What are the
current threats, and is the U.S. government doing enough
to defend us?" with former CIA officer Michael Hurley.
This is a free, open-to-the-public event, and CLE credit
may be available.
Wednesday,
January 28th
4:30 -
6pm
Room
160
Register Here.
|
U.S. Court of Appeals,
Ninth Circuit Visit
The U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hold oral
arguments during its annual visit to Arizona Law.
Seating is available first to those who have registered.
Others are welcome to observe on a first-come,
first-serve basis as space is available. Arguments will
be heard in three cases: (1) Adobe Systems v.
Joshua Christensen, (2) Arizona Libertarian Party v. Ken
Bennett, and (3) Mauricio Margain v. Elsa Ruiz-Bours,
followed by a Question and Answer Session.
Thursday,
January 29th
9:30 -
11:30am
Ares
Auditorium (Room 164)
For more information and to register, please
click here.
|
The Rehnquist
Court: Ten Years Later
The
William H. Rehnquist Center on the Constitutional
Structures is hosting an all-day conference, examining
the jurisprudence of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.
Conference Program topics include: Federalism, The
Role of the Chief Justice, Criminal Procedure, and The
First Amendment and Religion.
Friday,
Feburary 6th
9 am -
5pm
Westward
Look Resort & Spa
245 East
Ina Road
For more information and to register, please
click here. |
Congratulations
to Hope Sullivan ('14) and Nick Bielat ('14)
on their recent marriage!
|
|
Before our students even return
from the semester break, we have reached the prime of
our recruiting season for next year's entering class. Do
you know of a prospective law student who would be a
good fit for Arizona Law? Perhaps someone interested in
Indian Law? Please let us know.
Our
Assistant Dean of Admissions, Bianca
Mack, is here to help facilitate the admissions
process, and Rob Williams and all of the faculty welcome
the opportunity to talk with great prospective students.
We can always use your assistance in getting the word
out, and telling prospective students about the
meaningful work and careers that build upon an Arizona
Law education.
Warmly,

Marc L. Miller
Dean & Ralph W. Bilby Professor of Law
Shaping
the next century of legal
education
|
| |
 | |