UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW

JULY 22, 2026

Greetings,

Today marks my 100th day as dean of Arizona Law. Reflecting on the past few months, there have been numerous highlights: record-breaking employment numbers, a nationally-renowned legal writing conference, the commencement of more than 300 graduates across five degree programs.

This week, we feature a round-up of competition teams from the past academic year. These teams compete in advocacy scenarios that reflect the diverse range of practice areas that draw our students.

We also recognize the passing of Dee-Dee Samet, who made a lasting impact on the Arizona Law community and the broader Arizona legal profession. She will be missed by many.

Read on,

Jason

FEATURE

Beyond the Classroom: 2025–26 Legal Skills Competition Highlights and Achievements

Each year, students at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law compete in local, regional and national moot court and mock trial competitions. These competitions give students an opportunity to build on the foundations laid in the classroom by our trial advocacy program and other practical skills courses. It’s no wonder that National Jurist named Arizona Law in its 2026 list of top ten schools for trial advocacy.

Check out the highlights from this year’s competitions.

ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition

Two Arizona Law teams competed before spring break in the Chicago regional of the American Bar Association (ABA) National Appellate Advocacy Competition. The team of Alyssa Keene (3L), Grace Schroder (3L) and Trey Wagnon (3L) advanced to the semifinal round and won a fourth-place brief in the region; they lost by one point in the semifinals but delivered four rounds of excellent argument, each receiving high oral argument scores. The team of Anson Naumann (3L), Kaz Walls (3L) and Zaynah Craven (2L) narrowly missed advancing and received very strong scores.

Administered by the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division, the National Appellate Advocacy Competition is one of the most competitive moot court competitions in the country, drawing almost 200 teams from across the country who compete in six regional oral argument rounds. Teams draft briefs and present oral arguments in a simulated U.S. Supreme Court case.

Barry Davis National Trial Team

The National Trial Competition regional competition is sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Texas Young Lawyers Association and is the most prestigious trial competition in the country. Arizona Law’s Barry Davis Team gets its name from legendary local trial attorney Barry Davis, who was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

The Barry Davis Team competed in the All-Star Bracket in the fall, where Sarah Avila (3L) won a top-attorney award. In the spring, the team traveled to Sacramento to compete in the regional round of the National Trial Competition, hosted this year by McGeorge Law School. While the team did not advance to the national round, they performed strongly. In one trial, they lost by only three points, out of 300 possible, to UC Berkeley, the team that ended up winning the regional. Next year, the University of Arizona will host the National Trial Competition here in Tucson.

Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC)

The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) is one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious interschool moot court competitions devoted entirely to environmental law. Hosted annually by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, the three-day event tests law students’ appellate brief writing and oral advocacy skills using complex, real-world environmental litigation issues. Distinct from traditional two-party moots, NELMCC requires three adverse teams to argue simultaneously. This format mirrors real-world environmental litigation, where disputes typically involve the government, a public interest group and a regulated industry member

This year, Sam Berghoff (2L), Mary Glen Hatcher (2L) and Joel Robinson (2L) represented the University of Arizona. The team was one of nine teams, out of 54, that advanced to the semi-finals. Sam Berghoff was named best oralist in the final preliminary round.

Joseph Jenckes Competition

The annual Joseph Jenckes Competition is a closing arguments competition between students from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University (ASU). Each law school selects two students as their team. This year, the competition was held at the University of Arizona in November. Ella Spoor (3L) and Lauren Romaguera (2L) successfully represented Arizona Law and defeated the competition.

The judges of the competition are the Arizona members of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honorary society of trial lawyers whose membership is limited to 1% of the practicing bar. Being selected to membership is a significant honor, and the College’s membership includes the most prominent trial lawyers in Arizona.

The Joseph Jenckes Competition has been held for over 50 years. It is sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and is held every year at one of the two Arizona law schools.

Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition

Jessup is the world’s largest moot court competition, fielding teams from over 700 schools across the globe. Teams of law students prepare memorials and present arguments before a simulated International Court of Justice, addressing contemporary issues of public international law relating to a fictionalized dispute between nations. This year the competition held its inaugural unified U.S. National Rounds in Atlanta, Georgia, in March. This landmark event brought together 92 teams for the largest in-person U.S. competition. Arizona Law’s team included Jean-Frederic Belaise (3L), Leilani Barbee (2L), Thomas Cromwell (2L), Joe Cappuccilli (2L) and Zach Kauffman (3L).

National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition (NNALSA)

The Indigenous People Law and Policy (IPLP) Program was proud to send and support three teams from Arizona Law to the the NNALSA annual Moot Court Competition in Chicago, Illinois. The competition was hosted by Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Allyson LeForce (3L) and Damon Clark (2L); Jacquelyn Francisco (3L) and Breanne Harvey (2L); and Tessa Hanson-Vargas (3L) and Keila Rodriguez (2L) made a strong showing at the competition.

Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition

The Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition is an internal competition established in 1995 by the late Richard Grand (’58), a Tucson-area plaintiffs’ attorney.

He conceived the idea of a competition that would emphasize jury arguments focusing on damages. Four finalists are selected from a preliminary round and then compete in a final round often judged by alumni who have previously won the competition. This year’s finalists included:

1st place ($4,000 prize): Aiken Umholtz (3L)

2nd place ($3,000 prize): Kyle Dayton (3L)

3rd place ($2,500 prize): Ella Spoor (3L)

4th place ($2,000 prize): Danny Fisher (2L)

Samuel M. Fegtly Moot Court Competition

Founded in 1939 and named for the College of Law’s first dean, the Fegtly Competition is Arizona Law’s oldest moot court tradition. This internal moot-court competition, which recognizes students for their excellent written and oral appellate advocacy, has been funded by alum J. Scott Burns (’76) in honor of his father, F. Britton Burns (’41), since 1985.

This year, Isabella Maraist (2L) earned the Suzanne Rabé Award for Best Brief and Zaynah Craven (2L) received the Excellence in Brief Writing award.

Trey Wagnon (2L) and Zaynah Craven argued in the final round of the competition. Craven was this year’s F. Britton Burns Award winner as the top oral advocate in the final round, and Wagnon received the Samuel M. Fegtly Award for the highest combined scores in the preliminary rounds

Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition

The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is an annual, nationwide tournament focused entirely on U.S. trademark and unfair competition law. Organized by the International Trademark Association (INTA), it challenges law students to write an appellate brief and present oral arguments in a mock courtroom setting.

This year, Arizona Law sent Danie Allen (2L), Rosie Boswell (2L), Jared Mars (2L) and Josh Pugmire (2L) to the regional competition held in Los Angeles.

FROM THE COLLEGE

Honoring Dee-Dee Samet, a Force for Good in the Community

Arizona Law and Tucson lost a pillar of the community on July 14, 2026 with the death of Dee-Dee Samet (’63).

Dee-Dee, a 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award winner, was one of only three women in her graduating class. For over five decades, she devoted her law practice to public benefits work, focusing on Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income and Workers’ Compensation. She also handled family law and civil cases. Dee-Dee worked on 154 appeals as an attorney throughout her career before the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Arizona, the Ninth Circuit and United States District Court. Starting in 1985, she was a Judge Pro Tempore with the Pima County Superior Court and she also served as a Judge Pro Tempore for Santa Cruz County.

Dee-Dee’s record of professional service at the national, state and local levels was extraordinary. She served as president of the Arizona State Bar in 1999–2000, the third woman to hold that position. A member of the Arizona State Bar Board of Governors and the Arizona State Bar Foundation Board for many years, she also served as president of the statewide and the southern Arizona Women Lawyers Association, the William D. Browning Federal Bar Association and the Pima County Bar Association, and co-chair of the United States District Court’s Gender Equality Task Force. Her community service included board membership with Casa de Los Niños, Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy, Tucson Homeless Connect and the Invisible Theatre.

Fittingly, current Arizona Law students sit at the Dee-Dee Samet Appellant Table, an upgraded space made possible by her support for the “A New Day in Court” initiative. As an alumna, LawCat and community member, her influence will long be felt.

For those who knew Dee-Dee – or those who would like to know who she was and what she stood for – the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library recorded a “Lives in the Law” oral history with her in 2001 as part of its series of wide-ranging conversations with notable alumni. Her interview offers an opportunity to hear her reflect on her career, experiences, and the values that guided her life. It can be accessed here:

Lives in the Law: Dee-Dee Samet (’63) Part One

Lives in the Law: Dee Dee Samet ('63) Part Two

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On campus in Tucson, my 100th day as dean comes in the middle of the relative calm of the summer. Over the next 100 days, the academic year will begin, another busy season of competitions will get underway and we will continue to Build Up and Bear Down.

We are grateful for Dee-Dee Samet, who will be remembered both for her support for advocates-in-training like the students on our competition teams, as well as for her example of excellence in the practice and service to the community.

Onward,