law.arizona.edu
| Link
July 23,
2014 | |
Greetings,
In
February of this year, we launched the Arizona Law
Civil Justice Initiative, a comprehensive
practical and theoretical approach to studying
civil justice. Our launch event was a
major lecture by California attorney Thomas V. Girardi, and
we are planning talks by our many leading alums in
this field in the coming year.
Arizona
Law is well-situated to provide national
leadership in the changing face of civil justice,
with deep and longstanding strengths in tort law,
civil procedure, alternative dispute resolution,
and constitutional law. These curricular roots are
complemented by our people and
programs in trial practice -- a
generation of unforgettable classes in evidence
and trial advocacy led by the iconic Tom Mauet.
The
Civil Justice Initiative engages students,
faculty, and practitioners in:
- producing scholarship with practical
applications related to civil
justice
- developing thoughtful leadership,
dialogue, and research about civil justice
issues
- facilitating education and outreach,
with lectures and panels by our alumni and other
leading lawyers whose work relates to civil
justice
- increasing course offerings related to
civil justice
- creating regional and national forums
for discussing civil justice issues of import to
practitioners and judges, including work on
procedural reforms
- reaching out to you -- our alumni and
other leaders involved in civil litigation --
and using your perspectives and accomplishments
to strengthen both our curriculum and our
employment network.
We
are also beginning efforts to create the Thomas
Mauet Center for Trial Advocacy, both to honor
Tom's work and to bring our various trial advocacy
efforts under one nationally recognized umbrella.
We will have more exciting news on the trial
advocacy front in coming months. For more
information or to be a part of our efforts, please
email Jonelle
Vold, Sr. Director for Development.
Over
the next two weeks, we will highlight
one element of our Civil Justice Initiative -- our
commitment to trial skill development through
advocacy competitions.
Until
the footnotes,
|
The
Arizona Law Trial Team, supervised by Professor Tom Mauet and coached
by Brian Chase ('11) and
Joel Feinman ('06),
exposes Arizona Law students to the trial skills
employed in courtrooms across the country.
Students prepare and try a case, from opening
statements, to directs and crosses, and through to
closing arguments.
Students
practice almost daily -- roughly 10 to 20 hours a
week -- in preparing for their competition. The
subject matter varies from year to year, and
competitors can face both civil and criminal
cases.
"My
goal as a coach is make sure students feel
comfortable in a courtroom," said Coach Chase. "I
want our graduates to be able to start their first
job and be ready to walk into a courtroom to
handle a hearing or a trial. This is the most
intensive trial preparation a student can get
while at Arizona Law."
|
ABA
National Appellate Advocacy Competition
Team |
The
Arizona Law NAAC Team, coached by Professor Susie Salmon, aims to
have students become nimble thinkers,
skilled legal writers, and confident oral
advocates.
Student
teams participate in a simulated appeal to the
United States Supreme Court. Each team writes a
brief arguing one side of the issue and
participates in at least three rounds of oral
argument. At least once, the team argues the side
opposite the one it briefed.
Professor
Salmon shared her thoughts on one of the many
benefits from participation.
"It's
a chance to practice professionalism under
fire. In moot court competitions, sometimes
the 'best' team doesn't win a round. It can be
brutally unfair. Although I will not claim that I
don't love watching our teams win, some of my
proudest moments have come from watching a team
lose graciously."
|
Jessup
International Law Moot Court Competition
Team |
The
Arizona Law Jessup Moot Court Team, coached by
Professor Julie Ferdon ('85)
since 2005, provides an opportunity to focus on an
international legal issue in an international
competition.
The
competition is
a simulation of a fictional dispute between
nations brought before the International Court of
Justice. Teams prepare written and oral pleadings
arguing both the Applicant State and Respondent
State positions. The top two teams from each U.S.
Regional Competition advance to the International
Rounds in Washington, DC.
Professor
Ferdon notes, "My goal is to encourage and develop
students so when they depart from the law school,
they are more agile and confident
advocates." |
Pace
Environmental Law Competition
Team |
Arizona
Law's National Environmental Moot Court Team
provides students of environmental law with the
opportunity to hone their litigation skills in a
national competition hosted by Pace University
School of Law in White Plains, NY. The
Arizona team is coached by Associate Dean and
Professor Kirsten Engel and
Professor Don Large,
The competition problem usually
features a dispute between three entities -- the
government, a public interest group, and a
regulated industry -- reflecting the fact that
environmental litigation frequently involves
multiple parties. Each team must argue all
three sides during the competition. This design
provides a tremendous intellectual challenge for
the competitors, as they must understand the legal
arguments and strategies of each position.
"The Pace Competition is integral to
the law school's environmental law
program, said Dean Engel. "It gives those
students interested in litigation an opportunity
to apply their knowledge and skills in a
real-world practice setting." The
Environmental Law Program leverages the resources
of a science-based land grant university to
provide a working home to scholars and students of
environmental law, science and
policy.

|
NALSA
Moot Court Competition
Team |
The
Arizona Law Native American Law Students
Association (NALSA) Moot Court Team, coached by
Professor Melissa Tatum,
concentrates on issues in federal Indian law
and/or tribal law and governance.
The
annual competition is held at a host school every
year, and the
NALSA Chapter of Arizona Law recently
won the bid to host the 2015 national competition
next March!
Organized through the
Indigenous Peoples Law and
Policy Program (IPLP) and the local student
NALSA chapter,
participating students develop advocacy skills
that they can immediately use for tribal clients
upon graduation. A
two-person team briefs and argues the problem
before a mock appellate panel.
"Indian
and tribal law issues are some of the most complex
and evolving areas of law, especially when there
can be unique procedures and varying judicial
systems," says Professor Tatum. "Students who
participate in the NALSA Moot Court Competition
graduate with the ability to think on their feet
and react swiftly in the best interests of their
clients in the realm of this distinctive area of
law."
I
am very proud of our NALSA chapter and IPLP
Program for all of their hard work in bringing
this important competition to Tucson.
|
Arizona Law Alumni at the
Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference
 |
I missed the day of the
picture, but got to catch up last Thursday
morning with some of the Arizona Law alumni at
the Ninth Circuit Judicial
Conference. |
Front
Row: Stephen McNamee, Senior
District Judge; Angela Woolridge,
Conference Executive Committee & Chairperson
of Arizona Lawyer Representatives; Alison
Bachus, Arizona Lawyer
Representative.
Second
Row: Bruce Macdonald, Magistrate
Judge; Raner Collins, Chief
District Judge.
Third
Row: Cari Dangerfield Waters, CJA
Supervising Attorney for the Northern District of
California; Rosemary Marquez,
District Judge; Kristine Fox,
Office of Circuit Executive Case Managing
Attorney.
Back
Row: Jacqueline Rateau,
Magistrate Judge; Daniel Collins,
Chief Bankruptcy Judge; Geoffrey
Cheshire, Conference Executive Committee;
Charles Pyle, Magistrate Judge;
Frank Zapata, Senior District
Judge.
Networking
Noshes are Back: Join Us!
Help
Arizona Law students learn to network! Our
talented students are eager to engage with alumni
and practice their networking skills. Alumni are
encouraged to join us on the second Thursday
of every month for a networking
reception.
Networking
Noshes are held on campus
and provide our students an
opportunity to meet legal and business
professionals, practice their networking skills,
and learn about different practice areas. We
are looking for interested alums who can join us
at the Law College for these events. Our first
Networking Nosh will be September 11th. It is
informal reception and runs from 4:30 to 6pm. If
you are interested in participating, please email
us at alumni@law.arizona.edu.
Coming soon!
SAVE
THE DATE - Arizona Law in Denver
August
11, 2014
Cocktail
Reception
5:30
- 7:30 pm
The
Corner Office
1401
Curtis St. Denver, CO 80202
RSVP for the reception
here.
*
* *
SAVE
THE DATE - Arizona Law in Albuquerque
August
12, 2014
Cocktail
Reception
5:00
- 7:00 pm
Seasons
Rotisserie &
Grill
2031
Mountain Road NW
Albuquerque,
NM 87104
RSVP for the reception
here.
*
* *
SAVE
THE DATE - Arizona Law in Las Vegas
September
5, 2014
*
* *
SAVE
THE DATE - Rehnquist Center's Annual
Constitution Day Program at the College of
Law
September
15, 2014
*
* *
SAVE
THE DATE - PLAN AHEAD - Centennial Homecoming
Weekend
November
7-9, 2014
For
more
information, visit
our Homecoming 2014
website.
*
* *
Our
best wishes and thoughts to all July bar exam
takers. Our alumni and career offices will be in
Phoenix for the Arizona exam takers, providing
lunches, and doing anything we can do to help
during this stressful period. Please let us know
if we can be of any assistance.
Warmly,
Marc L.
Miller
Dean & Ralph W. Bilby Professor of
Law
James E. Rogers College of Law
Looking for a way to
make an impact?
Make a donation to our
student scholarship fund. Every dollar
invested produces a solid return and helps to
alleviate the burden of educational debt for a
student.
| |
Online
Giving | law.arizona.edu/give | Link | | | |
Copyright © 2013. All Rights
Reserved.
| | | |