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UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW


JUNE 8, 2022

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Native American Law Student Association Moot Court team

Greetings,


We are continuing to feature members of our Class of 2022. This week, we spotlight Alejandra Encinas Garcia, a graduate of our BA in law program who worked as a translator to assist our Workers’ Rights Clinic.


Congratulations also to the participants in various regional and national moot court competitions during the 2021–22 school year, highlighted below. With the help of our faculty and volunteers in the legal community, these competitors represented the University of Arizona Law admirably in virtual and in-person competitions throughout the country.

Until the footnotes,


Marc

FEATURE

BA in Law Grad Alejandra Encinas Garcia Turns to Legal Linguistics to Help Local Community

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“I really wanted to go into a major that would help me build up on the skills and the passions that I already had, and I really saw how the BA in Law could provide that for me,” says 2022 BA in Law grad Alejandra Encinas Garcia


Before declaring her major, Alejandra had a background in social justice and organizing, having spent time working for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Tucson, a nonprofit that provides legal services to refugees, asylees and other immigrants.  


“A lot of times what happens with community organizers is we have the passion and drive, but we might not have that institutional knowledge that ultimately allows us to advocate for people more effectively,” says Alejandra. “I was also really interested in the possibility of simply having a better understanding of the laws that affect my community.” 


Originally from Hermosillo, Sonora in Mexico, Alejandra began the BA in Law program with the idea that law school might be her next step. She envisioned a future helping migrant families and thought the best way that she could do that would be by becoming an immigration lawyer.  


Then Alejandra joined the Interpretation and Translation Internship, where BA in Law students provide interpretation and translation to clients in the Workers’ Rights Clinic, while learning about the law, legal professions and how to work as part of a legal team. 


“We were the bridge between JD students and the clients. Yes, it was translating and interpreting, but it was also being a cultural bridge,” says Alejandra. “As a migrant, I felt like I could empathize with a lot of clients and with some of the barriers that they would face.” 


To learn more about Alejandra’s University of Arizona experience and future plans, see the full story here.

UPCOMING EVENT HIGHLIGHT

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Join Us at the Arizona State Bar Convention!


University of Arizona Law is proud to sponsor the Tuesday night signature event at the 2022 State Bar Convention: 


When: Tuesday, June 28, at 5:15 p.m.

Where: Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass — 5594 W Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler AZ 85226

Register: azbar.org/convention


For more information on the Convention, see azattorneymag-digital.com/azattorneymag/2022conmag?folio=7.


We would love to see you there! 

AROUND THE COLLEGE

2021–22 Moot Court Teams Compete Successfully in Regional, National Competitions

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As we get into the full swing of the summer, we want to recognize the competitors who participated in external moot court competitions this past school year and thank the faculty members, alumni and others in the legal community who advised them: 


Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition


Jake Israelsen (3L) and James Rollins (3L) competed in the virtual regional round of the competition, advancing to the national competition and winning best appellate brief in the region. Jake and James went on to compete against nine other law-school teams from across the country in the national rounds in April.  


The Rich competition, sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association, presents problems directed to patent law and related litigation issues. Since it first participated in the competition in 2016, the University of Arizona Law team, coached by Professor of Practice Ron Brown, has experienced considerable success, winning best appellate brief in two out of the last three years and reaching the regional finals and advancing to the national competition in both of the last two years.  


Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition


The University of Arizona Law team of Darya Anderson (3L), Marley Grosskopf (2L) and Lauren Swol (3L) argued on behalf of a different party in each round of this competition, expertly handling complex questions on four environmental issues. Marley was named “best oralist” in both of the two rounds she argued.  


The team enjoyed excellent preparation and advice from several faculty members, including Kirsten Engel, Robert Glennon, and Priya Sundareshan (JD/MS ’11). The team also received support from several local and visiting environmental lawyers, and a few former team members— Alexandra Klass, Michael LeBlanc, Bruce Plenk, Ashley Caballero-Daltrey (’20) and Harry Yadav (3L)—who all volunteered as practice judges and provided invaluable feedback.  

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Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition


Madeline Gegg (2L), Tyler Malm (2L), Blaize Boles (2L) and Katerina Grainger (2L) competed in the (virtual) Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition regional round in late February. The University of Arizona Law team earned high scores from the judges on their written memorials and their oral arguments, and came “maddeningly close to advancing,” in the words of the team’s devoted longtime coach, Professor Shirley Spira (pictured).


Administered by the International Law Students Association, the Jessup draws competitors from more than 700 law schools in more than 100 countries. The competition involves a dispute between two fictional countries before the International Court of Justice and requires the students to learn and argue complex issues of public international law.  

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ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition


Two College of Law teams participated in the virtual Oklahoma City regional round of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) in early March. Both teams reached the semi-final round.


The team of Neal Brubaker (3L), Joe DeFino (3L) and Liam Martin (3L) won third place in the region for their brief and earned some notably high oral-argument scores. The team of Daniel Bowman (3L), Ben Myer (3L) and Rachel Romaniuk (3L) (pictured) also wrote a solid brief and scored well in oral argument, with Rachel receiving a perfect score during one round.  


Special thanks go to the many faculty members and alumni who helped prepare the teams, including former NAAC team members Kristine Alger (’14), Troy Anderson (’17), Holly Bainbridge (’18), Jim Carlson (’16), Ashley Daltrey (’20), Kate Hollist (’16), Aaron Green (’19), Janet Howe (’17), Nick Knauer (’11), Rachael Lopez (’20), Matt Maerowitz (’13), Kelly Mull (’20), Vince Redhouse (’21), Michael Shumway (’13), Ashley Silberhorn (’12), Emily Tyson-Jorgenson (’15), Bern Velasco (’17) and Jayme Weber (’15); faculty members Tessa DysartSylvia LettDiana NewmarkDiana Simon and Carolyn Williams; and retired faculty member Suzanne Rabe (’79).  

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Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition


University of Arizona Law sent three teams to this year’s National Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) Moot Court Competition, hosted by the University of Colorado Law School. Coached by Professor Heather Whiteman Runs Him and Professor Pilar Thomas (pictured), the teams put in many hours of preparation and practice, engaging with a challenging problem that involved issues including treaty rights, religious freedom to sacred site access, and the application of international instruments to domestic law questions.  


The team of Andie Sweeden (3L) and Hannah Goins (3L) advanced to the Sweet 16 round, and the other two teams—Dillon Dobson (3L) and Daniel Hartman-Strawn (3L), and Stephanie Monroe (3L) and Ontario Duley (2L)—also did a fantastic job presenting their arguments and gained valuable advocacy experience.  

IN THE NEWS

A Growing Movement to Reclaim Water Rights for Indigenous People

Yes! Magazine, featuring Rebecca Tsosie


The US needs paid sick leave; here’s how to do it right

Law Glitz, commentary by Shefali Milczarek-Desai

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Twitter, @uarizonalaw

Our BA in Law program is currently about four times the size of our JD program. That includes about 1,000 students in the U.S.—two thirds in person, and one third online—and around 550 in our global dual degree microcampuses in Qingdao at Ocean University of China, in Hanoi at Hanoi Law University, and in Phnom Penh at American University Phnom Penh. This spring we had 138 graduates here in the U.S., and more than a hundred at our microcampuses.


The excellence of our JD program is the rock-solid foundation on which our other degree and certificate programs are built. You can see that excellence in and out of the classroom. In this Letter of the Law, you can see it in the commitment and success of our students who successfully compete in regional and national moot court competitions as well as the faculty, alumni and lawyer mentors who have helped students achieve that success.

Warmly,

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