Greetings,
 
This week we thank Arizona Law students and alumni who met online with a large group of prospective students on Admitted Students Day. 

We also hear from 1L Alesia Ash on her choice to attend Arizona Law and her experiences so far.

Until the footnotes,
 
Marc
 
1L Alesia Ash on Choosing Arizona Law
  
Alesia Ash, currently in her first year of the JD program, chose Arizona Law following an already impressive early career in government and public administration. She's enthusiastic about what Arizona Law has to offer -- even during a pandemic.
 
Alesia was born in Augsburg, Germany, while her father was stationed there serving in the Army, but has spent most of her life in Sierra Vista, Arizona, about 75 miles south of Tucson.
 
At age 23, Alesia was elected to the Sierra Vista City Council where she served a full four-year term, including two years as Mayor Pro Tem. She was (and still is) the youngest person elected to the Sierra Vista City Council, and was one of the youngest elected officials in the state at the time. 

"I decided not to run again to pursue an MPA [Master's in Public Administration] at the UA after realizing how much of an asset furthering my education would be."
 
Currently, Alesia is living in Sierra Vista while attending law school and also serving as Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick's ('79) Cochise County Outreach Director. She has worked for members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, and shares,
 
"These opportunities have allowed me to connect with people from all walks of life -- ranchers, military leaders, immigration stakeholders, and environmental advocates, to name a few."
 
Such wide-ranging experiences helped form Alesia's interest in attending law school:
 
"I was always intrigued by the importance of the law in my roles on the city council and as a congressional staffer. I enjoyed learning about the law casually as a non-lawyer. I was struck by how the law created challenges and opportunities and how this throughline continued in the MPA program. So, I decided to go to law school to learn about it first-hand. I am also deeply motivated by a sense of obligation to help address the underrepresentation of black women in the legal field."
 
When it came time to choose a law school, Arizona Law was at the top of her list. 

"I am so impressed by the faculty and staff. Plus, I wasn't ready to leave southern Arizona."
 
So far, Alesia has very much appreciated the law professors, finding them to be accessible, caring, and eager to help students. Of the new experience of attending school during the pandemic, she adds, 

"This may be a rare sentiment, but I am also enjoying the flexibility that has come with learning from home and the asynchronous/ synchronous format. Although I do hope to be able to meet my classmates and professors in person, the greater flexibility has allowed me to continue working full-time while attending school full-time. It certainly hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it."
 
Alesia's many legal interests range from water law to civil rights, administrative law, and a host of topics in between.

"I'll just say that I haven't ruled out any opportunity to work in the legal field."

During her 1L year, Alesia has enjoyed learning the basics of the law and gaining a foundation in the core subjects. 

"My classes have also reinforced the very real intersection of law, policy, and politics, which fascinates me."
 
She recently accepted a summer judicial externship with Judge Rosemary Márquez ('93) at the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Alumni and Current Students Help Prospective Students Learn about Arizona Law
  
Part of the panel of alumni featured in last weekend's 
career development session.


Arizona Law's Office of Admissions and Financial Aid hosted their virtual Admitted Students Day this past Saturday with prospective LawCat students streaming in from China to Chicago to Jacksonville to Tuscaloosa. 

Attendance was robust, with a lively group of individuals who are considering joining us for their legal education. The event gathered current law students Sarah Gerstal (1L), Garrett Tobin (3L), Amber Morning Star Byars (2L), and Jake Israelsen (2L) for the "Life as a LawCat" panel, which was dynamically hosted by Professor Sylvia Lett
 
The Career Development Office alumni panel, moderated by Assistant Director of Employer Engagement Shannon Walker and filmed in advance, featured alumni Ashley Caballero-Daltrey ('20), Chris Gutierrez ('18), and Reuben Dacher-Shapiro ('19) sharing their professional experiences and accomplishments.
 
Virtual lounges gave admitted students the chance to meet and speak with alumni and faculty. Alumni participating as hosts in the LawCat Lounges were Nathan Wade ('13), Rachel Nava ('13), Angie Menard ('16), Jonay Holkins ('13), Patrick Holkins ('13), Maricela Meza ('04), and Suzanne Diaz ('07).
 
It truly does take an entire law school community to come together to build the next generation of LawCats.

Around the College

Transactional Law Meet Victory
 
The team of Ben Champion (3L) and Matt Rapier (2L) won best draft and best overall performance at the recent virtual Transactional Law Meet hosted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. 

Professor William Sjostrom organized the Arizona Law team and served as coach. The competition involved drafting an acquisition agreement amendment, marking up another team's draft amendment, and participating in two live rounds of negotiations via Zoom. 

Ben and Matt were evaluated by judges for the quality, thoughtfulness, and creativity of their drafting and their pragmatism and outcomes of their negotiations. Practicing attorneys judged the drafts and negotiations. 

"The competition was a fun way to get a more realistic sense of how transactional law would play out in the real world, and to test our abilities under pressure. I liked going toe-to-toe with teams from other schools, trying to find that balance of professional and collegial demeanor while also pushing the limits to zealously advocate for the client."


Ben Champion

"The Transactional Law Meet was an invaluable opportunity to put my negotiation and mergers & acquisitions skills to the test. I loved the challenge of being paired against students from law schools across the country, and I have developed more confidence in my ability to practice transactional law. Most of all, I am proud that my team was able to represent the Law College and come out victorious."

Matt Rapier


Congratulations, Ben and Matt!


Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competitors Advance to Nationals
 
Two teams from the University of Arizona recently participated in the regional round of the national Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition -- Allan Leichty (3L) and James Rollins (2L) as Team 1 and Amanda Shepherd (2L) and Kai Luan (2L) as Team 2. 

Their coach, Part-time Professor of Practice Ronald Brown, explains that the Rich Competition presents problems directed to patent law and related litigation issues. Since it started to participate in the competition in 2016, the Arizona Law team has had considerable success. 

This year, both Arizona Law teams reached the regional semi-finals. Unfortunately, their next round was against each other! Team 1 prevailed and went on to the final round against Columbia University. Team 1 narrowly lost to Columbia University in the finals, but, as one of the top two teams from the region, will move on to the national competition beginning April 14. 

At nationals, Allan and James will compete against 11 other teams from across the country. The two teams that reach the final round will argue in front of a panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 

We wish our team continued success!

The Russell Russo Endowment


Both Arizona Law teams in this competition are supported through the Russell Russo Endowment in Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship

The endowment was established in 2018 by Steven Russo ('78) and his family to honor Steven's father, celebrated Tucson attorney Russell ("Russ") Russo, in recognition of his sixtieth year as a member of the Arizona Bar. Russ Russo passed away in 2020.



Library Blog: "Let's Continue the Conversation in the Library: Korematsu"
 
The Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library invites you to follow their blog. The latest post by is by Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Librarian Marcelo Rodriguez. It begins: 

 
"Like most of you, I'm incredibly inspired and full of ideas every time I attend one of the fantastic events at our College of Law. Wednesday night's Peter Chase Neumann Lecture on Civil Justice featuring Dr. Karen Korematsu was no exception. If you want to continue exploring and learning more on the subject, I have one suggestion for you: your law library!
 
Hearing Dr. Korematsu read aloud excerpts from the dissents on Korematsu v. U.S. (323 U.S. 214) was a powerful reminder of how dissenting opinions can have a tremendous impact for future generations. I immediately went to Westlaw and retrieved the case by typing the citation in the universal search bar. As Dr. Korematsu recommended, I wanted to read these dissents myself, and I wasn't disappointed."  



In the News

Our goal through the admissions process is to provide as much information as possible to admitted and prospective students. We want to be the compelling choice, when the fit is right. 
 
Current students and alumni are critical connections in providing a deep, clear, contemporary view of our wonderful community. Thank you to everyone who participates in our recruiting season. 
 
And to our admitted students: Let us know whenever you have questions. We look forward to welcoming you in August!

Warmly,

Marc Signature





 

 
   Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our profile on LinkedIn   View our videos on YouTube


Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Join Our Mailing List button

University of Arizona James E Rogers College of Law, 1201 E. Speedway, Tucson, AZ 85721-0176
Sent by alumni@law.arizona.edu powered by
Constant Contact
Try email marketing for free today!