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Greetings,
The close of the 2019-2020 academic year is upon us.
In this odd year, our graduation celebrations will for now be virtual, though no less real and meaningful -- with plans to gather when we can in person.
Below we share the important work of students in the Intellectual Property Clinic for JD students and the newly created, first-of-its-kind Juvenile Justice Undergraduate Clinic. Like all our clinics, these provide opportunities for our students to build critical legal skills while filling community needs for legal services.
Marc
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Nation's First Law School Clinic for Undergrads
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Now, University of Arizona BA in Law majors have a similar opportunity to gain real-world experience and prepare for careers in the law, with the college's new Juvenile Justice Undergraduate Clinic. The clinic, which launched this semester, is open to students enrolled in the university's bachelor of arts in law program. It is the first clinic in the nation designed exclusively for undergraduate students within a law school.
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| | Prof. Diana Newmark
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Assistant Clinical Professor of Law
Diana Newmark helped create and now directs the clinic. She says,
"This is a leap forward in experiential legal education for undergraduate students. In the clinic, our BA in Law students gain real-world legal skills, help members of the community who need assistance, and build relationships with local courts and legal service providers."
The project-based clinic connects BA in Law students with community partners serving local youth, including the Pima County Public Defender, Tucson Metro Goodwill, FosterEd and the Pima County Juvenile Court.
Clinic student responsibilities include helping research and draft applications for record destruction with the Pima County Public Defender, researching and drafting "Know Your Rights" materials about school discipline laws, and working with the Pima County Juvenile Court to assist members of the public in the resource center.
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| | Prof. Linus Kafka
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Linus Kafka, assistant director for careers and outreach for the BA in Law program and a professor of practice, helped establish the clinic with Newmark and says of law majors who participate:
"They gain legal interviewing skills, assist on projects with real legal problems, establish connections with community organizations, lawyers, and judges, and learn to understand the daily operations of a law office. As Arizona and other states look at expanding the ability of non-lawyers to provide certain legal services, BA in Law students will be positioned better than anyone to meet that demand."
BA in Law junior and clinic student Kayla Trafford plans to apply to law school and says the clinic is helping her get a head start on deciding what type of law she wants to study. She also finds the hands-on experience in the legal field unique, since it is typically reserved for JD students.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the university to transition to online classes in mid-March, clinic students continued to work on their existing projects from home, while also developing ways to meet new challenges caused by COVID-19.
Students began working to determine how prisoners can appear telephonically for Juvenile Court proceedings to ensure access to justice continues while social distancing orders are in place. They have also been redesigning standard court forms into fillable PDFs, a critically important need while access to office supplies like printers and scanners is particularly limited.
Professor Newmark says:
"The clinic students have responded to this ongoing crisis with creativity and dedication, developing new projects and modifying their work to meet increasing demands."
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IP Clinic Update
Students in the Arizona Law Intellectual Property (IP) Clinic, recently received word that proceedings related to their client, Earthwonderful, LLC's trademark application before the U.S. Trademark Trial & Appeal Board was decided in favor of their client.
Professor Allan Sternstein, who led the clinic and supervised its students until his recent retirement, explains Earthwonderful, LLC, is a one-man entity selling a fragrance sachet product under its trademark "palmwonderful."
In early 2017 The Wonderful Company, a $4 billion-plus company, accused Earthwonderful of trademark infringement over its "POM WONDERFUL" mark used on pomegranate-based juices, teas, and other products. In June of 2017, The Wonderful Company initiated litigation opposing Earthwonderful's trademark application.
This year, 3L students Alexandra DeArman, Stephen Fong, Alex Mercer, and Elisheva Patterson worked on the case under Professor Sternstein. Alums of the clinic who contributed to the effort in past semesters included Suhani Mehrotra ('19), Ethan Posey ('19), Jessica Moore ('19), Kimberly Soto ('18), Elizabeth May ('18), Andrew Davis ('18), and Leah McKeever ('17).
Professor Sternstein says the IP Clinic handled all aspects of this matter, with students participating in strategy meetings, drafting all formal papers, corresponding and handling telephone calls with the client and with opposing counsel, drafting and responding to written discovery requests, briefing and arguing discovery motions, preparing for and assisting at depositions, obtaining trial testimony, preparing our trial record, and drafting the trial brief.
"I'm pleased to report that the decision on that matter came out last week and we had a complete victory, with a finding of no likelihood of confusion and The Wonderful Company's opposition being dismissed."
Alexandra shares:
"It was a tough case -- we had to depose witnesses in Los Angeles, write multiple briefs, motions for sanctions, etc. We just found out that we won! Our student clinic at UA beat a multi-billion, multi-national corporation. It is very exciting! It definitely made all of the hours we spent in Rountree well worth it!"
Congrats to the entire IP Clinic team on a job well done.
The Arizona Law IP Clinic is supported in part by the Russell Russo Endowment in Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship. To find out more, contact the clinic's director, Gavin Milczarek-Desai ('00), at gavinm@email.arizona.edu.
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Remembering Dean Charles Ares
We invite you to share your message on our memorial site here.
"He was a grand, principled person with unparalleled moral clarity and an uncommon character grounded in integrity, fairness, and uncanny common sense. "
--Tom Sullivan, Dean of the College
from 1989 to 1995
"This [the Ares Doctrine] has been posted in my office since 2003. Professor Ares was a kind and patient leader for our 2000 small section. I think our earnest, fumbling efforts equally amused and appalled him."
The Ares Doctrine*
Be on time.
If you can't be on time, be early.
Be an honest lawyer.
Be a good lawyer.
If clients want anything less, let them find a new goddamn lawyer.
Don't be afraid to use strong language to make a point.
Don't engage in pettifoggery, but know what it means.
Challenge others, especially when they think they are right.
Welcome a challenge from others, especially when you think you are right.
Be fair.
Ask whether it feels fair to you.
Be clear.
Be concise.
Be precise.
Know your community and be of service to it.
Let there be honor in your judgment.
Be committed to a life of learning.
Read the rules!
* The Ares Doctrine was created in honor of Charles Ares by his students, capturing wisdom he frequently articulated to them.
~
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Opportunity to Help Arizonans with COVID-19 Legal Issues
The State Bar of Arizona and Arizona Bar Foundation have put out a call for volunteer attorneys to help Arizonans with COVID-19 legal issues through their Arizona Attorneys Respond: Legal Hotline. The initiative launches on May 18.
University of Arizona Law alumni, students, and recent graduates interested in helping are encouraged to apply.
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In a normal year, this is an extraordinary week. Exams end --and the final step, graduation, arrives for students across our degree programs.
To our graduates: We are proud and excited about your accomplishments and next steps.
We celebrate this moment, dispersed physically, but together in our gratitude for what you brought to the College of Law.
We are delighted for you -- and look forward to the contributions you will make to the law and society. Your commitment to justice, equality, fair process, and truth are all needed now more than ever.
Bear Down.
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