Greetings,
 
Over the weekend, we held our virtual convocation celebration of the newest class of law graduates. 

Class of 2020 graduates, we applaud your tenacity, your capacity, and your passion! Welcome to the lifetime community of Arizona Law alumni.


The Arizona Law community very much looks forward to celebrating the Class of 2020 with a future in-person convocation ceremony that includes all the traditional elements: the procession of graduates in regalia, a keynote address, in a hall filled with family and friends ... and enlightened by remarks to the graduating class from elected student speakers.

I'm pleased to announce that, once we are able to gather in person, the James E. Rogers College of Law Class of 2020 student speakers, selected by their peers, will be:

Laura Stump Kennedy (JD '20)

Molly Rothschild (JD '20)

Xavier Segura (MLS '20)

Until the footnotes,
 
Marc
 
2020 James E. Rogers College of Law Convocation

Please join me in welcoming our newest graduates to the ranks of Arizona Law alumni.



SBA President Karen Donderewicz ('20)

The virtual convocation also includes video messages from LCA President Angela Woolridge ('02) and Innocence Project Co-Founder Barry Scheck.

We were excited to include as part of the program well wishes from alumni and friends to the graduates. 



A Display of GRADitide

Our virtual ceremony showcased a beautiful display of GRADitude! 


Here are images of just a few of our thankful graduates:


Snapshot: JD Grad Patricia Mabry

 
Name: Patricia Soledad Mabry
Degree: Juris Doctor
Hometown: Guadalupe, Arizona

 
What are you most proud of during your time here?

Working as the president of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) has been my biggest accomplishment at Arizona Law. In addition to building relationships with alumni, community members and local organizations, BLSA has developed a solid system of support for our community. For example, BLSA created a book depository for students to borrow textbooks and course supplements for free. BLSA is also creating a test-prep scholarship for diverse prospective students in an effort to support law school applicants. As students, our Arizona Law community is what we make it. I am so proud of how BLSA has impacted our community!
 
What are your career goals?

I came to law school with a passion for criminal justice reform and participated in the University of Arizona Innocence Project. During my time working with the Innocence Project, I quickly grew an appreciation for maintaining a record, building a client relationship and securing a defendant's constitutional protections. 
 
My experience with the Innocence Project also exposed me to the unique duties of prosecutors. The duty of a prosecutor to seek justice is paramount to securing criminal justice reform and represents the epitome of public service. Working with the Innocence Project helped me understand that an effective prosecutor does more than protect the community through a system of accountability; an effective prosecutor takes a proactive role in securing justice. I am endeavoring to take up this role, ultimately, as an assistant United States attorney.
 
Do you have a message for your fellow members of the Class of 2020?

Congratulations! We have successfully crossed the finish line, and it is time to begin a new adventure. I am hopeful that our new season is going to be filled with great opportunities, rewarding challenges and noteworthy milestones. I am so excited to see what we can accomplish!


Around the College
 
ABOR Visionary Award Goes to Susie Salmon
 
Professor Susie Salmon has been selected by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Equity and Mentoring workgroup as a recipient of the 2020 Edith Sayer Auslander Established Visionary Award. 

This prestigious award honors leaders who exemplify the vision set out by the original Arizona Board of Regents Commission in 1990. Vision Award recipients cultivate diversity and actively advance CSW goals relating to campus climate, career and professional development, and issues of equity and inclusion.
 
Congratulations, Susie!


Remembering Dean Charles Ares
 

Thank you for the outpouring of comments, cards, and letters in remembrance of Dean Charles Ares following our newsletter tribute.

Read the obituary here.

And click here to add your message to our memorial site.

 
"Charles Ares brought Billie and me to the James E. Rogers College of Law in July, 1969, when it was still called the University of Arizona College of Law and when that college of law and legal education in America were waking up to the challenges posed by a post-Vietnam, more inclusive and fair society to all, but especially minorities, women, and homosexuals. It was a challenging time and the College of Law chose the right leader. 

To begin with, Chuck and Jean could not have been a warmer and more hospitable couple and family; we will always be grateful for their warmth and hospitality. 
Shortly after the start of the first semester, they invited the first large group of minority students to their home to introduce them to their teachers and administrative personnel. 

Then came Chuck's and the College of Law's intellectual curiosity. It was a time of seemingly endless meetings and research projects, with new and old faculty and with visitors of increasingly different backgrounds and persuasions. The atmosphere he had already instilled in the College of Law was vibrant, engaged, and above all, optimistic; unquestionably he helped usher in a new era of civil rights, greater tolerance, and equality. 

During a visit to the Kozolchyk National Law Center in 2014, our staff members (mostly graduates of the James E. Rogers College of Law) and our board members each expressed their appreciation for his leadership, humanity, and contribution to legal education in Arizona and elsewhere. 

As the time for farewell has arrived, and as the old Spanish farewell goes, 'Chuck, Muchas, Muchas Gracias y Hasta Mas Ver.'"
-- Boris Kozolchyk
Evo DeConcini Professor Emeritus of Law, 
President and Founder of the National Law Center 
 

 
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. 


Contact Mabel Ramirez at mabel.ramirez@staff.azbar.org or (602) 340-7318 with questions.

In the News

How to defend yourself from COVID-19 myths and lies
Futurity.org, with commentary by professor Jane Bambauer
 
KOLD News 13, quoting professor Shefali Milczarek-Desai
 
Arizona Public Media, featuring commentary by professor Tara Sklar
 
Rights and Regulation in the Internet Age
RealClearPolitics, with professor Andrew Keane Woods
 
Arizona Public Media, with commentary by professor Tara Sklar


A distanced launch is still very much, and critically, a launch.

Graduates, whatever road you choose next, the entire Arizona Law community will help you whenever we can, follow your path, and cheer you on. 

And we know that you will do the same for Wildcats to come.
 
Warmly,

 
 

 

 
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