UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW

MAY 28, 2025

Greetings,

This week we feature MLS graduate Adam Potash. With his newly-awarded degree, Adam plans to add teaching to his current profession as a hospice nurse.

Onward!

Jason

FEATURE

Class of 2025: MLS Grad Adam Potash Expanding Patient Advocacy with Compassion and Legal Insight

As a hospice nurse with over 30 years of experience, Adam Potash has always been drawn to advocacy—especially for society’s most vulnerable. That calling led him to the Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program at University of Arizona Law, where he paired his degree with a certificate in Aging Law & Policy.

“I have always been interested in the law and learning more about it,” Adam says. “Of my top three choices, I believed Arizona Law’s curriculum and faculty were leaps and bounds above the rest—and I was 100% correct.”

Adam plans to continue his nursing career in hospice care while beginning a new chapter as an online adjunct instructor. “Teaching part-time has been my goal all along,” he says. “After I retire from nursing, I plan to keep teaching for as long as my mind and body will allow.”

Looking ahead, he hopes to continue advocating for older adults and others in need, using his legal education to expand the impact of his lifelong commitment to service. “I can now advocate more effectively for older adults—a population I’m not far away from being part of.”

See here for the full story.

FROM THE COLLEGE

Arizona Law Celebrates a Banner Year in Moot Court and Trial Advocacy

Each year, students at University of Arizona Law compete in local, regional and national moot court and mock trial competitions, giving them the opportunity to put their advocacy skills to the test beyond the classroom. Check out the highlights from this year’s competitions.

ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition

Two teams from Arizona Law showcased exceptional advocacy skills at the San Francisco regional of the ABA’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition. Alyssa Keene (2L), Matthew Lubisich (3L) and Cecily Russell (3L) (below, left) impressed with three powerful rounds of oral argument, including a top-scoring performance by Alyssa and near-perfect scores for Matt and Cecily.

The team of Lian Ascher (3L), Sana Mohammed (3L) and Grace Schroder (2L) (below, right) advanced as the top seed into the later rounds, narrowly missing a Nationals bid by just a fraction of a point. Their written advocacy earned top honors: the team’s brief was awarded first place and singled out by the competition problem’s author as among the best briefs he had ever seen.

Administered by the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division, the National Appellate Advocacy Competition is one of the most competitive moot court competitions in the country, drawing almost 200 teams from across the country who compete in six regional oral argument rounds. Teams draft briefs and present oral arguments in a simulated case before the United States Supreme Court.

Barry Davis National Trial Team

ASU hosted the regional competition this year, and the University of Arizona sent two teams to compete. Team One included Brianna Perez (3L), Caroline Hilgert (3L) and Kyle Dayton (2L). Team Two was Mattie King (3L), Ella Spoor (2L), Sarah Avila (2L) and Victoria Howell (2L).

After the first three preliminary trials, Team One was in first place with a perfect record, earning them a spot in the semi-final round. Team Two had three great performances but unfortunately did not earn a spot in the semi-final round.

Team One earned a first-place finish and a spot at the National Trial Competition (NTC) in Houston, TX.

The NTC competition is widely considered to be the most prestigious trial competition in the country. Only the top 10% of teams in the country make it to this level of the competition. While the team had excellent performances at Nationals, they fell short of making it to the semi-finals.

The Barry Davis National Trial Team head coaches are Brian Chase (’11) and Travis McGivern.

Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition

Drake Sitarmaran (2L) and Matthew Tran (3L) recently represented Arizona Law at the Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition, held in Chicago. This year’s problem explored the patentability and trade secret protection of a software-implemented solution to virtual reality sickness.

The Arizona Law team earned strong marks on their written brief and competed in the opening round of oral arguments.

In addition to a weekend of legal advocacy, the students got to experience Chicago’s famous St. Patrick’s Day celebration—including the city’s iconic tradition of dyeing the river green.

The team was coached by Paige Scalf (’21).

Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition

Arizona Law’s team of Alison Beaulieu (2L), Braydon Mathis (2L) and Lucas Muller (2L) delivered an impressive performance at the 2025 Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC), held this year at Pace University.

Over the course of three preliminary rounds, the team was required to argue on behalf of three different parties—an especially challenging format given this year’s problem, which integrated two major recent Supreme Court decisions: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

All three students handled complex environmental and administrative law questions with confidence and clarity. Their written brief, submitted in November without faculty assistance, received the fifth-highest score out of 47 submissions, and Ali Beaulieu was named Best Oralist in the team’s opening round. These achievements helped propel the team into the quarterfinals, where they argued on behalf of the EPA.

Joseph Jenckes Competition

Caroline Hilgert (3L) and Brianna Perez (3L) earned the top two spots in the annual Joseph Jenckes Competition runoff round and went on to represent Arizona Law in the annual showdown against ASU Law. Their powerful performances in the internal runoff stood out among a strong field that also included Natalia Erickson (3L) (3rd place) and Victoria Howell (2L) and Kyle Dayton (2L) (tied for 4th). Though ASU ultimately took home the trophy, Caroline and Brianna delivered compelling closing arguments that made the College of Law proud.

The judges of this year’s competition included Matt Ashton (’18), Alexx Tracy-Ramirez (’10), Victoria Torrilhon (’10) and J.C. Patrascioiu (’06), the Arizona members of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honorary society of trial lawyers whose membership is limited to 1% of the practicing bar.

The Joseph Jenckes Competition has been held for over 50 years. It is sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and is hosted each year by one of the colleges.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board Moot Court Competition

Keaton Markley (2L) and Carissa Patton (2L) participated in the first-ever Patent Trial and Appeal Board Moot Court Competition, hosted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Spanning from September to early April, the competition culminated in oral arguments on April 3.

This year’s problem focused on a unique and technically nuanced patent: a squirrel-repellent bird feeder. Student advocates were tasked with drafting both an inter partes review petition and a patent owner response. Unlike traditional moot court competitions centered around appellate courts, this format offered participants valuable exposure to the procedural and substantive challenges of agency practice.

Arizona Law’s submissions were recognized informally for their quality, with one brief described as “really well done” and another praised for its “excellent structure and use of figures.”

Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition

Now in its 29th year, the Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition continues to celebrate excellence in advocacy and courtroom storytelling. Established by renowned trial lawyer and alumnus Richard Grand (’58), the competition emphasizes persuasive jury arguments focused on damages.

This year’s final round featured five standout students, judged by Dev Sethi (’97), Heather Goodwin (’15) and Amy Hernandez. This year’s finalists included:

1st place: Brianna Perez (3L)

2nd place: Caroline Hilgert (3L)

3rd place: Ella Spoor (2L)

4th place: Mattie King (3L)

5th place: Victoria Howell (2L)

Samuel M. Fegtly Moot Court Competition

Arizona Law celebrated the 86th Annual Samuel M. Fegtly Moot Court Competition with a spirited final round in the Kevin R. Boyle Courtroom. Finalists Alyssa Keene (2L) and Haley Todd Newsome (3L) argued before an esteemed panel of federal judges from the District of Arizona—Senior Judges Cindy Jorgenson (’77) and James A. Soto, and Judge Scott H. Rash (’91)—on a timely First Amendment issue involving access to prison grievance materials.

Throughout the competition, students demonstrated excellence in both written and oral advocacy. Grace Schroder (2L) earned the Suzanne Rabé (’79) Award for Best Brief, while Kaz Hobbs Walls (2L) was recognized with the Excellence in Brief Writing award. Haley Todd Newsome was honored with the F. Britton Burns Award as the top oral advocate in the final round, and Alyssa Keene received the prestigious Fegtly Award for highest combined scores in the preliminary rounds. Alyssa, Haley, Grace and Anson Naumann (2L) were named semifinalists, with all four delivering impressive performances throughout.

Founded in 1939 and named for the College of Law’s first dean, the Fegtly Competition is Arizona Law’s oldest moot court tradition. Sponsored since 1985 by alumnus J. Scott Burns (’76) in honor of his father, F. Britton Burns (’41), the competition has a rich legacy of launching students into impactful careers in law and public service.

IN THE NEWS

In rural areas or on the rez, pro bono legal clinics serve America’s vets

White Mountain Independent, featuring Kristine Huskey

Civil rights concerns in Arizona’s pediatric healthcare desert

Commentary by the Arizona Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights featuring Tessa Dysart and Heather Whiteman Runs Him

Do You Have News?

Your success is the college’s success and we want to celebrate with you! If you have landed a new job, received an award or recognition, stepped into a leadership role or have good news in general, let us know.

Share Your News Here

X, @NationalJurist, featuring Jonathan Coley (LLM ’23)

This year’s competition teams tackled a range of substantive legal areas and advocacy formats. We are proud of the well-deserved accolades they received as competitors, but more importantly, we are proud of the work they put into learning to be effective advocates.

Onward,

Jason