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UPCOMING EVENTS

Oct. 22

Soll Lecture Featuring Larry Krasner

Nov. 3

McCormick Lecture Featuring Elizabeth Prelogar

Nov. 6–8

Homecoming Weekend

Greetings,

There are as many motivations for pursuing a JD as there are law students. For many, their first exposure to the practice of law came through fictional attorneys. With all due respect to generations of television lawyers from Perry Mason to the Lincoln Lawyer, what if undergraduates were able to get a realistic taste of law school before making the consequential decision to enroll?

Along with the existing BA in Law, a new Minor in Law at the University of Arizona allows students to take courses taught by College of Law professors. Read this week’s feature to learn how it will expose students to substantive aspects of legal education during their undergraduate years.

Read on,

Jason

In the fall of 2025, enrollment opened for the new Minor in Law program at the University of Arizona, a collaboration between Arizona Law and the School of Government & Public Policy (SGPP). The Minor in Law is housed within the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences.

The new minor joins the first-of-its-kind BA in Law to provide additional options for students to pursue legal studies. According to Keith Swisher, faculty director of the BA in Law and Master of Legal Studies Programs, the Minor in Law is expected to attract students interested in eventually pursuing a JD, as well as students interested in non-attorney careers like court service, compliance and law enforcement. 

Of the 18 units required for the Minor in Law, half must be taught by the College of Law. “[Students will be] taking half of their credits from the law school using the same type of teaching strategies and materials that they would get in graduate level law school,” says Prof. Swisher. “That’s an excellent opportunity for students interested in going to law school and becoming lawyers, because they’re getting good exposure, first of all, to make sure that they’re on the right path, and then good preparation if they want to continue on that path through law school and to become an attorney.”

See here for the full story.

FROM THE COLLEGE

Former U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar will deliver the 2025–26 McCormick Lecture, sponsored by the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and the J. Byron McCormick Society. 

In conversation with Arizona Law Professor Shalev Roisman, Prelogar will discuss her term as Solicitor General and the past, present and future of the Supreme Court. During their discussion, they will reference Prelogar’s oral argument in Supreme Court case United States v. Rahimi.

Event: A Conversation with Former U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar

When: Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.

Where: University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Room 164, 1201 E. Speedway. The talk will be livestreamed for those who are unable to make the in-person event. It will not be recorded.

Who may attend: This event is free and open to the public. Priority seating will be given to members of the McCormick Society and their guests. Otherwise, seating is first-come, first-served.

Background: Elizabeth Prelogar is a partner and chair of the Supreme Court and Appellate practice at Cooley LLP. Before to coming to Cooley, Prelogar served as the 48th Solicitor General of the United States from 2021 to 2025, the second woman in history to hold that position. 

The J. Byron McCormick Society for Law and Public Affairs was formed to honor the memory of J. Byron McCormick, who served Arizona with distinction as president of the University of Arizona, as dean of the College of Law, and as an advisor to the Arizona Board of Regents. Members of the McCormick Society foster dialogue about the critical issues of our time through an annual public lecture.

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X, @uarizonalaw

The countdown is on for Homecoming 2025. Whether it is the McCormick Lecture with Elizabeth Prelogar or the Red & Blue BBQ, there is something for everyone.

Onward!

Jason