| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW |
OCTOBER 23, 2024 | | |
|
Greetings,
Last weekend, many members of the LawCat community gathered for Homecoming. We had special reason to celebrate, with the long-anticipated opening of “A New Day in Court” courtrooms, classrooms and lobby. It was fitting this Homecoming to welcome those who played a part in the initiative, and the students who will study there, to the new home of University of Arizona Law advocacy.
| |
|
Until the footnotes,
Marc
| |
University of Arizona Law Unveils State-of-the-Art Courtrooms as Part of $4.9 Million ‘A New Day in Court’ Initiative | |
|
Fueling Progress: An Update on Fuel Wonder Initiatives
Court is now in session!
On Friday, Oct. 18, we proudly unveiled our newly constructed, state-of-the-art courtrooms, classroom and lobby spaces, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing “A New Day in Court” advocacy initiative. These 100% donor-funded renovations will enable students to hone their advocacy skills in a realistic and immersive setting, bridging the gap between classroom learning and real trial experiences.
Launched in 2017, the project’s centerpieces are the newly renovated jury courtroom, appellate courtroom/classroom and lobby, which represent the first major phase of the initiative. It also includes the renaming of the program to the Thomas Mauet Advocacy Program in honor of Professor Emeritus and renowned trial expert Thomas Mauet, who directed the Advocacy program until his retirement in 2016.
Speaking at the event, Tom noted, “the best thing that ever happened to me was I came to Arizona, and I met lawyers who were willing to devote their time to make the Trial Advocacy program something special. I’ve not seen that elsewhere, so kudos to all of you, the graduates and supporters of the law school who made this a special place for me. For forty-three years I couldn’t have had a better time.”
| |
An Authentic Courtroom Environment
The College’s original trial courtroom has been transformed into a fully modernized space equipped with cutting-edge technology. This state-of-the-art courtroom, now known as the Kevin R. Boyle Courtroom after alum Kevin R. Boyle (’97), features professional-grade presentation, recording and streaming capabilities, allowing students to simulate real-world trials. The addition of a 12-seat jury box and witness stand creates an authentic courtroom environment, while the 50-seat viewing gallery offers ample space for peers, faculty and visitors to observe proceedings. Just off the courtroom lies the Snell & Wilmer Jury Conference Room, a new dual-purpose jury deliberation/conference room with professional audiovisual equipment, that will allow students to observe deliberations and gain strategic insights.
The adjacent appellate courtroom/classroom has also been completely reimagined to serve multiple purposes. The newly named J. Michael Hennigan Courtroom is designed to function both as a traditional courtroom and an interactive classroom, and now includes a judge’s bench that seats up to five judges and a 36-seat viewing gallery. The flexible design accommodates moot court sessions, appellate hearings, and a variety of instructional activities, creating a dynamic learning environment.
Beyond the courtrooms, the renovated Schmidt, Sethi & Akmajian Lobby now includes ample study areas with a dynamic view of both courtrooms thanks to the floor-to-ceiling walls of smart glass that shifts from transparent to opaque with the touch of a button. And the Boyle Family Bear Down® Room will serve as a group workspace, where students can engage in collaborative learning.
| |
|
A Collective Commitment
Phyllis Hennigan, a key donor and wife of the late J. Michael Hennigan (’70), spoke on behalf of the project’s donors, sharing emotional reflections on her husband’s legacy and celebrating the group’s collective passion for the law school.
“On behalf of all the donors who share Mike’s love for this place, we know generations of lawyers to come will be inspired within and beyond these walls ensuring the ongoing growth of the reputation of this university so that everyone can recognize what we all know: That this program is special.”
Following the remarks, the Student Bar Association President, Maelene Rosales, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony, with dozens of alums, donors and legal community members joining her. The celebration officially opened the new courtrooms and unveiled the cutting-edge spaces that will serve as the heart of the College’s Advocacy program.
The College raised $4.9 million, thanks to the generosity of nearly 150 donors, to complete the construction phase of the initiative, with plans to raise additional funds to support an endowed chair of advocacy, an endowed professorship and an endowment fund for student experiential advocacy activities such as travel to trial competitions.
| |
Innovation for Justice Celebrates Five Years of Community-Based Justice | |
Arizona Justice Workers in Training with Director Rachel Rossi of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Access to Justice | |
|
Innovation for Justice (i4J) this fall marks five years of its community-based justice initiative.
This five-year anniversary of its community-based justice initiative aligns with i4J’s launch of four simultaneous cohorts in the domestic violence/family law, housing stability and medical debt practice areas. Based on authorization pathways in Utah and Arizona for law-related services by non-lawyers, i4J enrolls eligible advocates in online, fully asynchronous legal training courses. Advocates receive instructional support from i4J, the course’s content creators, as well as a network of licensed volunteer attorney mentors.
i4J’s Fall 2024 cohorts represent its largest advocate enrollment to-date. Building on its experience training and launching advocates at 36 participating organizations across both states, i4J is now poised to have a multi-state network of 80 participating community-based justice workers by the end of 2024 and 140 advocates by 2025. According to i4J, this future network of advocates has the potential to serve 15,600 clients with free civil legal help in the next year and 27,300 in two years time.
| |
“A new chapter in justice-making is here, and it’s a privilege to be in service of our states’ community-based justice workers in leading the path forward,” said Gabriela Elizondo-Craig (BS ’18, JD ’21), Project Lead at Innovation for Justice. “In building a new home for legal knowledge, our work has shown that another way is possible and that our profession’s future lies in the community law school.”
| |
|
i4J was founded in 2018 at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law by Professor of Practice Stacy Rupprecht Jane (‘02), with the goal of designing, building and testing disruptive solutions to the justice gap impacting millions of Americans. Housed at both University of Arizona Law and the University of Utah Eccles School of Business, i4J is the nation’s first and only cross-jurisdiction and cross-discipline legal innovation lab.
| |
Other current i4J initiatives include:
Place for Justice Webinar Series
Upcoming sessions include:
Mon., Nov. 18, 1–3 p.m. — The Community Law School: Access to Justice Through Legal Empowerment
Speakers will discuss community legal education, which empowers the public through access to legal information.
Mon., Dec. 2, 10–11:30 a.m. — Leading Together: Justice Work through Partnership in Practice
This session will feature a closing plenary from leadership of the Arizona and Utah Supreme Courts, followed by a panel discussion on the importance of cross-institutional partnerships in community-based justice work.
| | |
|
Unauthorized Practice of Law Toolkit
The Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) Policy Toolkit website offers a jurisdiction-agnostic, open-source UPL restriction and exception database, domestic violence case study, interactive map and detailed reports for researchers, policy advocates and decision-makers. The Unauthorized Practice of Law Policy Toolkit models how states are adapting unauthorized practice of law policy to address the ever-growing access to justice crisis in the United States.
| | |
University of Arizona Law to Host Arizona Supreme Court Arguments Oct. 30 | |
|
As part of its ongoing public education effort, the Arizona Supreme Court will hold oral arguments during its annual visit to University of Arizona Law on Oct. 30, 2024.
The justices have identified two cases to be presented, and attorneys representing each side will be given 20 minutes to present their arguments. After the second case, the justices will take questions from the audience, as long as those questions do not pertain to the case or cases they just heard.
When: Wed., Oct. 30, 2024, Guests for case 1 must arrive no later than 1:45 p.m. in order to go through security screening. Check-in for case 2 starts at 2:45 p.m. There is no courtroom entry once court is in session.
Where: Ares Auditorium, Room 164, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, 1201 E. Speedway Blvd.
Who may attend: Seating is limited and available to those who have registered prior to the event. Members of the public are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis as remaining space allows.
Learn more about the event and cases here.
| |
Volunteer for University Mock Trial Invitational
University of Arizona Mock Trial is looking for judges and jurors to be part of the annual mock trial invitational on Nov. 9–10. Trials will last three hours and begin at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both days—volunteers can participate as much or as little as they like.
Judges and jurors are ultimately what makes this tournament successful and memorable for the competitors, and Mock Trial greatly appreciates any time you’d be able to give. If interested, please contact Ryan Ball at azmocktrial@gmail.com.
| |
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.
| | |
|
Day-to-day life in our law school is textured and varied, anchored to classes, clinics, workshops and competitions.
But some days – some moments – stand out in the history of our College. And October 18 – the opening of the courtrooms and spaces that are at the heart of A New Day in Court, and at the heart of our College, was one of those days.
So many people made this moment possible. Many heartfelt thank yous, for gifts and time and hard work, are all in order. But equally this is a moment to look ahead, now and far down the road, as students learn to be advocates in spaces that match the superb program built by Tom Mauet, now led and enhanced by Barbara Bergman, and with, as Tom noted, the sustained leadership, support and engagement of so many lawyers in our community.
| | | | |
.gif){kind=small}
