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Excerpts from Arizona Attorney Magazine:
Your school had significant accomplishments in the past year. If you had to point to one as having the deepest impact, what would it be?
Without question, the most significant accomplishment this past year was the completion of our “A New Day in Court” renovation project. In October we unveiled new, state-of-the-art courtroom and classroom spaces funded through donor contributions that have fundamentally enhanced how we prepare students for practice.
What are other school successes and accomplishments to note?
We’ve had a terrific year across multiple areas. One highlight is the new seven-week online course, “The Law of the Police,” created in partnership with the ABA Legal Education Police Practices Consortium, that is self-paced and free to the public. Developed in response to the national call for better understanding of policing and accountability, this course equips students with a strong foundation in the constitutional and statutory standards that regulate law enforcement. It reflects our commitment to legal education that is relevant, socially engaged and responsive to current events.
We are also proud to have played a role in developing the Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program, a new postgraduate apprenticeship that provides an alternative path to licensure for students who want to practice in rural and public-interest settings, including those who scored within a range close to the required bar exam cutoff. This program will help address the state’s shortage of attorneys and create pathways to practice for dedicated graduates who want to serve their communities.
Our Veterans’ Advocacy Law Clinic also expanded its reach this year after receiving a $300,000 gift from Philip Morris International. Additionally, a $1.5 million Department of Justice grant is fueling the University of Arizona Innocence Project’s efforts to examine and address wrongful convictions in the state.
Looking forward, what are some challenges and opportunities for your school and legal education that you are focused on?
Legal education is ever evolving and at Arizona Law we see these changes as both a challenge and an opportunity. As the profession grows more interdisciplinary, we are expanding the ways our students engage with science, technology, business and policy. One example is our involvement in the new Bachelor of Science in Medical Device Development and Application, launched by the College of Medicine–Tucson. Students in the program will take law courses through the College of Law to better understand the regulatory and legal landscape of health care technology. And simultaneously, we’re also developing a BS in Law designed for STEM-focused students who want to work at the intersection of science, regulation and policy.
At the same time, we continue to lead in online legal education. While new online JD programs are gaining attention across the country, Arizona Law has delivered high quality online education for years. Our Master of Legal Studies program, offered both online and in person, serves students across a range of professions, including compliance, human resources and health care administration. In 2024, we launched “The Law of the Police,” a free online course created in partnership with the ABA Legal Education Police Practices Consortium. The course explores the laws that govern policing and is open to law students, lawyers, law enforcement and the public. We also introduced a Cannabis Law and Regulation concentration through our MLS and BA in Law programs to prepare students for work in one of the fastest growing and most complex areas of law and policy.
But while legal education adapts to new frontiers, some of the most urgent challenges we face hit at the very foundation of rule of law and the professional norms that sustain it. Efforts to punish lawyers based on the clients they represent strike at the heart of the constitutional protections that underpin our justice system. I was proud to join dozens of fellow deans in publicly affirming that lawful, ethical advocacy must be protected regardless of whether a lawyer’s client is popular. At Arizona Law, we take seriously our responsibility to train principled, courageous advocates who understand that defending the rule of law means showing up for it, especially when it’s under pressure.
This article has been edited for length. Read more here.
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