THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW | September 16, 2026

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Enforcement Trends & Community Responses: Legal and Rapid Response Strategies in a Changing Immigration Landscape

Oct. 22–24

Greetings,

I recently shared with the Arizona Attorney Magazine about recent successes and goals for the year ahead at Arizona Law. This week we are featuring my Q&A.

Our students are the heartbeat of the College of Law and their success is my main priority as dean. Our commitment to them as they begin their legal careers is apparent in the high employment rates we have achieved through a rigorous curriculum and high-quality experiential programs, as well as the support of a community of alumni and friends that is second to none. Thank you for your ongoing support for our students.

Read on,

Jason

FEATURE

Arizona Attorney Magazine Q&A with Dean Kreag Highlights Arizona Law’s Priorities and Accomplishments

Dean Jason Kreag recently connected with Arizona Attorney Magazine to discuss the latest developments at the College of Law and the outlook for the academic year ahead. Read on for excerpts from that conversation.

What accomplishment from the past year had the most significant impact on your school?

Recent graduates of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law achieved record employment numbers, breaking the college’s 2023 all-time high. The Arizona Law class of 2025 full-time, long-term rate of employment for bar-passage required and JD-advantage jobs is 92.31 percent, the highest ever, exceeding the previous high of 90.35 percent for the class of 2023.

The figure, which quantifies employment 10 months after graduation, also exceeds the national 2025 class rate of 87.7 percent. These employment outcomes reflect years of dedication by our students and the Arizona Law community.

Looking ahead, what challenges and opportunities are shaping your priorities for the coming year?

As I begin my tenure as dean, my priorities are clear: Promote student success and elevate faculty both as scholars and as teachers.

My foremost goal is student success. I want us to be hyper-focused on the outcomes that our students have when they leave us. By that I mean I want to graduate students who pass the bar exam, and I want to support our graduates as they enter the profession, whether that’s big firm practice, government service, public service or otherwise.

To achieve these outcomes, I will lean into the College of Law’s strong community in addition to rigorous academic and student support services. At Arizona Law, student-faculty engagement happens in and out of the classroom, on campus and around Tucson. These informal ties help students explore what success in the profession means to them. I encourage alumni and friends to contribute their time and resources to the college, from coaching and judging competition teams to recruiting and hiring students and recent graduates to financial giving. Our alums benefited from a very affordable legal education when they were students, and I want to make sure that our current and future students have that same opportunity.

My other main priority—elevating the work of faculty—ties into the primary goal of student success. I plan to build on the strengths of initiatives like the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, which draws world-class faculty who contribute to national and international scholarly discourse while also supporting student success and career outcomes.

FROM AROUND THE COLLEGE

Registration Open for Homecoming BBQ

We are looking forward to gathering with the LawCat community Homecoming Weekend, October 22–24.

Registration is now open for the perennial favorite Red & Blue BBQ Saturday, October 24 at the College of Law.

Enjoy great food, Wildcat spirit and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. Tickets are $20 per person and include food and non-alcoholic beverages, one alcoholic drink ticket for guests 21+, and an Arizona Law Homecoming T-shirt. Children under 5 attend free.

The BBQ time will be announced once the Arizona football kickoff time is confirmed. We hope to see you there!

Learn More and Register

Pima County Bar Foundation Honors Three Alumni at Annual Gala

Congratulations to alumni Lisa Anne Smith (’95), Melissa “Mimi” Noshay-Petro (’03) and Robert Fleming (’76), who were recently recognized as the 2026 awardees at the Pima County Bar Foundation Gala.

Smith and Petro received the Deb Elkins Volunteer of the Year Award for their work with the Legal Community Against Hunger (LCAH). Named in memory of paralegal Deb Elkins, who volunteered for 25 years as a tutor with the Lawyers for Literacy Program, the PCBF website says the award “recognizes those special members of our legal community who give their time and talents not because they have to, but because they believe in making a difference.”

As co-chairs of LCAH, Petro and Smith have brought together the legal community to support the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. The campaign they lead has raised more than $750,000 since 1988 to help relieve hunger and provide assistance to individuals and families throughout our community. Smith is managing shareholder of the Tucson office of DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy and Petro is a partner at the Udall Law Firm.

Fleming was awarded the Juan Perez-Medrano Excellence in Public Service Award for extraordinary contributions to the Pima County legal community.

A founding member of Fleming & Curti, PLC who specializes in estate planning, elder law and special needs planning, Fleming co-founded what became the PCBF Guardianship and Conservatorship education program. Since 2015, the program has provided presentations on the often-overwhelming process of creating guardianships and conservatorships for loved ones. Fleming’s co-creators of the educational program were Arizona Law alumni Beth Smith (’95) and Ryan Thomsen (’11), along with the late Arizona Law Professor Kenney Hegland.

“Robert is a champion of autonomy, dignity and self-reliance,” PCBF wrote. “Throughout his career, he has advocated for thousands of vulnerable children and adults and has helped create new opportunities for individuals with special needs.”

Call for Volunteer Judges for Undergraduate Mock Trial Competition

Arizona Undergraduate Mock Trial’s 12th annual mock trial tournament, the Arizona Cactus Classic Invitational, is coming up on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8. The club is asking the LawCat community to help out by serving as judges.

Volunteer law students, attorneys, judges and others in the community are an important part of the mock trial experience and give competitors the opportunity to interact with legal professionals.

The tournament will be held at the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court. There are two rounds each day—the first round will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and the second round will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Volunteers are welcome to judge as few or as many rounds as they would like.

Refreshments and coffee will be served. If you are interested in volunteering, please email azmocktrial@gmail.com.

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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

Facebook, @University of Arizona Law

We demonstrate our enthusiasm for the LawCat community in so many ways. We applaud the success of alumni like Lisa Anne, Mimi and Robert. We share our interest in the wide-ranging scholarship of our faculty. Most importantly, we support our students, through volunteering, financial support, hiring Arizona Law and more.

I hope to see you Homecoming Weekend, where I can thank you for your ongoing support for our college, speak with you about all that is happening on campus and hear your stories of the LawCat community.

Onward,

Jason

law.arizona.edu