| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW |
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 | | |
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Greetings,
This week, we highlight some of the individuals who make our law school what it is. The inaugural class of Arizona Law Ambassadors will serve as student liaisons with alumni, prospective students and the legal community. They reflect the depth, breadth and commitment of all of our students.
We also are pleased to invite you to the upcoming McCormick and Soll Lectures. These longstanding speaker series – and all of our other excellent speaker series throughout the year, including the Pitt Speaker Series and the Marks Lecture – bring national and international scholars, policymakers and more to our school and contribute to our ongoing conversations on many important issues.
Last but not least, we recognize you, our alumni and friends who support and engage with the law school. Homecoming is only a month away, and we look forward to seeing many of you here!
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Until the footnotes,
Marc
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Meet the Arizona Law Ambassadors! | |
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We are pleased to announce the inaugural cohort of Arizona Law Ambassadors (ALA) for the 2022-23 academic year. The group of fifteen JD students were chosen to represent the University of Arizona Law student body and serve as professional student leaders to prospective students and families, alumni and the legal community. We hope members of the LawCat Community will get to know the new ALA students over the coming school year.
The ALA will share their experiences and an insider view into the University of Arizona Law community. They will educate audiences on the legal profession, what lawyers do and how they positively impact the world around us. Ambassadors are also charged with demonstrating what student success looks like, sharing tools and strategies necessary to succeed at University of Arizona Law.
“This first group of Arizona Law Ambassadors all have such diverse backgrounds and perspectives, offering a great representation of the Arizona Law community,” said Director of Admissions Ruben Fierros. “They will be able provide a customized experience and share their unique law school experiences for every prospective student who visits."
Ambassadors participate in numerous events, including prospective student visits, admissions events, student orientation, homecoming and alumni receptions.
“I look forward to speaking with prospective students about all of the things I love here at Arizona Law,” said Arizona Law Ambassador and President of the Student Bar Association Sarah Gerstel. “I’m hoping to provide interested students with an accurate perspective of our community so that they can determine if Arizona Law is the right fit for them.”
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Nabil Bhimani ’24
Hometown: Little Rock, AR
Legal Area of Interest: Criminal Law/Employment Law
Why did you choose Arizona Law: The smaller class size. I like the idea of a smaller law school that fosters a tighter knit community. Which I found is true at Arizona Law.
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Kyran Brown ’24
Hometown: Page, Arizona
Legal Area of Interest: I would like to be an advocate for members of the community, such as those that fall within the scope of family, immigration, workers’ rights, and military and veteran benefits law, whether I act as an attorney or judge.
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I chose Arizona Law because Tucson is located to an international border, a military base, a couple of indigenous reservations, and a city with its own personality, which attracts people from varying cultures and backgrounds. It is nice to see mountains visible from the campus, fighter planes often flying over the law school, meeting students from across the globe, and having classmates looking to better understand the perspectives and stories of other students.
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James Cerasia ’23
Hometown: Glen Ridge, NJ
Legal Area of Interest: Labor & Employment Law; Political & Election Law
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I like the small class sizes and the ability to get to know your entire cohort.
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Jade Colclasure ’24
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Legal Area of Interest: Family Law/Mediation or Environmental Law
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I chose Arizona Law because when I visited Tucson, it just felt like a place I could call home. Everyone was very friendly, and that translated into the community here at the school as well. I also love the weather here and I enjoy having Saguaro National Park just 5 minutes from home.
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Thomas Corrigan ’23
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Legal Area of Interest: Litigation
Why did you choose Arizona Law: The unmatched sense of community, affordability, and opportunity to explore water law in the West.
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Oscar Fimbres ’23
Hometown: San Luis, Arizona
Legal Area of Interest: Employment & Labor Law
Why did you choose Arizona Law: The tight knit community is what drove me to Arizona Law. I knew that within Arizona Law, I would find a community that would support me throughout my law school journey.
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Sarah Gerstel ’23
Hometown: Aberdeen, NJ
Legal Area of Interest: Public Defense
Why did you choose Arizona Law: Lots of sunshine, pretty mountains, and a law school that seemed more collaborative than cutthroat (which, in my experience, has definitely turned out to be true).
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Scott Glanzel ’23
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Legal Area of Interest: Criminal Defense (Public Defense specifically)
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I really enjoyed how small and tight knit the community is.
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Hannah Hays ’24
Hometown: Bozeman, MT
Legal Area of Interest: Criminal Law
Why did you choose Arizona Law: For the small but strong community and the focus on public interest!
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Kendal Johnson ’24
Hometown: Ada, Oklahoma
Legal Area of Interest: Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy, Criminal Law and Policy, and Property Law.
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I chose Arizona Law because of its small size which enables students to form meaningful relationships and promotes a spirit of collegiality. The connections you make in law school with classmates and professors can provide both a professional and personal support network throughout your career. That support network is invaluable and is exactly what I’ve found at Arizona Law.
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Ben Koehler ’23
Hometown: Union, Kentucky
Legal Area of Interest: Tax or State and Local Government
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I chose Arizona Law over other schools because it was the best combination of a supportive community culture, scholarship offer, future employment opportunities, and location relative to some of my family. I am incredibly happy with my choice as I have found lifelong friends amongst my classmates and professional opportunities that will benefit me for years to come.
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Travis Reynolds ’24
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Legal Area of Interest: I’ve changed my mind about ten times since I started down the path of becoming a lawyer, but right now I’m very interested in criminal law. I’m leaning towards working for the public defender’s office after graduation and seeing where that will take me in the future.
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I chose Arizona Law because I’m from Tucson, my family lived here, and I love that I can hike, bike, run, and swim year-round in this amazing weather!
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Annet Rich ’24
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Legal Area of Interest: Criminal Attorney or Immigration Attorney
Why did you choose Arizona Law: Tucson for me has always been home and I love the culture and environment here.
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Maryam Soortjii ’24
Hometown: McLean, VA
Legal Area of Interest: I would love to be a Public Defender in the future.
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I have heard a lot of good things about Arizona Law and I am so glad I made the right decision by coming here.
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Luis Torrero ’23
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA.
Legal Area of Interest: Business Litigation
Why did you choose Arizona Law: I chose Arizona Law because it has a small community kind of vibe.
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Last Chance to Register for McCormick Lecture with Jill Lepore | |
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Please join us next Monday, October 3 for an evening with Jill Lepore, affiliate professor of law and professor of American History at Harvard and staff writer at “The New Yorker.”
The theme of the lecture will be “MAKING AMENDS: Can the U.S. Constitution be Revised?”
A Zoom link will be sent out before noon on October 3.
WHEN
Monday, Oct. 3, 2022
5:30-6:30 p.m. (Tucson)
WHERE
This is an online event.
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Registration Open for Darrow K. Soll Memorial Criminal Law and Justice Lecture October 26 | |
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We are pleased to announce this year’s Darrow K. Soll Memorial Criminal Law and Justice Lecture featuring Co-Founder and Executive Director of Partners for Justice Emily Galvin-Almanza. She will speak on the structural forces creating inequity in our criminal legal system and unpack an approach to foster greater access to justice in the near term by transforming the role of indigent defense in American communities.
Event: “Equal Mercy: Seeking Justice in the American Criminal System”
When: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, 12 p.m.
Where: The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, 1201 E. Speedway Blvd., Room 164.
Emily Galvin-Almanza is the cofounder and executive director for Partners for Justice (PFJ), a new model of collaborative public defense designed to empower public defenders nationwide. Launched in 2018, PFJ has now eliminated over 4,000 years of incarceration and grown from two sites to over 20 locations across 13 states.
Prior to founding PFJ, she fought for clients inside the LA County Public Defender, Santa Clara County Public Defender and Bronx Defenders and served as one of the first attorneys fighting for release of life-sentenced people with the Stanford Three Strikes Project. Glavin-Almanza clerked for the Honorable Thelton Henderson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford law School, where she earned the Deborah Rhode Prize for her work in the public interest. In 2017, she was named one of the American Bar Association’s Top 40 Young Lawyers.
The Darrow K. Soll Memorial Criminal Law and Justice Lecture is made possible through the generosity of alumna Jennifer Woods (’99).
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Homecoming Is a Month Away! Have You Registered? | |
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Homecoming is only a month away! We are looking forward to seeing alumni and other friends October 27-29 for Homecoming events planned for the LawCat Community:
Friday, October 28
Arizona Law’s Lifetime Achievement Awards
Honoring:
Robert J. Hirsh, Class of 1964
Hon. Margaret Houghton, Class of 1976
Daisy Jenkins, Class of 1996
Location: James E. Rogers College of Law, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie Lobby & Snell & Wilmer Courtyard, or virtually
Time: 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Register for the Lifetime Achievement Awards
Arizona Law’s Alumni Reunion Celebration
Celebrating the reunion classes of: 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992 , 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017
Location: Culinary Dropout, 2543 E. Grant Road
Time: 7-10 p.m.
Register for the Reunion Celebration
Saturday, October 29
Arizona Law Red & Blue BBQ
Location: James E. Rogers College of Law, Snell & Wilmer Courtyard
Time: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (time may change based on football game kickoff)
Register for the BBQ
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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.
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The consistent themes you hear from the Arizona Law Ambassadors, introduced above, are themes I am delighted to hear from students throughout our college. When the match is right, as it so often is, the very real challenges of learning the law become a pleasure.
I write this knowing that our first year students are taking mid-terms, and that not every case, every statute, and every policy issue is fascinating. But for those who have found their way to us, and to the law, more than enough are engaging and build a rewarding experience here, and an enjoyable career to come.
Along the way I hope all of our students, and all of our alumni and friends, take advantage of the always fascinating explorations reflected in our major lectures, such as the McCormick lecture – in this case a discussion – that will take place next Monday with Jill Lepore.
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