Diversity At the College of LawThe University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law's culturally and educationally diverse student body is one of the College's most important assets. The College of Law is committed to promoting access to legal education for individuals traditionally under-represented in the legal profession and to cultivating a rich learning environment for all students. To achieve these institutional objectives, the College provides:

Support Programs

- Monthly Information Sessions for all prospective applicants to discuss legal education generally, the University of Arizona's program and the admissions process (call the College of Law Admissions Office at (520) 621-3477 or click here for the current Schedule;

- LSAT and LSDAS fee waivers to any candidate with financial need;

- Need and merit-based scholarships, totaling over $3 million awarded in 2006-2007;

- Tutorial support programs for enrollees: College of Law Academic Support Program offers tutorials in all subjects to all first-year students, both first and second semesters;

- The Gonzalez-Villarreal BRIDGE Program--all admitted students are invited to a week long pre-law orientation program;

-The College of Law actively supports and encourages participation in CLEO, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (202)662-8630 at CLEO, the Prelaw Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives PLSI (505) 277-5462 and the National Bar Association Pipeline Program.

- The Latino Law Student Association, the Black Law Student Association (BLSA), the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) and the Asian Law Student Association (ALSA) are active service organizations that are involved in law school recruitment, retention and placement. They are engaged in numerous law school and community-oriented projects geared to assist minority applicants, law students and graduates.

- Through the Career Office, opportunities to participate in seven job fairs for minority students nationwide, from Los Angeles to Dallas and Seattle to Chicago and for minority clerkships for second year law students.

College-Community Partnerships

- Since the Fall of 1990, the College of Law has sponsored a Mentor Program in cooperation with the Pima County Bar Association, Arizona Women Lawyers and the Arizona Minority Bar Association. All first-year students are matched with a practicing attorney who volunteers to serve as a mentor. Mentors provide advice and assistance during the academic year and are available for professional and emotional support and guidance.  This joint effort of the College of Law and the Tucson legal community has become an integral part of our students' educational experiences at the College of Law.

- Several prominent Tucson law firms participate in the Legal Intern Writing Program, which offers students from groups traditionally under-represented in the legal profession an intensive employment experience during the spring semester of their second year. Interns are assigned substantive legal writing tasks and receive on-going evaluations of their work.

- The College of Law offers varied clinical programs which provide students the opportunity to work under the supervision of attorneys and judges in private law firms, government agencies, public interest organizations and the federal and state courts. Additionally, the College sponsors two United States Senate internships, various congressional and legislative internships, an immigration law clinic, a domestic violence clinic, a child advocacy clinic, prosecution and defense clinics, and internships and clinical opportunities with the Navajo, Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui tribal governments.

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Minority Faculty

Professor James Anaya is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is one of the leading scholars and teachers in international human rights. He teaches Constitutional Law, International & Comparative Law of Indigenous Peoples and is active in the Tribal law Clinic.

Professor Jack Chin graduated from Wesleyan University and the University of Michigan Law School.   He has an LL.M. from Yale Law School and is a nationally known teacher and scholar in Criminal Law and Procedure.

Professor Zelda Harris is a graduate of Washington University School of Law and is the Director of the Domestic Violence Clinic.   She is a leader in various community organizations and a teacher in the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Professor James Hopkins, originally from Quebec and a member of the Algonquin/Metis nation, is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Harvard Law School.   He is the Director of the Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program.

Professor Boris Kozolchyk is a graduate of the University of Miami Law School and earned an S.J.D. from the University of Michigan. Professor Kozolchyk is an internationally recognized scholar in the area of International Commercial Transactions and Comparative Law. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he is the director of The National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade.

Professor Ana Merico is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, served as a clerk for a federal judge and worked as a litigator with the law firm of Frost & Jacobs prior to joining the College of Law. She teaches Civil Procedure and Federal Courts.

Professor Leslye Obiora is a graduate of the University of Nigeria and earned an LL.M. at Yale Law School and a J.S.D. at Stanford Law School. She teaches International Human Rights and Feminist Jurisprudence.

Professor Robert Williams is a graduate of Harvard Law School and member of the Lumbee tribe. Professor Williams is one of the foremost experts in the United States in  Indian Law. He teaches Federal Indian Law and is active in the College's Tribal Law Clinics.
 

The LibraryThe College of Law Library is one of the best legal research facilities in the Southwest, with a collection of over 354,000 volumes. The latest in computer-based legal research is available through LEXIS, WESTLAW, and Internet access. A student computer lab for word processing, computer-assisted legal instruction and research plays an important role in student academic life.
(Click here for more information about the Law Library)

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Additional Information:

Call Eric James Eden, Assistant Dean for Admission & Financial Aid at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, to discuss any questions you may have concerning the College of Law, legal education in general, preparation for law school, admissions, etc. All staff are here to respond to your needs at (520) 621-3477 or 621-9949.

Our E-mail address is: Admissions@law.arizona.edu, and our mailing address is:

University of Arizona, Rogers College of Law
P.O.Box 210176
Tucson, AZ 85721