College News and Events

Watch the 2013 Convocation Ceremony video online at http://mediasite.law.arizona.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=bafafb9d25fb48468542ba383836f4511d.

Posted: 06/11/2013

The State Bar of Arizona is seeking applicants for its free one-day 2013 Summer Law Camp to be held on June 28, 2013, at Arizona Law. A flyer for the event is available here.

The camp is open to students in grades 8 through 11. Lunch will be provided. Please contact Elena Nethers at the State Bar, 602-340-7393 or elena.nethers@staff.azbar.org, for more information.

Posted: 06/06/2013

Arizona Law’s program to get 1L students legal work experience during their first summer of law school is paying off in a big way - about 96% of this year’s class found paid, for-credit, work study, and volunteer positions across Arizona, the United States, and even internationally through the program. Read more about this program and how it helps students prepare for practice here.

Posted: 06/03/2013

After an extensive national search, Arizona Law professor Marc L. Miller has been appointed as dean of the James E. Rogers College of Law, effective immediately. Miller has been serving as interim dean since November 2012. Miller is the twelfth permanent dean to occupy the position since the law school was founded in 1915. Read more here.

Posted: 05/29/2013

Beginning with students graduating in 2014, the College of Law will offer two new certificate programs:  one in Family and Juvenile Law and the other in Tax Law and Policy.

The Family and Juvenile Law Certificate Program will provide a curriculum to prepare students for practice in selected areas of concentration in the fields of family and juvenile law. In addition to required and elective coursework in the law school, it will also require interdisciplinary coursework and participation in either a clinic or an internship. There will also be a regular series of speakers, panels, or other presentations from experts on topics related to family or juvenile law; and a faculty-student advisory board to develop initiatives to enhance the educational experience for students and to develop internship and externship opportunities. Professor Emerita Barbara Atwood will serve as the initial Program Director.

The Tax Law and Policy Certificate Program will recognize students who have successfully completed coursework concentrating in the field of tax law and policy. In addition to required and elective coursework in the law school, the program also offers the opportunity to take courses in the Eller College of Management. The program also requires students to engage in ten hours of unpaid, pro bono practice experience with the primary focus on an aspect of tax law. Professors Mona Hymel and John Swain will serve as the Program Directors.

As with the Law College’s International Trade & Business Law Certificate Program and the Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Certificate Program, these new certificate programs will help students demonstrate their commitment to a particular field and their satisfactory completion of a specialized educational program.

Posted: 04/24/2013

Five law students received recognition and cash prizes for their lawyering skills in the 13th Annual Richard Grand Damages Argument Competition. Student winners of the April 2, 2013, competition were:

• John Palfreyman and John Lierman (tie) (1st place - $1,500 each)
• Omar Vasquez (3rd place - $500)
• Robson Hauser and Andrew Floyd (4th place - $250 each)

The event is an oral argument competition that emphasizes the presentation of damages evidence in personal injury cases. Student finalists presented mock closing arguments on the issue of how much in damages should be awarded in a civil lawsuit. Local lawyers Gloria Torres, Joe Ezzo, Brian Chas, and Professor Paul Bennet served as jurors for the arguments.

The competition is funded by Richard Grand, a 1958 graduate of the College of Law. Grand began his practice in Tucson as a deputy county attorney and, since 1962 his practice has been limited to representing plaintiffs. On more than 100+ occasions he has obtained either a verdict or settlement in excess of $1 million.

In 1972, he received a jury verdict of $3.5 million, at that time the largest in the United States for a single injury. Wry v. Dial, 18 Ariz. App. 503 (1972). In 1972 he founded the Inner Circle of Advocates, which is limited to 100 U.S. lawyers who have completed at least 50 personal injury trials and have at least one verdict in excess of $1 million for compensatory damages. In 2002, the University of Arizona Alumni Association Board Of Directors awarded him the University of Arizona’s Professional Achievement Award to Richard Grand. Mr. Grand was only the twelfth person to receive this prestigious award.

Posted: 04/09/2013

The Arizona Board of Regents approved cuts in tuition for the College of Law for the 2013 - 2014 academic year on April 4, 2013. The reductions equal approximately 11% for in-state students and 8% for non-resident students. For more details, see the UANews post here.

For more news and commentary on this reduction, see the following articles:

• NEW: Above the Law, A Trend in the Making:  Falling Law School Tuition? Let's Make It Happen, People!, Apr. 9, 2013.
• National Law Journal, Arizona Cuts Law School Tuition, Marking a First, Apr. 4, 2013;
• Arizona Republic, UA Law School May Cut Tuition to Lure Students, Apr. 3, 2013;
• Wall Street Journal Law Blog, University of Arizona Fires First Salvo in Law School Tuition War, Apr. 5, 2013;
• ABA Journal, Attention Law School Shoppers:  It's Now Cheaper to Get a JD from the University of Arizona, Apr. 5, 2013;
• KVOA, University Students Face High Tuition, Apr. 4, 2013;
• Arizona Daily Star, University of Arizona Law School Cutting Tuition as Enrollment Drops, Apr. 5, 2013 (for those using this document as a news source: contains omissions of fact.)

Posted: 04/05/2013

Visiting Scholar in Residence Stavang, Regents' Professor Glennon, Professor Gantz, Dean Miller, and Associate Dean Engel will each present a class dealing with issues in environmental law and humanities in Environmental Law at the Crossroads series offered by the College of Humanities in May 2013. For more information and to register for the classes, see here.

Posted: 04/04/2013