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Greetings,
This week we continue to spotlight our 1Ls on the move. As the spring semester winds down, Bryce Nakamura and Catherine Medina have exciting summer work ahead.
We also congratulate former Senator Dennis DeConcini ('63) on a recent award from the UA Alumni Association.
Until the footnotes,
Marc
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 Bryce Nakamura
Say hello to Bryce M. Nakamura.
This summer, Bryce will clerk for Hawaii's Office of Consumer Protection as an American Bar Association Steiger Fellow. Outstanding!
Bryce is from Honolulu, Hawaii, and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration (marketing and management) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
As an undergraduate he had the privilege of working for the university's athletics department and for the Hawaii Bowl, a college football bowl game.
Arizona Law provides a great fit with Bryce's goal of establishing a career in sports law:
"I feel that Arizona Law's professors, alumni network, and proximity to four professional sports teams and an elite intercollegiate athletics program provides me with the best opportunity to help me realize my goal."
Bryce is excited at the prospect of gaining practical legal experience this summer with the Office of Consumer Protection, as well as further advancing his legal writing skills and positively impacting the community in Hawaii.
Bryce also feels a personal connection to this summer's work:
"My family has fallen victim to the fraudulent practices of a business owner in the past, and I hope to use that experience to help those adversely affected by businesses who engage in fraudulent, unfair, or deceptive practices."
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Catherine Medina
This summer first-year Catherine Medina will be headed to Beretta Godoy -- a private firm in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that specializes in international law.
Catherine was born and raised in Phoenix. She came straight to Arizona Law after earning her bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University last year.
Catherine says that she chose Arizona Law because,
"It's a great school!" And she wanted to stay within the state:
"I come from a very large and close-knit family, so it was important for me when making my decision to be able to go home and see them. I also met a lot of Arizona Law alumni over the years before applying who helped inspire my decision. For me, the school had so many opportunities available for students that made it stand out against the others."
Her primary practice interests lie in international law, human rights, and public policy. However, Catherine is still very open-minded in her pursuits:
"I am pretty open to exploring more areas until I find something I am really passionate about and enjoy practicing."
Having set her sights on working abroad this summer, Catherine began researching opportunities online and found a non-profit organization that helps place law students with foreign firms:
"I was very fortunate to be put in contact with Beretta Godoy and everything just fell into place from there."
Beretta Godoy is a boutique law firm in Buenos Aires with a variety of practice areas, including human rights, mergers and acquisitions, foreign trade, and intellectual property. Catherine's summer practice will be focused on international law, working with other countries that wish to invest in Argentina's natural resources and infrastructure.
The firm even offers Portuguese and Chinese language classes to support its international practice. And she's looking forward to learning more about the legal system in South America and foreign business. Overall, Catherine says,
"It's a terrific opportunity to experience a new country and a culture different than my own."
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Dennis DeConcini ('63) Receives UAAA Veterans Award
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The UA Alumni Association (UAAA) presented College of Law alumnus and retired three-term U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini ('63) with its Veterans Award for Distinguished Service on April 26.
The award reception was held at UA Special Collections, alongside an exhibit of materials from
The DeConcini Papers, highlighting contributions he made during his service in the U.S. Senate.
As part of the reception, I presented Senator DeConcini with a framed copy of his admission letter to the law school, to which he replied,
"I didn't have to take a test to get into law school." Well, now at least prospective students can take one of two tests!
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Advance your Leadership -- Apply for the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy
Emily Rajakovich ('08), Senior Program Manager, Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, wrote in to share a great opportunity.
The Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy is now accepting applications for its 2017 cohort. Flinn-Brown is designed for accomplished Arizonans who want to expand their leadership by becoming state-level elected officials, agency executives, board and commission members, and policy advisors within the next three years.
UA Law graduates have participated in the program in previous years, including Alexis Danneman ('12), Ben Graff ('06), Fred Lomayesva ('90), Frances Sjoberg ('11), Alfred Urbina ('08), Brad Vynalek ('99), and Cheyenne Walsh ('12).
The nonpartisan academy, which begins with participation in a 12-session seminar series in the fall, helps Fellows further prepare to govern and contribute to public policy at the state level. About 35 Fellows will be selected over the summer through a competitive application process. The deadline is May 15. Find more information and begin an application
here.
There is no cost to attend. Mileage and hotel costs are covered for those traveling from outside of the Phoenix-metro area.
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Graduation Weekend Events
 We invite the Arizona Law alumni community to celebrate graduation with us.
Friday, May 12, 2017
1:30 p.m. Certificate Ceremony for curricular programs (lower level, Daniel Cracchiolo Library).
4 p.m. Student Awards Ceremony (lower level, Daniel Cracchiolo Library).
5-7 p.m. Graduation Celebration (Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie Lobby). All graduates, guests, and faculty/staff are invited to attend this reception, with music, light appetizers and beverages (limited hosted bar). RSVPs are required.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
2 p.m. Convocation Ceremony, Centennial Hall. Doors open for audience seating at 1 p.m. The reception begins immediately after the convocation.
The commencement speaker will be Arizona Supreme Court Justice John Lopez.
In addition, Pima County Superior Court Judge Sarah ("Sally") Simmons will be acknowledged for her honorary degree, which is to be presented at the main UA ceremony on May 12.
4-5 p.m. Convocation Reception, across the street from Centennial Hall on the lawn of Arizona State Museum.
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We would love to hear (and share) stories from you about your own first professional experiences and summer employment as law students. Have a great story? Write to [email protected].
And we would love to have you attend graduation festivities, of course in spirit, but also in person, to celebrate this great moment for the many graduates across programs. Join us!
Shaping the next century of legal education
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