The University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law is well on its way to revamping its advocacy program, undertaking a $6 million fundraising campaign, the school said.
Several alumni have kick-started the campaign with significant donations.
The college launched “A New Day in Court,” an effort to raise the funds to support its advocacy program by renovating student courtrooms, establishing endowed positions and providing additional support for students, the UA said.
The college will divvy up the money with $4 million for building renovations and $2 million for endowed positions such as chair of advocacy, professorship, and an endowment fund to support student experiential activities, such as travel to trial competitions, the school said.
“A New Day in Court” initiative will create fully functional, state-of-the-art spaces that give students experience in modern courtroom settings,” the UA said.
The advocacy program prepares students for careers in the courtroom, by emphasizing experiential classes that allow students to act as litigators and try cases against each other. The program also teaches core advocacy skills such as client interviews and fact gathering that are essential for any lawyer, even those not practicing in court, the UA said.
The program will be renamed the Thomas Mauet Advocacy Program in honor of Mauet, who retired as the program’s director in 2016.
The law college’s trial courtroom will soon bear the name of Kevin R. Boyle, an 1997 graduate and founder of a Los Angeles-based law firm, who contributed $1 million to revamp the space where law students train. The new space will be able to hold 50 observers and will have a jury/conference room.
“I am hopeful that this state-of-the art courtroom will attract talented students interested in trial practice and help set them on their way to all forms of successful trial careers,” Boyle said.
The college’s plan to revamp its existing appellate courtroom to also double as a classroom and the lobby will soon provide study spaces, as well as a view into ongoing courtroom activities with upgraded audiovisual technology.
More Wildcats are also answering the call to support the program like the all-alumni, Tucson-based firm Schmidt, Sethi and Akmajian that is providing a $250,000 gift toward lobby renovations.
Ted Schmidt, who also works on the fundraising initiative’s steering committee, hopes it becomes a space filled with study groups, where students watch peers perform in court sessions and engage in “invigorating discussions.”
“Our firm wants to ensure that the University of Arizona remains an elite institution that is equipped to train the next generation of successful trial attorneys,” Schmidt said.
