University of San Diego School of Law Advocate: Fall 2023 by University of San Diego

ADVOCATE Uni ver si t y of S an Diego S chool of L aw

PLUS:

❱ Charting new directions in IP law ❱ First-generation students shine ❱ International programs strengthen the

rule of law in Latin America and beyond

EDUCATING TOMORROW’S

TOP LAWYERS Incoming law students gather on campus to take the Oath of Professionalism

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MASTHEAD ADVOCATE

Vice Chair of the Board Dennis J. Doucette ’86 (JD) Immediate Past Chair Alan K. Brubaker ’76 (JD)

Uni ver si t y of S an Diego S chool of L aw

PLUS:

❱ Charting new directions in IP law ❱ First-generation students shine ❱ International programs strengthen the

rule of law in Latin America and beyond

EDUCATING TOMORROW’S

TOP LAWYERS Incoming law students gather on campus to take the Oath of Professionalism

FALL 2023

In August 2023, new law students assembled at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice to begin their journey at USD School of Law.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATORS

— Robert A. Schapiro, JD Dean and C. Hugh Friedman Professor of Law Margaret A. Dalton ’94 (JD) Vice Dean and Professor of Law Emily Nagisa Keehn, JD Assistant Dean for Law Student Affairs Stephanie Kiesel ’11 (JD) Assistant Dean, Finance and Administration Judith Lihost ’97 (JD) Assistant Dean and Director of Legal Research Center, Professor of Legal Research Debbie Rider ’84 (JD) Senior Director of Development Michael Chavez, JD Interim Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Rebecca Levine, JD Interim Dean of Law Careers and Professional Development

2023-2024 BOARD OF VISITORS — Chair of the Board Erin P. Gibson ’03 (JD)

Members Derek Aberle ’96 (JD) Hon. Olga Álvarez ’02 (JD) G. Edward Arledge ’73 (JD)** Hon. Richard Aronson ’72 (BA), ’75 (JD) (ret.) Richard M. Bartell ’75 (JD) Angela A. Bartosik ’93 (JD) Adam J. Bass ’88 (BA), ’91 (JD) Hon. Michael S. Berg ’81 (JD) Erin M. Bosman ’94 (BBA), ’99 (JD) Matthew J. Bresnahan ’07 (JD) Robert S. Brewer Jr. ’75 (JD) Benjamin C. Bunn ’89 (JD) Elizabeth “Libby” Carson, JD** David S. Casey Jr. ’74 (JD) Steven J. Cologne ’84 (JD) Stephen P. Doyle ’84 (JD) Bibianne U. Fell ’04 (JD) Michael A. Ferrara Jr. ’72 (JD) Thompson Fetter ’67 (JD) Gordon L. Gerson ’76 (JD) Robert H. Gleason ’98 (JD) Hon. Allison H. Goddard ’00 (JD) Susan S. Gonick ’86 (JD)** Hon. J. Richard Haden ’74 (JD) (ret.)** John R. Henkel ’77 (JD)** Karen P. Hewitt ’89 (JD) Denise Hickey ’94 (JD) Steven R. Hunsicker ’75 (JD) Faye Hunter ’90 (JD) Jennifer Jett, JD Shaka H. Johnson ’03 (JD) Michael B. Kaplan ’72 (JD)** Kimberly M. Koro ’86 (JD) Hon. Melinda J. Lasater ’73 (JD)** Patrick W. Martin ’92 (JD) Haida Massoud Mojdehi ’94 (JD) Hon. Judith McConnell, JD** James R. McCormick Jr. ’97 (JD) Jack McGrory ’81 (JD) Edwin F. McPherson ’82 (JD) A. John Murphy ’72 (BA), ’75 (JD)** Andrea Myers ’08 (JD) Virginia C. Nelson ’79 (JD)** Katherine “Katie” L. Parker ’02 (JD) Hon. Louisa S Porter ’77 (JD) (ret.) Frank J. Ragen II ’67 (BA), ’72 (JD) Michael J. Rider ’83 (JD) Kristin Rizzo ’06 (JD) Paul E. Robinson ’73 (JD)

Frank E. Rogozienski ’71 (JD) Dean Robert A. Schapiro, JD* Frederick Schenk ’78 (JD) Former Congresswoman Lynn Schenk ’70 (JD) Edward P. Schlesier ’89 (BBA), ’00 (JD) Gary W. Schons ’73 (BA), ’76 (JD) Ronson J. Shamoun ’98 (BAA), ’02 (JD), ’03 (LLM) Thomas E. Sharkey ’59 (JD)** Susanne Stanford ’75 (JD)** Todd F. Stevens ’88 (JD) George G. Strong Jr. ’74 (JD) Dawn S. Theodora ’87 (JD) Jeffrey T. Thomas ’82 (JD) Hon. Robert J. Trentacosta ’79 (JD) Vickie E. Turner ’82 (JD)** Mike Weaver ’73 (JD)** Christopher Wesierski ‘78 (JD) Charles B. Witham ’98 (JD), ’99 (MBA)

Carola Murguia ‘20 (JD) Brett Norris ’02 (JD) Teodora D. Purcell ‘01 (LLM) Dean Robert A. Schapiro, JD* Cody Stevens, SBA President* Patrick C. Swan ’15 (JD) Francis J. Tepedino ’74 (JD) Hon. Victor M. Torres ’84 (BA), ’88 (JD) Noel B. Vales ’97 (JD) Hon. Christopher T. Whitten ’91 (JD) Carson C. Williams ‘20 (JD) Jessica G. Wilson ’02 (BA), ’06 (JD) *ex-officio member

ADVOCATE STAFF

— Editors Debbie Rider ’84 (JD) Eli Roberts ’22 (BA)

2023-2024 LAW ALUMNI BOARD

Contributors Brigid Bennett ’81 (BA) Katie Gonzalez ’98 (BA) Shari Baurle Green Stacee Groff Jeanette Nichols Lily Rand Alexis Vercollone

President-Elect Nicholas J. Fox ’11 (JD)

Photographer Grace Goodale

Immediate Past President Carolina Bravo-Karimi ’08 (JD)

Design Diablo Custom Publishing

Matthew L. Abbot ’15 (JD) Dylan M. Aste ’11 (JD) Beth K. Baier ’84 (JD) Alan H. Barbanel ’82 (JD) Ross E. Bautista ’16 (JD) Diane Byun ’20 (JD) David S. Casey, III ’18 (JD) Megan Donohue ’09 (JD) E. Scott Dupree ’77 (JD) Robert K. Foster ’19 (JD) Kirsten F. Gallacher ’12 (JD) Jonathan L. Gerber ’07 (JD) Erin F. Giglia ’01 (JD) Benjamin Gourley ’20 (JD) Joy Utomi Hartmann ’11 (JD) Ashley T. Hirano ’09 (JD) Curtis M. Jackson ’18 (JD) Knut S. Johnson ’86 (JD) Julianna H. Kat ’16 (JD) Professor Michael B. Kelly, JD Alex L. Landon ’71 (JD) Erin P. Lupfer ’17 (JD) Noel J. Meza III ‘19 (JD)

Advocate is published by the University of San Diego School of Law Department of Communications.

*ex-officio member **emeritus member

— President Katherine L. Parker ’11 (JD)

CONTENTS 12

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

2 DEAN’S MESSAGE Robert A. Schapiro reflects on USD School of Law’s commitment to student success and enhancing diversity as it expands its reach, both nationally and internationally. 3 DISCOVERY Updates on USD Law newsmakers and events, including the Law Review’s 60th anniversary, a fond farewell to Greg Knoll and a transition in leadership at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, the 2023 Class Action Law Forum and more.

30 FACULTY FOOTNOTES News about faculty members’ scholarly publications, achievements and activities.

35 CLASS ACTION Catch up with the personal and professional lives of alumni.

N E W DI R E C T IO N S I N I P L AW USD School of Law is at the white-hot center of the booming field of intellectual property law, in San Diego and beyond. F I R S T- G E N E R AT IO N S T U D E N T S S H I N E From pre-orientation to graduation, campus initiatives support students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education.

A L U M N I S WO R N I N T O H I G H E S T C O U R T The law school provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for 12 alumni to gain admission to the U.S. Supreme Court bar.

A GLOBAL PRESENCE New international programs aim to strengthen legal institutions in Latin America and Asia.

WORDS OF WISDOM California Supreme Court Associate Justice Martin Jenkins inspired new graduates at the law school’s 2023 Commencement.

41 IN MEMORIAM USD School of Law mourns the passing of alumni and friends. 42 GIVING The generous donors who support the law school make a world of difference. 47 CONNECTING ALUMNI Were you there? Photos from alumni events and reunions.

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

DEAN’S MESSAGE

here’s nothing that energizes a law school campus like the arrival of a new class of students and the return of 2L and 3L students who have been spreading their wings as summer associates and Public Interest Fellows working on behalf of their clients and their community. That excitement is captured throughout the pages of the Advocate, in which you will see the many ways USD School of Law is expanding its reach, increasing its influence nationally and internationally, while enhancing efforts to be inclusive—in every sense. USD has long been a top choice for first-generation law students. In the fall of 2023, an estimated 27% of incoming law students at USD were the first among their families to graduate with bachelor’s degrees. We offer robust resources, including mentorship programs, academic assistance, networking events, and student-led organizations and activities. Student success continues to be paramount, and we firmly believe that all students should have the support they need to compete for top honors and the careers of their choice. In these pages, we also examine how USD School of Law has become a thought leader in the dynamic field of intellectual property law. Our location puts us in close proximity to San Diego’s flourishing life sciences and biotech industries, which have an ongoing need for IP lawyers. Under the leadership of Professor Ted Sichelman, who founded and directs 2

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the law school’s Intellectual Property Externship, USD Law is recognized as having one of the strongest IP law programs in the country. Professor Sichelman also convenes the law school’s nationally recognized annual Patent Law Conference. Another top priority at USD Law is to increase our presence internationally, and we have made significant strides in that direction over the past year, thanks in considerable measure to the farsightedness of Dr. Karen Sigmond, our Senior Director of Graduate, International and Certificate Programs. Driven by the goal of helping to strengthen the rule of law in countries such as Mexico, Sigmond and her team secured a nearly $3 million grant from the U.S. State Department to begin training students and faculty at law schools across Mexico in trial and mediation skills. Additionally, the law school has long been involved in building connections with the legal community in Asia through hosted programs on our campus and overseas outreach efforts. On the heels of the law school’s first alumni bar swearing-in ceremony before the United States Supreme Court, USD School of Law proudly published the third annual Blue Brief. Ten esteemed faculty offered insights on the key cases from the 2022-2023 term of the U.S. Supreme Court. This year’s Blue Brief covers 11 important decisions, including cases about affirmative action, student loans, the First Amendment, Native American law, personal jurisdiction, trademark law, the dormant commerce clause and internet platform liability. These are just a few of the initiatives you will learn about in this issue. You will also read about our faculty’s many accomplishments, our alumni community’s impressive careers, and our exceptional students, who continue to make us proud and optimistic about the future of our profession.

ROBERT A. SCHAPIRO

Dean and C. Hugh Friedman Professor of Law

DISCOVERY THE SAN DIEGO LAW REVIEW AT 60

A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE EXAMINES REPARATIVE JUSTICE FOR BLACK AMERICANS ❱❱ The editorial board of the San Diego Law Review knew that they had to do something big for their 60th-anniversary symposium issue. So in June 2022, when the California Department of Justice solicited input on its Reparations Task Force’s interim report, the Law Review editors had their inspiration. The report marked one of the first attempts by a state to outline a plan for reparative justice for Black Americans. However, the late-winter deadline for article submissions did not leave enough time for professors and other reparations scholars to create articles examining the interim report. Instead, the Law Review turned to USD Law students to submit articles, and they delivered. “The students produced six really wonderful pieces, first-rate pieces,” said Warren Distinguished Professor of Law Roy L. Brooks, who also serves as the faculty advisor to the Law Review. “They are better than a lot of stuff out there.” Brooks would know. A top reparations scholar, Brooks was one of the first to testify in front of the Reparations Task Force as it was creating the interim report. He also gave a series of informal lectures to California DOJ lawyers to educate them about existing scholarship on reparations.

Professor Roy L. Brooks

Student contributors to the Law Review’s anniversary issue.

It was also Brooks who brought reparative justice to the students’ attention. Through a seminar course on reparations and several other lectures, students learned about the structure, framework and underpinnings of reparations scholarship. Out of the seminar course and lectures grew nearly 20 pieces of original scholarship on reparations produced by students. After dozens of revisions and plenty of hard work, six submissions were eventually selected for publication in the symposium issue. “The six articles selected by the Law Review’s lead articles publication committee represent the depth of the topic, from providing ways to conceptualize and frame reparations and transitional justice to proposing reparatory efforts to implement,” said Law Review Editor-in-Chief Emily Kawahara, ’23 (JD/MAPJ). “The editors were extremely impressed with the caliber of these articles.” Even before the symposium issue was officially published, the California DOJ consulted with the student authors on the report’s proposals. The finalized report, released in Summer 2023, was heavily influenced by the work the students produced. “It shows that our students can really do topof-the-line work if given the opportunity, the right kind of materials, and discussion,” said Brooks. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of the students for their sacrifice and the quality of the work they produce.”

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

CHANGING LIVES, ONE CLIENT AT A TIME

Joanne Franciscus, ’04 (JD), named Executive Director/CEO of Legal Aid Society of San Diego ❱❱ When Joanne Franciscus, ’04 (JD), joined the Legal Aid Society of San Diego as a staff attorney in 2013, she knew she had found the perfect fit. She was drawn to the organization’s commitment to provide free legal services to lower-income San Diego residents. And, she was deeply inspired by the way Legal Aid could “literally transform lives, one client at a time,” she said. However, she did not always know this would be her path. After graduating from law school, she worked with a solo practitioner and briefly contemplated taking over the practice when he retired. She ultimately left the practice to take a public policy fellowship with the Polaris Project, which works to combat human trafficking. The experience convinced her that public interest law was exactly where she belonged. In her decade at Legal Aid, Franciscus steadily moved up the ranks, eventually becoming a managing attorney, then chief operating officer and now—as of August of this year—executive director/CEO. She succeeds Gregory Knoll, a highly respected leader and advocate who completed his 50th year as Legal Aid’s executive director before his untimely passing in August 2023. The Legal Aid Society of San Diego’s Joanne Franciscus, ’04 (JD).

When asked how she feels about becoming Legal Aid’s first new executive director in half a century, Franciscus admits that she has big shoes to fill, but she is excited by the challenge. “I am being handed a really strong organization,” she said, “but there is always room for improvement. We do wonderful work and have brilliant attorneys, but a lot of people do not know the breadth of our services. I would like to raise awareness of the transformative service that we do.” With its high volume of work—Franciscus says that they receive some 100,000 calls for assistance and handle roughly 10,000 cases for direct-service clients annually—the Legal Aid Society of San Diego is, by some reckonings, the largest law firm in San Diego. It has three offices and employs a staff of 212, including 80 attorneys and 60 advocates who work in critical areas such as housing, health, welfare, education, unemployment benefits, SSI, immigration and family law. A high priority for Franciscus is to encourage new generations of students to volunteer for Legal Aid so they can gain firsthand client experience in the public interest sector. One way she does this is by maintaining close ties with USD School of Law, where she is a guest lecturer and a former adjunct professor in the Experiential Advocacy Practicum. Said Professor Linda Lane, who oversees the practicum and is a past board president of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, “Joanne is a superstar who loves connecting with students, and she brings deep institutional knowledge to her new position.” “The work we do is fulfilling in so many ways,” Franciscus added. “It has been eye-opening to see all the ways we can make a difference. And sometimes it is just letting people know that somebody cares about them and that what happens to them matters.”

It has been eye-opening to see all the ways we can make a difference. And sometimes it is just by letting people know that somebody cares about them.” — J O A N N E F R A N C I S C U S , ’0 4 (J D) 4

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DISCOVERY

Panelists at the 2023 Class Action Law Forum included (from left) Justin Parks of AB Data, Peter Crudo of KCC, Christian Clapp of Angeion Group, Stephanie Amin-Giwner of Epiq, and Michael O’Connor of Western Alliance Bank.

NEW PERSPECTIVES ON CLASS ACTION LAW

The fifth annual Class Action Law Forum convened lawyers, judges, faculty members and students for wide-ranging discussions on complex litigation ❱❱ USD School of Law and Western Alliance Bank held the

fifth annual Class Action Law Forum (CALF) on March 15 and 16, 2023. The event has become a major gathering for class action professionals, including top lawyers and judges from federal and state courts. With a focus on the evolving landscape of class action lawsuits, this year’s forum featured an array of panelists and speakers who covered a wide range of topics, including the impact of technology on class actions and complex litigation procedure; new developments in the law; and trends in diverse areas such as product liability, privacy, antitrust, corporate governance and ESG. David S. Casey Jr., ’74 (JD), CALF’s co-chair, credits the forum’s growing prominence in the field of class action to its unique format that engages judges in panel discussions about recent developments in law. Casey, who served as state chair for the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s judicial selection committee and continues in that role today, moderated the forum’s judicial panel. This year, the panel featured judges from various districts in California, including Judge Anthony J. Battaglia and Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo. Other conference co-chairs, Gayle M. Blatt, Ellen Gusikoff Stewart, Erin M. Bosman and Courtney L. Baird, also brought their exceptional expertise to the plaintiff’s and defense’s sides, ensuring a balanced and comprehensive exploration of the topics at hand. Their contributions added depth and rigor to the forum’s deliberations.

The forum also featured Dana Rager and Francesca Castagnola from Western Alliance Bank Settlement Services, as well as Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. Gail Baker. Professors Shawn Miller, Linda Lane and Orly Lobel, as subject matter experts, offered keen insights on various aspects of class action litigation. The forum has also provided a platform for students to actively participate in the conference. “Beyond its educational value for professionals, CALF gives students chances to interact with participants, including judges, while playing roles in some of the programming,” Casey said. “This makes it an invaluable experience for students and keeps the forum true to its original mission.” This year, 18 students assumed key roles as research assistants, contributing to the organization of discussions and supporting panel presentations. Their involvement showcased their talent and dedication and provided them with valuable opportunities to interact with legal professionals, furthering their understanding of class action law. Professor in Residence Shawn Miller, incoming co-chair for the 2024 forum and lead coordinator for law students participating in the forum, expressed his enthusiasm for the growth of CALF and USD School of Law’s commitment to class action litigation. “Under the leadership of Dean Robert Schapiro, we are ramping up the School of Law’s commitment to the Class Action Law Forum by creating a new Center on Complex Litigation,” said Miller, who will serve as the center’s inaugural director. USD SCHOOL OF LAW

Alysson Snow, supervising attorney of the Housing Rights Legal Clinic.

CLINICAL EDUCATION NEWS

TWO OF USD SCHOOL OF LAW’S GAME-CHANGING CLINICS ASSIST CLIENTS WITH HOUSING INSECURITY AND IMMIGRATION CHALLENGES ❱❱ The Housing Rights Clinic: helping vulnerable people remain in their homes “One of the best ways to combat homelessness is to help people who are currently housed to stay that way,” said Alysson Snow, Professor of Practice and supervising attorney of the Housing Rights Legal Clinic. “To stop the flow of newly evicted or foreclosed-upon families, the idea of a Housing Rights Legal Clinic was conceived,” Snow said, referring to an organization she started in April 2022 as the Housing Rights Project—at the time, part of the law school’s Civil Clinic—and which became a separate clinic in January 2023.

3L Eurie Hwang said, “Working at the Housing Rights Clinic has been an eye-opening experience for me. Many people are unable to keep up with their rent, even if they live in affordable housing and/or have below-market rent. The USD Housing Rights Legal Clinic is a steadying hand for those in our community who know how to seek help when they need it.” Snow called the Housing Rights Clinic unique in that students can work with a client from a first interview to trial in one semester, involving themselves in every step of the legal process. “Putting on a suit, walking into the courtroom and advocating to save the home of your client is challenging and difficult, but inspiring and rewarding as

It is one thing to take on the bad guys by yourself; it is another thing completely to build the next generation of advocates and litigators.” — A LY S S O N S N O W, P R O F E S S O R O F P R A C T I C E , H O U S I N G RIGHTS LEGAL CL INIC

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DISCOVERY We want students to lead the case and do the legal analysis themselves, but we have a supervising attorney to offer guidance. We are training a new generation of great immigration attorneys.” —TA M M Y L I N , S U P E R V I S I N G AT T O R N E Y, I M M I G R AT I O N C L I N I C well,” she said. “Law students in the program walk away as capable litigators fighting for housing justice.” While growing up in Florida and then Idaho, Snow said she saw families “dealing with the negative consequences that debt and housing instability causes. A lot of the pressure stemmed from unlawful and unfair business practices by companies and landlords.” Today, Snow is gratified not only to fight for housing rights but also to train others to fight as well. “It is one thing to take on the bad guys by yourself; it is another thing completely to build the next generation of advocates and litigators.” ❱❱ The Immigration Clinic: providing legal aid to immigrants, asylum seekers and their families When Tammy Lin became the supervising attorney of the USD School of Law Immigration Clinic in January 2022, she was continuing a career that was shaped by her childhood. Lin’s family operated restaurants after coming to this country from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and her parents had two days off a year—Thanksgiving

2023 Outstanding Clinic Intern Jennifer Bejar Cobarruvias with Immigration Clinic Supervising Attorney Tammy Lin.

and Christmas. Working so relentlessly, they thrived, “but they could not have done it without everyday people helping them,” Lin said. “So I always wanted to do something with my life that helped others.” Since Lin’s arrival at USD School of Law, students enrolled in the Immigration Clinic have begun taking on increasingly active roles screening for clients in immigration court and asylum cases, both in court and filed affirmatively before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Students in the Fall 2023 clinic will begin representing clients in immigration court and working on these asylum cases. Also, in a new development, the clinic will be working with San Diego County on the Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program, representing immigrants who are in removal proceedings. The hope is for that to begin this fall. The clinic is helping to protect a very vulnerable population, Lin said. “We are helping people who are victims of crime, domestic violence and persecution here and abroad to find stability and legal status in the U.S., where they will be safe,” she said. 3L Claudine Elremawy worked at the Immigration Clinic in 2022. “For me personally, it was my first legal experience where I felt like I had true autonomy and the chance to explore my style of communicating with clients,” said Elremawy, an immigrant herself, who came to the United States from Egypt in 2011. “It was my first chance to truly discover what kind of lawyer I want to be.” Lin is enthusiastic about the opportunities the clinic gives students like Elremawy. “We want students to lead the case and do the legal analysis themselves, but we have a supervising attorney to offer guidance,” Lin said. “We are training a new generation of great immigration attorneys.”

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

MEET OUR NEW SBA PRESIDENT

3L Cody Stevens wants to equip organizations to serve all students ❱❱ Cody Stevens had an unusually well-formed life plan for a high school graduate. Heading to San Diego State University on a baseball scholarship, he chose a criminal justice major, hoping to follow in the footsteps of admired family members to become a police officer or enter the military. All that changed freshman year when he started having trouble with his vision. An MRI revealed a benign tumor threatening his optic nerve. Two surgeries later, Stevens was blind in one eye. “All of my plans had fallen apart. I couldn’t play baseball. I couldn’t do any of the careers I wanted,” Stevens said. “I was wondering, what can I do with this criminal justice major?” The answer came in the form of a single class: Criminal Law, taught by San Diego Superior Court Judge and former Deputy District Attorney Blaine

Bowman. Stevens found a new trajectory: He entered USD School of Law, with the goal of becoming a prosecutor. Spending the summer following his first year of law school interning with the Los Angeles district attorney cemented his choice. “I worked in gang prosecution. Dealing with the families of homicide victims was inspiring. You are trying to help these people close the chapter on one of the worst days of their lives,” he said. This past summer, Stevens worked as a certified law clerk with the Riverside District Attorney’s Office. Beyond studying to become the peoples’ advocate, Stevens has also enjoyed a wealth of activities at the law school, networking through student organizations including the Criminal Law Society and serving as an honor court alternate for the Student Bar Association (SBA). Now a 3L, Stevens, 24, is the incoming SBA president. His goal for his tenure: to bring transparency and efficacy to the student organization-funding process. “Our student organizations bring in attorneys and judges for great talks and networking events. But a lot of the organizations have faced issues in procuring the resources needed,” Stevens said. As president, he says he wants to streamline the funding-application process. He has learned through experience how much these organizations help students. “These networks helped me find my place at USD School of Law,” he said. “I want the incoming 1Ls—and everyone else—to have that same experience.”

3L Cody Stevens

I worked in gang prosecution. Dealing with the families of homicide victims was inspiring. You are trying to help these people close the chapter on one of the worst days of their lives.” — 3 L C O DY S T E V E N S

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DISCOVERY

Marie Shimada, ’18 (JD), reserve manager of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.

LOAN ASSISTANCE FOR PUBLIC INTEREST GRADUATES

USD SCHOOL OF LAW’S LRAP PROGRAM ENABLES RECENT ALUMNI LIKE MARIE SHIMADA, ’18 (JD), TO PURSUE CAREERS IN SERVICE OF THE GREATER GOOD ❱❱ Marie Shimada, ’18 (JD), credits her experience at USD School Law with setting her up for “a career in change-making.” Shimada cultivated a love of public interest law through her work in the school’s Legal Clinics and Centers for Public Interest Law. “The encouragement I received from faculty and staff, like Professor Bob Muth, Professors Robert and Julianne Fellmeth, and Senior Director of Development Debbie Rider, ’84 (JD), made a huge difference in my career choices,” she said. “I am driven by a desire to have a positive impact in my community, and I get excited about the possibilities that exist for folks who imagine a life of service to others.” She also credits the law school’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) for helping her pursue a career that was deeply meaningful to her. LRAP was established to assist graduates in the field of public interest by helping repay their law school loans so that burdensome student debt would not hinder their ability to serve others. USD School of Law has long been dedicated to exposing students to the value of public interest law and offers them many ways to explore the field, from its robust clinical education program to a multitude of internships, externships and pro bono opportunities. But because typical salaries for public interest professionals are considerably less

than those who work in large law firms, LRAP can make an enormous difference in a recent graduate’s career decisions. “Having both a legal background and a public interest/public service background leveraged my ability to obtain my current role, and the award from USD was a generous step toward reaching my current position,” Shimada says. Today, Shimada is the reserve manager of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, a unique area on Whidbey Island in her home state of Washington. The reserve was established to preserve a rural community and its historical, agricultural and cultural traditions. “I felt like I had to do a lot of digging myself when I was a student, but there are so many fulfilling options out there,” she said. “If I am not working to improve the lives of those around me, I do not see purpose.”

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

Professor Stephen Ferruolo coached USD School of Law’s winning team at the UCLA Transactional Law Competition.

TOP HONORS AT ADVOCACY COMPETITIONS

University of San Diego School of Law students participated in competitions across the country during the 2022-2023 academic year. The following teams took home top honors or prizes from their respective competitions. ❱❱ 2ND PLACE Nationally at the International Trademark Association’s Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court National Competition: Devon Esguerra ’23 (JD) and 3L Matthew Gordon. Coach: Andrew Rodriguez ’18 (JD). ❱❱ 1ST PLACE at the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Foundation Mary Moers Wenig student writing competition: Morgan Wahler ’23 (JD). ❱❱ 1ST PLACE at the ABA Client Advocacy Regional Negotiation Competition: 3L Miles Anderson and 3L Maria Miramontes. ❱❱ 1ST PLACE at the Association of Business Trial Lawyers Mock Trial Competition: 3L Michelle Dutta, 3L Asia Smith, 3L Raneen Zubeideh and 3L Noah Brassard. Coaches: James Joseph ’15 (JD) and Brittany Boiko ’19 (JD). ❱❱ 1ST PLACE at the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice National Criminal Trial Advocacy Competition: 3L Helen Lister, Emily Stowe ’23 (JD), Madison Henry ’23 (JD), Samantha Hasiewicz ’23 (JD) and Fred Smyth ’23 (JD). Coach: Peter Estes ’13 (JD).

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❱❱ BEST SELLER’S CONTRACT DRAFT, BEST SELLER’S NEGOTIATION at the Wayne State University Law School Transactional Law Invitational: Connor Porzio ’23 (JD), 3L Maria Miramontes and 3L Saachi Keswani. Coach: Raj Bains ’19 (JD). ❱❱ BEST DRAFT, BEST NEGOTIATION at the UCLA Transactional Law Competition: 3L Samantha Casey, Trevor Dorne ’23 (JD) and Joseph Heisley ’23 (JD/MBA). Coach: Professor Stephen Ferruolo. ❱❱ BEST ORAL ARGUMENTS at the International Trademark Association’s Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Regional Competition: 3L David Stewart and 3L Jessica Robertson. ❱❱ FINALIST at the Fowler Business Concept Challenge: 3L Edward Williams.

DISCOVERY RECOGNITION FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES

USD School of Law students are at the heart of a vibrant learning community. Advocacy teams, law societies, student affinity organizations and much more make up the law school’s 45-plus student organizations. Student organizations not only provide unique opportunities for professional development but also bring about an increased sense of community and inclusion. Here are some organizations and their leaders who have recently been honored for their achievements. ❱❱ STUDENT ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR: MIDDLE

Members of the Middle Eastern Law Students Association.

EASTERN LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (MELSA) When the new leaders of MELSA took over in Fall 2022, the organization lacked the resources and tradition of many of USD Law’s student affinity groups. Yet they were steadfast in spreading a message of inclusion to students of Middle Eastern descent. From hosting events and fundraising for victims of the Iranian Revolution to building networks with the San Diego legal community, MELSA demonstrated an impressive devotion to their members and their identity. “They educated the student body even when it was onerous and extended their heritage to us through rich and meaningful events, knowing that light is shone where knowledge is passed on,” said Marty Levers, secretary of the Student Bar Association.

❱❱ EMILY KAWAHARA: ENHANCEMENT AWARD WINNER

Emily Kawahara, ’23 (JD), and Kathryn Hoyt, ’14 (JD).

When the San Diego Law Review published its special symposium issue on reparations and transitional justice in 2023, Editor-in-Chief Emily Kawahara, ’23 (JD/MAPJ), led the charge. As a dual-degree student, earning both a JD and an MA in Peace and Justice, Kawahara understood how important the law is to driving positive social transformation. “Emily leads by example, working harder than everyone she leads and is always humble,” said Associate Director for Law Student Affairs Kathryn Hoyt, ’14 (JD). “Her associates and board have the utmost respect and confidence in her.”

❱❱ JANINE PARCHMENT: ENHANCEMENT AWARD WINNER

Janine Parchment, ’23 (JD), and Professor Mary Jo Wiggins.

Janine Parchment, ’23 (JD), is a confident advocate and ambassador for USD School of Law. The president of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and the 3L representative for the Student Bar Association, Parchment made an enduring impact on the USD Law community. Under her leadership, BLSA hosted an inaugural inter-mixer between San Diego’s three law schools and UCSD Black graduate students, presented a Black History Month panel and launched the BLSA Scholarship fund. “From the very beginning, Janine has exuded all aspects of effective leadership,” said Associate Director Hoyt. “She has been able to effectively advocate in a way that will transcend her time as president and will create sustained change for the future.” USD SCHOOL OF LAW

Professor Ted Sichelman, Director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Markets.

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NEW DIRECTIONS IN IP LAW F ❱❱ USD School of Law is at the white-hot center of the booming field of intellectual property law, in San Diego and beyond

or intellectual property law students, professors, lawyers and entrepreneurs—and USD School of Law, which connects and nourishes all of them in different ways— this is a wonderful, propitious, astounding time. The law school is preeminent in the booming San Diego tech and life sciences sector—and renowned around the country for IP legal studies. A large part of that has to do with the outstanding faculty: There are ten full-time professors who teach IP or technology-related areas, as well as a stellar cast of adjuncts. David McGowan has a busy academic load as Lyle L. Jones Professor of Competition and Innovation Law, as well as Director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Markets. He also has significant ties to the local (and international) practice community—he’s Of Counsel at Morrison Foerster, a global law firm with one of the leading

worldwide practices in IP law, where he frequently advises clients on IP licensing issues. The IP faculty is particularly known for its cutting-edge legal writing and scholarship. Professor of Law Avi Bell is prolific on the subjects of copyright and fair use (and myriad other topics). Orly Lobel, Warren Distinguished Professor of Law, has authored several books. Her most recent one, The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future was named a “Best Book of the Year” by The Economist magazine. All of this scholarship is noticed in the wider world: Lobel, along with faculty colleague Ted Sichelman, are among the most-cited IP scholars in the country. Sichelman, the Judith Keep Professor of Law and Herzog Endowed Scholar, has experience and expertise in IP by virtue of his own entrepreneurship. Before joining the law school in 2009, Sichelman created several

startups, including, he recalled with a laugh, a “proto-Uber that was just a little bit too early.” Early in his USD career, Sichelman’s business know-how inspired him to form an externship program, now known as the IP and Corporate Technology Entrepreneurship, that has been extraordinarily effective in the supercharged San Diego tech industry. Students receive academic credit for working at tech-focused law firms and local tech companies. Just as important, the students get real-world experience and contacts, which can be invaluable after graduation (and they often get job offers as well). A big proponent of the externship program (in fact, he helped to create it) is Matt Bresnahan, ’07 (JD). He now leads a team of 30 patent lawyers and patent agents at the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini, where he is the head of the Southern California IP counseling and patent strategy practice. Bresnahan mentors the USD SCHOOL OF LAW

Matt Bresnahan, ’07 (JD), head of the Southern California IP counseling and patent strategy practice at Wilson Sonsini.

USD externs that his firm hires; he also teaches at the law school as an adjunct. The resulting synergies, he said, “create a winwin-win situation for the school, the students and the law firm.” But when it comes to alums who have made it big in the IP world, Bresnahan is far from alone: USD boasts an accomplished group of IP graduates. That is not to say, though, that all of them actually studied IP law. Some, such as Tim Scott, ’95 (JD), were limited during their time at the law school to one or maybe two IP courses—because that was all that was offered back then. (The heavy emphasis on IP, and the creation of a curriculum on different facets of IP, did not really start until the 2000s.) However, Scott remembers a course on FDA law that required a capstone project of sorts. His was on how the Patent Act of 1952 could be rewritten to more easily allow product-by-process patents. Scott has founded, or sponsored,

Tim Scott, ’95 (JD), president and CEO of AustinPx.

I was completely sold [on working in the field of patent law]. There is one main requirement for this job: You just need the desire to learn.”

— E R I N G I B S O N , ‘ 0 3 (J D)

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NEW DIRECTIONS IN IP LAW multiple biotech spinouts from San Diego academic and research institutions; he is currently president and CEO of AustinPx, a technology company enhancing the pharmacokinetics of critical medicines. It is important, he says, for young lawyers with STEM degrees to be cognizant of and familiar with IP law. However, the converse doesn’t follow: A tech degree is not a prerequisite to a career as a patent lawyer. For proof of that, one need look no further than superstar patent litigator Erin Gibson, ’03 (JD). As an undergrad, Gibson was a journalism major, and she spent her first years after college reporting on the “cops and courts” newspaper beat for The Cincinnati Enquirer. After visiting the “spectacular” USD campus and law school, she was smitten. She doesn’t remember taking IP classes in law school. As for patent litigation, “I knew that the field existed,” she said—since her father, an engineer, had once testified as an expert witness in a Texas courtroom. After two weeks of working on a piece of patent litigation on her first law firm job, she said, “I was completely sold”—but not before a mentor at her first law firm job had to quell her fear of not having a tech background. “There is one main requirement for this job,” as Gibson put it: “You just need the desire to learn.”

We can take two to three pages of attorney-written claims and transform that into a 20- to 30-page first-draft patent application in about two minutes.” —I A N S C H I C K , ’ 1 4 (J D)

Gibson is now a partner at DLA Piper, where she serves as global co-chair of the technology sector and chair of the International Trade Commission practice. That firm, and many others in the San Diego area, employ hundreds or maybe thousands of patent agents with technical and scientific expertise and usually advanced degrees. Such agents can practice patent law in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, even without a law degree. Nevertheless, for the added flexibility and firepower, companies and law firms often prefer that their patent agents become patent attorneys. Some are even willing to pay the tuition. Ian Schick, ’14 (JD), took advantage of such a perk. A PhD in physics, he worked for seven years as a consultant to a law firm and then enrolled at USD School of Law while continuing to work full time. Part of the reason for doing so, certainly, was the credential. As he said, “I did not have the highest grades in my law school class, but I ended up with the highest starting salary.” While in law school, Schick became fascinated with the idea of drafting patent applications using artificial intelligence. When, early on, he proposed the idea at an industry conference, he recalled, “They looked at me like I had three eyes. Now, I have at least 20 competitors.”

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NEW DIRECTIONS IN IP LAW In other words, he transformed himself from a “rank and file” patent attorney to a thought leader, and his company, Specifio, has become an extraordinary, booming success. Schick explained, “We can take two to three pages of attorney-written claims and transform that into a 20- to 30-page first-draft patent application in about two minutes.” There is something about IP law that is particularly gratifying

Professor Lisa Ramsey spoke on a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023.

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for people who work in the area. That’s the only conclusion one can draw from talking with Professor Lisa Ramsey and Emily Burns, ’03 (JD). Ramsey has been teaching at USD School of Law (an IP survey course and other IP classes such as international IP and trademark law) since 2004. Her specialty is trademark law, and most of her scholarly writing during the past 20 years has focused on potential conflicts between free speech and

trademark rights. Ramsey also makes a point of engaging with the public via social media—she regularly posts about trademark disputes in the appellate courts (such as the “Bad Spaniels” case decided in the last U.S. Supreme Court term) and other trademark-related issues of interest. And last July, Ramsey was a panelist at the venerable San Diego Comic-Con, one of the

FORUMS FOR IP THOUGHT LEADERS USD SCHOOL OF LAW’S PATENT LAW CONFERENCES ARE DON’TMISS EVENTS FOR ACADEMICS, PRACTITIONERS AND STUDENTS PURSUING CAREERS IN IP LAW Each academic year, USD School of Law offers up to 20 intellectual property courses. But classroom instruction isn’t the only opportunity to learn. The law school also hosts a variety of guest speakers in IP conferences, workshops and meetings. The Annual Patent Law Conference, hosted by the law school and the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Markets, is the brainchild of Professor Ted Sichelman. The conference is attended by 100 or more IP practitioners and scholars for intensive discussion of the latest developments in patent law. Typically, the daylong conference is comprised of panels of academics, industry leaders and judges, as well as personnel from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The speakers often include USD grads, such as Erin Gibson, ’03 (JD), and Joe Reisman, ’89 (MS), ’93 (PhD), who welcome the chance to return to campus. (Reisman, a partner at the Knobbe Martins law firm and president of the Federal Circuit Bar Association, is also a longtime adjunct professor at the law school.) “The conference is important in showcasing the thought leadership of our law school,” said Gibson, “and Ted does a great job with it.” Last March marked the 10th such conference, with keynote speaker Judge Timothy B. Dyk of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears all patent law appeals in the United States. Sichelman was also one of the founders of another annual meeting known as “PatCon,” the largest annual conference of patent scholars in the world. PatCon rotates among four law schools. When held at USD—once every four years—it usually follows USD’s own patent law conference. In recent years, other large-scale industry meetings, daylong or sometimes of multiple days, have been held at USD concerning such IP topics as 5G (where then-Dean Stephen Ferruolo and Professor Shawn Miller were host/ moderators) and the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law, organized by Sichelman. Real-life hearings of the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board have been held in the USD Grace Courtroom, with over 100 students and other spectators in attendance. Sichelman wants to encourage more student attendance at all these industry events. He views PatCon and the others as providing great value to the outside legal community and the law school. “When law school professors visit from other institutions to attend our conferences, they are always impressed,” he observed. But the main beneficiaries are the USD Law students who will soon be out practicing, well prepared to assume top jobs in the local, national and international IP communities.

largest and best comic and pop culture events in the country. The panel’s subject was “Defending Comics Today: Civil Rights and Censorship,” and the whole experience, Ramsey says, was both edifying and great fun. Burns, now senior trademark counsel at Google, graduated before Ramsey arrived at USD. They met, years later, when Burns heard Ramsey speak at a meeting of the International Trademark Association and introduced herself; they have since become close colleagues. “She is an amazing scholar,” Burns said of Ramsey. “USD is lucky to have her.” For her part, Ramsey values the intellectual challenge of IP law. These days, much of her teaching involves how to apply existing IP laws to new technologies. “For lots of these emerging issues, we don’t know what the right legal answer is—no one does yet,” she said. “So the students have to consider all possibilities.” Burns makes a similar point about her job. She is in charge of prosecution, enforcement and brand counseling for YouTube. “I am constantly being asked to solve real-life situations where there are no definite answers,” she said. “But every time YouTube grows, or adds a product, I am delighted because I get to learn something new.” ■

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

HELPING FIRSTGENERATION STUDENTS SHINE

Below: Dean Robert Schapiro, left, with members of First Generation Legal Professionals (FGLP), a student organization that promotes scholarship opportunities, academic support, mentorship and peer connections.

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❱❱ From the JD Immersion Program to graduation, campus initiatives are supporting students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education

hen 3L Raynier Ramos was 10 years old, he read a phrase on a San Diego County seal that stuck with him: “The noblest motive is the public good.” A passion for public service propelled him to become, along with his brother, the first members of their family to graduate from college and, later, to pursue a law degree at USD School of Law. Despite Ramos’ drive to succeed, something strange would sometimes happen when he found himself in the law school’s lecture halls. “I would have something to say but talk myself out of it, thinking the comment was stupid and not worth mentioning,” he said. Ramos, whose parents emigrated from the Philippines, attributes the instinct to being a first-generation college and graduate student. “I was raised to keep quiet and assimilate because if you step out of line or upset the wrong person, everything we’ve worked for could be at risk,” he said. Ramos often pushed himself to speak in class and forced himself to engage by taking leadership positions in student government and other

Having people around you that are either going down this path at the same time or have forged ahead shows you that you can make it. Being first generation does not have to be a barrier to the legal profession.”

— 3 L R AY N I E R R A M O S

organizations. But, he wondered if the imposter syndrome he and students from similar backgrounds felt risked holding them back. “It may have an impact on whether I get face time with a professor or apply to a position,” he said. “It feels weird to try out ideas, so I don’t think it lets me be as curious as I want to be about the law.” “Being a first-generation student has also made it harder to navigate building a legal career,” Ramos said. “I have friends who have generations of attorneys in their families, and they have the ability to network and find opportunities,” he said. “I had to figure out what an internship was on my own.” In fall 2022, an estimated 22% of first-year USD School of Law students were the first in their families to complete a bachelor’s degree. In fall 2023, that number increased to 27%. The percentages of students who were the first to attend graduate school were much greater. These students make a unique contribution on campus. “You want perspectives and lived experiences that are not uniform and reflect society to inform classroom discussions and the types of legal advocates that emerge,” said Mike Chavez, Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at USD School of Law. “Having those voices contributes to the academic excellence of all students.” Yet first-generation students also face singular challenges that can make it harder to thrive in law school and the legal field. “It is the repository of experience and support that exists for students whose parents attended

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an undergraduate institution and perhaps went on to a graduate degree that makes law school less daunting compared to students who are first to engage in this path,” Chavez said. For example, first-generation students may lack comparable financial resources, insight into the academic environment and connections to internship and job opportunities. CLOSING THE GAP In recent years, USD and its law school have been working to close the gap. From special programming to mentorship programs and academic support, the university is taking steps to ensure an equal playing field for these trailblazing students. Soha Jafarzade, the inaugural Associate Director for Community Engagement and Inclusion in the Office of Law Student Affairs, knows the need for such initiatives firsthand. During his first semester at UC Law SF (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law) in 2012, he got the worst grades of his life. Coming from a family of Iranian refugees, Jafarzade had no one to break down how academics worked in law school, where many grades come down to a single exam. “You feel like you are the only one who doesn’t get it, and you don’t know where to turn,” he said. Eventually, Jafarzade turned things around with support from classmates he met on the moot court team. “I found my own community,” he said. As Associate Director, Jafarzade is

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Students at the 2023 Oath of Professionalism. Front row, from left: Odessa Batzkovich-Taddesse and Liliana Hakimaio. Back row, from left: Alexandra Pace, Samantha Patterson, Reece Martin, Elviana “Alexa” Hadiyanto, Erin Jeong, Amanda Low and Anastasia Whittemore.

trying to ensure USD School of Law students don’t have to repeat his experience. Last year, he introduced an orientation session on themes like bias and imposter syndrome and organized mixers for affinity-based organizations to help students meet others from similar backgrounds. He also spearheaded a series called “JD is Me,” which included a panel for

current first-generation students to share their experiences and advice. “Sometimes it is not about learning something different, but having a support network to get you through that first year,” Jafarzade said. One student group supporting that sense of community is First Generation Legal Professionals (FGLP). Founded in 2021, FGLP helps

HELPING FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS SHINE

first-generation students find scholarship opportunities, academic support, mentorship and connections with peers. “I see students that have such similar stories to myself,” said Ramos, who has held leadership positions with FGLP since its inception and served as president during the 202223 school year. “People are confused and scared, and it warms my heart to see that I helped make an impact.” Beyond the law school, since 2018, USD’s First-Gen Action Team has brought together students, staff, faculty and administrators from across the university to collaborate on programming that addresses the challenges facing first-generation students. One of the team’s initiatives has been a First-Generation Celebration Week that convenes students from different disciplines to learn about available resources and build a broader sense of community. Throughout the year, the First-Generation Gathering and Dialogue series invites graduate students from across campus to share their narratives and build connections. And in the spring, the university holds a graduation celebration honoring the achievements of first-generation students. FOSTERING CONNECTIONS The law school is launching new initiatives this fall to support this population. The first is a week-long JD Immersion Program that combines academics with social programming.

My goal is to do everything I can to make sure the legal world looks more representative of the world we live in because it currently does not. Once it does, we will see more equitable outcomes in terms of how the law is influencing society.”

Students will have the opportunity to participate in a simulated class, learn how to brief a case and take a mock final exam “in a safer environment,” Jafarzade said. “My goal is to do everything I can to make sure the legal world looks more representative of the world we live in because it currently does not,” Jafarzade said. “Once it does, we will see more equitable outcomes in terms of how the law is influencing society.” In the future, Chavez says the law school plans to foster closer collaborations across departments to maximize resources for first-generation students, including the pipeline of high school and college students considering a legal degree. Ramos credits FGLP, along with support from mentors and academic success programs, in helping him to push beyond his imposter syndrome. After interning with the San Diego Superior Court’s judicial legal services division this summer, he is slated to graduate in 2024 with a JD and MA in Peace and Justice from the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. Eventually, he hopes to pursue a legal role that involves public service. “Having people around you that are either going down this path at the same time or have forged ahead shows you that you can make it,” Ramos said. “Being first generation does not have to be a barrier to the legal profession.” ■

- S O H A J A FA R Z A D E

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

ALUMNI SWORN IN TO HIGHEST COURT ❱❱ USD School of Law provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience for alumni gaining admission to the U.S. Supreme Court

ALUMNI SWORN IN TO SCOTUS IN MARCH 2023 ❱ Jeanmarie Harrington Bisceglia ’02 (BA), ’08 (JD) ❱ Kristen Degischer ’05 (JD) ❱ Samantha Golseth ’17 (JD) ❱ Chris Hayes ’10 (JD) ❱ Denise Hickey ’94 (JD) ❱ Todd Jasnow ’98 (JD) ❱ Kim Koro ’86 (JD) ❱ Erin Lupfer ’17 (JD) ❱ Debbie Rider ’84 (JD) ❱ Robert Rische ’11 (JD) ❱ Kathryn Roth-Douquet ’02 (JD) ❱ Fred Schenk ’78 (JD)

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USD

School of Law had its day before the highest court in the land this past March—and the result was a win for all parties involved. A dozen alumni of the law school were sworn in as members of the United States Supreme Court bar. In a memorable event in which they had special seats for oral argument in two cases, USD School of Law alumni enjoyed a private audience with Justice Sonia Sotomayor following oral arguments. While an attorney would need to be a member of the Supreme Court bar to argue a case at the court, for most of the USD School of Law alumni gaining admission in March, the occasion was largely ceremonial. Each attorney had to submit an application signed by two sponsors already admitted to the Supreme Court bar. The chief perk of admission: While the general public has to wait in a long line to see oral argument, members of the bar have a special area between the justices and the audience from which to watch the proceedings. Some of the newly minted members even found resonance in the relatively obscure cases argued that day. Jeanmarie Harrington Bisceglia, ’02 (BA), ’08 (JD), handles insurance coverage litigation in her Arizona practice and was particularly interested in Coinbase, Inc. v. Bielski. That case deals with the question of what happens when a court

From left: Sponsoring attorney and Global General Counsel of ResMed Michael J. Rider, ’83 (JD), Dean Robert Schapiro and Director of Alumni Relations Shari Baurle Green.

I was deeply moved by the solemnity of our legal profession as I walked into the courtroom of the U.S. Supreme Court ... It was an experience I will never forget, and one which I will be forever grateful to the dedicated professional team from USD School of Law.” — F R E D S C H E N K . ’ 7 8 (J D)

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Top: Catherine Hayes, Chris Hayes, ’10 (JD), and Kristen Degischer, ‘05 (JD). Middle: Karen Hewitt, ’89 (JD), and Dean Robert Schapiro. Bottom: Chris Soares, Denise Hickey, ’94 (JD), and sponsoring attorney Michael Rider, ’83 (JD).

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denies a motion to compel arbitration and one of the parties appeals the ruling. Should a lower court proceed with a trial or wait for the ruling on the appeal? A case like Coinbase doesn’t draw the media’s attention like a ruling on abortion or gun control, Harrington Bisceglia said, but it’s vitally important in her world. “There was some inconsistency in the lower courts of appeal,” she said. “If the circuits are handling that differently, it’s a great opportunity for the Supreme Court to step in. It really brings you back to the focus of what the Court’s job is, which is to clarify the law and provide direction to the courts of the country as to how to handle specific issues.” Similarly, Denise Hickey, ’94 (JD), an intellectual property attorney in Seattle, enjoyed hearing Abitron Austria GMBH v. Hetronic International Inc. “We have been talking about that case here at work,” she said. Hickey also appreciated seeing the justices’ humanity. A young government attorney seemed nervous as she made her first Supreme Court argument, Hickey said. “The justices were very kind,” she said. “They helped her along and made her feel comfortable, and then she hit her stride. It was nice to see that mutual respect.” Lawyers can gain admission to the bar on their own, but USD School of Law can coordinate groups of up to 12 at a time, making it convenient—and even more engaging. Each attorney was permitted to bring one guest to the Court. Attorneys enjoyed hearing from USD School of Law Dean Robert Schapiro, who had served as a Supreme Court clerk for Justice John Paul Stevens. (In the small-world department, Schapiro’s aunt served as a judge with Sotomayor at a district court in New York.) Law Firm Challenge participant Procopio, and managing partner, John Alessio, ’91 (BA), ’94 (JD), hosted a Washington, D.C., alumni reception in their

ALUMNI SWORN IN TO HIGHEST COURT

USD LAW GRADS SERVE ON JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF LEGAL TEAM In advance of the alumni trip for the SCOTUS swearing-in, Dean Robert Schapiro and Senior Director of Development Debbie Rider, ’84 (JD), traveled to Washington, D.C., and were invited by three alumni to tour the Pentagon. By a quirk of fate, all three alumni serve in critical roles on the Joint Chiefs of Staff legal team. “It has been fun to find out that there are so many alumni working in this small legal office with a pretty unique practice,” said Army Lt. Col. Ryan Little, ’05 (JD), deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “When I started going to law school, if you told me I would have a career in the military, I would have said you have me confused with another person. But it has been a fantastic 17 years.” Little’s colleagues include Navy Capt. Katy Pasieta, ’02 (JD), and Marine Corps Col. Dave Ahn, ’03 (JD). Little joined the military in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, or JAG Corps, and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He needed to learn both military and national security law, and military skills, becoming a paratrooper on the way. His USD School of Law education has helped him every step of the way, from trial advocacy and criminal law classes informing his work in the JAG Corps, to classes in constitutional and international law. “Those issues come up all the time,” he said. He also spent time in Russia in USD School of Law’s summer study abroad program. “I am privileged to work on many of the biggest issues of national security that are facing the U.S. right now, from the Afghanistan retrograde and noncombatant evacuation operations to civilian casualty events in the news to Ukraine,” he said of his current position. “If you read about a national security issue in the paper, there is a good chance I or someone in my office is working on that.”

new D.C. offices the evening before the admission ceremony. The reception was followed by a private dinner for admittees. Admittees were treated to a breakfast at the Court in a private room and a seated lunch following the ceremony. The event carried deeper meaning for some. Harrington Bisceglia found a new connection to her father, who had been a member of the Supreme Court bar and who passed away when she was in her 20s. She also loved meeting Justice Sotomayor. “I was born and raised in Queens, so her roots are my roots as well,” Harrington Bisceglia said. Many people made the event a success. Ninth Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown of San Diego, a friend of Sotomayor’s, helped arrange for the justice to meet with the group. Karen Hewitt, ’89 (JD), Partner-in-Charge of California at Jones Day, served as the group’s “movant,” who put the attorneys’ names before the court. Gary Schons, ’73 (BA), ’76 (JD), and Michael Rider, ’83 (JD), served as sponsors for USD School of Law’s group admission. Fred Schenk, ’78 (JD), one of the admittees, shared his experience, “I have been practicing law for more than 44 years and have always respected the dignity of our profession. Still, on March 21, 2023, I was deeply moved by the solemnity of our legal profession as I walked into the Courtroom of the U.S. Supreme Court. Shortly thereafter, I stood to be sworn into the Supreme Court bar with the oath being administered by the Chief Justice. It was an experience which I will never forget, and one which I will be forever grateful to the dedicated professional team from the USD School of Law who led the first group of admittees from the law school.” Shari Baurle Green, USD School of Law’s Director of Alumni Relations, said she is already gathering names of the next dozen for whom the law school will help gain admission in the October 2024-April 2025 term. Contact Shari at sbaurle@ sandiego.edu to learn more. ■ USD SCHOOL OF LAW

A GLOBAL PRESENCE

for the Justice in Mexico Project and former director of the Trans-Border Institute at USD, this new project is one of a spate of recent international initiatives under the leadership of Dr. Karen Sigmond. Sigmond, Senior Director of Graduate and International Programs, is seeking to extend the school’s global presence and its commitment to improving the practice of law worldwide. She sees USD School of Law strategically positioned as the gateway to Latin America and the world. “In my first year at USD Law, we successfully launched two new programs in Latin America,” she said. “We are working on reaching other regions of the world to make USD Law a global law school with an international impact. We have a world-renowned faculty, a beautiful campus, and a strategic location that gives our students a unique experience and perspective. I am looking forward to the next chapter of international education at USD.” Professor of Practice Justin Thanks to a nearly $3 million grant from the Brooks, Dr. Karen Sigmond and Competition Manager U.S. State Department, last spring adjunct proRuby Anaya. fessors from USD School of Law began training students and faculty at law schools across Mexico in trial and mediation skills and the organization of mock trial ❱❱ New international programs aim to competitions. “We are neighbors and trade partners, and we strengthen legal institutions in Latin share a common border,” Sigmond added. “Strong neighbors America and Asia lead to a more competitive region, and USD Law is contributing to strengthening the legal system in Mexico with this grant.” magine a trial with no oral arguments, public hearings The program will reach 30 schools over the next three years. or witnesses called. Before reforms that began in 2008, Winners of in-school contests are paired with mentors in the this was the norm in Mexico, where cases were primarily legal field. “It is hard even if students are well trained to get jobs decided by judges reviewing written statements. After an in Mexico,” said Justin Brooks, a professor of practice at USD overhaul completed in 2016, the country’s judicial system now School of Law and grant administrator for the Mexican Medialooks more like that of the U.S., but a problem remains: few tion and Litigation Program. “Part of our grant is to mentor these attorneys know how to conduct trials. students and give them the skills and knowledge to acquire jobs USD School of Law is trying to change the criminal justice sysin the Mexican justice system. As future leaders, they will change tem through a new program that trains Mexican law schools to the system.” teach litigation skills and hold mock trial competitions. In a simiWinners also participate in national mediation and mock trial lar vein to the work of Dr. David Shirk, the principal investigator competitions, the first of which took place in Tijuana in August.

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Strong neighbors lead to a more competitive region, and USD Law is contributing to strengthening the legal system in Mexico with this grant.”

—DR. K AREN SIGMOND

The victors travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with government officials and learn about career opportunities. “Our work impacts the lives of the students we train,” Sigmond said. “We hope that the skills they acquire will make them better lawyers that can ultimately lead to a better judicial system in Mexico.” Brooks agrees the program has had a profound impact on students. “I cry at every one of these finals because these kids are so into it,” he said. “I see them going from zero to 100 in both their skills and their confidence.” The desire is that the knowledge students and faculty amass will trickle down. “We can’t train students from all 2,000 law schools in the country, but if we do enough of it, it will fundamentally change legal education in Mexico,” Brooks said. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the rule of law in Mexico. “We’re building capacity in the country so that people have faith in the system,” Brooks said. “That leads not only to fairness but also to economic strength.” Brooks joined USD School of Law last summer from California Western School of Law, where he spent eight years

Trial litigation skills training for judges from Mexico sponsored by the Office of Graduate and International Programs.

running moot court competitions in Mexico. He also founded the California Innocence Project and a network of 35 organizations across Latin America advocating for those wrongfully convicted. The opportunity to now work at USD with Sigmond, Brooks said, is especially rewarding. “Karen is literally a unicorn,” he said. “She is bilingual and bicultural, fully understands the U.S. and Mexican systems and is connected to people on both sides of the border.” Another initiative Sigmond and Brooks have launched is USD School of Law’s one-year master’s degree in comparative law and litigation, one of the only such U.S. programs to be offered in Spanish. The first class, composed of 35 lawyers from nine countries, launched with an in-person kickoff in June (courses are remote so practicing lawyers can participate). “The goal is to help people understand how U.S. law works and teach litigation skills,” Brooks said. “It is also a great way to build the reputation of USD Law throughout Latin America.” Last year, USD School of Law began hosting regular trainings, remotely and in person, for legal professionals from Latin America. For a week in April, some 50 judges from the Mexican state of Jalisco traveled to campus to learn litigation skills. “Training judges is critical to having the trial system work,” Brooks said. Other international programs cover cross-examination and English for lawyers. USD School of Law has also been strengthening connections with the legal community in Asia and beyond. Since 2014, the school has hosted visiting scholars from South Korea, as well as Japan, China, Estonia and Egypt. Last year, 31 scholars participated, conducting research under the supervision of USD Law faculty. Next year, Dean Robert Schapiro, Professor Fred Heller and Sigmond will travel to China and South Korea to promote the school’s LLM in Comparative Law and Master of Science in Legal Studies programs. “It makes USD a better law school to build these connections and strengthen institutions,” said Brooks. “Particularly as a border law school, it puts our best foot forward by showing we are here to help.”■ USD SCHOOL OF LAW

WORDS OF WISDOM

❱❱ In his commencement speech to the USD School of Law Class of 2023, California Supreme Court Associate Justice Martin Jenkins advised the new graduates to embrace struggle and elevate service

artin J. Jenkins never imagined he’d be a jurist. His father had been a janitor, his mother a homemaker. Growing up in a predominantly Black neighborhood in San Francisco, he didn’t even know any attorneys. Now an associate justice on the California Supreme Court, Jenkins credits two lessons he learned in law school with sustaining him on his path: “Making mistakes and struggling are necessary components of personal and professional growth, and … to reach your potential you have to be willing to ask others for help,

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and graciously accept it when it is offered.” These were among the words of wisdom that Jenkins offered when he addressed USD School of Law graduates at the school’s 66th commencement in May. After a brief stint with the Seattle Seahawks football team, Jenkins graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law and served as a prosecutor in Alameda County and at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he tried cases involving hate crimes and excessive force by police. He went on to terms in every state and federal court in California, including as a district judge for the

Diversity of thought and life experience deepens one’s understanding of the law because the law, at its essence, is a discipline that binds people together in a diverse society.”

— MART IN JENK INS, CAL IFORNI A SUPREME COURT AS SOCI ATE JUST ICE

state’s Northern District and an associate justice at the California Court of Appeal. Jenkins observes that USD School of Law graduates “are recognized leaders in the bar, not just in San Diego County but elsewhere. They are walking into a profession that highly regards the qualities, the education, the ethics, the humility that USD students invariably mirror.” Jenkins pointed out that members of the Class of 2023 were no strangers to adversity. Their education had coincided with the pandemic, mass shootings and George Floyd’s murder, along with other instances of police violence. “Your presence here today clearly establishes that you possess the depth of character and courage necessary for the journey you are about to undertake,” Jenkins said. What should the class do next? Relax, he urged, at least for a bit. “Take time to reflect on all that has brought you to this moment…to appreciate just what you have accomplished,” he said. Jenkins had practical advice for when the graduates do delve into their careers. He recalled a humorous incident from 2009, when as an appellate judge, he issued an opinion about a burglary. USD Law Professor Shaun Martin poked fun at Jenkins on his blog for referring to the floor of a building as “storey” instead of “story.” “Justice Jenkins is from San Francisco…which leads me to wonder who from ‘The Old Country’ (read: England) drafted the opinion,” Martin wrote. Jenkins’ point: Always check for errors, and “don’t take yourself so seriously that you can’t laugh at a good joke—even where you’re its subject.” On a more serious note, Jenkins pointed out that “USD lawyers are admired because they see the practice of law as a service profession…no matter the area of law in which they practice.” Jenkins encouraged the class to continue

living up to those principles, citing a graduation speech by Judge Elbert Tuttle from the 1950s: “Certain it is that [you] must eat; so set what price you must on your service. Never confuse the performance, which is great, with the compensation, be it money, power, or fame, which is trivial.” Jenkins traced a commitment to service, along with “strong problem solving and dispute resolution skills,” to USD School of Law’s diverse student body. He noted that the Class of 2023 included a former Army platoon leader, engineers and teachers. “Diversity of thought and life experience deepens one’s understanding of the law because the law, at its essence, is a discipline that binds people together in a diverse society,” he said. Reflecting later on his remarks, Jenkins added that the legal profession has a long way to go toward true inclusion. “The numbers of women and minorities able to obtain clerkships in the federal courts or in the partnership ranks in large firms is still a paucity,” he said. “People ought to be able to see their experience reflected in how the law comes about.” When the going gets tough for the new graduates, Jenkins believes they can always turn to USD Law. “Their fellow classmates will play an important role in supporting them as they move forward,” he said. “And the university itself is a touchstone, a place they can always come back to and reset.” In his speech, Jenkins shared another source of strength for him in times of struggle—a Langston Hughes poem called “Dream of Freedom” that he keeps framed on his desk. The last lines read: “This dream today embattled / With its back against the wall / To save the dream for one / It must be saved for all.” ■ USD SCHOOL OF LAW

FACULTY FOOTNOTES

The USD School of Law faculty is committed to advancing the study and practice of law. In these pages, learn about our professors’ activities, achievements and scholarship.

FACULTY HONORS AND PROFESSORSHIPS

❱❱ In 2023, three USD School of Law professors

Dov Fox

Allen Snyder

Adam Hirsch

Mila Sohoni

Michael Rappaport

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Roy L. Brooks

were selected by the university or the law school to receive prestigious honors or professorships. Herzog Research Professor of Law Dov Fox was named a University Professor. The University Professor is the highest academic honor bestowed university-wide at USD and recognizes outstanding scholarly achievements in teaching and research supporting the mission and goals of the university. Napoleon Jones Professor of Law Adam Hirsch was named a Herzog Endowed Scholar. The award, which recognizes meritorious teaching or scholarly productivity, also provides funds for professional development or for increased time for research for one year. Professor of Law Allen Snyder was awarded the Class of 1975 Endowed Professorship in recognition of his meritorious teaching, leadership and academic accomplishments at the School of Law. The professorship was established by the Class of 1975 as its 25-year reunion gift to the law school. Each year, USD Law also names the recipients of the Thorsnes Prizes. Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation Professor of Law Michael Rappaport received the Thorsnes Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship. Two professors received this year’s Thorsnes Prize for Excellence in Teaching: Warren Distinguished Professor of Law Roy L. Brooks and Herzog Research Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Faculty Mila Sohoni. The award recognizes each professor’s extraordinary effectiveness in assisting students, both inside and outside the classroom.

BRIDGING TAX LAW AND PHILOSOPHY

Miranda Perry Fleischer explores issues of wealth inequality and tax justice ❱❱ Many people who work in tax law, including those who write the laws, rarely delve deeply into the nuances of philosophical theory. That creates an opening for thinkers like tax law professor Miranda Perry Fleischer, the Richard and Kaye Woltman Professor in Finance at USD School of Law. “One way I view my role as a scholar is to serve as a bridge between tax people and philosophy people,” Fleischer said. Fleischer, whom USD named a 2020-2021 University Professor, and who won USD School of Law’s 2014-2015 Thorsnes Prize for Excellence in Teaching (determined by student vote), has written often on subjects that raise philosophical questions. One idea she is currently exploring is that of a Rignano tax, in which people who create wealth are able to pass it down to the next generation with little or no estate taxes, but whose heirs will face a much steeper tax when they pass the wealth forward a second or third time. The goal, she says, is to respect hard work and the value people place on helping their children with minimizing the advantages that long-standing generational wealth gives multiple generations who have not earned their own wealth. Her writing on tax and philosophy earned the attention of scholars at the University of Melbourne, which some rate as Australia’s top law school. Through collaborations with colleagues there, Fleischer and Liam Murphy, an influential

legal philosopher at New York University School of Law, are part of an Australian government grant examining “fundamental problems of injustice in taxation emerging in the transition to a slow-growth economy in Australia and globally.” The group will publish papers on that theme, and has organized three conferences: a virtual one in Australia, one at NYU this year and one in Melbourne next summer. “For the past few decades, the economy has generally been growing,” Fleischer said. “The way you think about how to deal with wealth inequality and intergenerational transfers of wealth might be different when you think the economy is growing, versus when the economy is shrinking and there is not as much wealth to go around as there was before.” Fleischer approaches all of these questions with compassion for the neediest people. For instance, she believes in a universal basic income (UBI), in which the government gives money to people with no strings attached. “It is consistent with libertarian principles,” she said. “Just giving cash to people to spend the way they see fit, that’s the best way to do it. It recognizes individuals’ autonomy. It respects their dignity. It acknowledges that people on the ground have a better sense of what their needs are, as opposed to a bureaucrat far away. “It is also simpler and more efficient from the government’s perspective,” she added. “You just need one agency, depositing money on a debit card once a month. It is more efficient from the recipients’ perspective because cash is always more efficient. “In many ways, once we acknowledge that some redistribution is justified, and how much, I think a UBI is the best way to do it,” Fleischer said. “I am holding out hope that there’s a chance that at some point a UBI would be politically palatable here in the United States.”

Miranda Perry Fleischer

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

OUR CHANGING CONSCIENCE

In his new book, Steven D. Smith explores how evolving views of “the right thing to do” have shaped history ❱❱ Professor Steven D. Smith admits that many would describe him as a pessimist, but that isn’t the full story: “I am a short-term pessimist, but a cosmic optimist,” he said. “I believe that ultimately meaning and goodness will prevail.” In the meantime, Smith’s latest book, The Disintegrating Conscience and the Decline of Modernity, published by the University of Notre Dame Press in October, tackles a less-than-uplifting topic. Smith, Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at USD, examines how the idea of conscience has transformed from “You should do what you believe God requires of you” to “Be true to yourself,” each of which can place people in opposition to established norms. He examines the shift through three pivotal historical episodes: Thomas More’s execution for treason after refusing to take an oath imposed by Henry VIII, James Madison’s removal of a proposed religious

Steven D. Smith

toleration requirement in Virginia law and William Brennan’s commitment to keeping his faith out of his Supreme Court rulings. Smith sees a connection between the changing view of conscience and modernday crises like political polarization and rising rates of depression and suicide. “The causes are debatable and complex, but it’s not implausible to see an association with a kind of individualism that undermines social norms and leaves people less sure about how to define themselves,” he said. Smith’s previous book, A Principled Constitution?: Four Skeptical Views (Lexington Books, 2022), argues that the U.S. Constitution was primarily a legal document meant to bind the nation rather than an embodiment of principles such as liberty and equality. He co-authored the book with USD Law Professors Larry Alexander and Maimon Schwarzschild, along with James Allan, who has been a visiting professor. After four decades of teaching, Smith is in the midst of a phased retirement to conclude in 2025. “USD has been a really good school, with lots of active faculty who are really engaged with scholarship,” he said. In the meantime, Smith will proceed with teaching torts; he has taught courses on constitutional law, religion and the Constitution. Furthermore, he wants to complete another book evaluating the status of religious freedom in the courts. Smith plans to continue writing books during retirement, but first he hopes for a respite from present-day problems. “I might take a year and read a bunch of Plato and Shakespeare,” he said.

I’m a short-term pessimist, but a cosmic optimist. I believe that ultimately meaning and goodness will prevail.” — S T E V E N D. S M I T H 32

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FACULTY FOOTNOTES USD LAW BOOKSHELF

RECENT WORKS BY DISTINGUISHED FACULTY SCHOLARS

THE THIRD ANNUAL BLUE BRIEF

❱❱ USD School of Law is pleased to announce the

release of the third annual Blue Brief, a faculty review of 11 selected rulings from the 2022-2023 term of the U. S. Supreme Court. Ten faculty members offer assessments of cases ranging across a variety of topics, including affirmative action, student loan forgiveness, the First Amendment, Native American law, personal jurisdiction, trademark law, the dormant commerce clause and internet platform liability. In addressing critical issues, the Justices often rely on the insights of USD Law faculty, and this past term was no exception. In his opinion in Students for Fair Admissions, Justice Clarence Thomas cited an article by Professor Michael Rappaport and an amicus brief co-authored by Professor Gail Heriot. In Haaland v. Brackeen, Justice Thomas cited an article co-authored by Professor Michael Ramsey. This was another momentous term in many respects. It was the first term of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a distinguished jurist and the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. The Court also encountered many calls for change from politicians and reformers. It remains to be seen what impact, if any, these calls to action will have. In any event, the Court has shown it remains central to the determination of socially contentious and politically charged issues.

❱❱ Donor 9623: Part Two of the Biggest Reproductive Hoax The sequel to Audible’s 2020 Podcast of the Year, “Donor 9623: Part Two of the Biggest Reproductive Hoax” by Professor Dov Fox delves into the competing agendas and complex forces in the fertility industry. While Part One exposed the deceitful practices of the fertility industry, Part Two examines the impact these practices have on the people involved: the parents who were deceived, the children living with the fallout and the donor himself. ❱❱ The Disintegrating Conscience and the Decline of Modernity In The Disintegrating Conscience and the Decline of Modernity, Professor Steven D. Smith argues that conscience was a disruptive force five centuries ago in the breakup of Christendom and the birth of the modern age, and that a commitment to conscienceas-authenticity may likewise be bringing the modern age to an end. Focusing on three main figures (Thomas More, James Madison and William Brennan), Smith shows how modern understandings of conscience both retain and invert older understandings, and he argues that both kinds of conscience have had powerfully disintegrative consequences. ❱❱ Universal Basic Income: What Everyone Needs to Know Universal Basic Income: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Professors Miranda Perry Fleischer and Matt Zwolinski, provides the average citizen with all the information needed to understand current debates about the UBI. The book recounts the history of the idea and discusses current pilot programs in the U.S. and around the world. The authors explore both the promises and pitfalls of a UBI, explain why the UBI has attracted supporters from across the ideological spectrum and discuss the implications of UBI’s political future.

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

FACULTY FOOTNOTES CORPORATE LAW INNOVATOR JOINS FACULTY CALEY PETRUCCI, A SCHOLAR OF CORPORATE DEALMAKING, IS MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEGAL THINKERS

❱❱ Professor Caley Petrucci is used to dispelling myths about corporate law. “A lot of people think it is just spreadsheets and numbers and balance sheets, but there is so much more to it,” said Petrucci, who joined USD School of Law as an assistant professor this fall. “It is this living, changing, ever-complex area of the law where innovative scholars and practitioners can meaningfully impact the field.” Petrucci joined USD after making her mark as a Climenko Fellow and lecturer at Harvard Law School, where she taught courses on innovations in mergers and acquisitions and legal research and writing. Her academic research focuses on dealmaking in corporate law, particularly on relationships among the players involved and issues of control, fairness and efficiency in transactions. Petrucci’s scholarship has been published in journals including Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review and Yale Journal on Regulation. In her work, she examines a range of issues in corporate dealmaking, including how shareholders in companies with multiple classes of common stock are treated in mergers, and the role and design of “poison pills”—strategies that public companies use to defend against hostile takeovers or shareholder activists—in today’s corporate landscape. Her recent article on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on merger agreements, co-authored with Professor Guhan Subramanian, was cited by the Delaware Supreme Court. Petrucci holds a BA in psychology from Stanford University, from which she graduated with honors and distinction, and JD cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor for the Harvard Law Review and several other journals. She practiced law at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance, before returning to the academy fulltime. “Ultimately, I wanted to deeply explore different ideas in the field through scholarship and dedicate more time to teaching the next generation of legal thinkers,” she said.

Caley Petrucci

A West Coast native, Petrucci says she is thrilled to join USD School of Law, where she is offering courses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and contracts. “I am excited to be part of a community of engaged scholars writing on many of the most significant issues of our time,” she said. Petrucci is also looking forward to mentoring students. “I have been struck by the engagement and passion of USD students,” she said. “I hope to inspire future corporate practitioners and scholars and welcome them to the field.”

PROFESSOR OF LAW KEVIN COLE ELECTED TO AMERICAN LAW INSTITUTE ALI is the leading independent organization in the U.S. producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. Cole is the eighth USD School of Law Professor to be elected to the Institute. He primarily teaches and writes in the areas of evidence as well as criminal law and procedure. 34

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CLASS ACTION

Class Action compiles news about alumni from independent submissions and media resources. Submit your news at law.sandiego.edu/keepintouch, or email your update and photo (.jpg or .tif format, 300 dpi) to lawpub@sandiego.edu. 1974 Dwight Worden was elected to serve on the Del Mar City Council.

1976 Max Hansen was highlighted by Bloomberg Tax for his position as managing director of Accruit.

1979 U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington received the American Bar Association’s Hon. William D. Missouri Civility Award for 2023.

1981 John “Jack” McGrory was reappointed to the California State University Board of Trustees. Ellen Whittemore was appointed as the director for Wynn Macau operations.

1983 Michael J. Rider joined ResMed’s Executive Team as Global General Counsel and Secretary in July 2023.

1985 Bob Goff, a New York Times bestselling author, co-authored Dream Big for Kids with his daughter, Lindsey.

1986 Robert Dodell celebrated

29 years being in a private criminal defense practice in Arizona.

Larry Williams was named the director of athletics at the University of San Francisco.

Gareth Trude was promoted to junior partner at Coleman Chavez & Associates LLP.

1987

1993

1997

George Assad was appointed to the Nevada Gaming Control Board by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Erin E. Norberg joined as special counsel in Duane Morris’ trusts and estates team.

Patrick Ferguson was appointed as senior deputy district attorney in Nye County District Attorney’s office.

Theodore Boutrous was listed in an “environmental lawyers to watch in 2023” article by Greenwire.

1988 Richard Stevens published various articles exploring the intersection of AI, ChatGPT and law. Terry Wiley ran for election for the Alameda County District Attorney in California in the November 2022 election.

1989 Karen P. Hewitt was named among Daily Journal’s “Leading Commercial Litigators” in California. Nancy Kawano joined Littler as senior counsel in its San Diego office.

1992 Julie Dunne was recognized as 2023 Southern California’s “Lawyer of the Year” for her work in litigation, labor and employment. Patrick W. Martin was named shareholder of Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

1994 Thomas H. Knudsen was appointed to the role of general counsel of Pepperdine University. Kelley Mauerman was named associate dean of experiential learning for Concord Law School at Purdue Global.

1995 Maria del Rosario LomberaGonzález (LLM) was named partner and member of Baker McKenzie’s employment practice group in Mexico City. Peter Williams was appointed to serve as Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court.

1996 Jennifer Brobst joined the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law as an assistant professor of law. Merrili Escue joined Littler as shareholder in its San Diego office.

1998 Adam Ganz ran in a special election for the Department 17 judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. Rima Ghandour was appointed as judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court in Oregon. Ryan S. Landis joined Gordon & Rees LLP as a CMBG3 Law LLC environmental expert in Orange County. Michelle McCarthy (JD, LLM) joined Nossaman LLP as a partner in Los Angeles.

1999 Michelle C. Glasser (LLM) joined Duane Morris’ trusts and estates team as special counsel.

2000 Shana Black ran for District 18 of the Colorado House of Representatives. Robert Hudock was named to the 2022 Lawdragon

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

CLASS ACTION 500 “Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers Guide.” Jay Jurata Jr. joined Dechert LLP as an antitrust attorney. Teri O’Brien was appointed as the new chief legal and compliance officer at Teleperformance. Blair W. Will joined the Hall Estill law firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a counsel.

2001 Danielle C. Humphries (JD, LLM) was named in the Women of Inspiration and Accomplishment 2023 for San Diego Metro magazine.

2002 Liliana Menzie (LLM) joined Duane Morris’ trusts and estates team as special counsel. Mari Parladé was elected as a judge for Department A of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division. Scott Rahn, founding partner of RMO LLP, opened a Pasadena office.

2003 Jonathan A. Grissom (JD, LLM) was recognized by San Diego Business Journal as one of the Top 50 Nonprofit Board Leaders of Influence. Joe Park joined Weiner Law as senior associate attorney. AnnaLou Tirol (JD, LLM), former Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of the

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Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, joined O’Melveny and Myers’ Washington, D.C., office in its white collar defense and corporate investigations practice group.

2004 Eve Brackman joined Munck Wilson as a litigation partner. Damien Schiff was named an environmental lawyer to watch in 2023 by E&E News, a top publication for energy and environmental policy news.

2005 Marsha Bipin Amin was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Jason Armand was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a judge in the Riverside County Superior Court. Ashley Escudero was named senior attorney at DLA Piper. Alejandro Morales was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Justine Phillips joined Baker McKenzie in the firm’s intellectual property and technology practice as a partner in Los Angeles.

2007 Buck Endemann joined Perkins Coie as a renewable

2023 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AND RISING STAR HONOREES

On Nov. 16, 2023, USD School of Law held its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony. Sponsored by the USD Law Alumni Association Board of Directors, the awards are presented to alumni who have distinguished themselves at an exemplary level and who embody the high ethical standards and commitment to community service that USD Law seeks to instill in its graduates. This year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards were given to the Hon. Michael S. Berg, ’81 (JD), and Jeffrey T. Thomas, ’82 (JD). Judge Berg is a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He joined the court on Nov. 5, 2018. Prior to his appointment, Judge Berg was a criminal defense attorney for 36 years. He successfully represented some of the most high-profile criminal cases in San Diego, including the first death penalty case filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Judge Berg serves his community through his volunteer work. He has served as chair of the California Board of Legal Specialization for the State Bar of California and president of the Rancho Coastal Humane Society Board of Directors. “USD Law gave me the skill set I needed to successfully transition from a student to a lawyer and then to a judge,” Judge Berg said. “The single most important thing in my career as both a lawyer and a judge has always been to treat everyone with humanity, no matter what path Federal Magistrate Judge Michael S. Berg, ’81 (JD).

Chantal Payton, ’13 (JD).

in life they walked.” Jeffrey T. Thomas was a partner in the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, having joined the firm in 1983. A member of the firm’s litigation department and its IP and antitrust and competition practice groups, Thomas has extensive experience in intellectual property, antitrust, unfair competition and general commercial litigation. He recently served as lead trial counsel for HewlettPackard Co. in a case against Oracle Corp. in which HP achieved a complete victory after trial. “It was the largest non-class action verdict in California,” said Thomas of the case, which resulted in a $4.5 billion payment to his client. Twice named by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California, Thomas is a member of the Board of Visitors of the USD School of Law and was a past president of the School’s Alumni Board of Directors. This year’s event also recognized two Rising Star Recent Alumni, Chantal Payton, ’13 (JD), and Morgan Suder, ’13 (JD). The Rising Star Awards are given annually to alumni who have graduated within the past ten years and have made significant achievements in the legal profession, or their chosen field, and demonstrated a high level of community involvement. Payton is the founding shareholder of Payton Employment Law, PC, where she helps employees obtain compensation and achieve justice when they are subjected to illegal conduct in the workplace. In recent high-profile cases, she successfully represented reality

TV stars seeking to be paid as employees. Selected to the Super Lawyers Southern California Rising Stars list four times, Payton is also committed to charitable work dedicated to helping youth. “USD gave me a great foundation,” Payton said. “The skills I acquired there positioned me well in my career as a lawyer.” Suder is an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, which she joined in 2019. She defends the United States in a wide variety of civil litigation matters involving employment discrimination, medical malpractice, personal injury, and constitutional tort claims. Previously, she was an associate attorney with Wilson Turner Kosmo, in San Diego. “The three years I had at USD were some of most impactful of my life,” Suder said. “I learned how to be a critical thinker there and am so grateful to USD for naming me a Rising Star.”

Jeffrey T. Thomas ,’82 (JD).

Morgan Suder, ’13 (JD).

CLASS ACTION energy expert partner.

2012

Patricia A. Matias joined Jackson Lewis P.C. as an employment law principal.

Douglas B. Gale joined the Goldberg Segalla worker’s compensation group.

Ferran Prat participated in a discussion titled “Houston as a Biomedical Innovation Hub Connecting Texas to Asia and Beyond.”

2013

2008 Saerin Cho (JD, LLM) was named chief legal officer of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Nick Goseland was named as a “Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting” by Lawdragon for his work as a Macrae recruiter. Patrick Haney joined Jones Day’s Washington, D.C., office as a litigation partner. James Lu has joined Sidley Austin LLP corporate practice in the life sciences and technology sectors.

2009 Patrick Duplessis joined Verrill Dana LLP as an intellectual property partner.

2010 Christin Lawler joined Fox Rothschild LLP as counsel in the labor and employment department in San Francisco.

2011 Elizabeth Thompson has joined Allen Matkins’ real estate investment group as a joint venture partner.

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Matthew Felder was designated as a Child Welfare Law Specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children for his work as an attorney supervisor. Steven Lesan was hired at Latham and Watkins as a member of the complex commercial litigation practice, and litigation and trial department in San Diego.

2015 Erika Oliver was elected to partner with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP. Justin Prybutok was awarded the Golden Sledgehammer by San Diego-based law firm Antonyan Miranda.

2016 Deborah Smith was elected to join Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a patents and innovations partner. Kirk Willie was appointed by Iowa Gov. Brad Little to serve as Gem County Commissioner.

2018 Teri Gibbs joined Fisher Phillips as an associate in the Los Angeles office. Juan Larios (LLM) joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius

Audrey W. Surridge, ’17 (JD).

AUDREY SURRIDGE, ’17 (JD), NAMED PRESIDENT OF LAWYERS CLUB OF SAN DIEGO

Audrey Surridge, ’17 (JD), an attorney in Fisher Phillips’ San Diego office focusing on employment law, was recently elected president of Lawyers Club of San Diego for 2023-2024. Surridge began her term in July. With over 1,100 members, Lawyers Club of San Diego was founded in 1972 with the mission to “advance the status of women in the law and society.” The association’s members include attorneys, judges, law students and people of any gender who are committed to ensuring all people receive fair treatment under the law and inside and outside the workplace, regardless of sex. As president, Surridge will lead and strengthen Lawyers Club as a nucleus for advocacy, inclusion and leadership. “Lawyers Club of San Diego has made a significant impact on my professional development and personal growth, and I am deeply honored by this opportunity to give back to an organization that means so much to me,” said Surridge, who has been an active member of the organization since she was a law student. She has served on the organization’s Board of Directors since 2020. “The work of Lawyers Club is relevant and vital,” Surridge added, “and I am thrilled to be a part of the ongoing effort to ensure women rise in the legal profession and society.”

NEW JURISTS

SIX HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED ALUMNI NAMED TO JUDGESHIPS IN CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA

Marsha Bipin Amin, ’05 (JD), has been appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court. She previously held positions as a managing attorney and a senior appellate court attorney at the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

Jason Armand, ’05 (JD), is a judge at the Riverside County Superior Court. He brings with him 16 years of experience as a deputy district attorney at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Notably, he is the first to hold the newly funded trial judge position in the Riverside County Superior Court. Evan A. Kitahara, ’96 (JD), has been appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Prior to this role, he served as a commissioner at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2019. His legal career includes work as a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 1997 to 2019. Alejandro Morales, ’05 (JD), has been named a judge at the San Diego County Superior Court. Previously, Morales served as the deputy alternate public defender at the Office of the San Diego County Alternate Public Defender since 2014.

Mari Parladé, ’02 (JD), has been appointed to the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada. With over 20 years of experience in family court, she brings valuable expertise to her new position. In 2022, Judge Parladé was recognized as a Woman of the Year: Legal and Woman of Faith by Gaward America Nevada for her dedication to empowering FilipinoAmerican women in Nevada. Peter Williams, ’95 (JD), is a judge at the Sacramento County Superior Court. Prior to his appointment, he served as deputy secretary and general counsel at the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency.

LLP national labor management relations practice as an associate. Capt. Matias Montillano was selected as an assistant staff judge advocate at the Hill Air Force Base Legal Office.

2019 Aaron Hughes (LLM) joined the estate planning firm Weiner Law.

2020 Luz Villegas-Bañuelos (JD, LLM) joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka as an associate in the international tax practice in San Antonio. Carola Murguia joined the Fisher Phillips firm as an associate. Kelly Reis became a board member for the Federal Bar Association San Diego Chapter.

2021 Jessica Nwasike was hired as the business litigation attorney for Structure Law Group LLP in Los Angeles.

2022 Jacob Goldschlag joined the Finch, Thornton & Baird LLP legal team. Cameron Neubauer joined the law firm of Dunn DeSantis Walt & Kendrick in San Diego. Anayeli Zavala joined the law firm of Dunn DeSantis Walt & Kendrick in San Diego.

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

Congratulations to the 2022-23

Law Firm Challenge Winners! Firms with 10+ Alumni 100% ALUMNI PARTICIPATION Finch Thornton & Baird, LLP* Morrison & Foerster LLP Blanchard, Krasner & French*

GREATEST NUMBER OF ALUMNI PARTICIPATING Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP*

SIGNIFICANT DOLLARS RAISED Qualcomm* Procopio* Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Firms with 6-9 Alumni 100% ALUMNI PARTICIPATION

Delphi Law Group, LLP* Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Juskie LLP Witham, Mahoney & Abbott

GREATEST NUMBER OF ALUMNI PARTICIPATING Witham, Mahoney & Abbott

MOST DOLLARS RAISED Delphi Law Group, LLP* Clark Hill PLC

Firms with 2-5 Alumni 100% ALUMNI PARTICIPATION CaseyGerry* Fell Law* RJS Law*

GREATEST NUMBER OF ALUMNI PARTICIPATING CaseyGerry* RJS Law*

MOST DOLLARS RAISED CaseyGerry* RJS Law*

To see the list of all participating firms and to join the Law Firm Challenge, visit law.sandiego.edu/lawfirmchallenge. Special thanks to firms that have funded private student scholarships.

Jonathan Asch REALTOR® | DRE# 01398048 jonathan.asch@compass.com 619-253-5662 USD Law ‘97

IN MEMORIAM ALUMNI

1974

1962

Daniel Bamberg has passed away at the age of 76. He was an attorney in private practice, handling noteworthy cases and had a distinguished career at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office.

Robert W. Stevens has passed away at the age of 94. He devoted his time to his law office and teaching at local San Diego high schools.

1966 William C. George has passed away, leaving behind five children. He served as a consultant to the Democratic chairman of the Assembly Finance and Insurance Committee in Sacramento.

1973 Roger Litman has passed away at the age of 76. For 13 years, he worked at the Fresno Defender’s Office and spent his later career working as a criminal defense attorney.

Keith Dwight Taylor Jr. has passed away. He attended law school to augment his real estate career and strongly encouraged giving back to the community.

1981 Polly Vordenbaumen has passed away at the age of 80. She ran a successful law practice independently for decades before her passing.

1992 Martin Joseph Jaquez passed away at the age of 63. Jaquez

practiced intellectual property law as the lead partner at Jaquez Land Greenhaus. Simon Silva has passed away after battling cancer. Silva served as a deputy city attorney for the city of Chula Vista for 12 years.

1999 Thomas Graydon “Tom” Dunlap has passed away at the age of 61. Dunlap practiced law for many years and developed a successful career in residential real estate.

FACULTY Rick Thomas Barron, professor of law, has passed away at the age of 78. Professor Barron taught environmental law and evidence advocacy and was admired by his students as a dedicated surfer.

Kevin W. Midlam, adjunct professor of law, has passed away at the age of 83. Professor Midlam had a distinguished law career, serving on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California and the State of California Judicial Council, and was a founding member of the Judicial Arbitration and Medical Services. H. Lee Sarokin, former USD Law Jurist in Residence, has passed away at the age of 94. Prior to his position on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, he served as a United States District Court judge for 15 years.

REMEMBERING MARY ALICE FRANKLIN:

MARY ALICE FRANKLIN, ’72 (BA), ’75 (JD), PASSED AWAY ON JULY 28, 2022

Scan code to visit the San Diego County Bar Foundation’s webpage dedicated to Franklin.

Born in Arcadia, Louisiana, in 1946, Mary Alice Franklin grew up in San Diego, obtaining her bachelor’s degree from USD and her JD from USD School of Law. She also held a Lifetime Teaching Credential from the California Community Colleges. Franklin practiced law for over 40 years, focusing on providing legal services to the elderly and those on fixed incomes. Her specialty was criminal law, and she was a devoted advocate for the underdog, committed to fighting for women’s rights. She was instrumental in the formation of battered women’s shelters across the country, was involved in the creation of the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board and was dedicated to the San Diego Food Bank. Some of her awards and accomplishments include Who’s Who in California, president of the board of directors at the Girls Club of San Diego, president of the Women’s Criminal Defense Bar Association, American Business Women’s Associate of the Year and president of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association.

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

GIVING

USD School of Law is deeply grateful to the donors, volunteers, alumni and friends who support the law school’s mission. Here are a few of the stories about why they give back.

SUPPORT FOR TOMORROW’S ADVOCATES

Leading plaintiff attorney Ryan Saba, ’97 (JD), donates to help students achieve their goals ❱❱ Ryan Saba, ’97 (JD), credits one experience with prepar-

ing him for the rigors of a wide-ranging civil litigation career: competing on the USD Mock Trial team. “USD prepared me exceptionally well,” Saba said. “As part of the Mock Trial team, teachers and lawyers assisted us on the basics of trial law. They taught us the steps of taking complicated facts and law and translating them into understandable communications.” Now 51 and a founding partner of El Segundo firm Rosen Saba, LLP, Saba was named one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America” for 2023 by Lawdragon, as well as one of the Top Plaintiff Attorneys in California for 2022 by the Daily Journal, among other accolades. Ryan Saba,’97 (JD), founding partner of Rosen Saba.

In his career, Saba has fought for various plaintiffs and defense clients in numerous industries. In one case, he represented an injury victim and won—with another USD Law alumnus, Robert Karwin, ’97 (JD)—a significant personal injury verdict when his client, a student hit by a truck in a crosswalk, was awarded more than $26 million. He has also been part of the largest gender inequality settlements in state history on behalf of women working in the video game industry. More recently, he represented a company in a breach of confidentiality suit before the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, in which a unanimous jury found in favor of his client in the amount of $62 million. The most rewarding thing about being a lawyer, Saba said, is solving the client’s problem, whether that client is a multimillion-dollar corporation or an individual. “You go to sleep at night knowing that you are helping to improve society,” he said. Over the years, he has given back to USD through multiple gifts, including support directed to the Mock Trial team. Now, Saba has committed to a five-year gift, a resource that the law school will be able to use to address top priorities. “With the foundation that the University of San Diego provided me, I was able to get a leg up in the legal community,” Saba said. “And if my contribution could assist another student to achieve their career desires, then I feel like I have done a little good for somebody else.”

If my contribution could assist another student to achieve their career desires, then I feel like I have done a little good for somebody else.” — R YA N S A B A , ’ 9 7 (J D) 42

FALL 2023

THE BIG GIVE CELEBRATES A DECADE OF GENEROSITY Donors made the law school’s 10th annual 36-hour fundraising campaign a resounding success

CLASS OF 2023 GIFT

Senior Director of Development Debbie Rider, ’84 (JD), with USD Law leadership, donors and friends, announces the 2023 Big Give.

❱❱ Every year for the past decade, USD School of Law has invited members of the community to invest in students by participating in the Big Give—a 36-hour online fundraising campaign to support the law school in a wide variety of ways. Gifts large and small are always welcome and help fund academic programs, student scholarships, fellowships, employment opportunities, assistance for veterans, advances in technology and, in a special initiative this year, will provide extra support for students’ health and well-being. This year’s campaign spanned two days, March 29–30, and yielded a record-breaking success, raising $456,433. Two hundred and fifty donors participated, including alumni, friends of the university, employees and even current law students. One defining feature of this year’s Big Give was the effort to address the problem of food insecurity among law students. The campaign is helping fund the Law Student Food Security Initiative by supporting the USD Food Pantry, conveniently located on campus. Stocked with food, school supplies, and personal care items, the pantry is a game-changing resource for students. Studies show that law students are particularly at risk for food insecurity: According to a 2021 Law School Survey of Student Engagement at 61 participating law schools, 43% of law students worry about food. With the ongoing demands and stressors of studying law, worries over affording quality food should not be yet another burden. This year’s Big Give raised more than $19,000 to support this initiative. USD School of Law is deeply grateful to all the donors who stepped up in support of the 2023 Big Give. Their generosity helps ensure that current and future students will receive a quality education—and thrive while doing so.

To celebrate earning their law degrees, the Class of 2023 launched a fundraising campaign to support healthier eating on campus. Their aim is to establish the Class of 2023 Writs Snack & Coffee Bar, located in Warren Hall, to provide healthy snacks that are easily accessible to law students. To date, the Class of 2023 has raised $5,146 toward its goal. To learn more about supporting the 2023 class gift and other key initiatives, visit sandiego.edu/ law/donor-relations/campaign-central.

2023 BIG GIVE BY THE NUMBERS: ❱❱ $456,433 total funds raised ❱❱ $275,664 for student scholarships ❱❱ $315,000 in challenge gifts ❱❱ $55,681 for facility projects ❱❱ $25,125 for professorships ❱❱ $21,061 for most critical needs ❱❱ $20,301 for legal clinic clerkships ❱❱ $19,188 for Law Student Food Security Initiative ❱❱ 250 donors

TORERO TUESDAY

Once a year, USD holds a university-wide, one-day fundraising campaign known as Torero Tuesday. It is an opportunity to show support for all facets of USD, including the law school. The 2022 day of giving was October 11, and the law school was the beneficiary of more than $269,000 in gifts and would like to express deep gratitude to the alumni, family and friends who showed their generous support.

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

A FAMILY DEDICATED TO GIVING BACK

Dennis Doucette, ’86 (JD), and his wife, Margot, have spent years supporting USD School of Law through philanthropy and service ❱❱ Margot and Dennis Doucette share a strong connection to the life-changing impact of higher education. The couple, who are both attorneys, also believe strongly in the immense value of helping others realize their dreams. “Philanthropy is very important to both of us,” said Margot, president of the Design Institute of San Diego and a longtime board member of a family foundation that focuses on areas such as afterschool and youth programs, environmental issues, homelessness, prison reform and teens at risk. “Dennis and I are big believers in higher education, and we are passionate about helping students have every opportunity to thrive.” Her husband’s journey to becoming one of San Diego’s leading lawyers is an inspiring example of how education—and the financial aid to help pay for it—can be transformative. “I come from a modest background,” Dennis said, “and without the aid I received, I would never have been able to pursue my education at USD School of Law. It changed my life, and that’s one reason I continue supporting the law school.” He credits his parents, both of whom were deaf, with cultivating his passion for service. “They instilled in me a sense of giving your time, talent and treasure to make a difference in people’s lives,” Dennis said. “Even though they didn’t have much, they always found ways to contribute and help others.” And he has come a long way. After 26 years as a partner at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, he is now the Team Leader for the Business and Technology Team at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch. Dennis is also CFO, general counsel and a board member of the Design Dennis Doucette, ’86 (JD), and Margot Doucette.

FALL 2023

Institute of San Diego, which was founded by Margot’s family and which she oversees today. The Doucettes have prioritized supporting USD Law, among other philanthropic interests, contributing $200,000 to campaigns including Leading Change, which raised $317 million for capital projects, faculty support, student scholarships and the endowment. They have also funded the Law Alumni Association Service Award, as well as an endowment for discretionary funding and six scholarships. In 2017, Dennis and Margot established the Kenneth and Thelma Doucette Legacy Scholarship Fund, named after Dennis’s parents, which awards $5,000 annually to students in need who demonstrate academic achievement and outstanding character. “The annual scholarship was important to us,” Margot said, “because we want to provide ongoing opportunities instead of just a one-time gift.” Barbara Machado, a 3L who plans to pursue a career in real estate and land use law, received the scholarship in 2022. “The award allowed me to lessen my student loans and further confirms that I am supported and empowered by my community,” said Machado, who is the first in her family to graduate from college. “The Doucettes’ commitment to giving back inspires students like myself to pay it forward.” Machado crossed paths with Dennis’s daughter Lauren, who earned a paralegal certificate at USD Law, while a summer associate at Sheppard Mullin. When Lauren realized that Machado had received a scholarship named after her grandparents, she pledged to contribute to it in the future. Dennis also supports the law school community as an adjunct professor and in various leadership roles. He was president of the USD Law Alumni Association and has served on the Board of Visitors since 2010; in September he took on the role of vice chair of the board and agreed to lead its Development Committee. “My hope is to be a resource and an ally to help the law school the best way I can,” he said. “It is about being part of something a little bigger.”

GIVING

NEW BOARD LEADERSHIP AT USD

Board Chair Tom Mulvaney, ’77 (JD), and Vice Chair Virginia Nelson, ’79 (JD), help usher in a new era for the university ❱❱ The University of San Diego will mark a major milestone in 2024: its 75th anniversary. In addition to being a cause for celebration, the upcoming occasion has sparked profound conversations about the school’s mission. USD’s Board of Trustees, working closely with USD President James T. Harris III, plays a key role focused on what is best for the institution as a whole. In July, the university announced new board leaders who will help steer USD into its 75th year—and beyond. Tom Mulvaney, ’77 (JD), a board member for the past six years and a longtime supporter of the university, has been named chair. Another law school alumnus, Virginia Nelson, ’79 (JD), has been named vice chair, bringing years of prior service to the university as a volunteer, donor, board member and adjunct professor at the law school. “I am honored to serve as board chair of this great institution,” said Mulvaney, a private investor and community leader who, with his wife, Karen, established the Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness Tom Mulvaney, ’77 (JD). and Social Action at USD. “The university is committed to nurturing students who want to make the world a better place, and that vision resonates with us.” President Harris expressed his enthusiasm for Mulvaney’s leadership. “We are excited about Tom’s appointment,” Harris said. “His knowledge, experience and leadership will be pivotal as we look toward the horizon and prepare for what will come next at USD.” As the new vice chair, Nelson is “grateful for this opportunity to increase my level of service to the university.” Nelson said she is inspired by the colVirginia Nelson, ’79 (JD). laborative efforts of the entire USD community in updating USD’s vision, mission, and values statements. “These statements give a current definition of our university, what we stand for and brilliantly guide our path forward.” Both Mulvaney and Nelson say that service to USD is a privilege, not an obligation. “USD felt like a special place from the moment I set foot on campus to attend law school,” recalled Nelson, who, with her husband, Mark Andrews, support scholarships, fellowships, graduation awards and many other initiatives at USD. “The university provides an endless source of opportunities to learn, grow and give back.” Mulvaney referred to three phrases in USD’s new vision statement that encapsulate why he feels so honored to serve. “‘Fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love’—that is what the institution stands for,” he said. “Those words really speak to me.”

James McCormick, ’97 (JD).

LAW FIRM CHALLENGE

❱❱ When James McCormick, ’97 (JD), attended USD Law, he saw firsthand the importance of support for deserving students. “I saw many students who did not have to pay for schooling and who had greater access to jobs,” he said. “But I did not have those opportunities; I just worked really hard. And now I want to help students in similar situations have every chance to succeed.” One way McCormick, a founding partner at the Delphi Law Group, does this is by serving as a captain of USD’s Law Firm Challenge, an annual fundraising effort in which alumni come together to provide critical support to the law school. The goal is to achieve 100 percent participation of alumni in their respective firms. “At Delphi, 10-plus attorneys participated, which is every alum at the firm,” said McCormick, who also funds the James R. McCormick Jr.–Delphi Law Group, LLP Annual Named Scholarship. The difference these donors make is significant. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the challenge raised nearly $1 million from 63 firms and companies, with 179 alumni participating. “The law school gave us so much,” McCormick added, “and this is one way we can give back.”

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

CONNECTING ALUMNI

After a year-and-a-half pause of hosting in-person alumni events, USD School of Law resumed alumni programming in the summer and fall of 2022, reconnecting alumni with one another and strengthening ties to USD School of Law. CAREERS IN THE LAW ❱❱ Law Careers hosted the 41st Annual Careers in the Law, the law school’s signature alumni and student networking event where more than 450 law students, alumni and attorneys from the public and private sectors within the San Diego legal community connect and explore a variety of legal practice areas. More than 50 firms, solo practitioners, nonprofits, government agencies, and bar associations participated. Below left: Hana Dorne, ’18 (JD), and Saleem Hawatmeh, ’19 (JD). Below right: Isabella Neal, ’22 (JD), Mary Grace Braun , ’22 (JD) and Alberto J. Corona, ’21 (JD).

JOINT BOARD OF VISITORS AND LAW ALUMNI BOARD SUMMER RETREAT ❱❱ USD School of Law’s leadership boards held a joint retreat at the new Knauss School of Business building. Board members set goals/priorities and engaged in focused discussion and strategic thinking about how to best serve the law school. Above: Law Alumni Board member David S. Casey III, ’18 (JD), and Board of Visitors member, Distinguished Alumni Award honoree, and Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award honoree David S. Casey, Jr., ’74 (JD).

NORTH COUNTY ALUMNI RECEPTION AT PACIFIC COAST GRILL

❱❱ USD School of Law hosted a North County alumni reception at Pacific Coast Grill in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. Left: Past Law Alumni Board member and Rising Star Recent Alumni honoree Dave Fox, ’07 (JD), and Dean and C. Hugh Friedman Professor of Law Robert Schapiro.

FALL 2023

Left: Director of Alumni Relations Shari Baurle Green and Ward Heinrichs, ’91 (JD/MBA).

ORANGE COUNTY ALUMNI RECEPTION AT ALLEN MATKINS

❱❱ Law Firm Challenge participant Allen Matkins hosted USD School of Law’s Orange County alumni reception at their offices in Irvine’s Centerview building complex, inspired by the Art Deco movement with an artful mix of classic and contemporary design.

Above: Orange County Chapter Board member Blake Miller, ’09 (JD), Quinnie Holland, ’01 (LLM), and Orange County Chapter Board member and Chapter Secretary Edson McClellan, ’98 (JD).

Above: Allen Matkins Chief Recruiting and Professional Development Officer Christine McWilliams, ’94 (BA), ’98 (JD) and Recruiting and Professional Development Assistant Sophia Acosta and Senior Counsel Kelly Smith, ’15 (JD).

Above: Law Alumni Board member Noel Vales, ’97 (JD), and Senior Director of Development Debbie Rider, ’84 (JD).

Above: Allen Matkins partner Andrew Wood, Joel Miliband, ’77 (JD), and Nikki Miliband.

BIG GIVE BASH AT RJS LAW—A TAX LAW FIRM ❱❱ Donors teamed up to provide a decade of generosity during the 10th annual Big Give, raising $456,433 during the law school’s 36-hour online giving campaign. Left: Senior Vice President, Provost and Interim Dean, School of Peace Studies Dr. Gail Baker; Vice President for University Advancement Rick Virgin and Board of Visitors member, adjunct faculty member, Distinguished Alumni Award honoree and Mother Rosalie Clifton Hill honoree Ronson J. Shamoun, ‘98 (BA), ‘02 (JD), ‘03 (LLM).

USD SCHOOL OF LAW

CONNECTING ALUMNI

INCOMING STUDENTS DIVERSITY RECEPTION HOSTED BY JONES DAY

❱❱ Law Firm Challenge firm Jones Day sponsored USD School of Law’s Incoming Students Diversity Reception for incoming students, diverse student organization leaders, alumni, administrators, faculty, judges and local diverse bar associations.

DEAN’S HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

❱❱ USD School of Law Dean and C. Hugh

Friedman Professor of Law Robert Schapiro hosted the annual Dean’s Holiday Open House toasting to a holiday season full of cheer and celebration.

Above: Past Law Alumni Board member, Distinguished Alumni Awards honoree, and past Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair Ana España, ’79 (BA), ’82 (JD); Dean Robert Schapiro; Jones Day San Diego Partner-in-Charge Steve Geise; and Board of Visitors member, Distinguished Alumni Award honoree, Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award honoree and Jones Day California Region Partner-in-Charge Karen Hewitt, ’89 (JD).

Above: Board of Visitors member and Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Tom Fetter, ’67 (JD), Jane Fetter, Dean Robert Schapiro and Dr. Lillian Schapiro.

MILESTONE REUNIONS ❱❱ Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023: 1983, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2013, 2018 ❱❱ Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023: Master of Laws (LLM) in Taxation 45-year anniversary Champagne Brunch ❱❱ Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023: 50-year Golden Toreros Dinner with the President law.sandiego.edu/reunions

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS ❱❱ Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023 law.sandiego.edu/daa

FALL 2023

Above left: Associate Director of Development Jeanette Nichols and Law Alumni Board President-Elect, Rising Star Recent Alumni honoree, Philanthropy & Sponsorships Chair and Diversity & Inclusion Committee member Nick Fox, ’11 (JD). Above right: Law Alumni Board Immediate Past President and Rising Star Recent Alumni honoree Carolina Bravo-Karimi, ’08 (JD), Shirin Tefagh, ’08 (JD), and Saerin Cho, ’08 (JD, LLM). Left: Law Alumni Board member, Rising Star Recent Alumni honoree, and Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair Joy Utomi Hartmann, ’11 (JD), visits with incoming students.

BIG GIVE &

BIG GIVE BASH Tuesday, April 2, 2024

36-Hour Campaign Wednesday - Thursday, April 3-4, 2024

Thank you alumni and friends for supporting students by contributing $456,433 to Big Give ’23.

The Big Give 2023 —You Made Better Possible 55+ Law Student Scholarships, 25 Law Programs, and Raised $19,000 for Law Student Food Security

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EVERY GIFT, LARGE OR SMALL, HELPS USD SCHOOL OF LAW law.sandiego.edu/gift

USD PROMISE

Educational Support • Law Student Scholarships • First Generation Scholarships

Employment Opportunities • Law Student Fellowships • Legal Clinics Clerkships

Program Support • Legal Clinics • Veterans Legal Clinic • Children’s Advocacy Institute • Tax Program Initiatives • Mock Trial/Moot Court

Inclusive Community • Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY SUPPORTING USD SCHOOL OF LAW Questions? Call Law School Annual Giving at (619) 260-7554.