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UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW


APRIL 26, 2023

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 27

Pitt Speaker Series with Steven Levitsky

May 13

College of Law Convocation

June 13

University of Arizona Legal Paraprofessional Info Session

Greetings,


Today marks the last day of classes for the Spring semester for our JD students. Graduation is only a few short weeks away! In the coming weeks, you will have the opportunity to read some of the stories of 2023 graduates from our many degree programs, including JD, LLM, Master of Legal Studies (MLS), Master of Professional Studies (MPS), Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) and BA in Law. No other law school offers as many degrees.


This week, we feature Doctor of Juridical Science graduate Vishal Gaikwad, whose experience illustrates the truly international reach of our law community.

Until the footnotes,


Marc

FEATURE

SJD Grad Will Continue to Promote Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights Online

Name: Vishal Gaikwad 

Hometown: Mumbai, India 

Degree: Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) 

Undergraduate Institution: University of Mumbai 

Awards, Student Groups, Clinics, Journals, etc.: Williams Achievement Award, Member of the Native American Law Students’ Association 


What initially inspired you to attend law school, and has that changed over the course of your studies? 


I am a member of the Schedule Castes/Scheduled Tribes (“SC/ST”) community (formerly treated as the “Untouchables” or “Outcastes”) in India. The perspective of advancing my community’s human rights to an international level inspired me to attend law school. Over the course of my studies at University of Arizona Law, I assessed my community’s domestic rights in comparison to indigenous peoples’ international human rights law. 


Why did you choose University of Arizona Law? 


As an international student, I think University of Arizona Law stands out in the United States for its expertise in the area of Indigenous People’s human rights. From hosting the faculty who contributed to the significant advancement of indigenous peoples’ rights, to hosting the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples mandate, University of Arizona Law has all the global prospects a student needs to enhance their career. 


Can you tell us about your dissertation? 


My dissertation, “Indigenous Websites: Embedding Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights on the Internet,” is an instructional guide designed for grassroots indigenous communities worldwide to empower their international human rights using websites. The dissertation discusses indigenous peoples’ intellectual property rights in website domain names at local, national, and international levels, shares strategies for building global networks using Search Engine Optimization, and observes the emergence of indigenous peoples’ right to media in the context of freedom of expression. The major highlight of my dissertation is the legal analysis of the U.S. Federal government’s DOTGov Program and Tribal Sovereignty issue in the United States. 


What will you miss most about your time at University of Arizona Law? 


I will miss sitting in a classroom with my other indigenous classmates from Canada, New Zealand, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. I will miss having lunch with them in the courtyard. 


What was your favorite law school experience or extracurricular activity? 


Through the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) program, I got the opportunity to assist the three University of Arizona tribal leadership offices in developing the Native American Advancement, Initiatives, and Research (NAAIR) web portal, an accessible go-to hub for information about the University of Arizona’s rich array of Native and Indigenous research, education programs, outreach, community resources and engagement opportunities. I also developed a searchable database of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Mandate (UNSRRIP) for indigenous people worldwide, which is now an addition to the Arizona Law Library’s Tribal Law: International Indigenous Resources


The experience of developing university-wide websites for the Native American/Indigenous Community and the courses I took at IPLP helped me look at indigenous websites with legal perspectives. The experience of working as a UArizona web administrator with a law education background has been my favorite law school experience. 


What are you most proud of about your time at University of Arizona Law? 


I am honored to be the first SC/ST community member to join the international indigenous community at IPLP. The Constitution of India does not recognize SC/ST as indigenous. I consider my enrollment at Arizona Law’s IPLP program a major step towards the SC/ST community’s global recognition of being “indigenous.” 


Are there any particular issues or causes within the legal system that you are passionate about or want to address in your career? 


The world is moving online, and the law needs help to regulate the activities of the online world. As a law student passionate about technology, I look forward to addressing the issue of merging law into internet technologies. 


What are your future career plans? 


I plan to continue working with the UArizona tribal leadership offices and the UNSRRIP to promote indigenous peoples’ human rights on the internet. 


Looking back on your law school experience, what would you have done differently or what advice would you give to your younger self? 


Explore TechLaw! Enroll in courses on emerging law topics, especially law and technology. Arizona Law has plenty of such unique courses. 


Message for your fellow Class of 2023:  


Keep in touch! 

AROUND THE COLLEGE

i4J Team Wins “Best in Digital Health”

A group of students in the Innovation for Justice (i4J) UX4Justice course recently received the Best in Digital Health Award in the health care innovation competition Bench to Bedside.


UX4Justice teaches students to “apply user experience (UX) and design- and systems-thinking methodologies to evaluate, reimagine and improve justice sector technologies.” As with other i4J programs, students from the University of Arizona Law and the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business participate in the UX4Justice course.


The award-winning UX4Justice team presented its work on Benefactor, a digital tool designed to help with submission of high-quality, comprehensive applications for Social Security Disability benefits that are more likely to get approved the first time around. 

 

Third-year law student Amber Shepard (second from right in the photo above) along with three University of Utah MBA students were on the team, which received a $5,000 prize.

Clairmont Receives University of Arizona Award for Excellence

Kristy Clairmont (’15), program coordinator for the Legal Paraprofessional Program, was awarded the University of Arizona’s Award for Excellence. Kristy was nominated by her BA in Law and MLS colleagues for her dedication to the University of Arizona.


Congratulations, Kristy!

Constitutional Law Conference Draws Scholars from Around the Country

The William H. Rehnquist Center on the Constitutional Structures of Government hosted its fifth annual National Conference of Constitutional Law Scholars on March 24–25, organized by Professors Andrew Coan, Eunice Lee and Shalev Roisman, as well as Rebecca Aviel from the University of Denver. Professor of Law Aziz Huq from the University of Chicago delivered the keynote lecture, with distinguished commentators that included Mitch Berman (University of Pennsylvania), Justin Driver (Yale), Jud Campbell (Richmond), Tara Leigh Grove (Texas), Farah Peterson (Chicago) and Miriam Seifter (Wisconsin). 


The keynote, on “The Rule of Law in Contemporary American Constitutionalism,” is posted on the conference home page.

“Tyranny of the Minority” with Harvard Prof. Steven Levitsky Tomorrow

It’s not too late to register for a thought-provoking presentation by Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, online tomorrow, April 27 at 5:30 p.m. (MST).


America is undergoing a massive experiment: it is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is this happening here, and not in other diversifying nations? And what can we do to save our democracy?


Harvard professor Steven Levitsky offers a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times. Drawing on a wealth of examples from 1930s France to present-day Thailand, he presents his theory on why and how political parties turn against democracy: when political leaders realize they can no longer win at the ballot box, they begin to attack the system from within, condoning violent extremists and using the law as a weapon. According to Levitsky, our Constitution makes us uniquely vulnerable.


We hope you’ll join us for this conversation.

Register Here

Sepe Co-Authors Columbia Law Blog Post Based on Recent Article


Professor of Law and Finance Simone Sepe co-authored a post on corporations and capital markets for The CLS Blue Sky Blog along with Martijn Cremers (Notre Dame,) Lubomir P. Litov (University of Oklahoma and Penn), and Michał Zator (Notre Dame.)


Sepe’s post is based on his recent article, “Poison Pills in the Shadow of the Law.” Read the post here.

Prof. Bennett Educates Foreign Service Officers on Juvenile Delinquency

Professor of Law and Director of the Child and Family Law Clinic Paul Bennett recently presented on juvenile delinquency and welfare to a group of foreign service officers at the University of Arizona Washington, D.C. Center for Outreach & Collaboration. His presentation was coordinated with University of Arizona Law’s Foreign Diplomat Training Program. As a leader in the field of juvenile law, Paul provided the diplomats with applicable resources and an understanding of juvenile delinquency in the United States.

IN THE NEWS

How Colorado River states would share water cuts under new federal proposal

The Arizona Republic, featuring Robert Glennon

Do You Have News?


Your success is the college’s success and we want to celebrate with you! If you have landed a new job, received an award or recognition, stepped into a leadership role or have good news in general, let us know.

Share Your News Here

Twitter, @uarizonalaw

The end of the our school year is always a busy and intense time. It is a moment of reflection, back and forward. It is a time of profound celebration – as the training we give and degrees we offer are significant life accomplishments, and these accomplishments are achieved on the foundations of years of hard work and the support of family, friends and colleagues.


At Arizona Law, we offer more degree pathways than any other U.S. law school, and I suspect than any law school anywhere. Vishal’s story reflects this breadth and depth, as a graduate of our elite doctoral (SJD) program, as a pathbreaker and as a member of our world-leading Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program. 


Even as the term ends, scholarly and community life continues – as the Fifth Annual Rehnquist Conference and this year’s final Pitt Family Foundation Lecture on Leadership and Civic Participation attest.

Warmly,

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