Arizona Attorney Q&A with Interim Dean Jason Kreag Discusses Arizona Law’s Recent Accomplishments and New Initiatives
Arizona Attorney Magazine
Updates From U of A Law School
September 2025
University of Arizona Law Interim Dean Jason Kreag discussed “A New Day in Court” renovation project, Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program, student and faculty accomplishments, clinic achievements and more in his Q&A with Arizona Attorney Magazine.
From Arizona Attorney Magazine:
Your school had significant accomplishments in the past year. If you had to point to one as having the deepest impact, what would it be?
Without question, the most significant accomplishment this past year was the completion of our “A New Day in Court” renovation project. In October we unveiled new, state-of-the-art courtroom and classroom spaces funded through donor contributions that have fundamentally enhanced how we prepare students for practice.
The new Thomas Mauet Advocacy Program, named for our renowned trial practice professor emeritus, reflects a commitment to hands-on, experiential learning that bridges the gap between legal theory and practice. These new courtrooms replicate real-world practice venues, allowing students to hone trial skills in a setting that looks and feels like the environment they will encounter after graduation. The lobby and collaborative spaces surrounding these rooms support informal mentoring and peer engagement that deepen the sense of community at the College.
Beyond trial advocacy, these spaces also host lectures, competitions, education forums and specialized training. They enable us to convene judges, alumni, attorneys and public servants alongside students to explore the evolving challenges of our legal system. In short, these renovations give us the infrastructure to support advocacy training at the highest level and to continue shaping practice-ready lawyers for decades to come.
What are other school successes and accomplishments to note?
We’ve had a terrific year across multiple areas. One highlight is the new seven-week online course, “The Law of the Police,” created in partnership with the ABA Legal Education Police Practices Consortium, that is self-paced and free to the public. Developed in response to the national call for better understanding of policing and accountability, this course equips students with a strong foundation in the constitutional and statutory standards that regulate law enforcement. It reflects our commitment to legal education that is relevant, socially engaged, and responsive to current events.
We are also proud to have played a role in developing the Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program, a new postgraduate apprenticeship that provides an alternative path to licensure for students who want to practice in rural and public-interest settings, including those who scored within a range close to the required bar exam cutoff. This program will help address the state’s shortage of attorneys and create pathways to practice for dedicated graduates who want to serve their communities.
Our Veterans’ Advocacy Law Clinic also expanded its reach this year after receiving a $300,000 gift from Philip Morris International. This support enables the clinic to increase its capacity and impact, including work before local veterans treatment courts and administrative bodies, and to train more students under the supervision of experienced attorneys.
Additionally, a $1.5 million Department of Justice grant is fueling the University of Arizona Innocence Project’s efforts to examine and address wrongful convictions in the state. This funding will enable the clinic to deepen its focus on cases that involve DNA evidence and to collaborate closely with local law enforcement and forensic specialists. It reflects the law school’s ongoing commitment to pursuing justice and ensuring the legal system operates fairly and effectively.
This was also a milestone year for our Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) Program, a global leader in Federal Indian Law, Tribal Law and Policy, and Indigenous Peoples Human Rights. This past May, we celebrated the graduation of our 100th IPLP LLM and 50th SJD student, a testament to the program’s impact. Today, our IPLP alumni span 29 countries across six continents, serving as tribal leaders, educators, policymakers and faculty who are shaping the future of Indigenous law and policy around the world.
Looking forward, what are some challenges and opportunities for your school and legal education that you are focused on?
Legal education is ever evolving and at Arizona Lawwe see these changes as both a challenge and an opportunity. As the profession grows more interdisciplinary, we are expanding the ways our students engage with science, technology, business and policy. One example is our involvement in the new Bachelor of Science in Medical Device Development and Application, launched by the College of Medicine–Tucson. Students in the program will take law courses through the College of Law to better understand the regulatory and legal landscape of health care technology. And simultaneously, we’re also developing a BS in Law designed for STEM-focused students who want to work at the intersection of science, regulation and policy.
At the same time, we continue to lead in online legal education. While new online JD programs are gaining attention across the country, Arizona Law has delivered high quality online education for years. Our Master of Legal Studies program, offered both online and in person, serves students across a range of professions, including compliance, human resources and health care administration. In 2024, we launched “The Law of the Police,” a free online course created in partnership with the ABA Legal Education Police Practices Consortium. The course explores the laws that govern policing and is open to law students, lawyers, law enforcement and the public. We also introduced a Cannabis Law and Regulation concentration through our MLS and BA in Law programs to prepare students for work in one of the fastest growing and most complex areas of law and policy.
But while legal education adapts to new frontiers, some of the most urgent challenges we face hit at the very foundation of rule of law and the professional norms that sustain it. Efforts to punish lawyers based on the clients they represent strike at the heart of the constitutional protections that underpin our justice system. I was proud to join dozens of fellow deans in publicly affirming that lawful, ethical advocacy must be protected regardless of whether a lawyer’s client is popular. At Arizona Law, we take seriously our responsibility to train principled, courageous advocates who understand that defending the rule of law means showing up for it, especially when it’s under pressure.
Affordability remains a challenge and a priority. Arizona Law is committed to remaining one of the most affordable top-tier law schools in the country. That matters because it gives students the freedom to follow their professional goals without being limited by debt. Many of our students want to serve rural communities, take on public interest work, or represent clients who lack access to legal help. They should be able to do that with confidence. Recent federal changes now limit the loan support available to graduate students, including those in law. This makes it even more important for schools like ours to provide meaningful financial support through scholarships, institutional aid and community partnerships. This is work that takes all of us. We owe it to our students, and to the profession, to ensure that the best and most committed future lawyers have every opportunity to thrive and serve regardless of the financial background they come from or the clients they choose to represent.
Finally, with new leadership at the University of Arizona comes a renewed focus on our land-grant mission. For Arizona Law, that means going back to basics: training highly skilled lawyers who are ready to do good work in our state as soon as they graduate. Our students and alumni serve in every corner of Arizona—in tribal courts, border towns, rural communities and underserved neighborhoods. We’ve helped launch programs like the Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program and the Legal Paraprofessional initiative to fill justice gaps. And Arizona Law graduates remain connected to the state. Three of the seven Arizona Supreme Court Justices are alumni. Five graduates serve on the Arizona Court of Appeals. From 2020 to 2024, 110 of our JD graduates clerked for Arizona courts, and many others stayed to serve in public sector roles. In the Class of 2024, nearly one-third began public interest or government careers in Arizona. These numbers reflect our values and our purpose as Arizona’s law school.
We serve students from across the country and the world, but our commitment to Arizona remains strong. Our mission begins here—and the needs of this state will always shape the work we do.