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Faculty
Our faculty are among the leading scholars in their fields, as well as being excellent teachers.
Among them, they have argued hundreds of cases, more than 80 before the Supreme Court. They have been tribal and appellate judges, assistant United States attorneys, Supreme Court clerks, and clerks on the U.S. International Trade Commission.
 They have investigated Congressmen, served as counsel to committees in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, Worked for the U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency, the National Labor Relations Board, and the National Institutes of Health.
They include a former Assistant Secretary of the Interior (for Indian Affairs), an investment banker, a behavioral scientist from RAND, a medical doctor, an assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, and the former director of the State Department’s International Anti-Crime Programs.
They regularly publish scholarly books; their articles appear frequently in leading journals and law reviews, and they are quoted regularly in national media. More than half hold advanced degrees in addition to their law degrees.
They are experts in a broad spectrum of legal fields: criminal, international, intellectual property, constitutional, tax, environmental, water, family, and others. They are some of the country’s most distinguished scholars in law and science, federal Indian law, and legal philosophy. And many pursue cutting-edge interdisciplinary work drawing on genetics, bioethics, philosophy, e-commerce, intellectual property, statistics, psychology, health care, religious studies, economics and cultural studies.
But even more important than their experience and expertise, they share a commitment to teaching. Our low faculty-student ratio, one of the lowest in the country, allows for small classes with lots of faculty-student interaction. On Armstrong Hall’s second floor, just above the classrooms, faculty offices are always filled with students meeting one-on-one with their teachers. And students frequently get to work as research assistants to faculty members.
Programs
At the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, you will have plenty of opportunities to get the hands-on experience that you want through our clinical programs, externships, and pro bono projects.
We offer seven clinics - civil practice, criminal practice, immigration, Indian law, mediation, public defender, and technology ventures - more than most law schools of any size. Because of our small student body, we are able to accommodate nearly every student who expresses interest. The clinics give students the opportunity to manage real cases, under the supervision of a licensed attorney, and to assist in the representation of real clients. They will work with indigent clients, government agencies, defense lawyers, tribal judges, researchers, and faculty.
Over 150 externship placements each year allow our students further opportunities to learn through practice and receive academic credit towards graduation. Externs work with judges, legislative offices, and administrative agencies, ranging from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to the Arizona Legislature to the Center for Law in the Public Interest. From San Francisco to Washington, D.C., and Phoenix to Chicago, our students are finding out while in school what it takes to succeed in the practice of law.
Our institutionally supported pro bono program enables students to gain real world experience while making a difference in the lives of those who lack the resources to pay for quality legal assistance. Last year, our students contributed more than 62,000 hours of law-related public service to low income and underserved populations. This amounts to services with a fair market value of more than $6.2 million. From the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program to the Battered Women’s Shelter and the Homeless Legal Assistance Program, the opportunities vary widely, and more services are added each year.
We have several top notch centers and programs at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. The Center for the Study of Law, Science, and Techology was the first of its kind in the country, specializing in studying the intersections of law and science. The Indian Legal Program is considered the premiere program for students wanting to specialize in Indian and tribal law.
More information about our Centers & Programs.
Location
The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law is the leading law school in the Phoenix metropolitan area, one of the most vibrant and fastest growing cities in the country. The College has a close and productive relationship between our  students and leaders in the state’s legal and political communities, many of whom are our alumni. It means engaging externships that provide important experience, exciting adjunct faculty who share their latest real-world knowledge, and an invaluable connection to job opportunities.
The connections that you make during your law school experience are vital to your success in securing the position you want afterward, and we give you that opportunity. The career services staff is ready to help you make these connections to the members of the Phoenix and national legal communities through externships, attorney/student mentor programs, speaker series and panels, networking events, career fairs, and a large on-campus recruitment program. Our location and the size of the student body facilitate regular contact between students and alumni, law firm partners, judges, political leaders, and employers.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard (Class of 1976), opened a satellite office where students can volunteer to help people with consumer complaints. Steven G. Lisa (Class of 1984), a nationally recognized patent attorney who heads his own firm with offices in Chicago and Phoenix, has funded a new fellowship through the Lisa Foundation and Arizona Technology Enterprises. Jerry Hirsch (Class of 1973) funded the Lodestar Dispute Resolution Program and Lodestar Mediation Clinic, a nationally recognized center of excellence for teaching and scholarship in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
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