Aspey, Watkins & Diesel Contributes $50,000 in Support of ‘A New Day in Court’ Initiative at UArizona Law

The Flagstaff-based law firm of Aspey, Watkins & Diesel PLLC has made a $50,000 donation to the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in support of the college’s $6 million “A New Day in Court” initiative to significantly reconstruct student courtrooms and expand the advocacy program’s offerings.

When construction is completed, students will work from the Aspey, Watkins & Diesel Defense Table, an upgraded space in the college’s new Kevin R. Boyle Courtroom.  

University of Arizona Law has outgrown its current courtrooms, which were built in 1977. The “A New Day in Court” initiative will create fully functional, state-of-the-art spaces that give students a proper courtroom setting in which to learn and practice. The college’s advocacy program will also be renamed to the Thomas Mauet Advocacy Program, in honor of Professor Emeritus and renowned trial expert Thomas Mauet.

The Aspey, Watkins & Diesel PLLC gift brings the total amount raised for “A New Day in Court” to $2.4 million.

“AWD is proud to support the Law School’s ‘A New Day in Court’ initiative,” said Whitney Cunningham, an attorney at AWD who specializes in business, real estate and construction matters. “Our motives aren’t purely charitable either. We thrive on the wonderful legal talent University of Arizona Law prepares for our firm and community.”

Founded in 1975, Aspey, Watkins & Diesel PLLC is a full-service law firm that handles a broad range of matters including personal injury, bankruptcy, business law, estate planning, criminal defense, civil litigation, family law, real estate law, and more. While the firm is predominantly based in Northern Arizona, they have litigated cases from coast to coast, and regularly handle international transactions. A number of University of Arizona alumni are part of the firm including Howard L. Brown (BA ’92), Kathryn G. Mahady (JD ’11, MA ’05, BA ’00), Jennifer Mott (JD ’01), Monica M. Pertea (JD ’13), Caitlin R. Rynn (JD ’22) and Michael J. Victor (JD ’20, BA ’17).

“I’m thrilled that future Arizona Law students will benefit from Aspey, Watkins & Diesel joining us in reimagining our advocacy program,” said Barbara Bergman, director of Arizona Law’s Advocacy program. “Legal education has the power to transform students’ lives and the lives of the clients and communities they will serve. The support from Aspey, Watkins & Diesel will help us to continue delivering the highest-quality education to future lawyers in our state and beyond." 

In addition to the $4 million needed for building reconstruction, the "A New Day in Court" initiative is raising $2 million for an endowed chair of advocacy, an endowed professorship, and an endowment fund to support student experiential advocacy activities, such as travel to trial competitions. 

For more information, including fundraising goals and how to donate, visit law.arizona.edu/court or contact Senior Director of Development Megan O’Leary.