Day 4 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? Lunch with Andy!
Andy doesn’t pose for selfies so I had to settle for one with the Snell & Wilmer sign
Andy Halaby is an intellectual property attorney at Snell and Wilmer – the biggest law firm in Phoenix. (Their lobby is bigger than my entire condo.) Everyone there wears a suit to work, so of course, I always wear jeans when I visit. He was also my trademark professor at ASU Law.
Andy’s an awesome guy. He’s been practicing law a lot longer than I have and he’s only worked at a big firm. It’s interesting to compare our perspectives on the practice of law and hearing his input on what’s changed over the years. We have a mutual non-disclosure agreement so I can’t tell you any specifics from our conversation. I sincerely value that we get to speak candidly about being lawyers and life in general.
I also invited myself to lunch with Andy to hear about his experience taking the dreaded California Bar Exam since he took and passed it fairly recently. I’m thinking about expanding my empire and subjecting myself to that layer of hell next year.
I have been lucky to have some amazing professors during my time at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. With graduation approaching, I polled my classmates and asked them which professors deserved awards for their excellence in teaching or dedication to students. These are the results:
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Best In-class Quotes:Andy Hessick
I took a class from him two years ago, and I still remember, “When someone cuts off your face, you don’t get your face back. You get money. It’s a substitute.”
Best Open Door Policy:Chad Noreuil
I don’t know how many times I popped by his office hours to vent, get advice, and re-gain some perspective on life. He always said that he was there for his students, and you knew he meant it.
Best Comedian:Doug Sylvester
He explained concepts brilliantly and he always did it in a way that made me laugh.
Best Heart-to-Heart Talks:Judy Stinson
She is the best person to talk when you need a conversation about law school or life without the professor-student relationship getting in the way of her awesome advice.
Best Rants:Michael Berch
You never knew what he would say next. Every class was a jaw-dropping performance.
Best Professor for Showing Students the Big Picture:Bob Clinton
Taking his classes hurts your head because you have to understand the historical and social issues that correspond to the legal issues in each case. It makes his classes challenging, but you get more out of them.
Most Dedicated to the Student Experience:Shelli Soto
She is devoted to helping students make the best of their experience at law school & celebrates the student perspective.
Most Knowledgeable:Tom Williams
The man knows everything about everything from policies to professors. He’s also the best person to sit next to at an event because he knows Berman’s speeches so he’ll know when they’ll be over.
Biggest Heart:Charles Calleros
It only takes one conversation with him to know how dedicated he is to his students.
Most Dedicated to Helping Students Achieve their Dreams:Michael Bossone
When I was a 1L, his entire job was helping students achieve their dreams. Even after he left the law school, he was always there when we needed his encouragement or guidance.
Honorable Mentions: John Becker, Marianne Alcorn, Chuck Dallyn, Amy Langenfeld, & Mary Sigler
Thank you all for you energy and dedication to the graduating class of 2011!
