Congratulations to the S.J. Quinney College of Law class of 2026, who graduated Friday, May 8, at Kingsbury Hall.
The class of 2026 includes 106 students earning a juris doctor (JD) and 27 students earning a master of legal studies (MLS) degree. JD students logged more than 2,110 hours total of pro bono service and 23,250 hours in 147 field placements. Here are a few more quick facts about this year’s graduates:
- 49.5% of JD students identify as female
- 11% of JD students hold a graduate degree other than a JD
- 34% of MLS students are first-generation college students
Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner reminded students that Associate Dean Reyes Aguilar (who retired in 2024) assigned the class the word nuanced, which he thought encapsulated the class, back in August 2023. She also reflected on the college’s namesake, S.J. Quinney.
“Nuanced means ‘having subtle and often appealingly complex qualities and distinctions.’ Dean Aguilar could not have picked a better word,” Kronk Warner said. “Like S.J. Quinney, your impact is one of tremendous nuance. You have already made the world a better place despite tremendous obstacles. You are truly outstanding.”
Read on for a few ways the class of 2026 stands out:
- Audrey Meyer created a new Estate Planning recurring legal site within the Pro Bono Initiative.
- Kyle Lowe, Claire Munsell, and Isaac Santos spent four days over their spring break working on the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement with several of the Environmental Justice Clinic’s community partners in the Navajo Nation.
- In the International Law Clinic, Hayden Ridd, Sydney Brubaker, and Joshua Sudekum traveled to the United Nations headquarters in New York City, where they delivered a half-day program to UN staff on Strengthening Pathways for Indigenous Peoples’ Representation.
- Sophia Gulgulian received the Alexander Zeev Guiora Bystander Initiative Award to conduct research with Lecturer Professor Amos Guiora focused on criminalizing bystanders and enablers of abuse.
- Christopher Smith was named the University of Utah’s Student Veteran of the Year, in part for serving as student director for the Veterans Pro Bono Legal Site and raising funds for an endowed scholarship for veterans pursuing legal degrees.
- Alessandra Coote served as president of the Utah Law Federalist Society and was invited to attend the Federal Society’s National Lawyer’s Convention to introduce the Rosenkranz Debate, speaking about the importance of free speech. She was also featured in Federalist Society President Sheldon Gilbert’s remarks at the Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner about the oath to the Constitution she took as a West Point officer.
- Andie Madsen authored the article “The Dinosaur Age Is Over: The Case for Congressionally Reforming the General Mining Law of 1872,” published in the Utah Law Review.
- Matthew McGrath co-authored an article with Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner titled “Advancing Tribal Co-Management: Lessons Learned from International Comparisons,” published in the Kansas Law Review.
- Jack Wolthius co-authored an article with Associate Professor Daniel Aaron titled “Designating Cartels as Terrorist Organizations: The Wrong Path to Addressing the Illicit Fentanyl Crisis” that was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
- Thomas Newman and Calvin Strandt completed the College of Law’s first-ever placements with the Utah Mammoth ice hockey team.
- Alannah Trombetta co-authored an article with Adjunct Associate Professor Robert Harrison titled “From Decision Supporter to Informed Surrogate: An Improved Approach to Enrolling Cognitively Impaired Subjects in Clinical Research,” which was published in The Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics.
- Taylor Pike co-authored an article with Associate Professor Daniel Aaron and Boston College Law School’s Mary Ann Chirba titled “FDA Must Regulate Stem Cell Therapies to Mitigate Risks to Patients and the Public,” which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Renee Farmer and Professor Aaron wrote the symposium article “Loper Bright’s Deregulatory Synergies,” and they are also writing “Intellectual Property, Privatization, and Public Health,” a book chapter in Elgar’s Research Handbook in Intellectual Property and Health.
- Sonya Chechik and Professor Aaron wrote “Health Regulation at Risk: The Supreme Court and Women’s Health,” published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
- Dr. Ronak Iqbal and Dr. Irma Fleming enrolled in the new Master of Legal Studies healthcare concentration.
- Mikey Reynolds leads compliance at Zions Bancorporation.
- Jason Jarvie, Erica Santos Medina, and Lisa Zupancic work in varying law enforcement roles supporting keeping our community safe and advocating for crime victims.
Kem C. Gardner, who graduated from the College of Law in 1970 and serves as chair emeritus of the Gardner Company, delivered this year’s convocation address. He recalled that in his first class with Professor John Flynn, the professor criticized his writing assignment and deflated his ego, teaching him not to regurgitate facts but to learn critical thinking skills.
“Above all, he taught me to ask the question What if I am wrong? That question has served me better than any other single lesson from my education,” Gardner said. “Success is not a straight line. It is following the path that gives you the greatest opportunity to learn, to grow, to establish relationships and to make an impact. I have never regretted the three years I spent in law school. The critical thinking skills I learned there have made all the difference in my life.”
Check out more photos from convocation in our Flickr album.