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Rico Martinez
December 2008
The VLP is pleased
to announce that Rico
Martinez has been
chosen as our
Outstanding Law
Student Volunteer for
December. Rico is
a second year law
student at the U
of A and has been
participating in
the Bankruptcy Re-
affirmation Clinic
this semester. Rico
impressed several
of our volunteer attor-
neys with his
confidence and enthusiasm.
He never showed
the slightest bit of
nervousness as he
spoke with clients
or appeared in
Federal Court. He also
excelled at
connecting with clients and establishing a good rapport with
attorneys. Rico’s
high quality work and professionalism make him a real
asset to the VLP
and the U of A College of Law.
Rico is a native
Arizonan. He was born in Phoenix, AZ and stayed in the Valley
of the Sun to
attend Arizona State University. In 2000, Rico graduated summa
cum laude with a
dual degree in Asian Languages and Political Science. A few
years later he
obtained his master’s degree in Public Administration – again
graduating at the
top of his class. Recognizing the quality of U of A’s law
school, Rico made
a change and headed to the Old Pueblo for his next degree.
In describing his
experience here in Tucson, Rico says he’s “been fortunate to
have several
wonderful professors. I’ve really enjoyed Professor Schneyer’s
Torts Class and
Ratner for Contracts.”
We asked Rico what
he feels is the most important thing he has learned from
volunteering with
the VLP and he replied, “I learned something from each
attorney who
mentored me. Each had a different style in communicating with
clients, listening
to their concerns and assisting them with making informed
legal choices.”
Rico joined the
VLP because:
Several law students
recommended it as a great experience. I
wanted to become more
involved in the community, gain experience
working with clients and
learn from mentoring attorneys. I was an
extern last summer in
federal court and I loved it. I was hoping to
see another aspect of the
federal courts. VLP was a perfect fit.
On his own time,
Rico is a pretty laid back kind of guy. His favorite vacation
destination is
pretty much anywhere as long as he’s there with good friends
and good food. He
also keeps his stress levels in check by balancing school
with time for
family, friends, reading, exercising, walking, swimming and
occasional hikes.
After law school, Rico hopes to land a judicial clerkship.
He will ultimately
return to Phoenix where he hopes to find a job where he
is “doing
something I love and feeling a sense of accomplishment.”
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Past Outstanding Volunteer
Student Awards |
