The University of Akron School of Law

08/31/2026

Last week, Akron Law's Federalist Society chapter hosted Conversations from the Bench: Perspectives from the Ohio Supreme Court featuring Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy, Justice Pat DeWine, and Justice Megan Shanahan. Panelists discussed what it's like to serve as a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Photos by Calvin Burns '28

08/28/2026

Learn more about one of our 1Ls, Danielle Dieterich! After a decades-long career in the arts, Danielle recently started at Akron Law in our Fall 2026 entering class.

Americans for the Arts shared a Q&A with her in their August newsletter:

As we get ready for National Arts in Education Week next month, we're shining a spotlight on AFTA member Danielle Dieterich. ✨

As Executive Director of the Cuyahoga Valley Arts Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio for the last decade, Danielle ran a visual arts center reaching 1,300 students a year. Her own path began in an arts-integrated public school program and led her, as a first-generation college student, into arts administration. This fall, she becomes a full-time arts law student.

Earlier this summer, we spoke with Danielle at AFTACON about what arts education made possible for her — and why it still matters today.

📖 Read the Q&A in our August newsletter: https://bit.ly/4y1C6b1
🤝 Become a professional member: https://bit.ly/2GlH23u

08/26/2026

Yesterday, students had the opportunity to connect, explore, and get involved at our Student Organization & Involvement Fair!

Along with meeting representatives from LexisNexis and the Ohio State Bar Association, students learned about our 25+ student organizations and the many ways they can get involved beyond the classroom.

08/25/2026

On the night of a Peruvian presidential debate last spring, Adrianna Globokar '27 wasn’t watching from a hotel room or a lecture hall. She was playing games with her friend Pierina’s family, with the broadcast humming in the background.

By then, The University of Akron School of Law student had already taken a tango class with Pierina, shared a homemade Sunday dinner at her family’s table and traded countless conversations about their similarities and differences.

“Those experiences reminded me that understanding another legal system begins with understanding the people behind it,” Globokar said. “She personally transformed what could have been a short academic trip into a lifelong friendship.”

Read more from The National Jurist: https://nationaljurist.com/global-learning-lasting-impact-how-study-abroad-transforms-future-lawyers/

Learn more about Akron Law's study abroad programs: https://www.uakron.edu/law/study-abroad/

08/19/2026

Welcome back, Akron Law!

08/17/2026

The Summer Trial Academy is an intensive, two-week trial advocacy course led by Professor Dana Cole. On the last day of class, 19 upper-level law students were advocates in five simultaneous trials before real judges while entering first-year law students served as witnesses and jurors as part of their orientation to law school. The best advocate in each trial received the “Roo Award“— a brass Zippy kangaroo trophy. This year’s Roo Award winners are Haley Beish, Alex Grossman, Henry Liebermann, Brooke Taylor, and Valeria Walker.

Pictured are Leah Bennington, Maxwell Anter, Alex Grossman, Alexandra Capps, Brianne Neal, Brooke Ritter, Emma Scherer, Haley Beish, Henry Liebermann, Jacob Runnels, Patrick Laser, Sara Saunders, Stephen Rice, Tausha Bacorn, Valeria Walker, Brooke Taylor, Daniel Lindenberger, Natalee Hilt, and Trenton Pfister. Our students are exceptional.

Our advocates were taught and coached by Attorneys Stuart Baker, Susannah Bender, Jessica Forrest, Maxwell Hiltner, Elisabeth Jackson, Donald Malarcik, Noah Munyer, Austin Nagy, David Oeschger, Sharon Ross, Abigail Schock, Rachel Smick, Elaine Souder, Lawrence Vuillemin, and John Watters. Thank you sharing your time and talent with them.

Our presiding judges this year were Summit County Common Pleas Court Judges Kelly McLaughlin and Jennifer Towell, former Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Amy Corrigall Jones, and Summit County Common Pleas Court Magistrates Michael Altvater and Cletus Pullium. Thank you for providing an authentic experience for our law students.

Photos by Professor Dana Cole.

08/14/2026

Akron Law Cares continued...students, faculty, and staff were at a variety of locations on Wednesday and Thursday:

-Worked at a Habitat for Humanity build site with Professor Ashley Keith.

-Assisted the Akron Rotary Summer Camp with Professor Mike Doane.

-Volunteered at Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center with Director Melissa Kress.

-Volunteered at First Tee of Greater Akron with Associate Dean Mike Gentithes.

-Volunteered at ACCESS, Inc. with Professors Bernadette Genetin and Rachael Hancock.

-Volunteered at the Richfield Heritage Preserve with Professor Heather Zirke.

-Made 100+ beds at Haven of Rest Ministries with Professor Gary Spring.

Thank you to all who volunteered over the last week!

08/12/2026

Akron Law Cares looks a little different this year for its 17th iteration. Rather than a single day of service, incoming first year students were given a variety of options to get out into the community to give back throughout orientation week. Here are some of the community partners they helped yesterday and today:

-Packaged 8,414 pounds of food into 6,784 meals at the Akron Canton Food Bank with Professor Cindy Mast and Director Julia Meyers of Academic Success Programs.

-Volunteered at One of a Kind Pets with Professors Ben Cohen and Mike Doane.

-Assisted The Good Samaritan Hunger Center with Professor Thomas Stevens and Assistant Dean Andy Costigan.

-Students packed 300 boxes for the Community Baby Shower with Professors Joann Sahl and Julie Cortez and Angie Smith at Open M.

-Volunteered at Bright Star Books with the library team including Dean Kerry Lohmeier and Professors Brian Cassidy, Amelia Landenberger, and Sarah Starnes.

-Assisted the Akron Zoo with holiday light preparation for their annual Wild Lights event with the Career Services Team of Dean Alisa Benedict O'Brien, Director Alecia Bencze, and Coordinator Pleshae McPhee.

-Volunteered at Gennesaret with Professor Sue Altmeyer.

Thank you to all who volunteered yesterday and today! We have so many photos and volunteer sites to share this year we will be posting another recap tomorrow.

08/11/2026

Our Fall 2026 entering class is starting Introduction to Law & The Legal System (ILLS) tonight with the Academic Success Programs office.

This course is designed to prepare them for their classes which start next week. Professor Cindy Mast and Director Julia Meyers will teach ILLS throughout the rest of the week.

08/11/2026