Donors, Supreme Court justice dedicate UA building

Jennifer Holmes Arizona Daily Wildcat UA Alumni George Rountree III, with scissors, and James Rogers (second from left) dedicate the new Rogers Rountree Hall. Also on hand for the ribbon cutting was Senator Ann Day (fourth from left) and her sister, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (sixth from right). The new Hall will be used to house four pro-bono UA Law Clinics; domestic violence, child advocacy, immigration and tribal law.

"Lawyers have the key to justice," O'Connor told about 200 students, faculty, administrators and lawyers at the christening of the new law building that will serve the Tucson community.

The law clinic is named after James E. Rogers and George Rountree III, two University of Arizona law school alumni who funded more than 90 percent of the cost to renovate and purchase the building.

The Rogers Rountree building site, formerly the Chi Omega sorority house, will be used to house four law clinics that take on pro-bono cases for child advocacy, domestic disputes, immigration and tribal law.

Jennifer Holmes Arizona Daily Wildcat James E. Rogers (center) accepts a plaque commemorating the dedication of the new Rogers Rountree Hall, also on hand was George Rountree III (left) and Dean of Law College Joel Seligman (right). Donations from Rountree and Rogers allowed the Law College to purchase the former Chi Omega sorority house.

"These services will meet the un-met needs of the community," O'Connor said.

Rogers, a multimillionaire and media mogul, donated more than $115 million to the College of Law, prompting the Arizona Board of Regents to rename the college in his honor.

But he has threatened to withdraw his donation to the law school if Arizona passes the Joint Legislative Budget Committee's proposal to phase out all law- school funding during the next three years.

Rogers said Friday he wants to see continued improvement at the UA.

"I want (the UA's College of Law) to be not one of the top 40 schools but one of the top 15 to 20 schools in the nation," said Rogers, who owns Sunbelt Communications and KVBC-TV in Las Vegas.

UA law school graduate George Rountree III, now an attorney with the Rountree and Seagle law firm in Wilmington, North Carolina, said he "loves" the university.

"If I continue to live for another 15 to 20 years, I expect to do more," Rountree said.

Second-year law student Eadie Rudder, who works in the domestic violence division of Rogers Rountree Hall, said the new clinic is an improvement from the three previous locations.

"It is definitely a brighter atmosphere, more conducive to work," Rudder said. "Without people like Mr. Rogers and Mr. Rountree, we would not have a place like this."

A lawyer's obligation to help the community "should be emphasized from the time they get into law school until the time they graduate," UA Law professor Barbara Atwood said of O'Connor's speech.

T.J. Trujillo, former Associated Students president and second-year law student, said it is an honor to have O'Connor at the UA for the christening.

"It shows the strength of the law school," Trujillo said.