Cassidy James

May 2013

The VLP is pleased to

announce that Cassidy

James has been selected

as our Outstanding Law

Student Volunteer for the

month of May 2013.  

Cassidy, a University of

Arizona law student, has

volunteered over the course

of several semesters at the

VLP’s Domestic Relations

Clinic.  She is incredibly

dedicated and committed

to the VLP and our clients;

and the VLP could not thank

her enough for all her hard

work.

Cassidy is a Tucson native

with parental roots in North

Dakota and Florida.  She

attended the University of Arizona for undergrad.  As an avid political buff,

Cassidy majored in Political Science; and, because she is fascinated with

human society and how we function, she minored in Sociology.  As someone

who has wanted to a lawyer since she was little, Cassidy was also a member

of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law fraternity.

Cassidy has worked in the legal community of Tucson since she was a

teenager.  And, according to Cassidy, she played “Court” instead of “House”

when she was a child.  Thus, attending law school was inevitable.  Cassidy

chose to attend the University of Arizona College of Law for several reasons. 

Besides her family and fiancé being in Tucson, Cassidy also “felt immediately

like [she] was part of a big family when [she] visited U of A law for the first

time.”  Cassidy told us that she was so excited about attending U of A that

she “even cried on the phone with one of the admissions directors when [she]

found out [she] was accepted.”  

Cassidy is now entering her third year of law school and finds it hard to choose

a favorite professor because “so many [of them] have affected [her] law school

experience in such positive ways.”  But, if she had to choose only one,

Professor Andy Silverman comes out on top.  Cassidy took his Immigration

Law class as well as participated in his Civil Rights Restoration Clinic. 

According to Cassidy, Professor Silverman is “knowledgeable, positive, and

so incredibly dedicated to justice that it is hard not to become infected with

his passion.”

When asked why she chose to become involved with the VLP, Cassidy said,

      I was born and raised in Tucson.  I come from a middle class family

      and neighborhood, and many of the most important people in my life

      have struggled throughout the years.  I always wanted to help the

      community that I love so much, and those within it, but wasn’t really

      sure what I had to contribute except my dedication.  Then I went to

      law school and found the Volunteer Lawyers Program.  In the VLP, I

      have found a way to couple the dedication I have for serving my

      community with the passion I have for the law; and, I couldn’t be more

      proud to be a part of this great program. 

While not studying or volunteering with the VLP, Cassidy loves to spend free

time with her fiancé, family, and friends – gatherings brought together, in part,

by her mom’s famous hot wings.  Her favorite travel locations include her mom’s

hometown of Devil’s Lake, ND and her dad’s hometown of Apalachicola, FL. 

In Devil’s Lake, Cassidy enjoys taking in the breathtaking countryside; while,

in Apalachicola, she goes deep sea fishing. 

When asked about her dream job, Cassidy told us that she isn’t sure what

she’d like to do yet.  She enjoys criminal law and family law, and is interested

in being a trial attorney.  Whatever she does, though, Cassidy’s objective “is

to be happy in whatever job [she] eventually [has], and to continue serving

[her] hometown community to the best of [her] abilities.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Past Outstanding Volunteer Student Awards