Omeed Azmoudeh (JD '19) can’t get away from the law. He sees it everywhere, and he always has.
Spotting legal knots in family life, personal finances, even nature, the Dallas, Texas-native always wanted to be a lawyer. That spirit of inquiry led him to the University of Colorado Law School.
"I wanted to learn from all the amazing professors at Colorado Law," he said. "Specifically, those who have a long history of researching, teaching, and working on the environmental issues that threaten the Rocky Mountain West."
Azmoudeh overcame the regular challenges of balancing law school with life (he pointed to his 2L year as particularly grueling). He found relief by hitting the slopes, even once running into Assistant Dean for Career Development Todd Rogers at Eldora Mountain Resort.
In April, along with teammates Hanna Bustillo (‘19) and Shane O’Connor (’19), Azmoudeh was also able to contribute to something rare: a Colorado Law finals appearance in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC), otherwise known as moot court.
The NAAC competition starts with months of preparation on a case, preparing arguments for and against an assigned appeals case. Once they reach the competition, teams are assigned one side of the case to argue. The finals are intensely competitive, featuring just 24 law schools, whittled down from the regionals rounds in February and March.
When they reached the finals in Chicago, O’Connor says Azmoudeh brought a laid-back attitude that helped them feel confident and ready to succeed.
"I’m quite thankful of that," O’Connor said.
Azmoudeh looks forward to bringing that confidence to a career as a litigator post-graduation. In August he will begin work in the trial department at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP in Denver.
"Becoming a litigator that can make real change for society can be a lifelong journey," he said. "I'm going to just put my head down, work, and continue learning until the right opportunities present themselves."