J.D., University of Illinois College of Law;
Southern Illinois University summa cum laude
Hamilton E. Arendsen grew up in Wisconsin and attended Southern Illinois University, where he served in the student government and as the student representative on the university’s Intercollegiate Athletic Committee. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science in 1997, and then attended the University of Illinois College of Law. During law school, Professor Arendsen worked at the District Attorney’s Office, served on the Law Review, and argued on the school’s national moot court team. In 2000, he graduated summa cum laude and Order of the Coif and began a clerkship with the Honorable Henry A. Politz on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After his clerkship, he joined the offices of Gibson Dunn in San Francisco, where he worked as an associate for three years focusing on antitrust, securities, and other areas of complex litigation. While at the firm, he also earned the Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Award from the San Francisco Bar Association. Professor Arendsen now works at the United States Attorney’s Office in San Diego, where he is a Deputy Chief in the office’s trial section. He prosecutes primarily drug offenses and violent crimes, and handles both reactive cases and long-term proactive investigations. Professor Arendsen has tried over 30 jury trials and argued a number of appeals before the Ninth Circuit.