INSIDE
MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS || FALL 2020
From Green Hall to City Hall: KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas (p.24) Meet two new professors (p.26) Alumni news (p.32)
Through Difficulty
The KU Law community responds to a pandemic with work, service and leadership
KU Law Magazine is published annually for alumni and friends of the University of Kansas School of Law. Green Hall, 1535 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045-7608 Phone: 785-864-4550 Fax: 785-864-5054 law.ku.edu DEAN Stephen Mazza EDITOR & DESIGNER Margaret Hair mhair@ku.edu 785-864-9205 CONTRIBUTORS Ashley Golledge Mike Krings Michele Rutledge PHOTOS Ashley Golledge Margaret Hair Meg Kumin Mindie Paget Bill Petros Earl Richardson, L’08 Andy White PRINTING Allen Press Lawrence, Kansas
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Ave., Lawrence, KS, 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.
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New faces Faculty additions bring diverse experience in teaching, scholarship to Green Hall. Earl Richardson
CONTENTS KU LAW MAGAZINE || FALL 2020
DEPARTMENTS 4 IN BRIEF
12 Through difficulty The KU Law community responds to a global pandemic.
New initiatives, symposia and a continuing commitment to community service
24 FACULTY NEWS + RESEARCH
Research highlights, media coverage, kudos
32 ALUMNI NEWS 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award winners 34 VOLUNTEER HONOR ROLL Recognition of alumni who have donated time,
energy and expertise during the past year
40 CLASS NOTES Alumni earn promotions, change jobs and
win awards
44 IN MEMORIAM Deaths in the KU Law family
6 Outstanding advocacy A successful 2019-20 competition season featured standout student performances in moot court, mock trial and transactional law contests.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 1
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
NAVIGATING
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A PANDEMIC The KU Law community responds to the coronavirus
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his year has been one of difficulty, rapid change and uncertainty. Coronavirus has impacted many aspects of our lives. At KU Law, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the way we teach, learn and connect with one another. We have seen students and graduates respond through their work, service and leadership. The public health crisis is not the only challenge we face. Over the summer, nationwide protests confronting racial injustice sparked a movement for social change. Our administration committed to redouble our efforts to create an environment within Green Hall in which issues of racial injustice are discussed openly. That has included mandatory professional identity and cultural competency training for all students, as well as training for faculty and staff, and a forum on racial injustice and policing reform with community stakeholders. Our Faculty and Staff Committee on Diversity & Inclusion and student-led Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council continue work to promote inclusion in the law school community and at Green Hall. As a law school, it is our mission to further the understanding of the legal system, confronting not only the successes of our institutions, but their failures, as well. We must continue to meet that mission under any circumstances, including the challenging ones we face this year. I have been impressed and encouraged by the resilience our students, faculty and alumni have shown in response to these difficult times. In this issue of KU Law Magazine, we highlight the stories of alumni who have spent months responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We visit with graduates working in the public
health sector, those supporting access to justice organizations, and alumni serving as local mayors. These are just a few stories showing how the KU Law alumni community has stepped up to face the challenges of 2020. You will also learn how the law school has adapted since March. Beginning with classes moving online midway through the spring semester and continuing through welcoming students back this fall, much has changed about how KU Law operates. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to preparing our students for their future legal careers, whether they’re learning the law on campus or remotely. With the generous support of our alumni, we were able to extend student support programs during the spring semester. Those efforts included tripling the amount of funding available through the school’s public interest stipend program. Following a change to the grading policy this spring, KU Law also suspended the GPA requirement to maintain scholarships, resulting in an estimated $250,000 increase in scholarship allocations. Additionally, our Career Services Office launched a series of programs to provide students with summer legal experiences. When we’re faced with difficulty, we rely on our community. The strength and generosity of our alumni community have been immensely important in our ability to navigate 2020 together. Thank you for all that you do.
Stephen W. Mazza Dean and Professor of Law
KU LAW MAGAZINE 3
IN BRIEF
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
POP-UP CLINIC OFFERS SERVICES TO HEALTH CARE WORKERS
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pop-up clinic this spring offered free legal services to workers in health care settings. Through the KU School of Law’s Medical-Legal Partnership (KU MLP), the Advance Care Planning Clinic took applications in April and May to assist health care workers in preparing advance care planning and simple estate planning documents. Professor Lumen Mulligan, director of the KU MLP, said the program recognizes that often medical problems are caused by legal issues. With support from its partner health systems, the program has been “diagnosing or curing legal problems for patient clients for years,” he said. “In the face of the COVID-19 emergency, we diagnosed another potential concern: Many of our front-line workers in the health care industry lacked these essential documents that could give them some peace of mind as they perform their essential services,” Mulligan said. Ten law students drafted nearly 30 documents for workers at LMH Health and the KU Medical Center. “Both locations also provided advice to health care workers about advance care and estate planning documents,” said Juliann Morland DaVee, managing attorney for the KU Law MLP at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. “We were pleased to be able to serve our essential health care heroes through this clinic.”
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KU Law students assisted with the spring 2020 Guardianship Assistance Program in Wichita.
RECOGNIZING SERVICE KU Law students contributed more than 2,500 hours of free legal services over the past year, with 31 students earning a spot on the school’s Pro Bono Honor Roll. Students prepared tax returns for low-income residents, helped clients expunge past criminal convictions, and worked with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, prosecutors’ offices and public defenders’ offices. Among their pro bono projects was the Guardianship Assistance Program. Nine law students helped 12 families start the process of obtaining legal guardianship of their adult children with cognitive disabilities. Students traveled to Wichita on March 6 to meet with the families and obtain information needed to draft guardianship petitions. Jaden Scott earned pro bono hours through her work with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and Kansas Athletics Inc.’s compliance department. “I believe people who are lucky enough to attend college and pursue a career of their choice have a civic duty to give back to the community and those who are less fortunate,” Scott said. “It is often the case that when you aim to serve others, they end up making a positive difference in your own life.”
ALUMNI GIFT ESTABLISHES CENTER FOR DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AT KU LAW GIVING BACK
Nearly 6,500 food and personal care items and $1,650 in donations were collected for local nonprofits during the Black Law Students Association’s 2019 Thanksgiving Food Drive.
A new center for excellence at the University of Kansas School of Law aims to foster diversity within the law school community. The Dru Mort Sampson Center for Diversity and Inclusion, launched in December, encourages community engagement while helping students adjust to the demands of law school. The programmatic, co-curricular center will host speakers; provide training to students, faculty and staff on issues relating to diversity and inclusion; and support the efforts of the Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council and the Faculty and Staff Committee on Diversity & Inclusion. The center is made possible by a major gift from KU Law alumni Bill Sampson, L’71, and Drucilla Mort Sampson, L’96. KU Law Assistant Dean Leah Terranova, who serves as director of diversity and inclusion, said the center will offer meaningful training and events. “By offering such opportunities both within and outside Green Hall, we are able to fulfill our responsibility to educate young lawyers not only as experts in legal analysis and advocacy but also as culturally competent practitioners and members of society,” Terranova said.
Earl Richardson
45 client meetings were held during the annual “Clean Slate” expungement project hosted by the Legal Aid Clinic. Clockwise from top right: Law students and banquet guests with Rep. Sharice Davids; members of host organization OUTLaws & Allies; keynote speaker Melanie Wilson.
DIVERSITY IN LAW BANQUET 2020 The 25th annual Diversity in Law Banquet on Feb. 21 raised more than $18,500 for the KU Law Diversity Scholarship Fund. OUTLaws & Allies hosted this year’s banquet. Melanie Wilson – who previously served as professor of law, associate dean for academic affairs, and director of diversity and inclusion at KU Law – was the keynote speaker. Wilson is a law professor and dean emeritus at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 5
IN BRIEF
COMPETITIVE EDGE KU LAW STUDENTS EXCEL IN MOOT COURT, TRANSACTIONAL CONTESTS MOOT COURT CELEBRATES 5TH YEAR IN TOP 30
Tara Mollhagen Shepherd, L’20, negotiates a deal during “The Closer” National Transactional Law Competition at Baylor Law School. She placed as a runner-up in the elite contest. Eric Guel Photography
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NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION Two KU Law students were finalists at the 2020 Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. Hannah Lustman and Diana Stanley, both 2020 graduates, tied for second place in the competition, which took place Feb. 20-22 at Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law in New York. They competed against 55 teams from law schools around the country. Lustman won the award for Best Oralist in all three preliminary rounds.
NATIONAL NALSA MOOT COURT COMPETITION KU Law students Karen Fritts and Zachary Kelsay received the highest advocacy honors at the 2020 National Native American Law Students Moot Court Competition on Feb. 23 at the University of California, Berkeley. Fritts and Kelsay brought home the award for Best Overall Advocates, marking the fifth time in the past six years that KU Law has placed in the top three in the NNALSA competition. They competed against 67 other teams.
Top: Hannah Lustman (left) and Diana Stanley. Bottom: Zachary Kelsay (left) and Karen Fritts.
WINNING STREAK MORE SUCCESS FROM THE 2019-2020 SEASON Lewis Walton and Zack Royle advanced to the semi-final round of the regional Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in Chicago. Walton won the award for Best Oralist at the regional competition. Abbey Lee and Mary Colleen Fowler advanced to the elite eight round of the 26th Anniversary Burton D. Wechsler National First Amendment Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C.
Tate Hughes and Andi Leuszler competed in the Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship in Houston. KU Law earned a spot at the contest as one of the top 16 teams in the University of Houston Law Center’s 2019 moot court national rankings. TJ Blake and Andi Leuszler advanced to the quarterfinal round of the National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition in San Diego.
KU Law’s moot court program is ranked in the top 30 nationally for the fifth year in a row. The program finished 22nd in rankings from the University of Houston Law Center. “It takes our entire team of students, faculty coaches and alumni coaches to make this ranking possible. It’s rewarding when those efforts get recognized,” said Pamela Keller, clinical professor of law. Keller has directed KU Law’s moot court program since 2005.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 7
IN BRIEF
CONNECTING SCHOLARS
2020 LAW JOURNAL SYMPOSIUM
THE FUTURE OF WORK
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Ashley Golledge
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egal scholars, academics, practitioners and policy experts gathered in Lawrence to discuss how changes to the work environment impact the legal landscape at the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy’s annual symposium. “The Future of Work” took place Feb. 28 at KU Law. “The symposium offered the unique opportunity to explore the innovations and challenges presented by artificial intelligence, automation and other technological innovations,” said Symposium Editor Abbey Lee, L’20. “It was the Journal’s goal that attendees gain a deeper understanding of how to effectively address issues that the lawyers of today and tomorrow will confront in their careers.” The program featured a keynote presentation by Ngozi Okidegbe, a professor at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law. Okidegbe discussed the intersection of race theory and technology. Other presenters included Annie Calvert, L’18, and Alan Rupe, of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP; Hilary Escajeda, University of Denver; Alan Salzberg, Salt Hill Statistical Consulting; Adam Sulkowski, Babson College; Thomas Ulen, University of Illinois; and Corey West, Litigation Analytics. The next Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy Symposium will be presented as a virtual event on Feb. 12, 2021.
Speakers (top to bottom): Adam Sulkowski, Babson College; keynote speaker Ngozi Okidegbe, Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law; and Thomas Ulen, University of Illinois.
2020 LAW REVIEW SYMPOSIUM
ACCELERATING CLEAN ENERGY Wind and solar power have become essential resources on the electric grid. In 2019, wind overtook coal production for the first time in two states – Kansas and Iowa. Current legal frameworks have supported significant wind and solar energy, but are they sufficient to accelerate clean energy in the next decade? Scholars and subject matter experts discussed developments and reforms needed to continue moving clean energy forward during the annual Kansas Law Review Symposium. The Law Review presented “Accelerating Clean Energy: The Next Decade of Reform” as a virtual event on Oct. 16. “Renewable energy growth is currently hampered by fossil fuel companies, outdated legal frameworks and public opposition,” said Symposium Editor Jenny Bartos, a third-year KU Law student. “Being that Kansas is a leading wind producer in the United States, we have a duty to discuss challenges facing renewable energy and propose changes to the current legal environment to support renewable energy growth.” The event featured a panel discussion moderated by Uma Outka, William R. Scott Law Professor at KU. Other speakers included Joel Eisen, University of Richmond; Elizabeth Kronk Warner, University of Utah; Melissa Powers, Lewis & Clark Law School; and Joseph Tomain, University of Cincinnati. Video of the symposium presentations and panel discussion will be available at law.ku.edu/clean-energy.
Law Review Symposium virtual presenters: (top, from left) Jenny Bartos, Joel Eisen, Joseph Tomain; (center, from left) Elizabeth Kronk Warner, Melissa Powers, Dean Stephen Mazza; (bottom) Uma Outka.
KU LAW PARTNERS WITH U.N. ON TRAINING KU Law students and faculty will train diplomats on indigenous issues and conflict resolution through a new partnership. The school has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research to provide skills development training for diplomats at the U.N. Students and faculty will lead training sessions on topics related to the U.N.’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals. Students enrolled in the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic and Mediation Clinic spent the spring creating training materials. Professor Shawn Watts directs both clinics and is leading the project for the school. The materials aim to help diplomats build institutions with indigenous people in mind, Watts said. “We’re trying to make sure that the diplomats at the U.N. have an understanding of how indigenous voices can be represented, and more importantly, that they’re really important to sustainable solutions when you’re trying to build strong institutions,” Watts said.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 9
IN BRIEF
ONWARD, JAYHAWK LAWYERS CELEBRATING THE KU LAW CLASS OF 2020
Completing law school is a momentous achievement in the best of times. For the KU Law Class of 2020, that achievement was even more impressive. While the COVID-19 pandemic kept the class from celebrating graduation in person this spring, the KU Law community is proud of all the class accomplished during their three years in Green Hall. Future graduation event updates will be posted at commencement.ku.edu. View messages from Dean Mazza and the KU Law faculty to the graduating class: law.ku.edu/graduation-2020.
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2019-20 STUDENT AWARDS & PRIZES ORDER OF THE COIF Bret Beavers Carolina Beck Mary Colleen Fowler Adam Lauridsen Andi Leuszler Emily Matta Joy Merklen Sasha Raab Nick Slovikoski Abigail Warnke Mackenzie Yaw WALTER HIERSTEINER OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD Maggie Brakeville JUSTICE LLOYD KAGEY LEADERSHIP AWARD Terra Brockman SAMUEL MELLINGER SCHOLARSHIP, LEADERSHIP & SERVICE AWARD Denise Dantzler C.C. STEWART AWARD IN LAW Adam Lauridsen ROBERT F. BENNETT STUDENT AWARD Andi Leuszler Diana Stanley WILLIAM L. BURDICK PRIZE Griffin Albaugh MARY ANNE CHAMBERS SERVICE AWARD Bret Beavers
GEORGE GARY DUNCAN SCHOLASTIC IMPROVEMENT PRIZE Heather Ward ROBERT E. EDMONDS PRIZE IN CORPORATION & SECURITIES LAW Sasha Raab Tara Mollhagen Shepherd FACULTY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Hannah Lustman Joy Merklen FAMILY FUND AWARD Hannah Lustman Diana Stanley HERSHBERGER, PATTERSON, JONES & ROTH ENERGY LAW AWARD Sage Ezell W. ROSS HUTTON LEGAL AID AWARD Malika Baker LAW CLASS OF 1949 AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP Sasha Raab Lewis Walton JANEAN MEIGS MEMORIAL AWARD Diana Jarek JAMES P. MIZE TRIAL ADVOCACY AWARD Colin Finnegan
PAYNE & JONES AWARDS Fall 2019: Griffin Albaugh Chloe Ketchmark Erin Levy Cathryn Lind Madison Moore Natalie Nelson Randall Willnauer Spring 2020: Parker Bednasek Alexis Christopher Melinda Foshat Chloe Ketchmark Natalie Nelson POLSINELLI MOOT COURT AWARDS Best Oral Advocate: Austyn Caisse Finalists: Austyn Caisse, David Biegel, Sydney Buckley, Caleb Kampsen, Peyton Pender, Benjamin Ramburg, Jake Schmidt Best Brief: Benjamin Ramburg and Caleb Kampsen Second-Place Brief: Jake Schmidt and Peyton Pender SHAPIRO AWARD FOR BEST PAPER ON LAW & PUBLIC POLICY Delaney Hiegert UMB BANK EXCELLENCE IN ESTATE PLANNING AWARD Chris Rogers
Contributed photos from 2020 graduates (from top): Dillon Williams, Caroline Kastor and Vincent Becraft.
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Through Difficulty The KU Law community responds to a pandemic with work, service and leadership STORIES BY ASHLEY GOLLEDGE AND MARGARET HAIR
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ayors who have helped lead their city’s response. A legislative analyst who was deployed to share information about the virus in the early days of its U.S. impact. A legal aid attorney who managed a hotline answering questions about stimulus payments. These are just a few examples of the KU Law graduates who have devoted their time and work in recent months responding to COVID-19. The coronavirus has brought about tragic loss and hardship as it has turned the world upside down. The KU Law community – students,
faculty, staff and alumni – has responded to the virus through its work, service and community involvement. The alumni stories highlighted in the following pages show some of the ways KU Law graduates have responded to a global event. KU lawyers working for access to justice organizations have seen an increase in the need for legal assistance in the communities they serve, as citizens navigate a web of new policies and financial challenges. Alumni serving as mayors have guided local government responses and kept
residents of their cities informed. In the health care sector, government workers and an industry chief legal officer have worked around the clock to form agency responses, distribute information and support potential treatments. This section also details how the School of Law has adapted over the past several months. From finishing the spring 2020 semester remotely, to launching new summer projects to meet community need, to preparing for the fall term, KU Law has shifted its operations to address some of the challenges brought on by COVID-19.
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Large classes, including this section of Civil Procedure, are meeting at the Burge Union this semester. Physical distancing guidelines reduced the capacity of classrooms in Green Hall. Margaret Hair
KU Law adapts to a pandemic SCHOOL MAKES CHANGES TO CLASSES, SUMMER PROGRAMS AND OPERATIONS
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ver a few weeks in March, colleges and universities across the country moved their classes, students, faculty – everything – from on-campus to online. It was the beginning of a shift that continues this fall, as schools adjust to educate students amid a global pandemic. At the University of Kansas School of Law, students, faculty and staff have adapted everything from classroom layouts to course schedules in the past several months. The changes have included remote classes, adjustments to summer programs, and reduced capacity in Green Hall. “Our faculty and students have worked together since March to change how we teach and learn the law,” said Stephen Mazza, dean and
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professor of law. “We’ve had to be flexible about our policies, class formats and building procedures. This has been a time of quick and frequent change. I have been encouraged by the law school community’s resilience and adaptability through everything.”
Going remote On March 11, KU announced it would delay the resumption of in-person classes until March 23, adding a second week to Spring Break. On March 17, the university announced online instruction would continue for the rest of the spring semester. Faculty moved their courses to an online format, pre-recording lectures and planning to host live class sessions via Zoom. “The students and faculty alike
really rose to the occasion in spring 2020 when presented with the need to shift all courses fully online with little notice,” said Uma Outka, associate dean for faculty. “The university and law school tech services gave excellent support. Most important to all of us was that students were still able to learn despite the big change.” The law school temporarily revised several academic policies to accommodate changes to the learning environment, financial challenges and personal circumstances. On March 30, Mazza announced a revised grading policy for the semester. Students received satisfactory or unsatisfactory grades for spring 2020 courses. “It was clear that many students faced pressures and challenges that did not exist before the move to online
classes and the closure of schools and businesses,” Mazza said. “Because those hardships were distributed randomly and unequally across the student body, there was a significant likelihood that a student’s grade during the spring semester would not reflect that student’s abilities under normal circumstances.” The school also suspended GPA requirements for students to maintain scholarships through the end of the spring 2021 semester. Most scholarships at the School of Law normally require students to maintain a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA beginning at the end of the student’s first year. Temporarily removing that requirement resulted in an estimated $250,000 increase in scholarship allocations. By early April, University Commencement was canceled, summer courses moved online, and campus buildings closed.
Meeting needs through summer experiences As the spring semester ended, the law school’s Career Services Office worked with a team of faculty to ensure law students would have summer legal experiences. KU Law offered five programs over the summer, including: •
• •
•
•
Internships and pro bono service projects through the new KU Law Legal Corps; Research assistant positions with KU Law faculty; A pop-up Advance Care Planning Clinic offering free legal services to essential workers in health care settings; Increased support for summer employment opportunities through the Public Interest Stipend Program; and Connections to summer internship opportunities.
Above (top to bottom): Students attend a mock class during orientation; Dean Stephen Mazza teaches Federal Income Taxation; (left) a classroom door shows room capacity at the Burge Union; (right) students participating remotely Zoom in for a cross-examination during a Trial Advocacy small section. Ashley Golledge & Margaret Hair
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Heather Spielmaker, who joined KU Law as assistant dean for career services in December, said the multi-pronged approach allowed as many students as possible to expand their legal skill sets. The program created nearly 100 opportunities, including 34 research assistants filling 40 positions; 10 Advance Care Planning Clinic workers; six Legal Corps interns; and 42 public interest stipend recipients. “The Career Services Office strives to ensure that all students have the chance to gain legal skills over the summer,” Spielmaker said. “This program helped us achieve our goal.” The KU Law Legal Corps paired students with pro bono opportunities at regional nonprofit and government agencies, as well as internships with Kansas Legal Services. Two students conducted legal research for the Willow Domestic Violence Center and Douglas County CASA. Another helped complete a community legal needs assessment for Legal Aid of Western Missouri. Through the Legal Corps, second-year law student Natasha Veenis interned with Kansas Legal Services in its Wichita office. Her work focused on domestic, family, juvenile, adoption and social security legal issues. “Before this summer, I was not sure what type of law I wanted to practice,” Veenis said. “This internship revealed to me that my passion rests in advocating for those who feel voiceless and striving to give them the justice they deserve.”
Adjusting for the new academic year Faculty and staff spent the summer preparing for the fall semester, in coordination with the university’s Protect KU plan. Faculty chose whether to offer their courses in the classroom or online, and students
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with health and safety concerns had the option to attend classes remotely. Of the law school’s 63 courses this semester, about 40% are being taught in person, 40% online and 20% in a hybrid format, as of early October. Required courses with larger enrollments, such as Civil Procedure and Criminal Law, are divided into cohorts that split their time between attending class in Green Hall and participating virtually. Signs promoting physical distancing mark staircases, elevators and common spaces in the building. Classroom seats have been rearranged, with the largest lecture space capacity going from more than 100 students down to 33. There are hand sanitizing and disinfecting supplies throughout the building, and masks are required on campus. Student groups host their meetings and events online. The law school continues to host lecture events, including a virtual Kansas Law Review Symposium in October. Fall classes will end on Nov. 24, just before the Thanksgiving Break. Students will have a study week before final exams in December.
Looking ahead Plans are underway for the spring semester. Classes will begin on Jan. 25 and run through April 23, with exams in early May. The spring semester schedule includes a mix of in-person, hybrid and remote courses, following the same physical distancing guidelines in place this fall. “We recognize circumstances could change again as we make plans for the spring and beyond,” Mazza said. “With that in mind, we are taking the lessons we learned this fall and applying them to next semester, keeping the safety of our KU Law community at the center of our decisions.” — Margaret Hair
SUPPORTING STUDENTS
40 student research assistant positions added for summer 2020.
382 pro bono hours
contributed to local nonprofit organizations through the KU Law Legal Corps.
$250,000+
additional scholarship funding allocated after spring 2020 grading policy change.
$71,850 awarded
through the Public Interest Stipend Program, triple the usual funding level.
$25,000 added to the KU Law Student Emergency Fund by the AccessLex Law Student Emergency Relief Fund.
Nearly 30 documents drafted through the pop-up Advance Care Planning Clinic.
UPDATES FROM KU LAW The latest news about the University of Kansas’ response to COVID-19 and 2020-21 operations is available at protect.ku.edu. Law school-specific information is posted at:
law.ku.edu/fall-2020
Marilyn Harp, L’79, is executive director of Kansas Legal Services. She said the organization has seen an increase in applications for legal assistance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley Golledge
Continuing to provide access to justice ALUMNI ADDRESS LEGAL NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS
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egal aid organizations across the nation have provided legal assistance to low-income individuals and promoted equal access to justice throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizations continued to provide legal aid services after stay-at-home orders went into effect, courts were closed to non-emergency proceedings and laws were adapted to address the emerging crisis. KU Law alumni who work at access to justice organizations assisted clients with a wide range of legal concerns related to matters including child support, evictions, IRS/stimulus checks, housing issues and unemployment compensation.
Funding legal aid organizations Matthew Keenan, L’84, serves on the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which is based in Washington, D.C. LSC is the single largest provider of civil legal assistance for low-income Americans. Keenan was
nominated to his position in May 2019 by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate three months later. “Nothing brings happiness to an attorney more than helping someone who needs a helping hand,” Keenan said. “Legal Services Corporation, and their grantees like Kansas Legal Services, are the change agent for literally millions of our fellow residents.” Keenan is also a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, where he has practiced for 35 years primarily focusing on the defense of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. When the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March, LSC received $50 million in emergency funding to address the increased legal needs of low-income Americans because of the pandemic.
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“Nothing brings happiness to an attorney more than helping someone who needs a helping hand.” – Matthew Keenan, L’84
The funds were distributed among 132 organizations across the nation for COVID-related services and technology upgrades to allow for remote work. “Local LSC-funded legal aid organizations have reported a significant uptick in COVID-related issues ranging from evictions, foreclosures, unemployment assistance and appeals, consumer debt and income maintenance,” Keenan said.
Serving Kansans in need Kansas Legal Services (KLS) Executive Director Marilyn Harp, L’79, said KLS has seen a 10% increase in the number of applications for legal assistance due to the pandemic. Harp has worked at KLS for 41 years and has served as its executive director for the past 14 years. KLS is a non-profit organization with 12 offices statewide that provide legal services to low income Kansans. Harp and her staff broaden access to justice to 30,000 Kansans each year. This year’s increase translates to about 3,000 additional Kansans who sought legal assistance. KLS hired eight law students to help with the increased volume of clients. Katie DeVito Erhart, L’20; 3L Harrison Baker; and 2L Natasha Veenis assisted applicants on various legal matters this past summer. Harp thinks access to lawyers and the court will change permanently due to COVID-19. “I believe lawyers who are in court regularly have learned how to use their camera and computer. I think it’s going to change things remarkably,” Harp said. “After we get through this, I see the world changing.”
Providing legal assistance through a hotline Katy Kettler, L’19, has helped manage a hotline for people to call with questions related to the Internal Revenue Service’s Economic Impact Payment. The one-time payment, which is also referred to as the stimulus check, provided up to $1,200 to eligible recipients. “It is clear that people who are struggling are really depending on this check to help them get through the pandemic and not receiving it in a timely manner or at all has created more stress for people,” Kettler said. Kettler is a staff attorney at the Legal Aid of Western
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Missouri’s (LAWMO) central Kansas City office. LAWMO has five offices, which serve residents in 40 Missouri counties. Kettler works within LAWMO’s Consumer Protection Unit, which runs the hotline. More than 1,100 individuals nationwide have used LAWMO’s hotline since its creation in May. “We are able to answer people’s questions on the stimulus check and can give guidance on what someone needs to do to claim their check or why we think they haven’t received it yet,” Kettler said.
Offering assistance remotely Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) Executive Director Alison Paul, L’91, transitioned her organization to work remotely within three days of the onset of the pandemic in March. Paul has worked at MLSA for 21 years and has served as its executive director for nine years. MLSA is headquartered in Helena, Montana. Because the MLSA’s three public offices serve a large and mostly rural state, the staff had prior experience at delivering legal services remotely. “After a few bumps, we created a fully functioning remotely accessed phone system so that we could continue to answer our helpline and provide legal information and advice to the many Montanans who need our help,” Paul said. In recent months, MLSA focused on increasing its social media presence and the amount of information available on its website to address emerging legal issues related to COVID-19. MLSA’s website saw a 62% increase in web traffic. Paul also created policies to take better care of her staff during a stressful time, which includes a wellness leave option and a reduced work week of 32 hours. “While it has been extra challenging to address a pandemic that has required many long hours, it has been rewarding to be able to have a career that allows me to give back to people in need,” Paul said. — Ashley Golledge
Jennifer Ananda, L’10, started her one-year term as mayor of Lawrence in December 2019. Ananda said her legal education and social work training have helped her work through the city’s coronavirus response. Margaret Hair
Leading cities through crisis ALUMNI MAYORS APPLY LEGAL TRAINING TO PUBLIC SERVICE
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rom the early days of the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Jennifer Ananda, L’10, knew everyone in Lawrence would need to work together. The coordinated response started with a unified command of city, county, health department, education and other officials, Ananda said. It soon spread to residents coming together to ensure one another’s safety, she said. “We had residents sewing masks, businesses making free lunches, nonprofits offering rental assistance, the city offering services for those who need access to facilities and showers,” Ananda said. “These are no small feats, and our community showed up to do, and continue doing, what needs to be done.” Ananda is one of several KU Law alumni whose title of mayor has taken on new meaning in the past several months. Among the other KU lawyers serving as heads of local governments are Sandra Kent, L’90, mayor pro tem of Richland, Washington; Eric Mikkelson, L’94, mayor of Prairie Village; and Mike Kelly, L’11, mayor of
Roeland Park, Kansas. As the situation surrounding COVID-19 developed through the spring, Ananda said she found herself more frequently called on to act as a figurehead for the community. While the city government looked to health care professionals to drive research-based decision making, “people needed to hear from the mayor,” Ananda said. “I quickly discovered that my job encompassed sharing information widely so that our community was informed,” she said. Ananda was elected to the Lawrence City Commission in 2017 and started her one-year term as mayor in December 2019. Originally from Girard, Kansas, Ananda completed her undergraduate degree at KU and earned a joint J.D.-M.S.W. degree. In addition to her role as mayor, Ananda is the Title IX Coordinator for Emporia State University. After years of being involved in activism and politics, Ananda said she knew she wanted to run for City Commission for several years before running. She took motivation from watching local leaders in action, and from a
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Eric Mikkelson, L’94, front center, serves as mayor of Prairie Village, Kansas. He is pictured here with city staff at Prairie Village’s city hall building. Photo courtesy of Eric Mikkelson.
family history of public service. “My father was a city employee of my hometown for most of my life. His work ethic and commitment to keeping our community safe as a fire chief sparked in me a sense of responsibility to give back to my community in a way that reflects my strengths,” Ananda said. She said her legal training combined with her social work education have helped her navigate the situation by assessing information, identifying goals, planning accordingly, and keeping communication as an essential part of the process. “To be able to balance information and the health-based needs of the community and offer grace and compassion has allowed me to effectively serve our community during a pandemic and a time of racial reckoning for our entire country,” she said.
Pulling together to weather the storm In Prairie Village, the city’s initial response involved declaring a local emergency and invoking local powers
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to enforce health orders, said Eric Mikkelson, L’94. Mikkelson has served on the Prairie Village City Council since 2014 and was elected mayor in 2018. “During those first weeks, we had to make multiple daily judgment calls to re-invent local government based on changing conditions, incomplete information, and mixed guidance from other sources,” Mikkelson said. As the weeks stretched on, some non-essential city services were suspended, portions of parks were closed, and essential city staffing went into rotations. Each decision came with necessary coordination with neighboring governments, as well as messaging to residents, Mikkelson said. “We always cooperate with area agencies, but this pandemic required coordination on a level not seen before for health issues. We forged new relationships across the Kansas City metropolitan area to combat this virus together,” he said. Originally from Lawrence, Mikkelson earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and
returned to his home state for law school. He got involved in local government after advocating for more parkland and pedestrian and bicycle routes in Prairie Village, he said. He served as a municipal judge for the City of Leavenworth from 1996-1997. Mikkelson said his law background – along with an undergraduate degree in human biology – made it possible to process decisions that were “fraught with legal, health and other peril.” Legal training was helpful in “determining the facts, analyzing the relevant ones, consulting experts, researching legal precedent where it existed, and distilling all of that to create viable new laws and policy to meet the unique challenges,” he said. “It helped us navigate to get to the best solution more quickly,” Mikkelson said. Mikkelson is a partner in the corporate finance division of Stinson LLP’s Kansas City office. He also is a lecturer at KU Law. As the demands of his government work have increased, Mikkelson said he has become “a more efficient supervising team leader at the law firm.” When the Mergers & Acquisitions course he teaches at KU Law went online last spring, he adapted the course to teach live via Zoom. In his law practice, teaching and government service, Mikkelson has found having a strong team has been essential to navigating crisis. That has held true in Prairie Village, where the staff, council and community are pulling together to weather the storm, Mikkelson said. “We drew on deep civic wells of resilience, compassion and community amongst our residents to confidently reaffirm who we are,” he said. “Those reaffirmed character traits will continue to guide us through these challenges to a brighter future together.”— Margaret Hair
Bhavi Shah, L’00, is executive vice president, general counsel and chief legal officer at Vitalant. The company has been involved in developing treatments using convalescent plasma. Courtney Griggs / Vitalant
Navigating the public health response ALUMNI STEP UP WITH EFFORTS TO MINIMIZE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
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niversity of Kansas School of Law alumni are navigating public health policy in their workplaces to help minimize the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and direct their teams toward new solutions. Alumni stepped up during a time of rapid change and uncertainty to tackle challenges that their communities faced. Jayhawks advised government entities on legal principles and evaluated the impact of legislation on public health outcomes. Alumni have also provided rapid response to public health needs and taken protective measures to maintain workplace operations safely. “As COVID-19 continues to challenge our nation’s health care and public health systems, there is a critical need for attorneys who are familiar with the legal considerations underlying federal, state and local disease control practices,” said Ryan Cramer, L’10. Cramer is a health policy analyst at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. From April to June, Cramer served on the CDC’s Community Intervention Task Force (CITF). The CITF provides guidance and technical assistance to communities as well as state and local governments on COVID-19 mitigation measures in community settings. Through his role with CITF, Cramer responded to inquiries from legislators about the CDC’s response; managed intergovernmental partnerships; and led a team that collected and analyzed state laws regarding mitigation measures to evaluate their impact on COVID-19 prevention efforts. “I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to
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work on the CDC’s COVID-19 response in a number of roles that correspond with the priorities of state and local governments as they respond to the pandemic,” Cramer said. Cramer is also the Deputy Lead of the CDC’s Contact Tracing Program Support Team. He joined the team to help meet the demand for law-related technical assistance that is being asked of the CDC’s response to COVID-19, he said. Cramer’s work with the CDC Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention gave him a background in the key principles of contact tracing.
Analyzing legislation to support health care workers Trinia Cain, L’09, also provides technical assistance on drafting public health legislation. Cain utilizes her legal background to examine and analyze legislation that affects the health workforce. She is a senior legislative analyst at the Health Resources and Services Administration, which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in North Bethesda, Maryland. Previously, Cain was a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Policy Program from 20182019. The program is one of the nation’s most prestigious learning experiences at the nexus of health, science and policy. Cain is also a commissioned corps officer in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). Since February, Cain has been deployed twice to help respond to the pandemic.
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Trinia Cain, L’09, is a senior legislative analyst at the Health and Human Services Administration and a commissioned corps officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. Photo courtesy of Trinia Cain.
Cain was deployed to the HHS Secretary’s Operations Center in Washington, D.C., where she managed information requests related to COVID-19 to local, state, federal, national and international governments. “Our job was to make sure that the public got the best information that we had at the time,” Cain said. When the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law in March, the USPHS began to re-establish and mobilize a Ready Reserve Corps. The Ready Reserve Corps will accept applications this fall and commission its first officers in spring 2021. During her second deployment, Cain assessed and drafted policies that were instrumental in preparing and training the Ready Reserve Corps for domestic and global response efforts. “It has been a really big undertaking to build a component of uniformed service from the ground up,” Cain said. “My part was making sure that all of the policies that we needed were in place in order to get people who were fit for service in the door, ready to serve and ready to start training. That was really exciting,” she said.
Making decisions about potentially life-saving treatments Bhavi Shah, L’00, also joined in COVID-19 response efforts. Shah serves as executive vice president, general counsel and chief legal officer at Vitalant, the largest independent national blood service provider. The company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Shah provides oversight for legal, risk management and corporate compliance for four operations: Vitalant, Vitalant Research Institute, Creative Testing Solutions and BioCare. In her various roles, Shah navigates the best ways to protect the workforce, develop treatments, follow government restrictions and recruit volunteers to donate blood. Shah said Vitalant quickly established efforts to collect a potentially life-saving investigational treatment known as COVID-19 convalescent plasma. The first unit
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“As COVID-19 continues to challenge our nation’s health care and public health systems, there is a critical need for attorneys who are familiar with the legal considerations underlying federal, state and local disease control practices.” – Ryan Cramer, L’10
was distributed on April 8. “People who have recovered from COVID-19 typically develop SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and their plasma can be safely transfused into severely affected COVID patients as part of an FDA-approved investigational treatment, which has shown tremendous promise to reduce symptom severity and mortality rates,” Shah explained. Vitalant’s joint venture Creative Testing Solutions also initiated SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing, which has helped the industry identify additional donors to contribute to
the promising treatment. Shah has been a critical and strategic voice in informing daily operational decisions at Vitalant to continue to provide life-transforming blood products while maintaining donor and staff safety. “While the work demands have been extraordinary during the pandemic, I am extremely proud to work for organizations actively involved in the fight against COVID-19,” Shah said. — Ashley Golledge
More alumni news
How KU lawyers have adapted their practices and involvement in 2020 Jackie McClain, L’79, serves as chair of the Chico, California chapter of SCORE, a nonprofit that connects volunteer mentors with small businesses. Starting in March, McClain – who is retired from a career in higher education HR administration – helped small businesses secure SBA loans and other assistance. McClain also developed a series of presentations on best practices for reopening businesses to reduce risk of legal liability.
Christopher Joseph, L’00, and Diane Bellquist, L’02, have worked with Professor Michael Hoeflich to teach Legal Ethics CLE programs to more than 1,500 attorneys in the past six months. Hoeflich – who is the John H. and John M. Kane Distinguished Professor of Law at KU – approached Joseph about starting a series of free online CLE programs in partnership with the law firm Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC. Topics have included “The History of Ethics and Comparing Modern Rules.”
Tyler Holmes, L’14, is an attorney with Irish Rule of Law’s Access to Justice Project in Malawi. Since March, his organization has been involved in advocacy around the COVID-19 response of Malawi’s criminal justice institutions. He has worked on calls for prisoner releases, lobbying institutions and supporting camp courts for the release of pretrial detainees, and monitoring compliance with adopted measures.
KU LAW STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND The KU Law Student Emergency Fund provides one-time grants of up to $500 to students in need of emergency financial assistance, including costs such as counseling and mental health services. The grants do not need to be repaid. The fund also provides relief for students who may be struggling with financial hardships brought on by COVID-19. To learn more or contribute to the fund, visit kuendowment.org/law and enter “Student Emergency Fund” in the “Other Purpose” field.
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FACULTY NEWS
From Green Hall to City Hall MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS BALANCES ROLES AS LAW LECTURER, KANSAS CITY LEADER Fengxue Zhang / KCMO Mayor’s Office
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his spring, students at the University of Kansas School of Law had the unique opportunity to learn Local Government Law from the current mayor of a metropolitan city. Quinton Lucas is the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri and a lecturer at KU Law. Lucas has served on the KU Law faculty since 2012. “Getting to share your voice and your mission with people is one of the most amazing things you can ever do in life,” Lucas said. “I get the double honor of doing it both as mayor of an outstanding city, but also as a KU Law professor.” Lucas’ Local Government class shifted from meeting in-person to online in March, but continued to have important conversations about what actions governments were taking in both Kansas City and across the nation. Lucas and his law students discussed topics such as when it is
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appropriate to declare a state of emergency, how to implement a stay-at-home order and when to begin easing out of an order. “The pandemic is such an urgent and relevant example of local government’s responsibilities and limits during times of national crisis,” Lucas said. “The concepts I wanted my students to understand became applicable in real-time, and I think the students enjoyed talking through what has become an unprecedented and chaotic time in our nation’s history.” Lucas was sworn in as the 55th mayor of Kansas City on August 1, 2019. At 36, Lucas is the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century. He is third Black mayor in the city’s history after Sly James and Emanuel Cleaver. Before his tenure in city government, Lucas served at KU as one of the youngest tenure-track law professors in the country.
While a full-time faculty member at KU, Lucas taught Contracts, Securities Regulation and Federal Administrative Law. In his newer role as law lecturer, Lucas is still willing to assist KU Law students — both in the classroom and in the mayor’s office. Third-year law student Delaney Hiegert served as a policy fellow in Lucas’ office last fall. “I never imagined I would have had the opportunity to immerse myself in local government to this extent while in law school,” Hiegert said. “I think that KU Law students are lucky to have the ability to pursue those experiences, both in Mayor Lucas’ office and in his Local Government Law class. Having a KU lecturer hold a public office at this level helps to open students’ eyes to the possibilities of public service work that they may not have known existed.” Lucas said he finds balance in his
have been through a lot before.”
Kansas City roots
In addition to being mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas teaches Local Government Law at KU. He is pictured here in the Rice Room at Green Hall in February. Brooke Boyer / KU School of Journalism
roles as mayor and law lecturer by bringing the same passion for community, change and progress to both City Hall and Green Hall. “We are lucky to have Quinton continue his relationship with the KU law school even though his plate is very full,” Dean Stephen Mazza said. “He is a great law school citizen who is dedicated to his students and their success. When he gets elected president, we’ll just have him teach remotely.”
Rising to the COVID-19 challenge Eight months into his first year as mayor, Lucas rose to the challenge of leading Kansas City during a pandemic. “My days changed from giving speeches in big ballrooms and meeting about development projects to meeting with first responders; looking at data; thinking about deaths; and trying to find ways to cure and solve violence in our community,” Lucas said. Lucas has done impactful work to protect the health and safety of Kansas City residents as well as to help stop the spread of COVID-19. He drafted a
stay-at-home order that ended up being a model for the entire metropolitan area; wrote ordinances relating both to violent crime and COVID-19; and collaborated with federal, state and local government officials. Lucas said he keeps his law students in mind when making big decisions, such as pandemic-related school closures and event cancellations. “I thought about the changes my students at KU were having in their lives, and the impact that these sorts of decisions may make,” Lucas said. “When I thought about events being canceled – which is something that we did – I thought about my KU Law students that might be engaged and planning a wedding, or my law students that want that joy of having a walk down the Hill with their parents.” He is optimistic about both KU and Kansas City’s ability to navigate a global pandemic through adaptability and prioritization of public health. “We’ll all get through this. We have a resilient community in a resilient region,” Lucas said. “We all know it’s a tough time, but this country and KU
Lucas grew up on the east side of Kansas City. He rose from poverty and homelessness to become an Ivy Leagueeducated lawyer and a mayor leading a city of nearly 500,000 people. Lucas said his background informs his work as mayor and understanding of the challenges that constituents face. “My job as mayor certainly became more demanding and urgent, but I decided that it was important to make time to have conversations with both my students and constituents about the power and limits of government,” Lucas said. He earned an A.B. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2006 and a J.D. from Cornell in 2009. After law school, he was a law clerk to the Hon. Duane Benton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Judge Benton encouraged Lucas to pursue public service in Lucas’ home state of Missouri. Lucas worked in private practice for a few years and taught a constitutional law course at the Lansing Correctional Facility. In 2012, he entered academia. He considers teaching to be, “in many ways my first love.” “Like any professor who has come to KU Law, you get bit by that bug of education, academia, learning, and service to the people of Kansas and to our broader community in this region,” Lucas said. “I’ve enjoyed being part of it ever since.” During his time as mayor and beyond, Lucas said he plans to keep shaping the minds of Jayhawk lawyers. “I’ve been very proud of KU, and I’ve been lucky to be a part of the KU Law community,” Lucas said. “I’m 36 years old now. I hope I get to be 75 and walking into a KU classroom. I hope I have a chance to do this decades in the future.” — Ashley Golledge
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FACULTY NEWS
NEW FACES
Earl Richardson
FACULTY ADDITIONS BRING DIVERSE TEACHING, SCHOLARSHIP TO KU LAW
Najarian Peters
Alexander Platt
Associate Professor of Law J.D., Notre Dame | B.A., Xavier University of Louisiana
Associate Professor of Law J.D., Yale | B.A., Columbia
Najarian Peters teaches Torts and Privacy Law at KU. She created two new privacy courses for the law school. Her scholarship focuses on privacy law, technology policy and governance. Her first article, “The Right To Be and Become: Black Home-Educators As Child Privacy Protectors” was published in the Michigan Journal of Race and Law in August. Peters is a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. Peters served as the inaugural faculty fellow and assistant professor of law at the Institute for Privacy Protection at Seton Hall Law School, where she was the architect of the institute’s structure, operations and program portfolio. Before entering academia, Peters practiced for over a decade as a corporate compliance and privacy officer at several organizations in the public and private sectors.
Alex Platt teaches Contracts and Securities Regulation at KU. His scholarship focusing on the public and private enforcement of federal securities laws has appeared or is forthcoming in law journals including the Yale Journal on Regulation, the U.C. Davis Law Review, the Administrative Law Review, and the Journal of Corporation Law. His work has been featured in several national media outlets and cited by the Eleventh Circuit. Platt comes to KU from Harvard Law School, where he was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law. At Harvard, Platt taught courses in Legal Research and Writing, and Index Funds and the Concentration of Corporate Ownership. He previously practiced at a prominent law firm in Washington, D.C., and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
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FOND FAREWELL
LAW SCHOOL CELEBRATES CAREER OF RETIRING PROFESSOR Professor Ellen Sward
retired in May 2020, wrapping up a 36-year career at KU Law. “I like it here. I like the students, my colleagues on the faculty, the university and Lawrence. I just didn’t see any reason why I should leave,” Sward said. “I was happy here.” Sward joined the KU Law faculty in 1984. During her tenure, she taught Civil Procedure; Jurisdiction; Federal Courts and the Federal System; Legal Research and Writing; Advanced Litigation; Administrative Law and Bankruptcy Law. She is perhaps best known to her students for the marathon, eight-hour take-home final she gave each year in her Civil Procedure course for first-year law students. A native Ohioan, Sward graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1970 with a degree in political science. She earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979. While at Harvard, Sward was the case editor of the Harvard Law Review. She served on the publication alongside U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Sward was named a Dean James Green Fellow from 1996-1999, recognizing her service to the law school. She received the Kemper Fellowship for
Above: Professor Ellen Sward teaching in 1990 (left) and 1996. Sward joined the KU Law faculty in 1984 and retired in May. Photos courtesy of the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries.
Teaching Excellence from the University of Kansas in 2008, the Immel Award for Teaching Excellence in 2018 and the Fred J. Moreau Award in 2020. Sward served as KU Law’s associate dean for research from 2004-2006. Her teaching and research focus was on civil procedure, particularly the civil jury. Her book, The Decline of the Civil Jury, was published by Carolina Academic Press in 2001. Sward was a longtime advocate of the Black Law Students Association’s
annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. The student organization created the “Ellen Sward Prize” in November 2019, recognizing Sward for motivating 1L small sections to give to the drive. “I really just encourage the students and get them excited about it,” Sward said. “We have a number of competitions, like the Bluebook Relays and things like that. I always tell my students, ‘The one I really want you to win is the Thanksgiving Food Drive because we’re helping people. That’s important.’” — Ashley Golledge
Health law expert Guy Collier joined the KU Law faculty as professor of practice, teaching Health Law & Policy and Healthcare Regulation. Collier is senior counsel at McDermott Will & Emery LLP in Washington, D.C., representing academic medical centers, schools of medicine, hospitals and health systems. He previously served in the Office of General Counsel for the Department of Health and Human Services, and in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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law.ku.edu/faculty
Mind
FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP
get
FACULTY NEWS
TITLE IX PROTECTIONS FOR TRANSGENDER STUDENTS
An article by Uma Outka analyzes corporate renewable energy pledges. Pexels.com
EXAMINING 100% RENEWABLE PLEDGES
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rofessor Uma Outka published an article analyzing corporate renewable pledges, outlining the role of law in this context and cautioning it is important to understand what companies mean when they set 100% renewable goals. Outka, William R. Scott Research Professor at KU, said corporations are driving new development of renewable energy. Her article, published in the Utah Law Review, examines that growth and takes an early look at how state policies are influencing the development. “The trend of large corporations pledging to boost their renewable energy consumption seemed so counter to the direction the Trump administration wanted to turn in terms of energy policy. So, I wanted to understand the legal environment for corporate buyers specifically,” Outka said. State laws regarding energy development vary widely. And while deregulated states have seen large amounts of corporate deals, they are not the only states that have seen significant renewable energy growth. Kansas, for example, is what Outka calls a hybrid state, with traditional utility regulation while also being part of the Southwest Power Pool. Because of exceptional wind resources in Kansas, the state was ranked first in the nation in 2019 for wind power as a percentage of electric power generation. Kansas is now a very close second in this metric to Iowa. While companies such as Google have touted their status as the “largest corporate renewable energy buyer on the planet,” others such as Facebook, Amazon and Nike have made public statements about their intent to increase the amount of renewable energy they buy. It is important, however, to understand that when corporations or others claim they will derive 100% of their energy from renewable sources, Outka said, that’s not necessarily accurate. Outka worked with the Kansas Law Review to host a symposium in October. “Accelerating Clean Energy: The Next Decade of Reform” featured energy law scholars from across the nation. Outka will be contributing an article, “Renewable Energy Siting for the Critical Decade,” to the Law Review’s symposium issue, forthcoming in spring 2021. — Mike Krings & Margaret Hair
Transgender rights have made significant progress in recent years thanks to court decisions and high-profile transgender individuals putting a spotlight on the issue. Much discrimination still exists, though, especially for young people without political power. Associate Professor Kyle Velte argues that combining the efforts to ensure Title IX’s protections of transgender students with work to challenge birth certificate correction statutes holds transformative potential. The requirements for gender confirmation surgery to change birth certificates are especially burdensome. Velte’s article published in the American University Washington College of Law’s Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law is the first to connect Title IX’s protection of transgender students to the effort to change laws making it difficult to change gender assignment on birth certificates. Velte presents detailed arguments about how Title IX’s federal protection of students on the basis of sex prevents discrimination against transgender students. The article summarizes the legal landscape for both movements, outlining decisions and cases currently in the courts. Velte also gives in-depth analysis of Title IX, constitutional equal protection, state anti-discrimination laws and school district policies. — Mike Krings
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FACULTY NEWS
Virginia Harper Ho received KU’s Woodyard International Educator Award, recognizing her work to internationalize the curriculum at KU Law and develop cross-border programs.
Raj Bhala was selected for the U.S. Speaker Program, sponsored by the Department of State. Bhala was also honored in the 2020 edition of “50 Kansans You Should Know.”
Melanie DeRousse was named co-editor of the Best Practices for Legal Education blog, documenting reforms in legal education.
Pexels.com
FACULTY KUDOS
REVOLUTIONIZING AGRICULTURE WITH SUPPORT OF INTERNATIONAL BODIES
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ohn Head, the Robert W. Wagstaff Distinguished Professor of Law at KU, has written a new book and a pair of law review articles outlining how institutional changes could form entities that oversee agricultural concerns in “eco-states” instead of nation-states. A Global Corporate Trust for Agroecological Integrity: New Agriculture in a World of Legitimate Eco-States outlines not only how such a massive transition is possible, but also how the formation of eco-states that govern agricultural concerns across borders can be done and how similar bodies already exist. “We have such an urgent problem right now of soil erosion, soil degradation and climate change. To reverse that, there has to be some way of coordinating a type of entity such as ecological states,” Head said. “With the weight of climate change and the pressure that this puts on agriculture, there have to be points of departure and a ‘taking of the bull by the horns’ to make change.” Head uses his extensive experience in law, international organizations and farming to make his case through three propositions. The first is that the extractive form of agriculture humans have used for about 10,000 years can and should be replaced with natural-systems forms of agriculture, known as agroecological husbandry. In his second proposition, Head outlines how eco-states with “pluralistic sovereignty” could be protective of biomes and ecosystems and their concerns such as land use and conservation. The third proposition calls for the formation of a new global institution to bring agroecological reforms. Head acknowledges it may sound like a radical idea to form such international bodies but points out multiple examples already exist. “There’s nothing here that doesn’t build on precedent,” Head said. “There are examples everywhere. Let’s expand on that and improve that.” — Mike Krings
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FACULTY MEDIA COVERAGE
Elizabeth Cateforis Lawrence Journal-World
Richard Levy The Kansas City Star
“If it’s possible to document that small religious gatherings had led to the spread of the coronavirus in a way that other gatherings have not, then there is a chance that the court would say singling out religious gatherings satisfies even strict scrutiny.” Discussing whether a portion of a
“Instead of waiting and doing something after the appeal is over, this is a mechanism to get what appellate counsel often think are obvious issues of ineffective assistance of counsel back into the district court sooner.” Explaining the use of a Van Cleave hearing as part of the direct appeal process.
stay-at-home order restricting public gatherings could be legally applied to religious gatherings.
IN MEMORIAM
MARTIN DICKINSON Former dean, professor of law
Dean Emeritus Martin Dickinson passed away on Jan. 5. He was KU Law’s longest-serving faculty member, giving 48 years to the school before retiring in 2015. He served as dean from 1971 to 1980, overseeing the dedication of the law school’s current home at Green Hall. Dickinson was a visionary leader and “a fantastic classroom teacher who truly cared about his students,” said Dean Stephen Mazza. By Dickinson’s own estimate, 4,000 law students passed through his classes over five decades.
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ALUMNI NEWS
The Distinguished Alumni Award celebrates KU Law graduates for their professional achievements, contributions to the legal field, and service to their communities and the university. This year’s honorees include two attorneys and a retired Army major general. Recipients of the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award will be recognized at a future celebration event.
Mark Hinderks, L’82 Hinderks has led Stinson LLP as managing partner for 10 years, guiding the firm’s nearly 500 lawyers and 13 offices through multiple mergers. He has driven successful strategic focuses on diversity and inclusion, best practice governance principles, pro bono work and professional service. Previously, Hinderks served the firm’s business and government clients as a lead trial lawyer in high profile cases and was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Hinderks is a co-founder of Ethics For Good, an innovative series of annual shows teaching professional responsibility to lawyers. The organization has raised $750,000 for charities, including scholarships for KU Law students.
HIGHEST 32 KU LAW MAGAZINE
Madeleine McDonough, L’90
Clyde “Butch” Tate, L’82
McDonough has served as the chair of Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP since 2017. A former clinical pharmacist, McDonough represents multinational companies in a range of industries. She advises organizations on preventative litigation approaches, policy and governance issues, and risk management, among other topics. Before her election as firm chair, McDonough led Shook’s pharmaceutical and medical device practice. In 2019, McDonough received the Women, Influence & Power in Law Award for Innovative Leadership. The National Law Journal named McDonough one of the nation’s Top 50 Litigation Trailblazers and Pioneers in its inaugural 2014 class. She holds an LL.M. in global health law from Georgetown.
Tate retired as a major general from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps in January 2014. His Army career spanned 31 years. Previously the associate general counsel of Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Government Affairs, Tate is now chief counsel of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and a member of the Bureau of Prisons’ Justice Involved Veterans Network. He is a senior adviser to The Strategic Organization, a Kansas City management firm supporting the ABA’s project to develop a national center for military and veteran legal support. With a proven commitment to diversity and inclusion, he received the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Presidential Award for leadership, advocacy and service.
T HONOR THREE RECEIVE 2020 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
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ALUMNI NEWS
Jacob Turner, L’19, talks with students about career opportunities during Legal Career Options Day. Andy White, KU Marketing Communications
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Above: (From top left) Jake McMillian, L’15; Trinia Cain, L’09; Sara Zafar, L’08; Demetrius Peterson, L’09; and Katie Harpstrite, L’07, delivered video words of encouragement during a virtual 2L/3L Orientation program in August. Left: Kansas Supreme Court Justice Caleb Stegall, L’99, discussed the roots of substantive due process at Green Hall in March.
2019-2020
VOLUNTEER HONOR ROLL The Volunteer Honor Roll recognizes the many KU Law graduates who donate time, energy and expertise mentoring and staging mock interviews with students, guest lecturing in law classes and at student organization events, judging moot court rounds, hosting alumni receptions, serving on boards and otherwise volunteering for the benefit of the law school and future generations of KU Lawyers.
WE VALUE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!
Names that follow represent volunteer efforts from April 2019 to April 2020. If you are aware of omissions or errors, please contact Margaret Hair at mhair@ku.edu.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 35
ALUMNI NEWS
THANK YOU 6TH SEMESTER IN D.C. Jeff Morrison, L’95 Krisann Pearce, L’95 Becky Weber, L’85
LEGAL CAREER FAIRS Susan Alig, L’11 Eric Aufdengarten, L’03 Kasey Barton, L’09 Brynn Blair, L’18 Erik Blume, L’19 Cliff Brazen, L’14 Grant Brazill, L’15 Aaron Breitenbach, L’01 Emily Brown, L’17 Michael Cappo, L’13 Cathie Chiccine, L’10 Tyler Childress, L’17 Matthew Cohen, L’18 Dennis Depew, L’83 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Alphonso Eason, L’02 Max Ellenbecker, L’14 Kip Elliot, L’95 Mike Fischer, L’07 Andrew Geren, L’13 Kate Gleeson, L’12 Jessica Glendening, L’04 David Green, L’14 Steve Grieb, L’07 Jonathan Hines, L’13 Jordan Kane, L’18 Thomas Knutzen, L’10 Linda Koester-Vogelsang, L’91 Samuel LaRoque, L’18 Brenna Lynch, L’18
36 KU LAW MAGAZINE
Carly Masenthin, L’18 Shane McCall, L’10 Max McGraw, L’17 Jack McInnes, L’04 Megan McRae, L’18 Jean Menager, L’14 Aaron Oleen, L’07 Jason Oropeza, L’07 Ian Patterson, L’16 Ryan Peck, L’03 T.C. Penland, L’15 Demetrius Peterson, L’09 Shon Qualseth, L’97 Jonathan Ruhlen, L’12 Kyle Sciolaro, L’11 Adam Seitz, L’02 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Pierce Shimp, L’18 Libby Snider, L’99 Kenneth Titus, L’14 David Treviño, L’07 Jacob Turner, L’19 Patrick Waters, L’04 Kathleen Watson, L’16 Zach Wiggins, L’11 Britton Wilson, L’08 Ed Wilson, L’00 Eric Witmer, L’17 Samantha Woods, L’13 Daniel Yoza, L’08
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING SUPERVISORS Hon. Daniel Crabtree, L’81 Sophia Dinkel, L’18 Hon. Paul Gurney, L’82 Brandon Jones, L’00 Hon. Steve Leben, L’82 Damon Mitchell, L’00 Hon. Carlos Murguia, L’82 Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 Hon. Kathryn Vratil, L’75 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Hon. Robert Wonnell, L’01
CAREER & PROGRAM MENTORS Hon. Holly Teeter, L’06 Henry Thomas, L’13
ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS Susan Alig, L’11 Christopher Allman, L’89 Kyle Binns, L’07 Erik Blume, L’19 Shannon Braun, L’04 Aaron Breitenbach, L’01 Steven Brown, L’92 Karen Cain, L’95 Karrie Clinkinbeard, L’99 Douglas Coe, L’13 Bryan Didier, L’04 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Kip Elliot, L’95 Mike Fischer, L’07 Alex Flores, L’13 Alan Fogleman, L’11 Kelly Foos, L’09 Andrew Geren, L’13 David Green, L’14 Bob Hoffman, L’93 Christina Holland, L’00 Lauren Hughes, L’16 Natalie Hull, L’12 Neal Johnson, L’09 Christopher Joseph, L’00 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Anna Kimbrell, L’14 Bradley LaForge, L’01 Kristy Lambert, L’91 Kurt Level, L’92
Stephanie Lovett-Bowman, L’10 Kevin Martin, L’10 Robert Martin, L’94 Carrie McAtee, L’03 David Melton, L’98 Terelle Mock, L’04 Casey Murray, L’05 Jeffrey Nichols, L’99 Andy Nolan, L’98 Lannie Ornburn, L’96 Ann Parkins, L’12 Jeffrey Peier, L’83 Mathew Petersen, L’18 Demetrius Peterson, L’09 Martin Rice, L’12 Jana Richards, L’90 David Seely, L’82 Jere Sellers, L’93 Pierce Shimp, L’18 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Marion Stern, L’10 Roger Templin, L’92 Jacob Turner, L’19 Sean Walsh, L’11 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Patrick Waters, L’04 Rebecca Winterscheidt, L’83 Genni Zimmer, L’15
From top: Eric Aufdengarten (left), L’03, talks with students at Legal Career Options Day; Jean Menager, L’14, at the Small and Mid-Size Firms Fair; William “Brad” Bradley, L’80, at a Board of Governors reception during Homecoming Weekend 2019. Andy White (top) and Ashley Golledge
KU LAW MAGAZINE 37
ALUMNI NEWS
A panel of judges speaks with students during an event presented by Women in Law in February. From left: Nancy Parrish; Sarah Warner; Angel Mitchell, L’00; Holly Teeter, L’06; and Teresa James, L’84. Ashley Golledge
COMPETITION JUDGES AND COACHES
DIVERSITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
MOCK INTERVIEWS Jeremy Graber, L’09 Jordan Kane, L’18 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Clark Richardson, L’14 Sangeeta Shastry, L’18 Cody Wood, L’17
38 KU LAW MAGAZINE
Mayra Aguirre, L’07 Cynthia Bryant, L’95 Laura Clark Fey, L’92 Amy Fowler, L’00 Rico Kolster, L’00 Pat Konopka, L’94 Jehan Kamil Moore, L’05 Demetrius Peterson, L’09 Melissa Plunkett, L’11 Drucilla Mort Sampson, L’96 Kelley Sears, L’74 Henry Thomas, L’13 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Issaku Yamaashi, L’00 Alyse Zadalis, L’15 Gabe Zorogastua, L’07
Chris Carey, L’19 Megan Carroll, L’18 Ashley Dillon, L’13 William Easley, L’17 Colin Gotham, L’00 Janae Graham, L’18 John Hickey, L’79 Anna Kimbrell, L’14 Adam LaBoda, L’04 Cody Lindenberger, L’09 Daniel Luppino, L’11 James May, L’89 Nancy Musick, L’19 Stephen Nichols, L’18 Mathew Petersen, L’18 Sangeeta Shastry, L’18 Kate Marples Simpson, L’14 Hon. Dale Somers, L’71 Benjamin Stueve, L’18 Sarah Sypher, L’04 Kenneth Titus, L’14
STUDENT RECRUITMENT
THANK YOU GUEST LECTURERS, SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS Jennifer Ananda, L’10 Michael Andrusak, L’13 Brian Baltzell, L’08 Sarah Lynn Baltzell, L’08 Clayton Barker, L’97 Kasey Barton, L’09 Jeb Bayer, L’80 Hon. Carol Beier, L’85 Kyle Binns, L’07 Nicholas Birdsong, L’15 Carol Bonebrake, L’86 C.J. Boyd, L’17 William Bradley, Jr., L’80 Aaron Breitenbach, L’01 Gerry Brenneman, L’85 Emily Brown, L’17 Emily Brown, L’18 Jo Ann Butaud, L’81 Jordan Carter, L’15 Heather Cessna, L’03 Mitchell Chaney, L’81 Tyler Childress, L’17 Tim Connell, L’78 Hon. Daniel Crabtree, L’81 Dan Cranshaw, L’03 Ebonie Davis, L’13 Bryan Didier, L’04 Hon. Robert Fairchild, L’73 Margaret Farley, L’88 Rich Federico, L’02 Brad Finkeldei, L’99 Trip Frizell, L’80 Ivery Goldstein, L’06
Marilyn Harp, L’79 Katie Harpstrite, L’07 Walter Haskins, L’80 Steven Hengeli, L’13 Scott Herpich, L’95 Robert Hingula, L’04 Becky Howlett, L’14 Hon. Teresa James, L’84 Stacey Janssen, L’88 Megan Barr Jennings, L’07 Bob Johnson, L’08 Shannon Johnson, L’07 Claire Kebodeaux, L’18 Hon. Peggy Kittel, L’83 Mark Knackendoffel, L’82 Kraig Kohring, L’92 Gayle Larkin, L’90 Hon. Steve Leven, L’82 Crystal Cook Leftridge, L’13 Kelli Colyer Lieurance, L’05 Wendy Lynn, L’07 Bill Mahood III, L’93 Shayla Marshall, L’11 Charles Marvine, L’96 Anne McDonald, L’82 Jean Menager, L’14 Angel Mitchell, L’00 Laura Dakhil Monahan, L’07 Peter Montecuollo, L’14 Andy Nolan, L’98 Pat O’Bryan, L’05 Skyler O’Hara, L’03 Mary Olson, L’15
T.C. Penland, L’15 Danielle Promaroli, L’18 Shon Qualseth, L’97 Dave Rebein, L’80 Ambriel Renn-Scanlan, L’06 Bethany Roberts, L’03 Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 Jennifer Roth, L’98 Thomas Rottinghaus, L’98 Lisa Schultes, L’85 Danielle Sediqzad, L’16 Bethany Shelton, L’09 Kate Marples Simpson, L’14 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Lindsay Strong, L’18 Patrick Stueve, L’87 Hon. Holly Teeter, L’06 Cathy Theisen, L’97 Joseph Uhlman, L’18 J.R. Walters, L’75 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Jamie Winningham, L’19 Brian Wolf, L’08 Marie Woodbury, L’79 Alyse Zadalis, L’15 Gabe Zorogastua, L’07
Jordan Carter, L’15 Amii Castle, L’97 Bryce Langford, L’16 Anish Patel, L’16 Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 Vivek Sehrawat, L’17 Pierce Shimp, L’18
NEW MEMBERS KU LAW BOARD OF GOVERNORS Katie Gates Calderon, L’07 Rex Randall Erickson, L’92 Mike Fischer, L’07 Hellen Haag, L’91 Lauren Hughes, L’16 John Larson, L’89 Brian McCormally, L’82 Jehan Kamil Moore, L’05 Andrew Shaw, L’09 Jay Strayer, L’69 David Treviño, L’07
GET INVOLVED If you want to give back to KU Law with your time and talent, there are many opportunities to mentor, serve, speak and supervise. To learn more and sign up to volunteer, visit:
law.ku.edu/volunteer
KU LAW MAGAZINE 39
ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES
Items were received or collected prior to July 15, 2020. Submit your news online at law.ku.edu/keep-touch. KU Law Magazine relies on alumni for the accuracy of information reported.
1954 J. Gene Balloun received the 2019 Breaking Barriers Adoption Award recognizing his efforts in overcoming barriers to adoption including age, geographic location and special needs of children from foster care.
1967 Hon. Franklin Theis retired after 42 years as a judge. He was the longestserving judge in Shawnee County history.
1969 Arch Gothard retired after 17 years with the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District in Breckenridge, Colorado.
1970 Chuck Warner released a book, Birds, Bones, and Beetles: The Improbable Career and Remarkable Legacy of University of Kansas Naturalist Charles D. Bunker.
City of Newton, Kansas for 35 years, including three decades as city attorney.
1977 Nate Harbur received the Johnson County Bar Foundation’s Legacy Award.
1978 Jeanne Gorman retired as general counsel for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and affiliated organizations. Gorman spent 20 years at McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips, where she was a partner, before entering solo practice. Stan Woodworth, L’78, and Neal Woodworth, L’11, established Woodworth Law Firm, LLC in Overland Park, with an emphasis in solar energy development, residential development and business law.
1980 John Bowman published an
Bukaty, Aubry & Huntsman, Chartered, the Kansas City firm he founded.
article on risk mitigation in international petroleum contracts in the Georgetown Journal of International Law. Dennis Raphael Garcia wrote Marine, Public Servant, Kansan: The Life of Ernest Garcia, a biography of his first cousin, Ernest Garcia. Hon. Robert E. Nugent III retired from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court after 20 years of service. He served as Chief Judge from 2002-2016 and had been Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Tenth Circuit since 2018.
1976 Bion Beebe retired after 35 years
1981 Mark Dickerson was elected
as a legal editor at Thomson Reuters. He previously worked as a staff attorney at Kansas Legal Services. Bob Myers retired after serving the
chairman of the board of directors for the Highlands Ranch Metro District, a Colorado special district providing services to over 100,000 people.
1971 Hon. Joseph Pierron Jr. retired from his position as the longest-tenured judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals.
1973 Jack Kilroy, Jr. received the Legacy Award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. Kilroy retired after 45 years at Polsinelli, and is now consulting.
1975 Steve A.J. Bukaty retired from
40 KU LAW MAGAZINE
1982 Hon. Steve Leben retired from the Kansas Court of Appeals in June to become a visiting professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Terry Malone was elected managing partner at Martin Pringle Attorneys at Law. He is a 38-year veteran of the firm. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss retired from the Kansas Supreme Court in December. Nuss served as a justice on the Kansas Supreme Court beginning in 2002 and as chief justice starting in 2010.
1983 Hon. Kristin Hutchison was appointed to the 13th Judicial District Court of Kansas. Hutchinson has served as a district magistrate judge in Elk County for the past 11 years. Hon. Peggy Carr Kittel retired after 19 years of judicial service. Kittel was most recently the Douglas County District Court Chief Judge. Terry Graves Sloan retired after 31 years with the federal government. She was most recently the director of the National Records Center with the Department of Homeland Security United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
1984 John Holt won five regional Emmy awards. Holt is a news anchor for FOX 4 News in Kansas City. Matthew Keenan joined the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation, the largest provider of civil
legal assistance for low-income people in the nation. Keenan is a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP.
1985 Justice Carol Beier retired from the Kansas Supreme Court in September. Beier had served on the Court since 2003. She previously served on the Kansas Court of Appeals. Matthew Bunker received the 2020 Broadcast Education Association Lifetime Achievement in Scholarship Award. Bunker is a lecturer at California State University. Richard B. Chambers joined Commerce Trust Company as a wealth management consultant.
1986 Kathryn Carter is deputy attorney
He spent 30 years with Dobson, Goldberg, Berns & Rich LLP in St. Louis. Norma Norman received the KU Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Network Mike and Joyce Shinn Leaders and Innovators Award, recognizing her contributions to the legal profession, the university and her community.
1990 Sandra Kent is mayor pro tem for Richland, Washington. Kent has been a city councilwoman for the past 12 years. Linda Guinn Montgomery was named an Idaho Icon by the Idaho Business Review, honoring business leaders over the age of 50 who have helped grow Idaho’s business community.
general for the consumer protection and antitrust division of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. Hon. Paula Drungole-Ellis was elected state court judge in the 14th Chancery Judicial District of Mississippi. Col. Karen Mayberry retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel after 30 years as a judge advocate general. Jeffrey S. Horton Thomas joined Fox Rothschild LLP in the firm’s Los Angeles office as a partner.
1991 Thomas Stanton received the
1987 Hon. Jeffry Jack retired as a
of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Dyer is a partner at Foulston Siefkin LLP’s Wichita office. Michael Maddox is president and CEO of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. Maddox has served as president and CEO of CrossFirst Bank in Leawood since 2008. Patrick Warren serves as a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. He promotes good relations between the Army and the public, and advises the secretary about regional issues. John F. Wilcox, Jr. was elected president of the Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA). He is with Dysart Taylor in Kansas City.
District Court Judge in the 11th Judicial District after 14 years. Jack now lives in Lawrence and is an area director for Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters.
1988 Mark Bannister was named dean of the College of Business and Economics at Boise State University. He previously served as interim dean. He continues to be a principal with Bannister Capital, LLC.
1989 Mike Goldberg formed Michael C. Goldberg Law LLC as a solo practitioner.
Kansas County and District Attorneys Association’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. Stanton is the deputy district attorney in Reno County.
1993 Darren Black has joined Risk Strategies, where he oversees the national professional liability practice group. Nancy Grube completed an LL.M. in Litigation Management at Baylor.
1994 Holly Dyer was elected as a fellow
1995 Kelly Circle is executive director of the American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters in Indianapolis. Hon. Kellie Hogan was chosen to fill a vacancy in the 18th Judicial District of Kansas. Hogan was previously an attorney with Kansas Legal Services. Laura Lawson was promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Lawson represents contractors, design professionals and owners as part of her construction law practice. Hon. Kendra Lewison, who serves as a district court judge in Riley County, became the first woman sworn in as a judge in her district.
1997 Hon. Stacey Donovan was appointed to a judgeship in the Douglas County District Court. Donovan was the chief public defender in Shawnee County. Wendy Hills started with Virtus Investment Partners as executive vice president, chief legal officer, general counsel and corporate secretary. Hon. T. Todd Myers was appointed as an associate circuit court judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit in Missouri. Chad Tenpenny was named chief of staff for U.S. Senator Pat Roberts. Tenpenny has served as Roberts’ state director and counsel since 2001.
1998 Amy K. Hansen was named a Top Women Lawyer of 2020 by Law Week Colorado. Hansen is a shareholder and real estate attorney at Polsinelli in Denver. Marcy Olberding Knight received the Kansas Prosecutor of the Year Award from the Kansas Highway Patrol Drug & Alcohol Evaluation Unit. Knight is an assistant city attorney for Leawood, Kansas. Hale Sheppard is a partner in the tax dispute section and chair of the international tax section of Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Atlanta. In 2019, he published 22 articles in major journals, including the Journal of International Taxation.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 41
ALUMNI NEWS
1999 Anne Barkis is a partner at Mendez, Barkis and Associates, a Denver-based lobbying and political consulting firm. Brad Finkeldei was elected to the Lawrence City Commission and is serving as vice mayor. Finkeldei is an attorney with Stevens & Brand law firm.
2000 Amy Fellows Cline was appointed to serve on the Kansas Court of Appeals, pending confirmation by the Kansas Senate. Cline practices at Triplett Woolf Garretson, LLC in Wichita. In May, the Kansas Bar Foundation honored her with the Robert K. Weary Award. Toby Crouse was nominated to serve as a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for Kansas, pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Crouse previously served as solicitor general for the State of Kansas. James Grogan returned to Paul Hastings as a partner in the firm’s finance and restructuring practice in Houston. Christopher McHugh joined Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC in Kansas City. He previously practiced in the firm’s Wichita and Topeka offices.
2001 Collin Altieri joined the litigation firm Scharnhorst Ast Kennard Griffin, PC in Kansas City as a partner. Stacy Bunck received the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance’s 2019 Flex Success Award. She is a managing shareholder at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. in Kansas City.
2002 Sarah Fertig was named by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment as the new medicaid director for the state. Molly Westering Hunter, L’02 and John Gates, L’00 opened Gates Westering, LLC, in Kansas City, where
42 KU LAW MAGAZINE
they will continue their general practice with an emphasis in civil litigation. Crystal Johnson was appointed the interim Minnehaha County state’s attorney in South Dakota. Johnson has worked as a prosecutor in the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office, as a magistrate judge, and most recently as a senior trial attorney. Christie Sim Mizer is the attorney career development manager at Morrison & Foerster in Washington, D.C. John T. Richer was recognized by Benchmark Litigation’s Local Litigation Stars. Richer is a shareholder at Hall Estill, an Oklahoma-based firm. Keynen “KJ” Wall Jr. was sworn in as the newest Kansas Supreme Court Justice in August. Wall had previously served as special projects counsel to the Kansas Supreme Court, and recently worked in private practice with Forbes Law Group LLC in Overland Park. David Waters was elected mayor of the City of Westwood, Kansas. Waters is a real estate attorney and partner at Lathrop Gage.
2003 Dan Cranshaw received the 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Award from Missouri Lawyers Media. Cranshaw is a shareholder and litigator at Polsinelli, and chair of the firm’s diversity and inclusion committee. Chris Randle joined Cordell & Cordell at the firm’s Wichita office as a senior litigation attorney. Katie Zogleman was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Fort Hays State University Foundation. Zogleman is a shareholder for Seigfreid Bingham.
2004 Sylvia Penner was appointed to the Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission. Penner is an attorney at Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLC in Wichita. Peter Riggs joined Spencer Fane as
of-counsel in the firm’s Kansas City office. Riggs spent 10 years with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
2005 Joshua Arce was appointed president and chief executive officer of Partnership with Native Americans, a Native-led and Native-serving nonprofit organization. Joe Bain was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Fort Hays State University Foundation and started as general counsel for FHSU. Robert Gallimore is now managing research analyst for the Kansas Legislative Research Department. Ashwin Janakiram joined Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Los Angeles. Janakiram is a former federal prosecutor. Sarah Shik Lamdan is a tenured professor of law at CUNY School of Law in New York. Lamdan specializes in administrative law, environmental law, information access and privacy. David Morantz served as president of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association for 2019-2020.
2006 Hon. Lori Dougherty-Bichsel was appointed as a judge in the 3rd Judicial District. She was the department director and administrative judge for the City of Topeka Municipal Court.
2007 Lacy Gilmour joined Cordell & Cordell at the firm’s Wichita office. Dave Hague was promoted to full professor, with tenure, and named associate dean of administration at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. Andrew Newton was promoted to senior patent counsel at Qualcomm, Inc. in San Diego.
2008 Dustin Bradley formed Bradley & Loggin, PLLC in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The firm’s practice areas include medical
negligence, personal injury, real estate and business law. Tyler Hibler joined Husch Blackwell as senior counsel in Kansas City. Hibler works with the healthcare, life sciences and education industry team. Megan Monsour joined Hinkle Law Firm in Wichita. Monsour has over a decade of experience in adoption, collaborative reproduction and child permanency litigation. Devin S. Sikes was named to the U.S. roster for North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Chapter 19 disputes. Sikes serves as international trade counsel at Akin Gump in Washington, D.C. Sara Zafar was recognized in the Wichita Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.” Zafar is the Title IX coordinator for Wichita State University.
2009 Jon Cline joined Polsinelli’s St. Louis office as an associate in the firm’s real estate practice. Burton Harding is the new city attorney for the City of Fort Scott. Jomana Qaddour serves on the U.N.-facilitated Syrian Constitutional Committee’s Civil Society Group. Qaddour was a 2019 Next Generation National Security Fellow at the Center for New American Security, a 2019 Truman National Security Fellow, and is a doctoral candidate at Georgetown University Law Center.
2010 Ayesha Mehdi received an award at the MANAO Asian Women of Inspiration Gala. She is a partner with Spencer Fane LLP in Las Vegas.
2011 Michael Kelly joined Husch Blackwell as senior counsel in the real estate, development and construction group. Douglas Mizer was promoted to legal counsel at Iowa Title Guaranty, a division of the Iowa Finance Authority that issues land title coverage. Evan North joined the Washington, D.C., office of DLA Piper. He previously practiced with Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. Melissa Plunkett was promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Plunkett represents defendants in liability cases for various industries.
2012 Jessica Shannon Burtin is an attorney with Ascension, a health care organization in Wichita. Lauren Douville was promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Douville focuses on complex patent, trademark and copyright litigation. Joel Griffiths was promoted to partner at Leverage Law Group, LLC in Leawood. George Revis Lewis was hired as an associate counsel to the President of the United States in the Office of White House Counsel in January.
2013 Samuel Barton was promoted to
Ebonie Davis joined Armstrong Teasdale’s office in Kansas City as an associate in the financial and real estate services practice group. She was previously with the USDA’s Office of the General Counsel. Julie Parisi made shareholder at Seigfreid Bingham in Kansas City. Eric Sader accepted a full-time faculty position with the Department of Business Law & Ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Hon. Andrew Stein was appointed to fill a district court vacancy in the 16th Judicial District. Stein is an attorney and owner at Doll Law Firm LLC.
2014 Whitney Howard is a legislative analyst in the Office of Legislative Information Services within the Congressional Research Service in the Library of Congress. Whitney Novak relocated to Washington, D.C. to work as a legislative attorney in the American Law Division at the Congressional Research Service in the Library of Congress. Kevin Wempe is a shareholder in Gilmore & Bell, P.C.’s Kansas City office.
2015 Crystal Elaine Ellison was accepted into Ms. JD’s 2020 Writers in Residence program.
vice president of Baum Capital Partners.
Sarah Deer, L’99, was selected to be in the 2020 class of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows. With funding from the fellowship, Deer will complete a book on a new era of visibility for contemporary Native American Women as political activists. This fall, Deer was named a University Distinguished Professor at KU. Her work has earned her several distinguished awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2014. Ashley Golledge
KU LAW MAGAZINE 43
ALUMNI NEWS 1940 Michael Grigsby joined Stinson LLP in Kansas City. Grigsby previously worked for Armstrong Teasdale LLP. Erin Strathe is a staff attorney for Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services.
2016 Lauren Hughes was named partner at Wise & Reber, L.C. in McPherson. Her primary practice is in estate planning and administration. Hughes serves on KU Law’s Board of Governors. Corrinne Viola joined Jaburg Wilk as an attorney in the firm’s commercial litigation groups.
2017 Karly Weigel is an associate in the Kansas City office of Lewis Brisbois. Weigel previously practiced litigation defense at Franke, Schultz & Mullen.
2018 Stephen Nichols joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, where he focuses his practice on product liability. Andrew Pipes joined the Fort Collins, Colorado office of Coan, Payton & Payne. His practice focuses on corporate and real estate matters. Sangeeta Shastry joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City. Shastry focuses her practice on product liability.
2019 Derek Depew started his first post with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He is stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Dan Kopp joined Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes as a litigator. Zach Loudon joined Schaffer and Morton Law Firm in Overland Park. D. Ross Smith is now a legal specialist for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in Denver. Wesley Williams is a trial attorney for Susan L. Florence & Associates. n
Glenn McCann Mission Woods, Kansas July 29, 2019
Richard “Dick” Pickler Ulysses, Kansas August 24, 2020
1945
John Wesley Cave Creek, Arizona June 4, 2020
Jeanne Spencer Fish Eureka, California June 10, 2020
1950 Nicholas Kittrie Bethesda, Maryland December 9, 2019 Kenneth Peery Topeka, Kansas August 10, 2019 Morgan Wright Larned, Kansas November 27, 2019
1953 Dwayne Oglesby Wichita, Kansas October 23, 2019
John Emerson Lawrence, Kansas May 31, 2020 John Fields Kansas City, Kansas March 13, 2020
1958 John Wilkinson Lawrence, Kansas August 8, 2020
1960 Robert Atteberry Shawnee Mission, Kansas May 20, 2020
Richard Randall Wichita, Kansas July 30, 2020
Richard “Dick” Bond Overland Park, Kansas July 23, 2020
John Seeber Wichita, Kansas August 20, 2019
Barton Brown Overland Park, Kansas November 28, 2019
1954
1963
Ralph King, Jr. Lawrence, Kansas August 2, 2020
Terry Fiske Englewood, Colorado November 20, 2019
J. Fred Kubik Wichita, Kansas January 4, 2020
Hermia Traurig Kaplan Santa Cruz, California July 15, 2019
1955
Robert Meeker Leawood, Kansas July 25, 2020
Donald Dirks Bronxville, New York October 13, 2019 Richard Jackson Brush, Colorado December 14, 2019
1956 Hon. Jimmie Grey Park City, Kansas January 18, 2020 44 KU LAW MAGAZINE
1957
1965 Robert Collins Apollo Beach, Florida September 8, 2019 Richard Ewy Wichita, Kansas September 8, 2020
IN MEMORIAM Allan Fanning Kansas City, Missouri February 4, 2020 Edward Wall Appleton, Wisconsin November 19, 2019
1966 Edmond Kinch Wichita, Kansas May 26, 2020
1967 Edward Horne Roeland Park, Kansas August 9, 2019 Robert Lundblad Kansas City, Kansas December 28, 2019 Charles “Chuck” Zarter Shawnee Mission, Kansas August 31, 2020
1968 Gary Kelley Shawnee Mission, Kansas January 8, 2020
1969 Donald Feinstein Columbus, Ohio October 15, 2019 George William “Bill” Frick Palm Desert, California July 5, 2020 Joseph Henderson Simpsonville, Kentucky March 11, 2020
1971 Gary Hale Lawrence, Kansas January 3, 2020 Lt. Col. Ralph Lurker Columbus, Georgia April 4, 2020
1972 George Burns San Diego, California March 29, 2020
James Margolin Mission Hills, Kansas January 8, 2020
1973 Leonard Clark Jr. Wichita, Kansas July 11, 2020
1974 Joseph Holman Prairie Village, Kansas September 6, 2019 Lynn Myers Springfield, Missouri February 11, 2020
1983 Ronald Heape Lawrence, Kansas November 4, 2019
1984 Michael Carpenter Evanston, Illinois September 4, 2020
1986 Mary Taves Kansas City, Missouri April 5, 2020
1987
1975
Reginald “Reggie” Robinson Lawrence, Kansas September 19, 2020
Stephen Robison Wichita, Kansas April 13, 2020
David Shay Kansas City, Missouri May 11, 2020
1976
1988
Floy Lambertson Shaeffer Barrington, Illinois February 17, 2020
1977 Roger Badeker Alma, Kansas June 30, 2019 Steven Ruddick Kansas City, Kansas April 7, 2020
1978 David Tittsworth Washington, D.C. January 8, 2020
Douglas Peterson Kansas City, Missouri March 3, 2020
1990 Richard Haskins Las Vegas, Nevada July 4, 2020
1999 Jeff Hovious Lee’s Summit, Missouri November 24, 2019
Class of 2022
1980
Cole Bonvallet Woodinville, Washington December 22, 2019
Mark Bennett Dallas, Texas July 19, 2020
Faculty
1982 Lawrence Seaman Jr. Overland Park, Kansas October 25, 2019 Melanie Schliebs Sewickley, Pennsylvania August 1, 2020
Former Dean and Professor Emeritus Martin Dickinson Joined KU Law in 1967, retired in 2015 Estes Park, Colorado January 5, 2020
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