KU Law Magazine | 2022

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

Doug Bonney, L'85

Sydney Halas

Mike Krings

Amanda McElfresh

Michele Rutledge

Susanne Stoupakis

PHOTOS

KU Endowment

KU Marketing

Ashley Golledge

Margaret Hair

Meg Kumin

Bill Petros

Earl Richardson, L’08

Tim Seley 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. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

New faculty

Jamila Jefferson-Jones joined KU as a professor of law and the inaugural dean of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

Earl Richardson

IN BRIEF

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

GIVING BACK

LIKE A JAYHAWK

Alumni, students support communities with pro bono work

As a new attorney in Atlanta back in the early 1990s, I took advantage of a pro bono opportunity offered by the Georgia Bar Association. Relying on my tax background, I volunteered to draft estate plans for individuals facing terminal illness. Decades later, the need for attorneys to provide free legal advice to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access it remains strong. I’m proud to say that KU Law students and alumni meet this need extremely generously.

In this issue of KU Law Magazine, we feature alumni who devote their time and expertise to pro bono service. Carly Boothe works with Johnson County organizations and KU Law students to help families obtain guardianship of loved ones. Jere Sellers and Rich Cook partner with fellow Stinson attorneys to support the Marlborough neighborhood of Kansas City. Mary Olson, Bill Walberg and Ellen Bertels assist Kansans and Missourians with name changes on legal documents. Madhu Singh advises small businesses and nonprofits in Washington state on legal matters. Dwight Alexander, Dana Pugh Tafreshi and many other KU Law alumni take on pro bono clients through the Medical-Legal Partnership.

They do this work as part of successful legal careers, meeting their ethical duty as attorneys to expand access to justice through pro bono service.

At KU Law, we started the Pro Bono Program to inspire future Jayhawk lawyers to do the same. Now in its sixth year, the program recognizes students for their

service and matches them with pro bono opportunities including the Guardianship Assistance Program, the Clean Slate Criminal Record Expungement Clinic and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. Those pro bono projects give students hands-on experience working to accomplish the goal that brought many of them to law school: to help people. Our alumni serve as supervising attorneys and mentors for many of these efforts, as well as through our field placement and career development programs.

Thank you, as always, to our graduates for giving back to the KU Law community and to our broader communities.

Stephen W. Mazza Dean and Professor of Law

COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY

PROFESSOR WINS AWARD FOR OPEN ACCESS LAW TEXTBOOKS

Professor Corey Rayburn Yung is one of two recipients of the 2022 David Shulenburger Award for Innovation & Advocacy in Scholarly Communication, granted by the KU Libraries.

Yung is recognized for his publication of two open educational resource law textbooks that have helped reduce costs for students.

Concerned about the affordability of course materials used in his classroom and their overly broad scope and outdated laws, Yung decided to publish two open access textbooks in his research areas, Sex Crimes and Criminal Law.

“Law school materials are very expensive and not very flexible or adaptable, even for professors, so you end up with a system that doesn't really work well for anyone, which is why I started writing some open access materials,” Yung said.

His free and open textbooks are now used in universities and law schools across the country.

“Professor Yung demonstrates a deep and sustained interest in decreasing costs for law students by creating multiple editions of two open textbooks that are adopted widely,” said Josh Bolick, head of scholarly communication and copyright at KU. “In a field known for costly education, that's an important contribution.”

— KU Libraries

PROVIDING ACCESS TO JUSTICE

KU Law’s Legal Aid Clinic hosted two Clean Slate Criminal Record Expungement Clinics in 2022. Student interns and volunteers hosted virtual intake days on March 2 and 3, and an in-person clinic at the Lawrence Public Library on Sept. 12. The clinic is a partnership with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.

An expungement seals an arrest record, diversion or conviction from public view, with certain exceptions. The Legal Aid Clinic provides free representation to eligible individuals seeking to expunge records in Douglas County District Court or Lawrence Municipal Court.

“For those who are eligible, expungement can have life-changing consequences,” said Melanie Daily, director of the Legal Aid Clinic. “Individuals who achieve expungement can apply for better jobs, volunteer their time, obtain better housing and participate in our community once their records are cleared to reflect who they are now, rather than what they did long ago.”

The spring and fall clinics served 76 clients, with expungements granted in over 75 cases so far. More than 30 KU Law students volunteered for the clinics.

Legal Aid Clinic interns and student volunteers assisted with an expungement clinic intake day in September at the Lawrence Public Library.

GIVING BACK

Women in Law raised over $3,700 for The Willow and Jana's Campaign during the spring Pub Night, and another $555 during a 5K fun run this fall.

DIVERSITY BANQUET RAISES OVER $50K

At the 27th Annual Diversity in Law Banquet on April 16, supporters contributed more than $50,000 to the Diversity in Law Scholarship.

The Hispanic American Law Students Association hosted this year's event, a celebration of diversity in the legal profession and fundraiser for student scholarships. Pablo Mose, L'15, was the keynote speaker. Mose is a partner with Rebein Brothers Law Firm in Dodge City. Thank you to all who attended!

The 28th Annual Diversity in Law Banquet is planned for March 3, 2023. Visit law.ku.edu/diversity-banquet for updates.

Earl Richardson

Clockwise from top: Members of the Hispanic American Law Students Association (HALSA) hosted the 2022 banquet; attendees gather at the Oread; Pablo Mose, L'15, gives the keynote address; Hon. Joseph Johnson, L'76, talks with TJ Briggs, L'20; Diversity in Law Banquet poster.

Students prepared federal and state tax returns through the pro bono Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program during the 2022 tax season.

STATS & HIGHLIGHTS

Overall employment was nearly 97% for the Class of 2021. This is the eighth consecutive year for employment + full-time grad school over 90%.

KU RANKS AMONG TOP LAW SCHOOLS FOR BAR PASSAGE, BEST

JOBS

The entering Class of 2025 set a new record for the strongest academic credentials in KU Law’s history.

KU Law graduates who took the bar exam for the first time in 2021 had one of the highest success rates in the country.

KU posted the 11th-highest first-time bar exam pass rate nationally, according to an analysis by Reuters. Nearly 96% of KU Law graduates who took a bar exam for the first time during the 2021 calendar year passed.

“As an institution, we have focused on removing obstacles for, and investing in, our students through donor-funded bar exam preparation and other programs,” said Dean Stephen Mazza. “It’s encouraging to see that, when coupled with the outstanding determination exhibited by the Class of 2021, we have been able to achieve outstanding outcomes.”

KU Law’s Bar Prep Program offers students a post-graduation Themis Bar Review course that includes a simulated bar exam. Graduates who took the bar exam in 2021 were in the first class to participate in all three years of the program.

National Jurist Magazine recognized KU as one of the "25 Most Innovative Law Schools" for first-year mediation training.

Alumni gifts support the Bar Prep Program, making it possible for KU Law to be one of a few law schools nationally to offer a commercial, post-graduation bar review course at no cost to students.

Nearly 95% of graduates in the KU Law Class of 2021 found full-time, long-term legal employment, according to data reported to the ABA. KU Law ranks eighth among law schools nationwide in the category sometimes referred to as “best jobs” — defined as full-time, long-term positions that require passing a bar exam or where a law degree offers an advantage.

Above the Law ranked KU 10th among public law schools and 30th overall in its 2022 “Top 50 Law Schools” list. The list focuses on strong employment outcomes, low education cost and low graduate debt. KU Law rose 14 spots overall compared to 2021.

CONNECTING SCHOLARS

2022 LAW JOURNAL SYMPOSIUM POST-PANDEMIC PRIVACY

The 2022 Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy Symposium, “Post-Pandemic Privacy: Health, Data, and Dignity,” focused on post-pandemic privacy implications concerning health care, technology and cybersecurity. The Law Journal co-hosted the symposium with PrivacyPraxis, an annual privacy law conference founded by Associate Professor Najarian Peters.

The symposium was presented as an online event on Feb. 11. Kimberly Mutcherson, co-dean and professor of law at Rutgers Law School in Camden, opened the event with a keynote presentation on reproductive justice in a post-pandemic world.

Presenters included Renée Landers, Suffolk University; Jody Madeira, Indiana University; Leah Fowler, University of Houston; Barry Furrow, Drexel University; Jacob Elberg, Seton Hall; Sam Halabi, Georgetown; David Opderbeck, Seton Hall; Teri Dobbins Baxter, University of Tennessee; and Thomas Williams, Duke. Speakers shared their expertise as part of two topical panels and a roundtable discussion on the disproportionate impact of the pandemic in racially marginalized communities.

“We wanted to discuss these topics with several privacy, health care and technology law experts who could formulate solutions to important privacy and security concerns raised during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Symposium Editor Melinda Foshat, L’22.

The next Law Journal Symposium will be on Feb. 10, 2023. Learn more at law.ku.edu/law-journal

CASAD COMPARATIVE LAW LECTURE

International legal scholar Jens Woelk discussed post-conflict federalism during the Casad Comparative Law Lecture on April 19 at KU Law.

Woelk presented “Forced Together, Never Sustainable? Post-Conflict Federalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” Woelk is a professor of comparative constitutional law at the University of Trento, Italy.

The Casad lecture series is named in honor of Professor Emeritus Robert C. Casad, who was on the faculty of the KU School of Law from 1959 to 1997. Casad is internationally known for his scholarship in comparative civil procedure. The inaugural Casad lecture was held in 2008.

Top: Alec Feather, left, and Grace Tran.

Bottom: The NALSA moot court team, from left: Heddy PierceArmstrong, Brittany Ussery, Clay Karpowich, Braydn Monhollon, Alexandra Valin, Kevin Barnett, Emily Depew and Douglas Bartel.

Tim Seley / KU Marketing (opposite page)

Rachel Zierden and Konnor Manley advanced to the semifinals of the FBA Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition in March. Jared Harpt and Colin Murphy advanced to the quarterfinals and won best brief.

Natalie Nelson and Parker Bednasek went to the semifinals of the Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Competition. Jamie Crabtree and Zach Galyon also competed. Galyon won an oral advocacy award for his performance in preliminary rounds.

NATIONAL MOOT COURT COMPETITION

Grace Tran and Alec Feather advanced to the finals in the regional round of the National Moot Court Competition. The team’s performance earned them a spot in the national round in January, where they placed in the top 24 out of more than 130 teams from law schools across the country.

Emily Depew and Betsy Donahue competed in the Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship in January.

KU Law received an invitation as one of the top 16 moot court programs in the country. KU Law will return to the event in 2023, based on a No. 14 national ranking for 2021-2022.

NATIONAL NALSA MOOT COURT

For the second year in a row, a KU Law team won the top prize at the National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition. Emily Depew and Douglas Bartel won first place. The team also included Kevin Barnett, Clay Karpowich, Braydn Monhollon, Heddy Pierce-Armstrong, Brittany Ussery and Alexandra Valin.

“Our success at the competition is a testament to the strength of the entire KU NNALSA team and the broader KU Law community,” Bartel said. “The support of our team members, coaches, professors and colleagues carried us across the finish line.”

Sim Johal and Jamie Schaible made it to the elite eight round in the Herbert Wechsler National Criminal Law Moot Court Competition in March. Johal won third place for best oralist.

Three students represented KU Law at the Jaffe Transactional Law Invitational in March. Jessica Das, Denvoir Griffin and Stephany Rohleder placed second among teams negotiating for the buyer’s side during the in-person competition, hosted by Wayne State University.

Katelyn Girod and Helen Phillips competed at the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, after advancing to the final rounds of a regional competition.

Jessica Steffen and Stephen Tujague advanced to the semifinals at the Evans Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition.

Olivia Ruschill and Michal Whitney made the sweet 16 of the National Immigration Law Moot Court Competition.

EXCELLENCE IN ADVOCACY

KU LAW TEAMS EARN COMPETITION ACCOLADES

MOOT COURT PROGRAM CONTINUES TOP-30 RUN

Jillian Roy delivers an argument during the semi-final rounds of KU Law's In-House Moot Court Competition.

ONWARD, JAYHAWK LAWYERS

CELEBRATING THE KU LAW CLASS OF 2022

Clockwise

from top left: Graduates gather for a group photo outside the Lied Center; Professor Thomas Stacy hoods Luke Viestenz; Cathryn Lind receives her hood. Far right, from top: Dean Stephen Mazza; SJD candidate Abdulrahman Khalaf Almutlaq; Cortez Downey.

2021-2022 STUDENT AWARDS & PRIZES

ORDER OF THE COIF

Griffin Albaugh

Parker Bednasek

Minha Jutt

Eric Kerschen

Chloe Ketchmark

Alex Reed

Paul Renyer

Dahnika Short Ashlyn Shultz Marshall Stula

WALTER HIERSTEINER

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

Betsy Donahue

JUSTICE LLOYD KAGEY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Olivia Black

SAMUEL MELLINGER

SCHOLARSHIP, LEADERSHIP & SERVICE AWARD

Cortez Downey

C.C. STEWART AWARD IN LAW

Dahnika Short

ROBERT F. BENNETT STUDENT AWARD

Parker Bednasek

WILLIAM L. BURDICK PRIZE

Kevin Birzer

MARY ANNE CHAMBERS SERVICE AWARD

Trey Duran

JACK E. DALTON

LEGAL WRITING AWARD

Jared Harpt

Colin Murphy

Jessica Steffen

Stephen Tujague

GEORGE GARY DUNCAN SCHOLASTIC IMPROVEMENT PRIZE

Leah Hodges

ROBERT E. EDMONDS PRIZE IN CORPORATION & SECURITIES LAW

Alex Reed

Paul Renyer

Stephany Rohleder

FACULTY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Dahnika Short

Ashlyn Shultz

FAMILY FUND AWARD

Emily Depew

HERSHBERGER, PATTERSON, JONES & ROTH ENERGY LAW AWARD

Eric Kerschen

W. ROSS HUTTON LEGAL AID AWARD Chloe Ketchmark

LAW CLASS OF 1949 AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP

Karsyn Dahl David Halliwell

JANEAN MEIGS MEMORIAL AWARD

Natalie Nelson

JAMES P. MIZE TRIAL ADVOCACY AWARD

Hannah Eubanks

CHIEF JUSTICE LAWTON R. NUSS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ADVOCACY

Anshul Banga

PAYNE & JONES AWARDS

Karlie Bischoff

Brooke Brownlee

Chad Cook

Desiree Duke Makaylah Jones Hayley Koontz

Angelique Margve

Caitlin McPartland

Cameron Savard Isabela Solorio Justin Watkins

Connor Works

POLSINELLI MOOT COURT AWARDS

Best Oral Advocate: Amanda McElfresh

Second Best Oral Advocate: Emily Depew

Finalists: Allyson Monson, Jacob Barfield

Best Brief: Maddy Tannahill, Brien Stonebreaker

Second-Place Brief: Caleb Hanson, Steven Hendler

THE DRU MORT SAMPSON CENTER FOR DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Minha Jutt Heddy Pierce-Armstrong

SHAPIRO AWARD FOR BEST PAPER ON LAW & PUBLIC POLICY

Paula Lopez

UMB BANK EXCELLENCE IN ESTATE PLANNING AWARD

Sam Klaassen Andrew Tague

Earl Richardson

PRO BONO IMPACT

Jayhawks support communities, provide pro bono access to justice

Attorneys use the power and knowledge that come with a legal education to advocate for underserved clients and communities across a broad range of practice areas.

The alumni and students highlighted in the following pages represent a small sampling of KU lawyers who commit their time, energy and expertise to pro bono projects. They serve citizens in Kansas, Missouri and across the country, leading efforts that expand access to justice and opportunities for all.

Some of the projects featured regularly recruit student volunteers through the Pro Bono Program at the University of Kansas School of Law. Since the program started in 2017, KU Law students have reported more than 17,000 hours of pro bono service. Nearly 100 students have logged at least 50 individual hours to earn Pro Bono Distinction at graduation.

For students and attorneys inspired to get involved in pro bono work, Mary Olson, L’15, offers this advice: start now.

“Learn from the wisdom of the advocates who are mentoring you on the pro bono work you find impactful, and jump in. If you’ve got the passion, everything else you will quickly learn.”

STORIES BY MARGARET HAIR

Helping families in need

PRO BONO GUARDIANSHIP CLINIC ASSISTS JOHNSON COUNTY FAMILIES

Carly Boothe volunteers with several organizations that work with families who have adult children with disabilities. The organizations always have a long list of families that need guardianships.

To help meet that need, Boothe, L’06, launched a pro bono project with KU Law students in fall 2021. The Guardianship Assistance Program of Johnson County helps low-income families navigate the process of obtaining legal guardianship of their adult children with disabilities.

The process requires two nonrelated attorneys — one to represent the proposed guardians, one to represent the proposed ward. Non-contested guardianships can cost families $1,500 or more in attorney’s fees, Boothe said.

“The parents of adults with special needs are often isolated and financially drained due to one of the parents being unable to work if their loved one cannot stay home alone,” Boothe said.

Now in its second year, the program has helped 14 families obtain guardianship of their adult children with disabilities. Eighteen KU Law students have volunteered, committing dozens of pro bono hours since the pilot program launched. Students also volunteer for a guardianship program in Wichita.

For Boothe, pro bono work is a way to use her legal education to give back to her community.

“Everyone on this planet has gifts of some sort, and so what can we do to utilize those gifts? And for me, I can be in the courtroom,” Boothe said.

Recognizing her work with the guardianship assistance program, the Kansas Bar Association gave Boothe a Pro Bono Publico Award during the

2022 KBA Annual Meeting.

The guardianship program is a collaboration with the Johnson County Bar Association, Johnson County Developmental Supports, Kansas Legal Services and KU’s Public Interest Law Society. Boothe — who specializes in family law and mediation services through her firm, Boothe Walsh Law & Mediation — is a regular volunteer with several of the participating groups.

KU Law students volunteering for the program attend a virtual Guardianship 101 training. They work with mentor attorneys to conduct interviews, then draft pleadings based on those interviews. Students have a chance to attend a court hearing virtually, while mentor attorneys present the findings.

“I wanted this to be a hands-on program for the law students, so they could conduct actual client meetings, complete the necessary investigation and draft the required paperwork,” Boothe said. “I also wanted to introduce

this really rewarding area of law to students so they realize the level of impact we attorneys can have.”

Law student Rachel Henderson volunteered for the program to get experience in family law.

“Providing free legal services to low-income clients is incredibly rewarding. The clinic has played a part in preparing me for my career and has allowed me to make a difference in my community,” Henderson said.

Students told Boothe that they enjoyed hearing about each family's advocacy to “try to maximize the quality of life for these young adults,” Boothe said. Students approached those conversations respectfully, honoring the humility of the situation, she said.

“I think hearing about a forgotten part of our population, an ignored part of our population, was impactful,” Boothe said. “They really honored the conversations with the families.”

— Article by Margaret Hair, with reporting by Sydney Halas

Carly Boothe, L'06

Community partners

STINSON ATTORNEYS WORK FOR KC'S MARLBOROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD

The residents of the Marlborough neighborhood in southeast Kansas City, Missouri are passionate about their home. That passion fuels the work of the Marlborough Community Coalition (MCC), a nonprofit dedicated to sustaining and revitalizing the community.

Jere Sellers, L’93, and Richard Cook, L’07, hope to “keep a very vibrant community going and actually expanding,” through their pro bono work for the MCC, Sellers said.

Sellers and Cook — who are partners in Stinson’s Kansas City, Missouri, office — lead the law firm’s 13-year pro bono partnership with the Marlborough neighborhood. They see their role as outside general counsel to MCC’s board of directors, providing legal support, advice and guidance on initiatives ranging from housing rehabilitation to economic development to improving access to services.

Stinson has donated over 6,000 hours in pro bono legal services to the project, at a value of over $2 million in free legal work. Sellers and Cook donate hundreds of hours to the project each year, supported by Stinson’s attorneys, paralegals and summer associates.

Revitalizing housing

Sellers leads pro bono litigation of Abandoned Housing Act cases for the MCC. The Missouri statute allows not-for-profit groups to file a lawsuit, and with court approval and oversight clean up vacant properties, and ultimately receive an administrator’s deed to sell the houses. That litigation work is part of the MCC’s efforts to save and rehabilitate homes, Sellers said.

“A lot of the people who grew up in the area continue to live in the area, and feel strongly about keeping the diversity in Marlborough and trying to minimize gentrification. We’re trying to help them achieve all those things,” Sellers said.

Stinson partners with the MCC and Legal Aid of Western Missouri (LAWMO) as part of Legal Aid’s Adopt-A-Neighborhood Project. Building on the program’s success in the Marlborough neighborhood, LAWMO has expanded Adopt-A-Neighborhood to include seven urban core neighborhoods partnered with private law firms in Kansas City. Stinson’s offices in St. Louis and Minneapolis have started similar pro bono partnerships.

Economic development

In 2020, Cook led Stinson’s pro bono efforts to form an urban renewal area in Marlborough. The firm worked with the MCC, the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and students from the UMKC School of Law to complete a blight study that was required to form the urban renewal area. Now, Marlborough residents who renovate their homes can have their property taxes frozen for 10 years.

Pro bono work for the MCC is an extension of the real estate and economic development work that Cook does in his day-to-day practice, he said.

“Through that work you get to transform a community, revitalize a community, and make a positive impact on the built environment in a way that people can see. We’re trying to do some of those things in Marlborough,” Cook said.

Above: Jere Sellers talks with Stinson summer associates during a tour of the Marlborough neighborhood. Left: A group visits the decommissioned Marlborough Elementary School.

Sellers

Cook

An affiliated group, the Marlborough Community Land Trust (MCLT), recently formed to acquire and redevelop housing in the neighborhood. In 2021, Cook helped the MCLT close on the purchase of the decommissioned Marlborough Elementary School. The MCLT plans to redevelop the long-vacant school building to include housing and community services.

“This is a prime economic development opportunity for this area,” Cook said. “It’s important to Marlborough that this former community asset get utilized in a way that’s beneficial to the whole community.”

Neighbors in Kansas City

Sellers and Cook — who live in a nearby community on the Kansas side of the state line — said Marlborough is their neighbor. They see helping the MCC with pro bono legal work as a duty that comes with being an attorney and a good neighbor.

“I think we’d all agree that the practice of law is a privilege. With that privilege comes responsibility, and part of that responsibility is to help those that are less fortunate or otherwise don’t have the same access to the law,” Sellers said.

Through the long-term partnership, Cook said attorneys across the Stinson law firm — from litigators to transactional attorneys to new associates and even summer associates — can become invested in meaningful pro bono work.

“A lot of people go to law school wanting to be Atticus Finch and save the world, and you don’t always get that opportunity,” Cook said.

“Through doing pro bono projects and doing a project like this, it gives you a chance to do some positive good in the community.”

Project Affirmation

ALUMNI SUPPORT GENDER MARKER AND NAME CHANGE PROJECTS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI

Mary Olson, L’15, started working on Project Affirmation as a summer associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Project Affirmation offers pro bono legal representation in name change and gender marker amendment actions to transgender and non-binary individuals in the Kansas City area.

When Olson joined the firm full-time as an associate in the product liability group, she continued working on Project Affirmation and took the lead a couple of years later. The Project’s bench now includes 14 attorneys — four of them KU Law alumni (Bill Walberg, Katie Gates Calderon, Lindsey Heinz, and Olson) — and two paralegals.

Olson regularly hosts trainings to teach attorneys how to assist transgender clients with name change and gender marker amendment actions. The trainings give lawyers knowledge and resources to get active in their communities, Olson said.

“The goal is that no matter where a person lives, they have access to a local lawyer and ally who is able to help them,” Olson said.

In recognition of her advocacy for the trans community, Olson was recognized by The American Lawyer as a 2022 Young Lawyer of the Year Finalist, and has been honored with the 2022 Up & Coming (Pro Bono) and 2020 Diversity & Inclusion awards by Missouri Lawyers Media.

Bill Walberg, L’15, has worked with Project Affirmation for three

years. Walberg represents Project Affirmation clients individually and organizes attorneys to participate in drop-in clinics a few times each year. Working with the pro bono clinic is a way for Walberg to give back to the LGBTQ+ community, he said.

“It really brings me a lot of joy to see my clients get their names changed, their gender markers amended, so they can really live their true lives and true identities,” Walberg said.

Gender Marker and Name Change Project

In fall 2019, KU Law students Ellen Bertels and D.C. Hiegert worked with Olson to set up a training for students interested in providing gender marker and name changes for clients in the Lawrence area.

That training grew into the Gender Marker and Name Change Project. Operating within the KU Legal Aid Clinic at Green Hall, the GMNC Project provides pro bono legal representation for transgender and nonbinary individuals seeking affirming gender marker and name changes. Bertels said she and Hiegert started the project to provide opportunities for KU Law students to do public service, and to serve Kansas’ LGBTQ+ community.

As students, Bertels and Hiegert created their own training sessions for attorneys on gender marker and name changes. They also wrote and published the first guide to making gender marker

Olson

Walberg

changes on Kansas birth certificates.

Students interning with the Legal Aid Clinic continue to provide legal assistance for individuals seeking name and gender marker changes through the Douglas County District Court.

“When we started the project, it was our goal to help five to 10 Kansans with their name changes — to us, that would mean we had succeeded,” Bertels said. “So, to have the Legal Aid Clinic take name changes on as part of their everyday work, and to know they're still serving dozens of lowincome trans Kansans three years later, is beyond our wildest dreams.”

Bertels and Hiegert received the 2021 national PSJD Pro Bono Publico Award for their work launching the GMNC Project. This fall, the two 2021 KU Law graduates also received a pro bono award from the Kansas Bar Association.

Kansas Name Change Project

Bertels expanded the project into a proposal for the competitive Skadden Fellowship, to offer a similar program through Kansas Legal Services.

That winning proposal became the Kansas Name Change Project, which provides free legal support to Kansans seeking name changes and ID

corrections. Bertels started working with Kansas Legal Services to lead the project in fall 2021.

Through their own Skadden Fellowship, Hiegert works with the ACLU of Kansas to provide direct representation, community education and policy advocacy for LGBTQ+ Kansans.

As the Kansas Name Change Project has grown, Bertels has responded to clients’ comprehensive legal needs and visited with community groups to expand access.

“As I got to know clients better and learned more about their lives, we were able to solve legal issues beyond the name change. I've done eviction defense, consumer protection, expungements, and driver’s license reinstatements,” Bertels said.

The Kansas Name Change Project and Project Affirmation refer clients to each other. Twice a year, the Kansas Name Change Project partners with the KC Center for Inclusion and Project Affirmation to host a drop-in name change clinic for clients in Missouri and Kansas.

“It's wonderful to partner with attorneys at Shook, Hardy & Bacon to do such joyful, life-affirming legal work. These clinics are one of my favorite parts of the year,” Bertels said.

PRO BONO PROGRAM

Since the Pro Bono Program at KU Law launched in 2017, over 200 students have contributed 17,530 hours of free legal services.

“Our ethical rules as attorneys advise us that we should do pro bono service. It’s an important part of professional identity, and so developing that commitment to pro bono service in law school is really important,” said Meredith Schnug, program director.

KU Law’s Pro Bono Program defines pro bono work as uncompensated, law-related work that benefits the public, such as through a nonprofit organization or government agency.

The program gives students a chance, even in their first year, to get involved through short-term clinics, such as the Clean Slate Criminal Record Expungement Clinic. Those opportunities help students see what they can do with their law degree.

“So many students come to law school with the goal of wanting to help people, and they don’t have a lot of opportunity to do that in their first year because their studies are so demanding,” Schnug said.

“These shorter-term pro bono opportunities are a good way for them to be able to do that, to feel connected with the purpose that inspired them to come to law school.”

Ellen Bertels, center, and D.C. Hiegert, right, accept a KBA Award for their work on the Gender Marker and Name Change Project. Corey Shoup, Kansas Bar Association

Building impact

MADHU SINGH, L'08, HELPS SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS GROW

Madhu Singh has learned that legal questions can often times be a block for people looking to start businesses or nonprofits. That’s one of the reasons why Singh, L’08, devotes so much of her time to pro bono work. Working with organizations in Washington state, Singh advises nonprofits and small business owners on legal best practices, consulting new entrepreneurs and answering questions so they can build confidence to grow.

“That peace of mind that I’m able to give helps them feel empowered so they can go forward and flourish and contribute to the community, is what really drives me to do this,” Singh said.

Singh started volunteering with Wayfind Legal — a group that partners with nonprofits and microenterprises to build their capacity — shortly after she graduated from KU Law and moved to Seattle. She took on pro bono projects to advise small business

owners on their legal needs. Singh also took on pro bono work for nonprofits, helping them with tasks like creating board documents and filing an application to become a 501(c)(3).

Singh spoke with nonprofit associations all over Washington state — from the Washington Recreation & Park Association to the Washington State Farmers Market Association — on grantmaking, maintaining nonprofit status and general best practices. She is a regular speaker and contributor with Wayfind Legal and many of the state’s resource agencies.

When Wayfind Legal started a cohort of attorneys interested in working with nonprofits, Singh led the cohort for several years, teaching attorneys what it means to work with a nonprofit and how to consult with one. Singh was awarded Wayfind Legal’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award.

“It allowed me to have a broader reach. Instead of talking to one nonprofit, I was now advising 10 other

attorneys who each took on two nonprofits. My impact was more than doubled,” Singh said.

In a particularly memorable project, Singh worked with a group of immigrant small business owners to form a collective. By creating an alliance of smaller cleaning or janitorial businesses, the collective was able to land larger, multi-year contracts, get loans and look to provide health insurance for workers.

“It created a sustainable pathway for these immigrant business owners to get these bigger projects,” Singh said.

Singh’s latest project with Wayfind — which is now called Communities Rise — is developing a series of video trainings on legal questions. Her portion is on fiscal sponsorships. Through Communities Rise, Singh has been able to teach at community colleges, meet with Small Business Association groups and be a resource to the community. In 2014, she was also awarded Woman Business Owner of the Year with SBA, recognizing her growth of her own firm plus her contributions to the local SBA.

Now over a decade into her involvement in the Washington nonprofit community, Singh’s list of pro bono projects and volunteer roles keeps growing. Singh is in her third year serving as board president for TiE Seattle, the local chapter of a group that aims to foster entrepreneurship worldwide. She’s also the past board president of the Women’s Business Exchange and has served on boards for local bar associations.

Dedicating time to pro bono service is an expectation for new attorneys at Singh’s firm, Foundry Law Group.

“Doing pro bono work and volunteering is a good way to stay grounded in the community you’re looking to serve,” Singh said.

Improving legal, medical outcomes

ALUMNI TAKE ON PRO BONO WORK THROUGH MEDICAL-LEGAL PARTNERSHIP

When the KU School of Law Medical-Legal Partnership calls attorney Dwight Alexander, L’11, with a pro bono request, Alexander makes a point to answer the call.

In part, that’s because the Medical -Legal Partnership (MLP) and Alexander’s own practice have a similar goal: providing the best legal services possible to people who might not otherwise to be able afford them.

“We’re dealing with folks who pass the hat in order to get the amount of money that’s needed,” Alexander said. His solo practice, The Alexander Law Firm, focuses primarily on family law and criminal law for clients in Kansas City, Kansas.

The MLP is a collaboration between the KU School of Law and two health systems: The University of Kansas Health System at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and LMH Health in Lawrence. Under the supervision of experienced MLP attorneys, KU Law students assist in providing free legal assistance to low-income patients and their families on a broad range of civil matters.

Local attorneys support that work by helping with MLP cases pro bono, or by taking on matters that fall outside of the MLP’s scope of services.

Contributors include Alexander and Dana Pugh Tafreshi, L’12.

“Because of Dana, Dwight and other KU Law alums like them, dozens

of clients and their families are able to retain top-tier, excellent legal counsel,” said Lindsey Collins, managing attorney for the KUMC MLP.

“These are people who, very likely, would have no choice but to navigate our complex legal system alone, resulting in poorer outcomes for the most vulnerable in our communities. The time and expertise these alums provide to their clients and families is truly life-changing,” Collins said.

Collins estimates Alexander has contributed hundreds of pro bono or low bono hours over the years. His work includes serving as guardian ad litem in guardianship cases and helping with conservatorship cases.

MLP clients are referred by medical providers. In some cases, guardianship needs come up when patients become incapacitated from medical issues, and family members need to be able to care for them, Alexander said.

“They have people who are worthy of the assistance,” Alexander said. “People who are doing selfless things, who just need some help to be able to get the appropriate legal footing to do what they need to do for their friends and their families.”

Tafreshi takes several pro bono or low bono cases each year for the MLP through her firm, Tafreshi Law, LLC.

ABOUT THE MEDICAL-LEGAL PARTNERSHIP

Those matters include guardianships and estate planning, with occasional family law referrals.

“It’s important for every attorney to feel that sense of duty and service to give back,” Tafreshi said. “It’s really essential for our legal system, for those of us in private practice to help fill the gaps that our legal services organizations aren’t able to address.”

Tafreshi worked with the MLP as a post-graduate fellow, attorney and managing attorney after graduating from KU Law. When she started her private practice in 2017, Tafreshi stayed involved with the MLP by taking on pro bono work. She aims to meet the national challenge many larger law firms have committed to, giving at least 3% of her billable hours to pro bono or low bono work each year.

“There’s no reason why solo and small firms can’t try to shoot for that kind of benchmark,” Tafreshi said.

The pro bono work Tafreshi and Alexander do amplifies the MLP’s ability to give patients access to affordable, quality legal services that improve health outcomes.

For Alexander, the importance of providing those services comes down to a simple fact: “You shouldn’t have to have all the money under the sun in order to get stuff done,” he said.

The KU Law MLP started in Kansas City, Kansas, in 2008, and expanded to LMH Health in Lawrence in 2016. The program has provided legal assistance to thousands of low-income patients. In the Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement Program, students work under the supervision of experienced MLP attorneys to assist in providing free transactional legal assistance to patients and their families. Learn more: law.ku.edu/MLP.

Alexander

Tafreshi

'My most rewarding experiences'

Amanda McElfresh, 3L, volunteers for multiple pro bono projects as a law student

During her second year at KU Law, Amanda McElfresh volunteered with the Guardianship Assistance Program of Johnson County. McElfresh previously worked on guardianships as a paralegal before coming to law school and wanted to see what the guardianship process would look like from an attorney’s point of view.

The next semester, McElfresh was a volunteer intern with the ACLU of Kansas. She got interested in working with the organization after taking a class with Sharon Brett, an adjunct professor at KU Law and legal director for ACLU of Kansas.

“At that time, I had not quite figured out what I wanted to do with my law degree, but I knew I wanted to use it to help people and that is exactly what the ACLU of Kansas does,” McElfresh said.

The two pro bono projects have been McElfresh’s most rewarding experiences in law school, she said.

After graduation in May 2023, McElfresh plans to continue her community involvement while she completes a judicial clerkship. She shared more about her experience with pro bono projects at KU Law for a Q&A.

You've volunteered for multiple pro bono projects. What motivated you to stay involved?

I keep participating because these two projects have been part of my most rewarding experiences while I have been at KU Law. It is one thing to talk about the work that attorneys do in

class, and it is a whole other experience to actually do that work. Pro bono projects offer a learning environment where it is OK to ask questions and make mistakes because there is always a practicing attorney guiding you.

Is there an experience you've had working on a pro bono project that was especially impactful?

During my semester at the ACLU of Kansas, the State of Kansas was sued due to the maps the legislature had drawn for the next voting cycle. The ACLU of Kansas brought one of these lawsuits and I had a front row seat to the research, motion work, hearings and trial. This was an impactful experience because I saw how hard local attorneys were working to protect Kansas citizens’ access to vote and to have their votes count.

Do you think you'll continue this kind of work after you start your career?

I do plan on continuing pro bono work as part of my career. I am clerking after graduation and the judge I am clerking for does a lot of community

outreach though internship programs, opening his courtroom to local mock trial and debate teams, and making sure the courtroom is an accessible place for everyone in the community. I will also continue to focus on doing pro bono work after my clerkship ends because giving back to the community is one of the most important things that lawyers can do.

What would you say to law students who are considering volunteering for a pro bono project?

Every student should volunteer for a pro bono project! It is the perfect way to put into practice the concepts we discuss in class, it makes you more confident for summer internships, and projects can be as short or as long as students want them to be.

“These two projects have been part of my most rewarding experiences while I have been at KU Law. It is one thing to talk about the work that attorneys do in class, and it is a whole other experience to actually do that work.”

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Recording the legacy of Prof. Goetz

DOUG BONNEY, L’85, INTERVIEWED ALUMNI, FACULTY FOR ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

As a career labor lawyer, Doug Bonney had always held former KU Law professor Raymond Goetz in high regard.

Goetz taught University of Kansas School of Law students contracts, labor law and labor arbitration from 1967 to 1987. At Green Hall, he built a reputation as a demanding professor and master of the Socratic method. Outside the classroom, Goetz built a national profile as a labor arbitrator, settling grievances for organizations including Major League Baseball and United Auto Workers.

Talking with fellow alumni over the years, Bonney, L’85, got a sense he wasn’t the only KU Law graduate who found Goetz influential to his legal career. He started researching Goetz’s work and considered doing a series of interviews for an oral history project about the professor’s legacy.

The idea simmered for a few years. When video meetings surged in popularity in 2020 and 2021, Bonney decided it was time to start recording interviews.

“When the pandemic started and I realized how to use Zoom, it became much more possible to do it,” Bonney said.

With permission from the Goetz family, Bonney

reached out to a list of about 30 KU Law graduates, labor lawyers and former law faculty. The response was strong, with people being “routinely very excited that I was doing this project,” Bonney said.

Born in 1922, Raymond Goetz would have celebrated his centennial year in 2022. He passed away in 2000. The 100-year anniversary aligned with the timing for Bonney’s oral history project.

Bonney conducted 16 Zoom interviews between February and May 2022, with contacts including Mike Delaney, L’76; former law professor and dean emeritus Mike Davis; Hon. John Lungstrum, L’70; William Bevan III, L’70; and L. Camille Hébert, L’82. Bonney talked with labor lawyers who had represented unions or acted as neutral arbitrators, as well as academics, judges and law firm partners.

Goetz’s legacy loomed large, even before students set foot in his classes.

“I was a summer starter, so during the summer people

Professor Raymond Goetz, right, talks with Professor Emeritus John Peck at a KU Law reception in this archive photo, courtesy of the Spencer Archives.

'A no-nonsense practitioner of the Socratic method'

talked about Goetz like he was a scary guy and very demanding,” Bonney said. “It turned out that I liked him a lot and that I liked the way that he handled his class, that he was serious and all business.”

Goetz expected students to be prepared to answer the questions he asked in class. The approach drew a frequent pop culture comparison.

“A lot of people told me during these interviews that they perceived him as KU’s Professor Kingsfield from ‘The Paper Chase,’” Bonney said.

Mike Delaney took Contracts with Professor Goetz during both semesters of his first year at KU Law. The “Paper Chase” comparison was a common one, he said.

“That portrayal was Ray Goetz to a T in the classroom — very formal, very demanding,” Delaney said. “He bored in and wouldn’t let you off the hook until he was either pretty sure that he had gotten everything useful out of you, or he had made it pretty clear that you ought to be better prepared the next time you were called on.”

Being the subject of Goetz’s cross-examinations in the classroom was intimidating, Delaney said, but the goal was to help students understand the day’s topic.

“If you were confused about the material or you hadn’t thought it through very carefully, your primary concern was being embarrassed in front of your classmates. But that wasn’t Ray’s point in the way he questioned people,” Delaney said. “It was to try to get folks to try to think more deeply about what he had in mind.“

Bonney remembers Goetz’s demeanor being different outside of the classroom — that he clearly was interested in his students and the type of law they wanted to pursue. In an article he wrote chronicling Goetz’s career, Bonney described him this way:

“He always wore coat and tie to his

classes and strode into the well of the classroom with a lively step and a confident air. Once in position, Professor Goetz would peer out into the class, raise his arched eyebrows, and — in his booming voice — interrogate the next student in line about the day’s topic. Goetz was renowned as a no-nonsense practitioner of the Socratic method, and many first-year contracts students rued the day they were slotted into his section.

“Outside of class, however, he was an approachable and gregarious person with varied interests, including writing short stories and collecting modern art,” Bonney wrote.

Delaney also remembers Goetz’s personal style being different from his classroom one. And the semester after “The Paper Chase” came out in theaters, Goetz made some changes to his classroom demeanor — moving up and down the rows to call on students, instead of calling on them at random.

During his time at KU Law, Goetz also worked as a labor arbitrator. He joined the National Academy of Arbitrators and was secretary of the ABA Labor Law Section. From 1979 to 1984, he was Major League Baseball’s permanent arbitrator on grievances, then worked as a baseball salary arbitrator from 1984 to 1991. Goetz took phased retirement at KU in the early 1980s, fully retiring in 1987.

“Given his scholarship and his stature in the labor law bar, he could have gone anywhere in the country,” Delaney said. “KU was extraordinarily lucky to have him land there and then stay for the rest of his career.”

Interview recordings

Bonney shared recordings of his interviews with the Spencer Research Library at KU. Library staff are working to process the digital collection. Researchers can contact the university archivist to access the interviews.

PROFESSOR GOETZ: CAREER SNAPSHOT

1950: Graduated from University of Chicago Law School

1950-1966: Practiced labor law at Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson

1963: Earned MBA from University of Chicago 1966: Joined the KU Law faculty as a visiting professor; joined full-time faculty in 1967 1979-1984: MLB's permanent arbitrator on grievances 1984: Became a primary arbitrator for Ford Motor Company and UAW; became a salary arbitrator for MLB 1987: Retired from KU

RAYMOND GOETZ LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW SUPPORT FUND

William Bevan III, L’70, created the Raymond Goetz Labor and Employment Law Support Fund with a $25,000 gift to KU Endowment. The fund is intended to support programs related to labor and employment law. It will also create an award for third-year students studying labor or employment law.

“He meant a great deal to me as a professor, as a teacher and as a mentor,” Bevan said of Professor Goetz.

To make a gift, visit kuendowment.org/law and enter “Goetz Labor and Employment Law Support (12467)” in the “other purpose” field.

NEW FACULTY

JEFFERSON-JONES JOINS KU LAW AS PROFESSOR, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR DEIB

Jamila Jefferson-Jones joined the KU Law faculty this fall as a professor of law. Jefferson-Jones also serves as the law school’s inaugural associate dean for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). She will teach courses in property law beginning in the spring semester.

As associate dean, Jefferson-Jones leads diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives for the School of Law. She is coordinating with DEIB advisory committees of faculty and staff, students and alumni to set a strategic vision for KU Law’s efforts in this area.

“I am excited to join the KU Law community and continue the important

work of DEIB to which so many members of this community have already shown their commitment,” Jefferson-Jones said.

“I hope to implement cohesive and empowering programming and initiatives that will not only strengthen DEIB at the law school, but will establish our law school as a national leader in this area,” she said.

A graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College, Jefferson-Jones most recently served as professor of law and associate director of property, equity and justice for the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University School of Law. She was previously a

professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Jefferson-Jones was a visiting associate professor of law at KU in spring 2018.

Jefferson-Jones writes about property and wealth attainment by communities and groups on the margins of society. Her scholarship and articles have appeared in the American University Law Review, Iowa Law Review and many other scholarly publications, and have been featured in the New York Times.

Prior to beginning her career in academia, Jefferson-Jones practiced law for over a decade at firms in the District of Columbia and in her hometown of New Orleans.

Earl Richardson

Raj Bhala Business Insider

“Self-sanctioning is consistent with broader trends in international trade and finance, namely, securing supply chains against human rights violations, and promoting ESG investments.” On imposing “moral sanctions” limiting business in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The majority of what state supreme courts do, there’s this little sliver that intersects with these hot-button political issues.” On the regular work of state supreme courts, and the potential effect of political pressures facing courts after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Richard Levy ABC News

“The court adopted the most rigorous form of constitutional analysis, known as strict scrutiny. In Kansas, under current law, regulations on abortion are valid only if

“I think that there are large swaths of our population who don't see themselves reflected in our courts, and don't see their experiences being taken into consideration. That degrades trust in the court as an institution.” On the historic nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

Lou Mulligan Politico

Jordan Carter University Daily Kansan

Kyle Velte was promoted to full professor and began serving as associate dean for faculty at the KU School of Law this fall. The graduating Class of 2022 selected Velte to receive the Dean Frederick J. Moreau Award, recognizing a professor who has gone above and beyond in advising and counseling students.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

SEC WHISTLEBLOWER PROGRAMS MARRED BY MISMANAGEMENT, SECRECY

The federal government is relying more than ever on whistleblowers to sniff out corporate fraud and misconduct. According to a study by Associate Professor Alexander Platt, the government programs that pay “bounties” to whistleblowers who come forward have been hampered by mismanagement, cronyism and abuse.

Platt spent the better part of two years battling the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission over a series of Freedom of Information Act requests for information about the whistleblower programs. When he finally prevailed, he saw what the agencies might have been trying to cover up. Among other findings presented in his study, Platt shows that the CFTC has awarded nearly two-thirds of all money to tipsters represented by a single law firm and the SEC had disproportionately favored tipsters represented by former SEC officials.

“These are extremely secretive programs,” Platt said. “The agencies have to preserve anonymity for whistleblowers, many of whom still work for companies they’re reporting on. The problem is, the agencies have invoked this justification as an excuse to also hide embarrassing or controversial information about the programs' operations.”

Platt pays particular attention to the role of the revolving door. About one-quarter of dollars awarded by the SEC have gone to clients of lawyers who formerly worked for the agency.

A writeup of Platt’s study, “The Whistleblower Industrial Complex,” appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Additional media coverage of Platt’s work has appeared in outlets including Bloomberg, Law.com and Business Insider. SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda cited Platt's work in an announcement calling for more transparency in the whistleblower program.

The study is forthcoming in the Yale Journal on Regulation. — Mike Krings

BOOK CHAPTER TRACES EVOLUTION OF CHINESE LAW

China is a major player on the world stage, and nations around the globe watch it to see what steps it will take next politically, economically and legally. But a relatively recent change in China’s approach to law has altered its “legal soul” and made it unpredictable, a KU professor wrote in a new book chapter.

For centuries, Chinese law was largely guided by Confucianism. But in the early 20th century, that approach was discarded in favor of legalism. John Head, Robert W. Wagstaff Distinguished Professor of Law, traced the evolution of China’s legal philosophies and how that evolution contributes to the state of the country in “The Routledge International Handbook of Morality, Cognition, and Emotion in China,” edited by Ryan Nichols.

Head traced the more than 2,000-year tradition of Chinese law. He wrote that in ways not found in other countries, the Chinese legal tradition has been based on competing ideologies: Confucianism, or an informal approach of unwritten rules enforced by a cultivated elite, and legalism, a more formal approach involving written laws backed by harsh punishments. Over many centuries, the two approaches have competed for influence. This competition largely ended, though, in the early 20th century. Then, the informal approach was cast aside and legalism has been the dominant philosophy since, thus altering China’s “legal soul,” Head wrote. — Mike Krings

iStock.com

FACULTY KUDOS

Jamila Jefferson-Jones accepted the 2021 Jefferson B. Fordham Advocacy Award from the ABA Section on State and Government Law.

EDUCATION PRIVACY LAW FAILING, INCLUDING RACIALIZED 'DIRTY DATA'

Lou Mulligan is serving as KU’s interim vice provost for faculty affairs. Mulligan will continue teaching as an Earl B. Shurtz Research Professor at KU Law.

Congress passed the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, known as FERPA, in 1974 in large part due to concerns about inaccurate and misleading data collected in schools that could negatively affect students. New research from Associate Professor Najarian Peters argues that FERPA should be enhanced to add more protections to prevent the inclusion of that type of information, known as dirty data, in the education record.

While FERPA was intended to protect students and their families from misleading or damaging information in the education record, the law lacks protections against inaccurate data inclusion at the point of collection. In an article published in the Washington and Lee Law Review, Peters outlined how the law could be enhanced.

Corey Rayburn Yung received the KU Libraries 2022 Shulenburger Award for Innovation & Advocacy in Scholarly Communication, for his work creating opensource law textbooks.

Peters coined the term “digital golemization” for the phenomenon of inaccurate, incomplete or misleading data being placed in the digital record, which then goes on to potentially shape and influence a student’s reputation and resulting structure of opportunities.

The author cited research that has long shown how children of color are regularly overrepresented in disciplinary measures taken in schools and how they are reprimanded more severely than white children even for similar infractions. Furthermore, data has long shown that such students are underrepresented in access to programs such as Advanced Placement.

“This data goes only one way across the country. That should tell us there is something very wrong with the patterns, practices and, perhaps most importantly, the intentions at work here,” Peters said.

The author examined how data, which is not required to be verified upon its inclusion in the educational record, is similar in effect to that in the criminal justice system and plays a role in placing some students in the school-to-prison pipeline.

The article is part of a new area of privacy law that Peters is developing regarding privacy and racial marginality. — Mike Krings

Associate Professor Najarian Peters is developing a new area of privacy law regarding privacy and racial marginality. Earl Richardson

TWO KU LAW PROFESSORS ELECTED TO THE AMERICAN LAW INSTITUTE

Professors Uma Outka and Andrew Torrance are the newest KU Law members of The American Law Institute.

ALI is an independent national organization that produces scholarly work to clarify, modernize and otherwise improve the law. There are now nine active KU Law faculty who are members of the Institute.

Outka joined KU Law in 2011, served as associate dean for faculty from 2019 to 2022, and was named the William R. Scott Law Professor in 2019. Outka is an affiliate faculty member of KU's Environmental Studies Program, Center for Environmental Policy and Institute for Policy & Social Research.

Outka works at the intersection of energy law and environmental law. Her scholarship explores the legal context for energy transition. Outka is a co-principal investigator on a multi-institutional project to give communities a voice in policy guiding the transition to renewable energy, supported by a $500,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Torrance joined the KU Law faculty in 2005 and was named the Paul E. Wilson Distinguished Professor of Law in 2019. He serves as associate dean for graduate and international law. Torrance won a 2015 University Scholarly Achievement Award, has been recognized as a Docking Faculty Scholar and is a former Earl B. Shurtz

Research Professor. He received the Dean Frederick T. Moreau Teaching and Mentoring Award at KU Law in 2018.

Torrance teaches and conducts research in patent law, intellectual property, food and drug regulation, biotechnology law, biodiversity law, biolaw, and empirical, experimental and big data approaches to the law. He has been a visiting scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management since 2012 and a fellow of the Gruter Institute for Law and Behavioral Research since 2010. Torrance led the intellectual property department at the Eli and Edythe Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard from August 2019

to July 2021.

“Membership in the ALI is the law school equivalent of National Academy designations in other academic disciplines. It is among the highest honors a member of our faculty can receive,” said Stephen Mazza, dean of the KU School of Law.

Additional KU Law faculty members of ALI are: Raj Bhala, Christopher R. Drahozal, Laura Hines, Michael E. Hoeflich, Stephen Mazza, Stephen McAllister and Stephen Ware.

Professors Uma Outka, left, and Andrew Torrance are the newest KU Law members of The American Law Institute.

L. Camille Hébert, L’82

Hébert has distinguished herself through her dedication to educating the next generation of lawyers. She is the Carter C. Kissell Professor of Law at Ohio State University College of Law, where she has served as the associate dean for academic affairs and as director for the Center for Law, Policy and Social Science. She has written or co-written four books. Before starting her career in higher education, Hébert practiced labor and employment law. Hébert received her law degree in 1982 and is a former editor-in-chief of the Kansas Law Review.

Irma Stephens Russell, L’80

Russell is the Edward A. Smith/Missouri Endowed Chair in Law, the Constitution and Society at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. She has taught at several other universities, including the University of Montana School of Law, where she served as dean. She has returned to KU Law twice as a visiting professor, most recently teaching enviromental law in spring 2022.

Russell practiced law for a decade before beginning her career in higher education. She clerked for the Hon. James Logan of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals after earning her undergraduate, master’s and law degrees from KU.

James May, L’89

May is a law professor and environmental and human rights lawyer. He is a distinguished professor of law, founder of the Global Environmental Rights Institute and co-founder of the Dignity Law Institute at Widener University Delaware Law School. He has written more than 20 books, 50 book chapters and 60 law review articles. May has advocated in public interest matters before international, regional, federal and state tribunals, all pro bono. He serves on the ABA's Environmental Justice Task Force and as a special representative for the International Council of Environmental Law, and is the founder or co-founder of several nonprofits. May earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1985 and a law degree in 1989, both from KU, and an LL.M. from Pace University.

Earl Richardson

KU LAW ALUMNI RETURN TO LAWRENCE FOR HOMECOMING &

REUNION

Graduates in the KU Law classes of 1982, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2012 reunited during Homecoming Weekend, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Alumni gathered for a reception and dinner at The Oread, then cheered on the Jayhawks during the Homecoming football game.

PHOTOS BY EARL RICHARDSON

Jared Hiatt, L'07, right, and Peter Johnston, L'97, talk with a student during Legal Career Options Day at the Burge Union Meg Kumin, KU Marketing

2021-2022

VOLUNTEER HONOR ROLL

The Volunteer Honor Roll recognizes the many KU Law graduates who donate time, energy and expertise to enhancing the law school student experience. They mentor and stage mock interviews with students, guest lecture in law classes and at student organization events, judge moot court rounds, host alumni receptions and serve on boards. We value your contributions volunteering for the benefit of future generations of KU lawyers. Get involved at law.ku.edu/volunteer

Names that follow represent volunteer efforts from April 2021 to April 2022. If you are aware of omissions or errors, please contact Margaret Hair at mhair@ku.edu.

Above: Marie Woodbury, L’79, talks with students during the Deposition Skills Workshop, led by the Shook, Hardy & Bacon Center for Excellence in Advocacy. Left: Gerry Brenneman, L’85, lectures during the Due Diligence in Business Transactions Workshop, led by the Polsinelli Transactional Law Center.

CAREER FAIRS & PROGRAMS

Quentin Aker, L’20

Susan Alig, L’11

Christopher Allman, L’89

Harrison Baker, L’21

J. Houston Bales, L’17

Kasey Barton, L’09

Jennifer Bartos, L’21

Nicholas Bertron, L’16

Erik Blume, L’19

Maggie Brakeville, L’20

Terra Brockman, L’20

Michael Cappo, L’13

Andrew Carpenter, L’94

Ryan Carpenter, L’00

James Carter, L’12

Meryl Carver-Allmond, L’06

Hatem Chahine, L’01

Danielle Davey, L’09

Crystal Ellison, L’15

Mike Fischer, L’07

Lauren Fletcher, L’05

Marisol Garcia, L’21

Jessica Glendening, L’04

W. Rick Griffin, L’04

Joel Griffiths, L’12

Marilyn Harp, L’79

Rebecca Henderson, L’21

Jonathan Hines, L’13

Bradley Hook, L’18

Saber Hossinei, L’21

Hon. Jacy Hurst, L’07

Max Iverson, L’20

Nathan Jackson, L’10

Hon. Teresa James, L’84

Jordan Kane, L’18

Chris Kaufman, L’10

Claire Kebodeaux, L’18

Samuel LaRoque, L’18

Julie Larson, L’09

Tamera Lawrence, L’10

Shauna Leslie, L’19

Maddie Level, L’20

Ashlyn Lindskog, L’15

Jennifer Magana, L’93

Garrison Matthews, L’21

Maxwell McGraw, L’17

Hon. Deborah Hernandez

Mitchell, L’96

David Morantz, L’05

Stephen Nichols, L’18

Jeffrey Peier, L’83

Dallas Rakestraw, L’06

Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81

Blake Ronnebaum, L’20

Devin Ross, L’09

Jaden Scott, L’20

Sangeeta Shastry, L’18

Ron Shaver, L’05

Pierce Shimp, L’18

Kate Marples Simpson, L’14

Hon. Dale Somers, L’71

Ashley Stites-Hubbard, L’17

Jacob Turner, L’19

Darin Van Thournout, L’13

Jabari Wamble, L’06

Patrick Waters, L’04

Kelci Weber, L’19

Karlee Williams, L’19

Britton Wilson, L’08

Samantha Woods, L’13

Mary Kate Workman, L’21

THANK YOU

COMPETITION JUDGES & COACHES

Cliff Brazen, L’14

Chris Carey, L’19

Maria Drouhard, L’19

Karen Fritts, L’21

Ryan Hudson, L’05

Caleb Kampsen, L’21

Jordan Kane, L’18

Anna Kimbrell, L’14

Dan Kopp, L’19

Adam LaBoda, L’04

Braden Lefler, L’20

Hannah Lustman-Rodriguez, L’20

Nancy Musick, L’19

Andrew Nazar, L’05

Sarah Otto, L’18

Mathew Petersen, L’18

Ben Ramberg, L’21

Emily Reed, L’21

Nicki Rose, L’16

Kate Marples Simpson, L’14

Diana Stanley, L’20

Benjamin Stueve, L’18

Darin Van Thournout, L’13

Kevin Wempe, L’14

Thomas Witherspoon, L’14

From top: Jaden Scott, L’20, at Legal Career Options Day; Saber Hosseini, L’21, speaks about practicing in small communities; Paul Klepper, L’09, right, and Jackie Ratkey, L’15, present about careers in family law during a CSO event. KU Marketing (top) and Margaret Hair

GUEST LECTURERS, SPEAKERS & PANELISTS

Dwight Alexander, L’11

Ben Ashworth, L’15

Malika Baker, L’20 Hon. Lisa Beran, L’86 Paige Blevins, L’15 Carly Boothe, L’06 John Bowman, L’80

Megan Carroll, L’18 Hon. Amy Fellows Cline, L’00 Matthew Cohen, L’18

Jeff Coppaken, L’13 Hon. Toby Crouse, L’00 Kirstyn Dvorak, L’21

Elizabeth Evers, L’06 Bradley Finkeldei, L’99 Marisol Garcia, L’21 Christopher Green, L’16 Suzanne Hale Robinson, L’15 Katie Harpstrite, L’07 Hon. Teresa James, L’84

Hon. Paul Klepper, L’09

Gayle Larkin, L’90

Travis Lenkner, L’05

Ashlyn Lindskog, L’15 Kelli Lieurance, L’05

Erica McCabe, L’17

Alison McCourt, L’15

Hon. Debra McLaughlin, L’93 Jean Menager, L’14

TC Penland, L’15

Demetrius Peterson, L’09 Robin Randolph, L’16 Emily Reed, L’21

Ron Rundberg, L’91

Kate Marples Simpson, L’14

Samantha Sweley, L’15

Dana Pugh Tafreshi, L’12

Hon. Keynen Wall Jr., L’02 Jabari Wamble, L’06

Eric Witmer, L’17

ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS

Erica Ash, L’19

William Bahr, L’97

Kasey Barton, L’09

Diane Bellquist, L’02

Trevor Bond, L’15

Maggie Brakeville, L’20

Aaron Breitenbach, L’01

Reid Day, L’16

Ashley Dillon, L’13

Max Ellenbecker, L’14

Andrew Ellis, L’11

Bradley Finkeldei, L’99

Mike Fischer, L’07

Kelly Foos, L’09

Andrew Geren, L’13

Colin Gotham, L’00

Elizabeth Hanus, L’17

Robert Hoffman, L’93

Christopher Joseph, L’00

Claire Kebodeaux, L’18

Jessica Leavitt, L’14

Kurt Level, L’92

Anna Meyer, L’21

Terelle Mock, L’04

Andy Nolan, L’98

Lannie Ornburn, L’96

Samantha Patterson, L’20

Christine Rosengreen, L’06

David Schapker, L’10

David Seely, L’82

Ron Shaver, L’05

Pierce Shimp, L’18

Kate Marples Simpson, L’14

Wesley Smith, L’98

Jacob Turner, L’19

Sean Walsh, L’11

Abigail Warnke, L’20

Daniel Yoza, L’08

Hon. Teresa James, L'84, Kate Marples Simpson, L'14, and Hon. Julie Robinson, L'81, speak with a student at Legal Career Options Day.

NEW MEMBERS KU LAW BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Shannon Braun, L’04

Brett Brenner, L’94

Edward “Trip” Frizell, L’80

Brian Gaffney, L’01

Jared Hiatt, L’97

Hon. Jacy Hurst, L’07

Schalie Johnson, L’06

Pat Konopka, L’94

Demetrius Peterson, L’09

Rebecca Winterscheidt, L’83

Samantha Woods, L’13

Above: Sen. Jerry Moran, L’82, visits with students in the 6th Semester in D.C. Program at his office in Washington, D.C. Bill Petros

Right: Students in the 6th Semester program gather with Mark Parkinson and Stacy Parkinson, L’94.

6TH SEMESTER IN D.C.

Scott Bergstrom, L’94

Brett Brenner, L’94

Brutrinia Cain, L’09

Shannon Keating, L’13

Elle Marino, L’13

Sen. Jerry Moran, L’82

Jeff Morrison, L’95

Nathan Muyskens, L’95

Gov. Mark Parkinson, L’84

Stacy Parkinson, L’84

Becky Weber, L’85

Paul Yde, L’85

DIVERSITY ADVISORY COUNCIL

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

Dru Sampson, L’96

Kelley Sears, L’74

Henry Thomas, L’13

Jabari Wamble, L’06

Issaku Yamaashi, L’00

Alyse Zadalis, L’15

Holly Zane, L’86

Gabe Zorogastua, L’07

CAREER MENTORS

Jennifer Ananda, L’10

Jeff Coppaken, L’13

Allison Collins Dessert, L’18

Mike Fischer, L’07

Andrew Geren, L’13

Brodie Herrman, L’19

Martha Hodgesmith, L’78

Tyler Holmes, L’14

Lauren Hughes, L’16

Chris Kaufman, L’10

Claire Kebodeaux, L’18

Geoffrey Kump, L’18

Julie Larson, L’09

Jessica Leavitt, L’14

Maxwell McGraw, L’17

Jack McInnes, L’04

Nolan McWilliams, L’08

Ben Miller-Coleman, L’10

Aqmar Rahman, L’15

Kip Randall, L’16

Kate Marples Simpson, L’14

Angela Stillwagon, L’19

Shelley Woodard, L’17

Sara Zafar, L’08

John-Mark Zini, L’12

Alumna joins KU Law development team

Meghan Flanders, L’10, joined KU Endowment in October as development director for the University of Kansas School of Law. With Dan Simon, assistant vice president of development, Flanders will meet with KU Law alumni and friends across the country.

A KU Law graduate and Rice Scholar, Flanders participated in Legal Aid Clinic and worked as a research assistant for professors Martin Dickinson, Michael Davis and Stephen Ware during law school. She earned undergraduate

degrees in religious studies and sociology from KU.

Before she started law school, Flanders completed a year of service at KU as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She worked as part of a team to set up the university’s Center for Service Learning, which continues to advance communityengaged scholarship at KU.

After law school, Flanders practiced family law and public criminal defense. For the past seven years, Flanders worked for the Kansas Legislature,

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING SUPERVISORS

Hon. Daniel Crabtree, L’81

Hon. Toby Crouse, L’00 Hon. Paul Gurney, L’82 Hon. Angel Mitchell, L’00 Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 Hon. Robert Wonnell, L’02

GET INVOLVED

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

conducting non-partisan evaluations of agency programs.

“I am looking forward to continuing my career in public service helping my alma mater,” Flanders said. “I’m inspired by the idea that my work might help start or continue someone else’s KU legacy.”

CLASS NOTES

Items were received or collected prior to August 15, 2022. Submit your news online at law.ku.edu/keep-touch. KU Law Magazine relies on alumni for the accuracy of information reported.

1972 William Coates joined Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice as of counsel in Kansas City. His practice focuses on personal injury and product liability matters in the transportation industry.

James Zakoura joined the Overland Park office of Foulston Siefkin LLP in the firm’s energy and public utilities practice. Three attorneys joined the firm from Smithyman & Zakoura, Chartered, a Kansas City-area firm founded in 1986.

1973 Dwight Keen was elected to serve as chair of the three-member Kansas Corporation Commission.

1976 Hon. Kent Lynch retired from the 11th Judicial District of Kansas after serving 16 years as a judge, including four years as chief judge.

1977 Hon. Michael B. Buser retired from the Kansas Court of Appeals after 17 years. Buser was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2005, after spending 28 years as an attorney in private practice and public service.

1979 Dennis Schapker retired in January 2022 after a 42-year career with global engineer-constructor Black & Veatch. He was senior vice president and senior group counsel for business transactions.

1981 Hon. Karen Arnold-Burger, chief judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals, received the 2021 Robert L. Gernon Award from the Kansas Continuing Legal Education Board. The award recognizes service to continuing legal education.

Rosemary O’Leary won the 2021 Academy of Management Best Book in Public Administration award. O'Leary is a distinguished professor emeritus in the KU School of Public Affairs & Administration.

Hon. Julie A. Robinson was inducted into The Kansas African American Museum 2021 Trailblazers Hall of Fame. Robinson is a senior judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.

1982 Anthony Gauthier established Anthony Paul Gauthier PLLC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was previously with Varnum LLP.

James D. Hall retired as regional vice president after 29 years with The American Council of Life Insurers in Washington, D.C.

John Jennings is general counsel of the Flexsys group of companies based in Brussels, Belgium.

Hon. Lawton Nuss, L'82, former chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court, had an article on veterans’ treatment courts published in the UMKC Law Review. Nuss also joined an October 2021 panel hosted by the Council of State Governments (CSG). David Adkins, L'86,

executive director and CEO of the CSG, moderated the panel.

1985 Hon. Mary H. Murguia was elevated to chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is the first Latina to serve as chief judge of a federal appellate court and the second woman to serve as chief judge of the Ninth Circuit. Chief Judge Murguia began her duties in December 2021.

Sarah Strunk joined the board of directors for Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc. Strunk is chair of the board at Fennemore Craig PC.

Paul Yde retired in 2021 after 36 years practicing antitrust law, including the last 19 years as head of the U.S. antitrust practice of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Washington, D.C. Yde is now co-founder and co-managing partner of Hector Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on neuropsychiatric innovation for underserved patient populations.

1986 Martin (Marty) Brown retired in July 2021 after more than 32 years in corporate legal practice with insurers including State Farm, Farmers and Foremost.

1987 Kristine Brown retired from practice in Gardnerville, Nevada after 32 years.

The late Reginald “Reggie” Robinson was one of three Jayhawks recognized with the 2021 Fred Ellsworth Medallion for their decades of service to KU and higher education.

1988 Charles Garcia was featured in a “Who's Who in Law” list by Albuquerque Business First. Garcia is a partner at Cuddy & McCarthy LLP in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Marsha Mauch joined the Ottawa and Saline counties CASA Program as a CASA volunteer supervisor. She was previously a case supervisor at CASA in the 8th Judicial District.

1990 Gayle Larkin leads the office responsible for investigating attorney misconduct complaints in Kansas. Larkin has served as counsel to the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys since 1999.

Madeleine McDonough was elected to a two-year term as chair of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City.

McDonough, who is chair of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, has been a member of the Civic Council for six years.

1993 Dan Dunbar retired as Shawnee County's chief deputy district attorney.

1994 Hon. Brian Grace retired from the 12th Judicial District of Kansas after serving for 18 years as a magistrate judge.

Diana May was appointed as a judge in the 4th Judicial District Court of Colorado, serving El Paso and Teller counties. May was county attorney for El Paso County.

1997 Hale Sheppard had more than 25 articles published in law reviews and journals in 2021.

Sheppard is a partner at Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Atlanta.

Chad Tenpenny launched the Kansas City area government affairs firm Tenpenny Law. Tenpenny has been a long-time U.S. Senate aide and former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts. Most recently, Tenpenny served as general counsel to U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.

Steven Waldman was appointed dean of the College of Medicine and vice president of medical affairs at California Northstate University. He has 25+ years experience in health care programs.

2000 Jason Lacey was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. Lacey is managing partner at Foulston Siefkin LLP. He teaches employee benefits law at KU.

Shannon Roesler joined the faculty at Iowa Law as a professor of law in 2021. Roesler was previously the Robert S. Kerr, Jr. Professor of Natural

Resources and Environmental Law at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

2001 Tamara Niles was appointed city attorney for Englewood, Colorado, in the Denver metro area.

Niles has held positions in the public and private sectors, including 14 years as a city attorney in Kansas.

2002 Jay Heidrick is now vice-chair of the intellectual property litigation practice group at Polsinelli.

James E. Keever retired after 20 years of representing patients in medical malpractice suits. Prior to attending KU Law, Keever practiced orthopedic surgery. He received his medical degree from KU in 1969.

David Waters joined the real estate practice group at Spencer Fane LLP as a partner in the firm’s Overland Park office. Waters was previously a partner with Lathrop GPM. He serves as the mayor of Westwood, Kansas.

2003 Erika Donner joined the family law practice group of Hellmuth & Johnson, serving families throughout Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and western Wisconsin.

Tyler Epp was named the president of Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. He was previously the grand prix’s senior vice president and chief operating officer. Epp has worked with the Kansas City Chiefs as executive vice president of business operations.

2004 Lauren (Sturm) Marinaro was named partner in the elder and disability firm Fink Rosner Ershow-Levenberg Marinaro LLC in Clark, New Jersey. She is a member of the board of directors for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

Dan Osman was reelected to represent District 48 in the Kansas House.

2005 Robert Gallimore joined the City of Olathe Legal Department as an assistant city attorney. Gallimore previously worked with the Kansas Legislative Research Department.

Luis Gomar joined Paul Hastings LLP in Houston as a partner. Gomar’s area of expertise is domestic and international energy transactions. He was previously at Baker McKenzie.

Jill E. Misener joined Fox Rothschild LLP in New York as counsel in the firm’s taxation and wealth planning department.

Brett Watson was appointed as a judge in the 3rd Judicial District of Kansas, serving Shawnee County. Watson was a deputy district attorney with the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office.

2006 Linda Tivorsak Bird joined Righi Fitch Law Group in Phoenix.

Alison Flores was appointed to the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council. Flores is a principal tax research analyst with H&R Block in Kansas City.

Stephen J. Moore became a shareholder at Krigel & Krigel, P.C. in Kansas City, Missouri in 2021. His practice focuses on litigation of commercial disputes, business torts and other areas.

Kristen Toner was named deputy athletics director and assistant vice president for development at KU. In a partnership with KU Endowment, Toner serves as the lead professional guiding development activities supporting Kansas Athletics.

Jabari Wamble was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in August 2022. Wamble has been an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas since 2011. Pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Wamble would replace Hon. Mary Beck Briscoe, L’73, on the court. Briscoe took senior status in 2021.

2007 Laura Dakhil Monahan was recognized in the Wichita Business Journal feature “Women Who Lead: Boards of Directors.”

2008 Jenny Calvert joined Randstad USA as senior counsel, focusing on litigation and employment, in Atlanta. Calvert previously served as labor and employment counsel with Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

Dennis Kuhnel is the Canyon Lakes district ranger for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Kuhnel previously worked for the Bureau of Land Management.

Cody Wamsley joined Coinbase Global, Inc. as associate general counsel. He was previously senior privacy and security counsel at Oracle.

Sara Zafar joined Franklin Law Office in 2021 as of-counsel, providing direct representation to clients in family law, child in need of care, guardianships, protection orders, and estates and trusts.

2009 Hissan Anis received an Up & Coming Attorney Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Anis is a member of Avant Law Group in Overland Park.

Hon. Kasey Baldwin served as a special judge in the Tulsa County District Court. She served as a Tulsa County public defender for several years.

Clay Britton joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas as vice president, legal and compliance services and general counsel. Britton previously served as chief counsel for Gov. Laura Kelly.

Jeremy Graber was named one of Topeka’s “Top 20 Under 40” by TK Business Magazine. Graber is partner-incharge of Foulston's Topeka office.

Dan Runge is director of the Office of Research Security & Export Control at the University of Georgia. Runge has worked in research compliance at UGA since 2014, previously serving as the export compliance officer and senior compliance officer.

2010 Shane McCall is an equity partner at Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC.

Ayesha Mehdi chairs the American Bar Association’s Health Law Section’s Fraud and Compliance interest group, and serves as vice chair of Diversity and Inclusion. Mehdi is a partner with Spencer Fane LLP in Las Vegas.

Wade Whiting was appointed as a judge on the Circuit Court for the 22nd Judicial District of Oregon, serving Jefferson and Crook counties. Whiting was previously district attorney for Crook County, Oregon.

2011 Brian Jansen was elected partner at Winston & Strawn LLP in Dallas. Jansen advises his clients on a variety of debt financing transactions.

Nathan Michael is a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He previously served for 10 years as a judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps.

2012 Kellie Mitchell Bubeck was promoted to partner at Copilevitz, Lam & Raney, P.C. She advises clients on telemarketing, data privacy and First Amendment issues.

Kristin Maun is director of housing development and incentives for the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity.

Chris Nelson joined Jack Henry & Associates in Lenexa as corporate counsel. He previously worked with Lathrop GPM.

Martin Rice was promoted to partner in Dentons’ Kansas City office. Rice is a member of the firm’s real estate and banking and finance practices.

2013 Michael Andrusak works with Grant County Bank as in-house counsel and senior trust officer in Ulysses, Kansas. He most recently practiced at Adams Jones Law Firm in Wichita.

Sam Butler was elected partner at Stinson LLP. Butler works with business associates and employers across industries and counsels them on their obligations under various laws.

2014 Peter Conley served as faculty for the Cardozo National Forensic College at the NYU Law School. The week-long forensic science CLE is designed for trial and post-conviction defense litigators.

Hon. Jessica Heinen was appointed as a judge in the 3rd Judicial District, serving Shawnee County, Kansas. Heinen was previously deputy district attorney for Shawnee County.

Clark Richardson was promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Richardson practices in general liability litigation.

Amanda Stanley was announced as the city attorney for Topeka in August 2021. Stanley was general counsel for the League of Kansas Municipalities.

2016 Trent Rogers is a senior project manager at Travois in Kansas City. He assists tribes and tribal housing authorities to finance, develop and design affordable housing.

Alyssa Sediqzad and Kyle Craig were married in New Orleans, in a ceremony officiated by classmate Dani Sediqzad. They wish to thank Prof. Sward for navigating their small section, which has produced two marriages and countless good memories.

2017 Marisa Bayless is deputy special counsel to Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert. Bayless was a research analyst for the Kansas Legislative Research Department.

Joshua DeMoss joined the Foreign Agricultural Service as a foreign service officer trainee. DeMoss will cover the Asia Pacific region during training until his first post abroad.

2018 Charles Bogren joined the governmental law practice group of Plunkett Cooney in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bogren focuses his practice in governmental law and related litigation.

Maslyn Locke received the State Bar of New Mexico’s Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award for her work as a staff attorney with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.

2019 Maria Drouhard joined Foulston Siefkin LLP’s employment and litigation practice group. She is based in the firm’s Overland Park office.

Wesley Williams is an assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Division in Austin.

2020 Marissa Hotujac joined the higher education practice group at Husch Blackwell in Kansas City as an associate.

Harrison Rosenthal co-wrote an article about regulating speech on social media, published in Jurimetrics, the law and technology journal of the American Bar Association. Rosenthal is a doctoral candidate in journalism at KU.

2021 Sarah Buchanan joined Foulston Siefkin LLP in the firm’s Wichita office, where she assists clients with business and transactional matters.

Claudia Chavarria is a staff attorney with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.

Emma Easom accepted a judicial clerkship with Chief Justice Michael E. Vigil of the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Rebecca Henderson joined Sloan, Eisenbarth, Glassman, McEntire & Jarboe, L.L.C. in the firm’s Topeka office.

Sowensky Lumene is an intellectual property associate at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.

Emily Reed joined Spencer Fane LLP as an associate, working with the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice group in Kansas City.

Dan Martin, L’93, started as the new president of KU Endowment in August. Martin holds three degrees from KU, including a Juris Doctor from the KU School of Law. Martin has spent almost three decades working in higher education. He succeeds Dale Seuferling, who announced his retirement in January 2022.

1946

Jerry Griffith Lawrence, Kansas March 8, 2022

1948

James R. Boyd Wichita, Kansas August 8, 2022

1949

Randall Palmer Stockton, Missouri November 21, 2021

1951

Richard C. Harris Wichita, Kansas March 21, 2022

1953

Donald Giffin Prairie Village, Kansas September 26, 2021

1954

Richard L. Sias Oklahoma City, Oklahoma July 28, 2022

1956

Charles Waugh Eskridge, Kansas September 20, 2021

1957

Frank Sabatini Topeka, Kansas October 24, 2021

1958

Willard “Bill” Brooks Thompson Wichita, Kansas January 25, 2022

Robert Wunsch Kingman, Kansas September 16, 2021

1960

Edward H. Funston, III Topeka, Kansas February 16, 2022

Byron E. Springer Lawrence, Kansas June 22, 2022

1962

Robert Loyd Overland Park, Kansas October 30, 2021

1963

Paul Fredrick DeBauge Lawrence, Kansas November 12, 2021

Russell R.E. Gangi Westport, Connecticut January 18, 2021

Roger D. Stanton Prairie Village, Kansas March 4, 2022

Lee H. Woodard Wichita, Kansas March 13, 2022

1964

Clarence Bender La Mesa, California July 4, 2021

Gillard Cohen Wichita, Kansas November 15, 2021

IN MEMORIAM

1966

C. Andrew Graham Denver, Colorado

November 9, 2021

Don Lill Emporia, Kansas January 16, 2022

Melvin A. Saferstein Huron, Ohio April 27, 2022

Stephen Todd Nokomis, Florida August 14, 2021

1968 Roger Hughey Wichita, Kansas January 8, 2022

1969

Edward Bybee Honolulu, Hawaii July 16, 2022

1971 Bill Hansen Bradenton, Florida July 20, 2021

Andrew Heyl Fort Collins, Colorado January 27, 2022

1974

Kelly Hodge Junction City, Kansas September 30, 2021

1975

Charles F. Marvine Jr. Overland Park, Kansas January 4, 2022

1978 Mark G. Flaherty Kansas City, Missouri April 27, 2022

Sheila Schrepel Maxwell Dodge City, Kansas September 30, 2021

1979 David McLain Overland Park, Kansas October 23, 2021

1981

Thomas Deacy Kansas City, Missouri July 16, 2021

1984

William A. “Bill” Wright Garden City, Kansas December 30, 2021

1985 Peggy Glazzard Surprise, Arizona May 29, 2021

1989 David V. Gale Grand Junction, Colorado May 17, 2022

1990 Geoffrey Logan Prairie Village, Kansas July 22, 2021

Patrick J. O’Connell Woodbury, Minnesota April 17, 2022

Hon. Debra L. Redford Seattle, Washington February 5, 2022

1992 Adam M. Crane Olathe, Kansas December 3, 2021 1993 Sarah (Liza) Rowland Townsend Kansas City, Missouri November 26, 2021

1999

Wayne B. Chapin III Overland Park, Kansas February 20, 2022

2001

Deborah A. Locke Arlington, Virginia January 18, 2022

2012 Margot Pickering Bogner McPherson, Kansas December 31, 2021