MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS || FALL 2018
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STRIVING FOR JUSTICE Jayhawk prosecutors building cases, communities
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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 785-864-4550 | F: 785-864-5054 law.ku.edu DEAN Stephen Mazza EDITOR & DESIGNER Mindie Paget mpaget@ku.edu | 785-864-9205 CONTRIBUTORS Ashley Hocking Mike Krings Alex Pierce, L’18 Michele Rutledge PHOTOS Ashley Hocking Meg Kumin Mindie Paget Bill Petros Earl Richardson, L’08 Andy White PRINTING Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas
KU Law supports environmental sustainability by purchasing renewable energy certificates (green tags) through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation that offset carbon emissions from producing the KU Law Magazine.
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.
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New faces Three new faculty members with diverse experience in teaching, scholarship and practice started at KU Law this fall. Earl Richardson
CONTENTS KU LAW MAGAZINE || FALL 2018
DEPARTMENTS 4 IN BRIEF
12 Striving for justice Jayhawk lawyers building cases, communities in prosecution roles.
Conferences, rankings and a continuing commitment to community service
24 FACULTY NEWS + RESEARCH
Research highlights, media coverage, kudos
30 ALUMNI NEWS 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award winners 32 VOLUNTEER HONOR ROLL Recognition of alumni who have donated time,
energy and expertise during the past year
40 CLASS NOTES Alumni earn promotions, change jobs, win
awards, and expand their families
44 IN MEMORIAM Deaths in the KU Law family
6 Winning streak Outstanding student performances on the 2017-2018 competition circuit signal strength in moot court, mock trial and transactional law.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 1
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
PROSECUTING
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LIKE A JAYHAWK KU lawyers champion the cause of justice, serve public good
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s lawyers, we understand the term “prosecute” in the legal sense: to bring an action in court on behalf of the public to secure the conviction and punishment of one accused of crime. That’s a fair description of a lot of the important work that prosecutors do. But if you look beyond Black’s Law Dictionary, you’ll find a broader definition: to follow to the end, to pursue until finished. In our modern criminal justice system, we see prosecutors and courts thinking creatively about what it means to resolve a case successfully — from diversion programs to drug courts to restorative justice initiatives. In this issue of KU Law Magazine, we feature alumni who serve in a variety of prosecution roles and consider the best path to justice on a daily basis. Anna Wolf prosecutes city ordinance violations in smalltown Tonganoxie. Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson guides his office with the mantra that a positive outcome doesn’t always mean a conviction. Deborah Wilkinson helped bring perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide to justice. Edward Paine specializes in vehicular crimes in Maricopa County, Arizona. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister leads just over 100 attorneys and support staff as the top federal prosecutor in Kansas. And Liz Rebein builds relationships and trust as chief of community affairs in the Bergan County Prosecutor’s Office in Hackensack, New Jersey. They all routinely draw upon legal principles and skills acquired at KU Law, where we offer an extraordinary advocacy
program. In addition to courses like Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence and Trial Advocacy, students gain hands-on experience through intensive simulation courses on deposition and expert witness skills. The Legal Aid Clinic and the Project for Innocence allow students to defend real clients in misdemeanor cases and post-conviction appeals, respectively. And students in the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement work side by side with prosecutors in federal, state and local offices in virtually all phases of the criminal justice process. That’s how Alex Pierce, L’18, landed in the Mitchell County Attorney’s Office last summer. She writes in this issue about the exhilarating experience of being a month into her field placement when the review of a 15-year-old cold-case murder revealed enough evidence to arrest the victim’s son. Generous alumni help make opportunities like these possible for our students. You serve as field placement supervisors and mentors. And your financial support keeps a KU Law education among the most affordable in the nation — freeing graduates to follow in the footsteps of these accomplished Jayhawk prosecutors or pursue any other career they choose without the burden of crushing student loan debt. You have our gratitude.
Stephen W. Mazza Dean and Professor of Law
KU LAW MAGAZINE 3
IN BRIEF
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY LEGAL AID CLINIC RECEIVES KBA PRO BONO AWARD
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he KU Law Legal Aid Clinic received a Pro Bono Award this summer from the Kansas Bar Association at the annual Kansas Bar Foundation recognition ceremony and dinner. Clinic Director Melanie DeRousse said Legal Aid was nominated for the award based on its work last fall to provide free legal assistance to individuals eligible to renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) authorization. “It’s a great recognition for our KU community that we rallied so quickly to learn the law that applied and figure out how to best serve the community,” DeRousse said. “It’s a really wonderful feeling to know that we are part of something so big and that we were able to pivot and respond to an immediate legal need with just the resources in this building and the energy of the students and faculty who volunteered.” DeRousse said the students got to practice a variety of legal skills through their volunteer work with the DACA clinic, such as client counseling, interviewing clients about difficult issues, learning to be precise and meticulous when filling out forms for the federal government and understanding the need for lawyers to be able to respond to emergency justice needs in the community.
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Katie Gilman, L’18
RECOGNIZING SERVICE Twenty-nine KU Law students contributed more than 3,373 hours of free legal services over the past year, earning a spot on KU Law’s Pro Bono Honor Roll. Students prepared tax returns for low-income residents, represented the interests of children as court-appointed special advocates, helped clients expunge past criminal convictions and prepared guardianship petitions for families seeking to secure their adult children’s futures. “KU Law students are committed to giving back to the community and making service part of their professional lives,” said Meredith Schnug, associate director of KU’s Legal Aid Clinic. “Through pro bono work, students also gain hands-on legal experience that enriches their education and better prepares them for practice.” Katie Gilman, L’18, volunteered with the Douglas County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program, mentoring a 9-year-old boy, attending all of his hearings, writing reports and more. “It has been amazing to watch him grow and to see his case develop,” Gilman said. “I cannot wait for him to be adopted and out of the system.” VIEW THE HONOR ROLL | LAW.KU.EDU/PRO-BONO
GIVING BACK
More than 200 federal and state tax returns prepared through the pro bono Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in 2018.
STUDENTS PROVIDE GUARDIANSHIP ASSISTANCE FOR KANSAS FAMILIES KU Law students are helping lay the groundwork for a safer future for Kansans with disabilities. Through the pro bono Guardianship Assistance Program, students recently helped 11 families start the process of obtaining legal guardianship of their adult children with cognitive disabilities. The day before spring break, these students traveled to Wichita to meet with the families and obtain information needed to draft guardianship petitions. The students then drafted the petitions during spring break. Attorneys from Hinkle Law Firm LLC will now represent the families in guardianship proceedings. As one of the coordinators of the program told the students, the petitions they drafted will provide legal protection and security for these adults for decades to come. KU Law will return to Wichita each spring for the program.
Earl Richardson
Over $12,000 donated to two local charities that support victims of domestic violence via proceeds from Women in Law’s Pub Night.
Nearly $1,200 gifted by KU’s Student Bar Association toward the suicide prevention efforts of Headquarters Counseling Center.
Clockwise from top right: Students Malika Baker and James Hampton chat with Professor Melanie DeRousse; keynote speaker Matthew L.M. Fletcher; Paul Mose, L’15, and Melissa Mose.
DIVERSITY BANQUET SETS RECORD The 2018 Diversity in Law Banquet was one for the record books. Thanks to the generosity of sponsors and individuals who purchased tickets to the March 9 celebration of diversity in the legal profession, the event raised more than $16,000 for the KU Law Diversity Scholarship Fund. The Native American Law Students Association hosted this year’s banquet, with keynote speaker Matthew L.M. Fletcher of the Michigan State University College of Law highlighting the importance of diverse viewpoints through a series of traditional stories.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 5
IN BRIEF
NATIONAL TRIAL COMPETITION A KU Law mock trial team competed at nationals after winning the qualifying rounds of the National Trial Competition in February in Fargo, North Dakota. Third-year students Jordan Kane, Ben Stringer and Joe Uhlman came out ahead of teams representing 11 other law schools from seven states to win Region 9 of the competition, sponsored by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. They competed in the national rounds April 4-8 in Austin, Texas.
KU LAW TEAMS EXCEL ON COMPETITION CIRCUIT NATIONAL TRANSACTIONAL LAWMEET
Top: Joe Uhlman, Jordan Kane and Ben Stringer. Bottom: Danielle Promaroli, Anna Lavigne and Courtney McCray. Meg Kumin / KU Marketing Communications (opposite page)
A team of KU Law students competed in the finals of the National Transactional LawMeet in January after winning the regional round in Provo, Utah. Aspiring transactional lawyers Anna Lavigne, Courtney McCray and Danielle Promaroli were named finalists in Utah and won the prize for best seller’s side draft agreement. This is the third time in the five years that KU has competed in the LawMeet that a Jayhawk team has advanced to nationals. “It was an amazing experience garnering real-world skills,” Lavigne said. “The competition included so many facets of transactional law, both in written drafting and real-time negotiating, and it made me feel confident in my chosen career path.”
MORE SUCCESS FROM THE 2017-2018 SEASON Sangeeta Shastry and Megan Carroll were national champions, winning the Burton D. Wechsler First Amendment Moot Court Competition at American University in Washington, D.C. Shastry was named best oral advocate. A.J. James and Charles Bogren finished second in the Leroy R. Hassell Sr. Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition at Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
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Janae Graham and Chris Carey placed second in the Tulane Mardi Gras National Sports Law Invitational in New Orleans. Sarah (McMillin-Beckman) Otto and Mathew Petersen placed third overall and took the third-best brief award in the National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition. Ben Stringer won the award for second-best oral advocate.
Haley Claxton, Nell Neary and Alex Rindels took third at the Transactional LawMeet regional rounds in Boulder, Colorado. Riley Buckler, Evan Drees and Lauren Johannes placed third at the regional rounds in Austin, Texas. Aaron Bowen and Anne Goulart advanced to the semifinal round of the ABA Section of Taxation Law Student Tax Challenge in San Diego.
EXCELLENCE IN ADVOCACY KU LAW TEAMS EARN COMPETITION ACCOLADES MOOT COURT PROGRAM RANKED 26TH IN NATION
Maria Drouhard presents oral arguments during the final round of KU Law’s 2018 In-House Moot Court Competition. Chris Carey, Kyle Klucas and Robert Teutsch were also finalists.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 7
IN BRIEF
CONNECTING SCHOLARS
2018 LAW JOURNAL SYMPOSIUM
PUBLIC EDUCATION POLICY
O
ngoing funding shortfalls, a persistent achievement gap and competing political interests present obstacles for public educators and administrators. How can these issues be addressed to ensure that all children have access to free, quality education? Legal scholars and policy experts gathered in Lawrence to discuss these themes at the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy’s annual symposium. “Public Education Policy in the 21st Century: Challenges & Opportunities” took place Feb. 16 at KU Law. “Public education is the foundation of our modern society,” said Alex Monteith, L’18, symposium editor. “It is essential to engage in open dialogue and exchange ideas so that we may work together to improve our public education system nationwide.” The program addressed the role and importance of public education, culturally and economically, through the lens of law and policy. Speakers explored Kansas’ current challenges with public school financing, as well as national trends and recent policy changes. Sessions were divided into two sections: School Financing and Litigation, and Issues in Public Education, including discussion on closing the achievement gap, charter schools and public education for refugees.
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Speakers (top to bottom, left to right): Kristi Bowman, Michigan State University; Anna Shavers, University of Nebraska, and Connor Warner, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Former Kansas Sen. Jeff King, Post Anderson Layton Heffner LLP.
2018 TRIBAL LAW & GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE
TRIBAL-STATE COLLABORATIONS American Indian law scholars and advocates gathered at KU Law to discuss “Tribal-State Collaborations: Advantages & Obstacles” during the 22nd annual Tribal Law & Government Conference on March 9. “In the modern era, tribes have an increasing presence beyond the reservation. As a result, interactions between tribes and states and localities have also increased by necessity,” said Elizabeth Kronk Warner, professor of law and director of KU’s Tribal Law & Government Center. “The conference explored obstacles to effective collaboration between these sovereign entities and offered insights into best practices.” Judge William Thorne, the first Native American appointed to the Utah judiciary, delivered the keynote address. Thorne began his service as a tribal court judge in 1979 with an appointment as a pro tem judge on the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Court. Since then, he has served as a tribal judge in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Wisconsin, Washington, Michigan and California. In 2000, Thorne was appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals after serving 14 years as a state trial judge. He is now retired. Other presenters included Sarah Deer, University of Kansas; Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Michigan State University College of Law; Tonya Kowalski, Washburn University School of Law; Judge Michael Petoskey, Pokagon Band; Victoria Sweet, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges; Judge Korey Wahwassuck, 9th Judicial District, Minnesota; Heather Whiteman Runs Him, Native American Rights Fund.
Judge William Thorne
GREAT PLAINS ICL COLLOQUIUM AT KU KU Law and Washburn Law co-hosted the 4th Annual Great Plains International and Comparative Law Colloquium on May 10 in Lawrence. Faculty members from six law schools in the region workshopped and discussed scholarship on women’s rights in international trade law, global migration rights, health law in Japan, the relationship between the growth of legal systems and GDP, protecting ecosystems from climate change, judicial discretion at the International Criminal Court, and the disclosure of non-financial factors in global financial regulation. Pictured above are: Raj Bhala (KU), Tim Lynch (UMKC), John Head (KU), Rob Leflar (University of Arkansas), Gerrit De Geest (Washington University), Andrea Boyack (Washburn), Matt Kane (University of Oklahoma), Virginia Harper Ho (KU), Craig Martin (Washburn), Lua Yuille (KU), and Mathias Van Der Haegen (Ghent University, visiting Washington University).
KU LAW MAGAZINE 9
IN BRIEF
ONWARD, JAYHAWK LAWYERS CLASS OF 2018 CELEBRATES HOODING, WALKS DOWN HILL
Clockwise from top left: Professor Lou Mulligan hoods Rhavean Anderson; Samuel LaRoque prepares to carry the law banner down the Hill during commencement; Mathew Petersen, center, Meghan Harper and Danielle Promaroli celebrate with fellow graduates at the hooding ceremony. Far right, from top: Gabriella Guereña; Christian Blair; Jordan Kane and Hope Faflick.
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2017-18 STUDENT AWARDS & PRIZES ORDER OF THE COIF Ashley Billam David Hammack Meghan Harper Jordan Kane Samuel LaRoque Stephen Nichols Sarah (McMillinBeckman) Otto Mathew Petersen Jennifer Schorgl Sangeeta Shastry Lora Smith Benjamin Stueve
GEORGE GARY DUNCAN SCHOLASTIC IMPROVEMENT PRIZE Maya Tsvetkova
WALTER HIERSTEINER OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD Jennifer Schorgl
FAMILY FUND AWARD Sangeeta Shastry
JUSTICE LLOYD KAGEY LEADERSHIP AWARD Ben Stringer SAMUEL MELLINGER SCHOLARSHIP, LEADERSHIP & SERVICE AWARD Jordan Kane C.C. STEWART AWARD IN LAW Samuel LaRoque ROBERT F. BENNETT STUDENT AWARD Mathew Petersen
ROBERT E. EDMONDS PRIZE IN CORPORATION & SECURITIES LAW Danielle Promaroli FACULTY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Samuel LaRoque
HERSHBERGER, PATTERSON, JONES & ROTH ENERGY LAW AWARD Ross Smith W. ROSS HUTTON LEGAL AID AWARD Matthew Cohen Kaylie Schmutz LAW CLASS OF 1949 AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP Waynell Henson MEDIA, LAW AND POLICY AWARD Haley Claxton
WILLIAM L. BURDICK PRIZE Adam Lauridsen
JANEAN MEIGS MEMORIAL AWARD Rhavean Anderson
MARY ANNE CHAMBERS SERVICE AWARD Ashley Billam
JAMES P. MIZE TRIAL ADVOCACY AWARD Ben Stringer
PAYNE & JONES AWARDS Fall 2017: Cara Beck Blair Bohm Carlie Dickinson Adam Lauridsen Joy Merklen Spring 2018: Tyler Blake Maggie Brakeville Braden Lefler Hannah Lustman Brook Nasseri POLSINELLI MOOT COURT AWARDS Best Oral Advocate: Chris Carey Finalists: Maria Drouhard, Kyle Klucas, Robert Teutsch Best Brief: Cassie Wait and Dan Kopp Second-Place Brief: Robert Teutsch SHAPIRO AWARD FOR BEST PAPER ON LAW & PUBLIC POLICY Jake Turner UMB BANK EXCELLENCE IN ESTATE PLANNING AWARD Anne Calvert Anne Goulart Earl Richardson
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STRIVING FOR JUSTICE 12 KU LAW MAGAZINE
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Jayhawk lawyers build cases, communities in prosecution roles
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he ultimate goal of the criminal justice system is, well, justice. But achieving that pinnacle relies on a process that can be arduous, protracted and certainly flawed. When the wheels turn perfectly, the system balances the constitutional rights of the accused with the public good and some level of satisfaction for victims. Prosecutors represent the public in that equation, and many Jayhawk lawyers heed the call to serve in that role. They advocate on behalf of cities, counties, states, nations and international bodies from Kansas to Tanzania. Fortified by their KU legal training, they construct cases, prepare witnesses, select juries and orchestrate presentations to tell compelling stories at trial. They partner with law enforcement to establish best practices in policing and investigation. They use data and evidence to create programs that deter crime or reduce repeat offenses. They protect the public from fraud and abuse schemes. And the list goes on. The alumni highlighted on the following pages represent a small cross-section of KU lawyers who have dedicated some portion of their careers to prosecution. But their experiences are diverse — from prosecuting traffic violations to litigating genocide and other crimes against humanity. They all got their start right here in Green Hall, where students can enroll in the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program — one of KU Law’s oldest hands-on learning opportunities and one of the few in the nation that specializes in criminal prosecution. Professor Suzanne Valdez also teaches a course on Prosecutorial Ethics that sets the stage for professionalism as graduates embark on their careers. As U.S. Attorney for Kansas Stephen McAllister said, public trust in the criminal justice system hinges on integrity. “In every case, it is the government’s burden — playing fairly and by all the rules — to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If we cannot do that, then justice requires there be no conviction.”
ASHLEY HOCKING, MINDIE PAGET + ALEX PIERCE, L’18
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Charles Branson, L’96
The problem solver
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uring the summer of 2005, a jury found Lawrence carpenter and former Christian school board member Martin Miller guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife. He was sentenced to life in prison. Charles Branson should have been overjoyed, but he wasn’t. Not exactly. The newly elected Douglas County District Attorney had taken office six months prior, expecting jubilation when verdicts went his way. But two young children had lost their mother through violence. “And now, because we had been successful, they had also lost their father,” Branson recalled. “It was such a profound moment for me, realizing there’s not the joy in victory that I
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thought there would be. You’re still dealing with real people and real issues in the aftermath.” Despite the complexities and challenges of the work — or maybe because of them — Branson, L’96, still relishes the opportunity to serve the cause of justice in Douglas County after nearly 14 years on the job. As top prosecutor, he manages 16 attorneys, 18 support staff and an annual budget of just over $2 million. He also manages change. Over the past decade, Branson said, prosecutors have evolved from case processors to problem solvers. Statistics show that simply convicting offenders and locking them up does not ultimately reduce crime. “Historically, our role was to prosecute, punish and move on,” he
said. “Now we are really looking at making changes in how the system works to better address the needs of the people in the system.” For example, under Branson’s leadership, Douglas County recently launched a diversion program for nonviolent female offenders with substance abuse issues. Women in the program receive comprehensive addiction treatment, including assistance with housing and child care. “We have an obligation to try to change behaviors of people who come through the criminal justice system,” Branson said, “so hopefully they won’t come through again.” Branson never imagined a career in prosecution. The Hutchinson native was a KU business graduate who wanted to be his own boss. Within
weeks of being sworn in to the Kansas Bar in May 1996, Branson hung a shingle in Lawrence. He built his practice slowly, representing a range of clients while learning to run a business. In 2002, he added part-time service as Eudora city prosecutor. But Branson’s exposure to the criminal justice system through defense cases revealed upsetting flaws that ultimately inspired him to run for district attorney. In his view, police and prosecutors often neglected victims of domestic violence during investigation and charging, treating them as evidence. “Then when it was time for trial, the survivor wouldn’t want to participate because she had not been supported,” Branson said. “I thought it was time to change the focus of the system.” So when he was elected in 2004, Branson shared a simple philosophy with the attorneys in his office: A positive outcome doesn’t always mean a conviction. “What is the best thing that can happen to this case that will make it less likely that these people will need our services again in the future? Is that charging the case? Not charging? Offering counseling and services up front? Is it going all the way through to trial?” he said. “You’re dealing with people’s relationships, and each one is different. You can’t apply a cookie cutter to those types of things.” That maxim holds true across the spectrum of responsibilities Branson’s office handles, including juvenile prosecution, civil litigation, child in need of care cases, mental health care and treatment matters, county code infractions and consumer protection violations. Branson and his team fulfill these duties in an era of increased public scrutiny, elevated by highprofile cases questioning the conduct of law enforcement and prosecutors.
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“We have an obligation to try to change behaviors of people who come through the criminal justice system.”
But Branson views the spotlight as an opportunity to educate the public about how the justice system works. He tries to be as forthright as possible by explaining charging decisions — always with a view toward balancing transparency and accountability with the rights of victims, witnesses and defendants. “We have a human propensity to rush to judgment, but the nature of
our work doesn’t always lend itself to being open and public about the entire process,” Branson said. “We sometimes can’t say what we believe the defendant did because our ethical obligations and rules dictate that we have to say that in court first.” “If we do that in the public eye, we have not honored their constitutional rights.” — Mindie Paget
Flag of Rwanda
Deborah Wilkinson, L’82
Justice after genocide
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t least 800,000 people were killed in 100 days during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Deborah Wilkinson, L’82, helped bring some of the perpetrators of that violence to justice. As senior appeals counsel at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania, Wilkinson and a team of fellow prosecutors spent five years litigating the appeals of six high-level Rwandan political and military officials charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. All six were found guilty in 2011.
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“I feel this case made a contribution to international law and international humanitarian law. It also provided closure for numerous victims of these crimes,” Wilkinson said. “Many of the victims were following the case, and to know that these people were being held accountable was very significant. I’m glad I was able to contribute in that way.” Throughout her career, Wilkinson has tried cases in three countries on three different continents, but she considers the prosecution of Rwandan atrocities her most significant work. llll llll llll llll llll llll llll llll llll
A few years later, Wilkinson moved to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office in Wichita, where she spent 15 years prosecuting a range of criminal cases as an assistant district attorney. “I discovered I did very well speaking to juries, being persuasive and arguing in front of the court,” she said. “It was fast moving — always something different.” With a solid foundation in the U.S. legal system, Wilkinson bridged into international practice through the American Bar Association’s Central and Eastern European
“Many of the victims were following the case, and to know that these people were being held accountable was very significant. I’m glad I was able to contribute in that way.”
One of the defendants, a county executive named Sylvain Nsabimana, was prosecuted for failing to do anything to protect the ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus who spent the night near his office — seeking protection from Hutu extremists. Nsabimana did not intervene when groups descended at night to rape women and kill men and children. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. “It was a very interesting legal issue of liability for failing to act to prevent genocide,” Wilkinson said. “We won on that issue, which was very significant in international law. It’s called omission liability.” Another defendant, Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, was the first woman to be found guilty of genocide by an international tribunal. She received a life sentence. Needless to say, Wilkinson’s career in prosecution has taught her a lot about human character and values, for better and worse. “If I had done what I thought I wanted to do — which was work in an office — I probably would have stayed in my little bubble of meeting people who were like me and not been exposed to a wide variety of humanity,” the Kansas City, Missouri native said. Prosecution was not on Wilkinson’s radar when she began pursuing legal education at KU. But the required Criminal Law course piqued her interest, and she excelled in oral advocacy. Right out of law school, Wilkinson landed a job as assistant county attorney in Barton County. She made her mark early by successfully prosecuting the state’s first felony murder case involving child abuse, leading to the 1985 conviction of Eileen Brown for the death of her 6-week-old baby.
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Law Initiative. She spent two years in Kiev helping the U.S. Department of Justice implement training programs for Ukrainian judges and lawyers. Wilkinson went on to teach comparative criminal law and procedure to Ukrainian law students after receiving a Fulbright grant. She also served in Kosovo as a legal advisor for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and later as an international prosecutor appointed by the UN to handle cases in place of the local prosecutors. Throughout her international career, Wilkinson benefited from her ability to pick up new languages. She speaks French and Russian proficiently, and has studied Latin. She understood enough Kinyarwanda, Ukrainian, Swahili and Albanian over the years to navigate trials with the help of translators and interpreters. “Learning languages helps you see how other people think,” Wilkinson said. “Sometimes entire concepts are different, and it really makes you bend your mind around different ways of thinking.” Now in private practice in Lenexa, Wilkinson encourages students to acquire language skills, pursue international opportunities and contribute their legal prowess abroad. She can attest to the value of expanding one’s horizons. “In prosecution, I met people from all strata of society — people who were poor, people who were rich, people who had drug issues,” Wilkinson said. “It was like being in a movie with all these different characters.” — Ashley Hocking
Anna Wolf, L’12
Small town, high stakes
T
he third Wednesday of each month is a busy day for Anna Wolf. That’s the only day the Tonganoxie Municipal Court is in session. Wolf, L’12, is the Tonganoxie city prosecutor. “Everything depends on that one day, and you need to have everything ready,” Wolf said. “Otherwise, you’re going to go a whole other month before you get another opportunity. It puts a lot of pressure on that one day.” Wolf is responsible for the prosecution of all city ordinance violations, including DUIs, misdemeanors and traffic infractions. She also performs bench trials, jury trials and other evidentiary hearings; drafts written motions;
performs legal research; negotiates with attorneys and defendants; coordinates with court personnel to effectively run the monthly docket; advises the police department on best practices; and interviews witnesses. Before prosecuting for the city of Tonganoxie, Wolf spent three and a half years as an assistant district attorney at the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office. She is most proud of helping victims of child sex crimes. “It’s incredibly difficult work, and it’s so important to have good prosecutors doing it,” Wolf said. “It’s very time-consuming and emotionally exhausting, but it’s crucial that we have people out there fighting for those kids.” Wolf fell in love with prosecution
after an internship at the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office. She enjoys the rapid pace and variety of challenges inherent in the work. “I really like standing up and making an argument in court,” she said. “And I’ve always been interested in public service.” KU Law’s Trial Advocacy course helped prepare Wolf for a career in prosecution. She said the class taught her how to communicate effectively, structure an argument and understand the rules of evidence. “You get the ins and outs of what it’s like to be in a courtroom and making an argument,” Wolf said. “It takes a lot of preparation to be comfortable doing that.” Like many city and county attorneys, Wolf also holds down
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a full-time law practice. She recently joined Payne & Jones in Overland Park as an associate and is excited to further develop her legal skills and experience at the firm. Long-term, Wolf hopes to become a leader within the legal community — particularly for women, who are still underrepresented in law. She strives for integrity in all of her legal work. As prosecutors and law enforcement have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, Wolf has focused on trying cases she believes in and holding herself to the highest standards of professionalism. “I think the most important way to ensure the public has trust in prosecutors,” she said, “is to make sure that you’re doing the best job you can in the most ethical way possible.” — Ashley Hocking
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Edward Paine, L’99
‘Putting on a play for the jury’
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he best part about prosecution for Edward Paine, L’99, is delivering justice for victims. “Trying to get justice for victims within the system that we have, when we can — that brings me pleasure,” he said. Paine is a deputy county attorney in the Vehicular Crimes Bureau at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix. He prosecutes crimes involving motor vehicle collisions and incidents in which drivers are found to be driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Vehicular Crimes Bureau employees are on call 24 hours a day to assist law enforcement officers with fatal accident investigations.
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“It’s been a real eye-opener going to the scenes of crashes and seeing how dangerous vehicles can be in the hands of someone who is driving recklessly, either through speeding or being impaired by alcohol or drugs,” Paine said. Although he has worked on vehicular crimes for the past six years, Paine’s focus has varied over the course of a prosecutorial career that has taken him from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to the city of Surprise, Arizona, and two different Native American communities. He served as assistant prosecutor for the Ak-Chin Indian Community and chief prosecutor for the Gila River Indian Community — jobs that drew upon his specialized training at KU Law. Paine discovered his love for tribal law after taking a legal writing course from former KU Law Professor Robert Porter, founding director of the school’s Tribal Law & Government Center. Porter encouraged Paine to take classes in tribal law, and he graduated from KU with a Tribal Lawyer Certificate — paving the way for a career in the field. “Studying tribal law convinced me that there were so many communities across the country that were deeply in need of attorneys from all different walks of life dedicated to seeking justice and promoting safety,” Paine said. “It was a privilege to serve Ak-Chin and Gila River, and I don’t think I would have gotten those two jobs in Arizona without the knowledge that I gained through tribal law courses at KU.” Regardless of the practice area, some challenges and opportunities in litigation are universal. Rising caseloads present a difficult juggling act, Paine said. And evolving demographics have altered courtroom presentation. As
more millennials enter the jury pool, Paine said, expectations for audio or video components at trial have increased. “We use a lot of technology in the courtroom during our opening statements, when witnesses are testifying and during closing arguments,” he said. “You kind of appeal to jurors, all of their senses.” In that regard, Paine likens his role to that of a play director. “I enjoy trying to orchestrate everything,” he said. “As a trial lawyer, it is kind of like putting on a play for the jury. You have to determine who your best actors are in terms of your witnesses and make sure that they’re prepared. You have to make sure you’re calling witnesses to prove various elements of your case. You have to select the best photos.” These skills were crucial during a case in which a mother lost a second child to an impaired driver. Through Paine’s careful orchestration of witnesses and evidence, the defendant was convicted and will “likely spend the rest of his life in prison.” “I can’t even imagine the pain that she went through having lost one daughter to a drunk driver, but then she lost another child to a drunk driver,” Paine said. “It was devastating for the family to go through that process again.” Throughout all the roles Paine has held, his favorite part of prosecution is holding defendants accountable for their actions. “It’s challenging and it takes a lot of time, but I do enjoy that aspect of it,” Paine said. “I am pleased when I am able to get at least a measure of justice.” — Ashley Hocking
Liz Rebein, L’07
Building public trust
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iz Rebein is not your traditional prosecutor. Instead of charging defendants, filing motions and appearing in court, Rebein deploys her legal expertise through the promotion of positive relationships between law enforcement and the public. As chief of the Community Affairs Unit in the Bergan County Prosecutor’s Office in Hackensack, New Jersey, Rebein helps deter crime through developing programs that increase community engagement, build public trust and promote transparency. “I think that my job is kind of a testament to what we can do to improve the relationship between law enforcement, the community and the perception the community has of law enforcement,” said Rebein, L’07. Success stories like Operation Helping Hands provide Rebein evidence that her efforts are
working. Through the campaign — created in response to a dramatic spike in overdoses and fatalities in Bergan County — area law enforcement find and arrest residents buying heroin. Those individuals are then connected with resources, including a county-affiliated detox and treatment program. Some participants — like Matt A. — stay in touch with the prosecutor’s office and provide updates on their path to recovery. Matt was arrested twice in one week and has not used since working through the program. He now works at the detox hospital. “He updates me regularly about projects he’s working on and asking how he can help,” Rebein said. “He’s a talented artist who has some of his art on display at the hospital where he works.” Personal connections are a common thread in Rebein’s job, which has evolved during her
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“What people need to understand is that the system works ultimately. Being an appellate attorney, you see that all the time.”
seven years at the Bergan County Prosecutor’s Office. Although she began as an assistant prosecutor in the appellate division, she now leads community-building initiatives like the Youth Police Academy. The two-week “day camp” administered in partnership with the Bergan County Sheriff’s Office teaches area high school students about careers in public service, including law enforcement, the judiciary, county government, emergency services and the military. They also learn more about how the criminal justice system works. Rebein said some people distrust the system when they see its flaws. “What people need to understand is that the system works ultimately,” she said. “Being an appellate attorney, you see that all the time. My whole career has been reviewing mistakes that were made along the way, whether it was by the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the judge or some other aspect of the system.” But defendants have a constitutional right in the United States to appeal their conviction and petition for post-conviction relief, Rebein said. “They have the right to challenge their conviction and their sentence over and over and over,” she said. “I don’t know that the public really appreciates the beauty of our system and how well it works.” Originally from Bucklin, Kansas, Rebein decided to pursue a law degree after working at Rebein Brothers law firm in college. Her boss and mentor, Dave Rebein, L’80, later became her father-in-law. “He was wonderful to me in terms of helping me figure out what my options were and what opportunities going to law school would create for me,” Rebein said. In Green Hall, Rebein took part in the Project for Innocence and moot court — two hands-on experiences that helped prepare her for practice. After years of appellate work, Rebein has embraced her more nontraditional role at the Bergan County Prosecutor’s Office. “My favorite part is that I think it makes a difference,” she said. “I didn’t see it coming, “but I’m thrilled to have the job that I have.” — Ashley Hocking Stephen McAllister, L’88, makes remarks after being sworn in as U.S. attorney for Kansas in January at the Dole Institute. Meg Kumin KU Marketing Communications
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Stephen McAllister, L’88
Protecting Kansans
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our Honor, I represent the United States.” As U.S. attorney for Kansas, Stephen McAllister utters this phrase every time he makes an official appearance in a federal courtroom. It’s a humbling and exhilarating experience. “I get to be a part of the greatest ‘law firm’ in the United States, and every day I feel proud of and good about what I do,” said McAllister, L’88. “I love being an advocate, taking a side and articulating its positions. But being a prosecutor is even better than private party litigation because I also have an obligation to see that justice is done, to exercise the public trust appropriately and fairly.” The U.S. Senate confirmed McAllister’s appointment with a unanimous vote late last year. He was sworn in as the state’s top prosecutor on Jan. 25 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The next day, he met with all of his new employees — a few more than 100 attorneys and staff stationed in Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City — to learn about the people, cases, procedures and other aspects of his complex new job.
“I consider myself a lifelong student of the law,” McAllister said, “and I am learning all kinds of new things in this position.” That approach is, perhaps, not surprising for someone who has spent most of his career as a teacher. A native Kansan, McAllister joined the KU Law faculty in 1993 after completing federal clerkships with Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner and Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Clarence Thomas. He also spent a year in private practice in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the past 25 years, McAllister has taught constitutional law and torts to thousands of Jayhawk lawyers in Green Hall classrooms. Along the way, he also served five years as dean and represented the state of Kansas as its solicitor general. Assuming he returns to the KU Law faculty following his leave of absence to serve as U.S. attorney, he will be able to share with students experiences that few lawyers ever enjoy. “I’ve now been inside grand juries multiple times, I have indicted cases, and I have been able to attend and participate
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in every phase of the federal criminal justice process,” McAllister said. “I also am fortunate to have the opportunity to engage with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Perhaps most importantly, I have come to appreciate first-hand the incredible power of prosecutors to affect the course of litigation and lives.” Case in point: The first major verdict of McAllister’s tenure as U.S. attorney resulted in the convictions of three defendants who conspired to create a bomb that would blow up an apartment complex in Garden City. The apartment complex housed Somali refugees and contained a mosque. “If the FBI had not thwarted that plan, dozens of innocent people
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could have been killed or injured,” McAllister said. That was a big win. But McAllister fears that a number of high-profile cases of police and prosecutorial misconduct in recent years — including several allegations against prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s Kansas office — have eroded public confidence in the justice system. For that, he said, there is simply no excuse. “Governments need to own their failings in those situations and do everything they can to make things right,” McAllister said. “I repeatedly stress to our office that the goal is to do justice, not to run up our statistics or convict every possible crime and always seek the harshest sentence possible.”
At the same time, he said, society needs the agents, prosecutors and others who have dedicated their lives to countering and stopping wrongdoers. “The courage and commitment of the law enforcement and prosecutorial communities are impressive and essential to the survival of the United States as we know it,” he said. “I am humbled every day to be part of the most amazing law enforcement efforts this world has ever seen.” — Mindie Paget
Top left: Stephen McAllister, L’88, flanked by family, is sworn in as U.S. attorney for Kansas by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Bottom left: McAllister greets U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, L’82, who supported his nomination. Meg Kumin/KU Marketing Communications
A cold case cracked, a career launched Student ends law school with unparalleled prosecution experience
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hen I started at KU Law as a summer starter in 2016, my goal was to follow the accelerated track. If I played my cards right and took a sufficient number of credit hours per semester, I could graduate in two years. The task seemed daunting, but as my last summer as a law student approached, I found myself in the perfect position: I needed six credit hours to graduate, and I was super interested in the six-credit hour KU Law Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program. During my time in law school, my interests had evolved and I found myself strongly pulled toward a career in prosecution. Most of this desire was based upon the work I did prior to law school. I had been a legal secretary for a Beloit law firm that provided services ranging from estate planning to criminal defense. I worked with Mitchell County Attorney Mark Noah, whom I grew to respect and admire for the work he did in our area. Thus, it seemed that the stars had aligned when my fiancé agreed to move back to my hometown, Mark Noah agreed to be my field placement supervisor and mentor for the summer, and Professor Suzanne Valdez, director of the Prosecution Field Placement Program, approved the match. Excited as I was, at that time I would have been shocked to learn what my new position had in store for me. About a month into my field placement experience, an investigation team led by Mitchell County’s sheriff and police chief began
reviewing the cold-case murder of 51-year-old Carol Fleming. Fleming had been a pillar of the community, and her 2003 death shook small-town folk for miles around. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen in our area — a place where people feel safe
• Facilitated communication with Kansas Bureau of Investigation laboratories. • Participated in the defendant’s first appearance. • Prepared subpoenas for potential future inquisitions.
“To say I ended my time at KU Law on a good note would be an understatement.” leaving their doors unlocked at night and their cars running when they duck into the bank. Now, 15 years later, a review of the case uncovered enough evidence to make an arrest. The suspect? Fleming’s son, Charles Fleming, now 46 years old and living in Johnson County. The media uproar over his arrest surpassed the attention the crime originally received, with articles published by People.com and news outlets in Kansas City, Wichita and throughout the state. Our office phone was ringing off the hook with journalists prodding us for bits of new information. The case is still in the pre-trial stage, so I can’t divulge details about evidence or prosecution strategy. But I can share the amazing experience I gained as an intern: • Communicated one-on-one with the county attorney, chief of police and sheriff regarding details of the case, potential suspects and alibis, and possible strategies and defenses.
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• Compiled the considerable amount of discovery for opposing counsel. • Prepared jury instructions. As the case progresses, I will likely assist with preparation and research for pre-trial motions and organization of a preliminary hearing notebook. Perhaps the greatest part of this field placement opportunity is that it has turned into a permanent position for me with the Mitchell County Attorney’s Office, where I am able to continue work on this case and many others, as well as receive advice from my mentor regarding my future. To say I ended my time at KU Law on a good note would be an understatement. The vast experience and knowledge I have acquired through my field placement is underscored by the sense of pride I have in helping bring justice that may begin to heal the hurt wrought upon Ms. Fleming’s family and the community as a whole. —Alex Pierce, L’18
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FACULTY NEWS
NEW FACES Franciska Coleman
Shawn Watts
Kyle Velte
Visiting Assistant Professor Ph.D., Pennsylvania | J.D., Harvard M.Ed., B.A., Texas A&M
Clinical Associate Professor of Law J.D., Columbia | B.A., St. John’s
Associate Professor of Law LL.M., Harvard | J.D., American B.A., Hamilton
Coleman joins KU Law from Yonsei Law School in Seoul, South Korea, where she taught constitutional law, criminal procedure and political philosophy as an assistant professor. This spring, she was a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School’s Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice. Her interdisciplinary scholarship draws upon democratic theory, literacy theory and constitutional law. Coleman is interested in the tensions between the discursive marginalization of vulnerable communities and the ideal of government by discussion and consent. Coleman previously practiced at Covington & Burling in Washington D.C., where she was a member of the insurance litigation and appellate practice groups. She teaches Torts and Constitutional Law at KU, filling in for Stephen McAllister during his leave of absence to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas.
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Watts joins KU Law’s outstanding Lawyering faculty, teaching three sections of Lawyering Skills. He will also conduct a mediation clinic based on the clinic he helped lead at Columbia Law School. Eventually, he will also participate in KU’s Tribal Judicial Support Clinic. At Columbia, Watts served as associate director of the Edson Queiroz Foundation Mediation Program. He helped the program found a historic partnership with the United Nations to train diplomats in mediation and peace dialogue. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Watts developed and taught a course in Native American Peacemaking, a traditional indigenous form of dispute resolution. Prior to joining the Columbia Law faculty, he practiced in the finance and bankruptcy group at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton in New York, where he also specialized in federal Indian law and tribal finance.
Velte teaches Evidence, Torts and Employment Discrimination at KU. Her scholarship examining the intersection of sexuality, gender and the law has appeared in the Yale Law & Policy Review, Connecticut Law Review and Brooklyn Law Review. Her recent work focuses on the perceived tensions between religious freedom and LGBT civil rights along three axes: law, policy and theory. Velte served as a visiting assistant professor at Texas Tech University School of Law and an assistant professor of the practice in the Legal Externship Program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Before entering academia, Velte practiced complex commercial litigation at Reilly Pozner LLP in Denver. She completed judicial clerkships with Colorado Supreme Court Justice Alex Martinez and Judge Roxanne Bailin of the 20th Judicial District in Boulder, Colorado.
Earl Richardson
FACULTY TRIO BOLSTERS KU LAW SCHOLARSHIP, TEACHING
FACULTY MEDIA COVERAGE
Meredith Schnug KCUR 89.3
Raj Bhala BBC Mundo
Negative economic consequences for China mean negative political consequences for the Chinese Communist Party.” Discussing the
Access to safe and stable housing can be a problem, better employment — even accessing some public benefits can be restricted based on certain criminal convictions.” On the collateral consequences of getting a criminal conviction.
potential trade war between China and the United States.
Corey Rayburn Yung The Guardian
Betsy Brand Six ABA Journal
The bar prep companies give you all these tests and practice questions, which tell you how you did. ... But if you don’t take the time to sit down and say: ‘Why did I get this question wrong, or right?’ you will not benefit from [the offerings] in a way that’s valuable.” In article evaluating
Defendants have historically tried to say in attempt cases that they were trying something else. At the appeal level, it seems doomed to fail.” Regarding claim by Brock Turner’s defense team that he was attempting “outercourse” with a woman he was convicted of sexually assaulting.
online bar prep tools.
Professor Lua Yuille won the 2017 Junior Faculty Teaching Award from the Society of American Law Teachers. The award recognizes outstanding recent entrants into legal education who demonstrate commitment to justice, equality and academic excellence. “Lua challenges her students to think critically, and she does so in creative and thoughtful ways,” Dean Stephen Mazza said. “National recognition of her talents is great for the school and well-deserved. We’re very proud of her.”
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law.ku.edu/faculty 26 KU LAW MAGAZINE
nicat mmu KU M arket ing C o
FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP
ions
FACULTY NEWS
SCOTUS ARBITRATION DECISIONS MERIT HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Dakota Access Pipeline resistance camp near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. Alexander Gouletas / iStock.com
TRUMP POLICIES, RELATED VIOLENCE LEAD TO ‘RAPING OF INDIAN COUNTRY’
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nergy extraction contributes to climate change that hits tribal land especially hard. When temporary extraction camps set up near reservations, sexual violence against Indian women and children spikes. Trump administration policies are relaxing regulations on energy extraction, making the aforementioned problems worse, yet tribes lack the legal authority to address crimes committed on their lands, despite being sovereign territory. The result is a “raping of Indian Country,” two University of Kansas professors write. In a forthcoming article in the Columbia Journal of Gender & Law, Elizabeth Kronk Warner, professor of law and director of KU’s Tribal Law & Government Center, and Sarah Deer, professor of women, gender & sexuality Deer studies, outline the worsening problem of energy extraction and related sexual violence, and they propose legal solutions. The article details the phenomenon of “man camps,” or temporary communities of migrant energy workers that are nearly all men. Rates of rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, human trafficking, child abuse, drug abuse and preying on native residents have spiked in native Kronk Warner communities located near such camps. The problem is exacerbated by tribes’ legal inability to prosecute crimes committed on their land by non-Indian citizens. Federal law prohibits tribal courts from prosecuting anyone from outside the tribal community, regardless of the crime they may have committed on Indian land. Kronk Warner and Deer call for a congressional fix to change that, arguing that allowing tribes to handle such cases would ensure more justice for native communities. — Mike Krings
In some legal circles, there is a general consensus that when it comes to U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding arbitration, “no one thinks they got it right.” That’s not entirely true, as the decisions are defensible when viewed alongside historic changes to the American legal landscape, a KU Law professor suggests. In a new article in the Loyola Consumer Law Review, Stephen Ware offers a short defense of Southland, Casarotto and other long-controversial arbitration decisions by the Supreme Court. Ware’s sympathy for those decisions comes from viewing these arbitration cases in the context of a broader legal history. Congress passed the Federal Arbitration Act in the 1920s. In the following decade, the Supreme Court effected two major changes to the relationship between federal and state law: the landmark case Erie v. Tompkins, and the expansion of federal power to allow President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. Around the time of Erie, the Court expanded its interpretation of the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause. One effect was consumer contracts with arbitration clauses becoming subject to federal laws like the FAA, which enforces agreements to arbitrate. If Congress does not want arbitration agreements enforced against consumers, Ware points out, it could repeal the FAA. So far, however, it has only enacted minor exceptions. — Mike Krings
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FACULTY NEWS
PeterHermesFurian / iStock.com
FACULTY KUDOS
John Peck receives the Clyde O. Martz Teaching Award from trustees of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN Pam Keller honored with Bob & Kathie Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award, KU’s first teaching award for clinical faculty.
Melanie DeRousse and Lua Yuille elected to three-year terms on KU Faculty Senate. President-elect Suzanne Valdez elected to Executive Committee.
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A
KU Law professor and two recent graduates have published an article examining ecological problems exacerbated by climate change in the Mediterranean region, what is being done to address them and how a new, multinational “trusteeship” entity might address the issues facing millions of the area’s inhabitants. John Head, Robert W. Wagstaff Distinguished Professor of Law, co-authored the article with Kate Marples and Jon Simpson, both L’14, that was published in the journal Mediterranean Studies. Marples is a judicial clerk for the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, and Simpson is an assistant solicitor general for the state of Kansas. Head said the article “tries to summarize the alarming pace and severity of water pollution, soil depletion, fish-stock collapse and other forms of ecological degradation — including the growing crisis that climate change poses — in the Mediterranean Basin,” which Head and his co-authors define to include the roughly two dozen countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea and sharing a typically Mediterranean climate. “Kate, Jon and I try to address this question: What can be done, from a legal and institutional standpoint, to address the ecological problems in that especially important region?” Head said. The authors report on various forms of environmental degradation in the region, explore what is being done to combat it, and make recommendations for what can be done to address the crisis — proposing a Corporate Trust for Agro-Ecological Integrity in the Mediterranean Basin. “The trajectory of ecological degradation ... is indisputable and widely recognized.” “We fully expect to see popular demand rise very quickly for authorities to take bold action aimed first at arresting the degradation and then at reversing it and mitigating its consequences. We have offered possible ways of meeting that demand,” the authors write. — Mike Krings
KU LAW FACULTY AMONG NATION’S MOST PRODUCTIVE LEGAL SCHOLARS
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he University of Kansas School of Law ranks 48th overall and 22nd among public law schools nationally for scholarly impact, according to a new study. The study, conducted by a team at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota, measures scholarly impact based on law journal citations to the work of tenured faculty members over the past five years. KU Law climbed 16 spots in the 2018 rankings, which are updated every three years. In hitting this mark, KU Law beat out several peer law schools, including Iowa, Georgia, Boston College, Washington & Lee, Missouri, Florida, Brigham Young and Alabama. “While law journal citations to tenured faculty work represent just one way to demonstrate the value of scholarship, we are proud of the leadership KU Law faculty provide in their areas of expertise,” said Stephen Mazza, dean of the law school. “Coupled with our excellence in teaching and service, this ranking points to a well-rounded faculty whose work benefits law students, the legal academy, policymakers and the public.”
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF LAW FACULTY | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
overall ranking for scholarly impact
#
48
#
22
ranking among public law schools
SCHOLARSHIP
TEACHING
SERVICE
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4 9 books
33
chapters
NEW professional writing courses
IN 2017 West | Thomson Reuters Bloomberg + MORE
Boston College Law Review Minnesota Law Review Stanford Environmental Law Journal + MORE
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ARTICLES IN 2017
115
PRESENTATIONS domestic + international in 2017
Association of American Law Schools Council on Foreign Relations | Duke University Massachusetts Institute of Technology National Environmental Law Institute U.S. Conference of Chief Justices + MORE
Appellate Advocacy | Contract Drafting International Business Law Drafting | Patent Practice | Real Estate Finance + MORE
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NEW simulation courses
Comprehensive Family Mediation | Deals Electronic Discovery First Amendment Advocacy Legislative Simulation + MORE
9
CLINICS + FIELD PLACEMENTS
+1
NEW live-client mediation clinic starting Spring 2019
10
faculty providing invited testimony to KS Legislature on law + policy issues
12 +
KANSAS COUNTIES
law faculty teach continuing legal education programs to attorneys across the state
DOZENS of boards + committees
Kansas Crime Victims’ Compensation Board U.S. Civil Rights Commission (KS Advisory Committee) | Kickapoo Violence Against Women Prevention Program Advisory Council | Kansas Judicial Council + MORE
Scholarly impact ranking source: Sisk, et al., “Scholarly Impact of Law School Faculties in 2018: Updating the Leiter Score Ranking for the Top Third” (Aug. 13, 2018). Scholarly impact ranking source: Sisk, et al., “Scholarly Impact of Law School Faculties in Scholarship, teaching and service data includes figures for all tenure, tenure-track and clinical law faculty. Scholarship totals are for calendar year 2017. Teaching data covers 2010-2018. Servicethe occurred from 2008-2018. 2018: Updating Leiter Score Ranking for the Top Third” (Aug. 13, 2018). Scholarship, teaching and service data includes figures for all tenure, tenure-track and clinical law faculty. Scholarship totals are for calendar year 2017. Teaching data covers 2010-2018. Service occurred from 2008-2018.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 29
ALUMNI NEWS
John Bowman, L’80 Bowman is a partner with King & Spalding LLP in Houston, where he specializes in energy law arbitration and litigation. Bowman served as president of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators and is a former member of the governing council of the Texas State Bar Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section. In 2017, he received the Institute for Energy Law’s Lifetime Achievement in Energy Litigation Award. Bowman received his law degree in 1980 and is a former editor-in-chief of the Kansas Law Review.
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Chief Judge Karen Arnold-Burger, L’82 Arnold-Burger is chief judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals. After a career as a prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas, she was appointed municipal judge for the city of Overland Park. In 2011, Gov. Mark Parkinson appointed Arnold-Burger to the Kansas Court of Appeals, and Chief Justice Lawton Nuss named her chief judge in 2017. She received the Kansas Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2016. Arnold-Burger earned a bachelor’s in political science, psychology and personnel administration in 1978 and a law degree in 1982, both from KU.
William “Brad” Bradley Jr., L’80 Bradley is a founder of NIC Inc., an Olathe company that provides online services for federal, state and local government agencies. Bradley retired in 2015 after 21 years as a senior executive officer at NIC. He established and served as president and CEO of Indiana Interactive Inc., a NIC subsidiary, from 1996-2001. A conservation and natural resources champion, Bradley chairs the Kansas River Regional Advisory Committee of the Kansas Water Authority and the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy in Kansas. He is president-elect of the KU Law Board of Governors. Bradley holds KU degrees in English (1977) and law (1980) and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. Earl Richardson
HIGHEST HONOR THREE RECEIVE 2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
KU LAW MAGAZINE 31
ALUMNI NEWS
Kimberly Long, L’99, converses with students about opportunities with Kansas Courts during Legal Career Options Day. Meg Kumin / KU Marketing Communications
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Mark and Stacy Parkinson, both L’84, center, hosted students in KU Law’s 6th Semester in D.C. program, Maslyn Locke, left, and Yuyang Lin, right. Left: Lindsey Collins, L’14, trains students, faculty and staff mobilized to provide free legal assistance to individuals eligible to renew their DACA authorization.
2017-2018
VOLUNTEER HONOR ROLL The Volunteer Honor Roll recognizes the many KU Law graduates who donate time, energy and expertise mentoring and staging mock interviews with students, guest lecturing in law classes and at student organization events, judging moot court rounds, hosting alumni receptions, serving on boards and otherwise volunteering for the benefit of the law school and future generations of KU Lawyers.
WE VALUE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!
Names that follow represent volunteer efforts from April 2017 to April 2018. If you are aware of omissions or errors, please contact Mindie Paget at mpaget@ku.edu.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 33
ALUMNI NEWS
THANK YOU GUEST LECTURERS, SPEAKERS & PANELISTS Jennifer Ananda, L’10 Xavier Andrews, L’14 Vedrana Balta, L’09 Jeb Bayer, L’80 Zak Beasley, L’15 Hon. Carol Beier, L’85 Jay Berryman, L’14 Brad Bradley, L’80 Gerry Brenneman, L’85 Heather Cessna, L’03 Lindsey Collins, L’14 Hon. Daniel Crabtree, L’81 Trip Frizell, L’80 Jill Galbreath, L’89 Jesus Guereca, L’14 Robert Hingula, L’04 Martha Hodgesmith, L’78 Lauren Hughes, L’16 Brian Huston, L’14 Nick Jenkins, L’14 Jennifer Johnson, L’05 Shannon Cohorst Johnson, L’07
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Kraig Kohring, L’92 Gayle Larkin, L’90 Bill Mahood, L’93 Rebecca Martin, L’07 Jake McMillian, L’15 David Melton, L’98 Jean Ménager, L’14 Eric Mikkelson, L’94 Pat O’Bryan, L’05 Rosemary O’Leary, L’81 T.C. Penland, L’15 Jennifer Roth, L’98 Mark Savoy, L’14 Lisa Schultes, L’85 Rachel Smith, L’99 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Julianne Story, L’91 Jeff Stowell, L’01 David Treviño, L’07 Jennifer Tucker, L’10 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Thomas Weilert, L’75 Brian Wolf, L’08
COMPETITION JUDGES & COACHES Corey Adams, L’16 Hon. G. Gordon Atcheson, L’81 Jeb Bayer, L’80 Megan Carroll, L’17 Kyle Crain, L’17 Sarah Deer, L’99 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Lauren Douville, L’12 Will Easley, L’17 Jason Harmon, L’15 Nick Hayes, L’17 Hon. Steve Leben, L’82 Terry Leibold, L’96 Ken Lynn, L’81 Bill Madden, L’17 Ciara Malone, L’17 Nikki Marcotte, L’17 Annette McDonough, L’15 Max McGraw, L’17 Brendan McNeal, L’16 Eric Mikkelson, L’94 Dalton Mott, L’17 Hon. Joseph Pierron, L’71 Ryan Schletzbaum, L’10 Kelley Sears, L’74 Samantha Small, L’15 Jon Strongman, L’02 Chris Wolcott, L’17 Brian Wolf, L’08 Stan Woodworth, L’78
CAREER MENTORS Collin Altieri, L’01 Jennifer Ananda, L’10 Joan Archer, L’92 Terry Arthur, L’69 Stacey Blakeman, L’09 Paige Blevins, L’15 James Carter, L’12 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Matt Donnelly, L’07 Crystal Ellison, L’15 Anne Emert, L’05 Tyler Epp, L’03 Michael Fischer, L’07 Sean Foley, L’12 Rebekah Gaston, L’06 Bryanna Hanschu, L’15 Jason Harmon, L’15 Thomas Hiatt, L’15 Steven Hilburn, L’13 Jonathan Hines, L’13 Shelby Jacobs Farmer, L’11 Nick Jenkins, L’14 Shannon Johnson, L’07 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Anna Kimbrell, L’14 Kevin Koc, L’04
Samuel Korte, L’05 Lydia Krebs, L’06 Karyn Lopez, L’01 Joan Lowdon, L’10 Will Manly, L’12 Blane Markley, L’06 Michelle McFarlane, L’15 Jack McInnes, L’04 Jacob McMillian, L’15 Jean Ménager, L’14 Scott Miller, L’94 Michele Nelson, L’14 Hillary Nicholas, L’15 Whitney Novak, L’14 Danielle Onions, L’16 Sean Ostrow, L’09 Rachel Rolf, L’07 Katherine Simpson, L’14 Rachel Stahle, L’09 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Katie Studt, L’07 Bradley Thomas, L’16 Emily Vijayakirthi, L’04 Sara Walton, L’09 Edward Wilson, L’00
Jason Harmon, and Hillary Nicholas, both L’15, at Legal Career Options Day; Jehan Kamil Moore, L’05, at the Diversity in Law Banquet; Hon. G. Joseph Pierron, L’71, and Hon. G. Gordon Atcheson, L’81, judging the final round of the KU In-House Moot Court Competition. Earl Richardson (center) and Meg Kumin
KU LAW MAGAZINE 35
ALUMNI NEWS
ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS Vedrana Balta, L’09 Sarah Baltzell, L’08 Diane Bellquist, L’02 Kyle Binns, L’07 Doug Bonney, L’85 Shannon Braun, L’04 Grant Brazill, L’15 Ryan Brunton, L’02 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Michael Fischer, L’07 Katie Gates Calderon, L’07 Matthew Gough, L’05 Rick Griffin, L’04 Jessica Heinen, L’14 Kyle Hertel, L’10 Thomas Hiatt, L’15 Bob Hoffman, L’93 Lauren Hughes, L’16 Natalie Hull, L’12 Milos Jekic, L’11 Neal Johnson, L’09 Christopher Joseph, L’00 Laurel Kupka, L’11 Brad LaForge, L’01 Kristy Lambert, L’91 Lee Legleiter, L’11 Kelli Lieurance, L’05 Daniel Luppino, L’11 Catesby Major, L’04 Andrew Marino, L’04 Morgan McCreary, L’13
36 KU LAW MAGAZINE
Joseph McEvoy, L’14 David Melton, L’98 Terelle Mock, L’04 Jeffrey Nichols, L’99 Andy Nolan, L’98 Brian Nye, L’09 Aaron Oleen, L’07 Lannie Ornburn, L’96 Ann Parkins, L’12 Ian Patterson, L’16 T.C. Penland, L’15 Lindsey Poling, L’07 Ambriel Renn-Scanlan, L’06 Jana Richards, L’90 Jason Romero, L’09 Julia Ronnebaum, L’15 Bill Sampson, L’71 Mark Samsel, L’10 Joe Schremmer, L’13 Dave Seely, L’82 Jere Sellers, L’93 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Darin Stowell, L’04 Kenneth Titus, L’14 Sean Walsh, L’11 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Bill Watkins, L’86 Tom Weilert, L’75 Samantha Woods, L’13 Katie Zogleman, L’03 Gabe Zorogastua, L’07
THANK YOU
Jabari Wamble, L’06, converses with students about opportunities with the U.S. Department of Justice during Legal Career Options Day.
DIVERSITY ADVISORY COUNCIL Mayra Aguirre, L’07 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 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
STUDENT RECRUITMENT
NEW MEMBERS KU LAW BOARD OF GOVERNORS Megan Brackney, L’98 Amy Fellows Cline, L’00 Bryan Didier, L’04 Bradley Finkeldei, L’99 Shelley Freeman, L’88 Mark Knackendoffel, L’82
Meg
Kum in
/ KU
Mark eting Com m
unica tions
Ethan Brown, L’17 Beth Hanus, L’17 Jake McMillian, L’15 Nikki Rose, L’16 Daniel Runge, L’09 Stephen Scheve, L’81 Megan Scheiderer, L’06
KU LAW MAGAZINE 37
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MOCK INTERVIEWS
Above: Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier, L’85, speaks to Rice Scholars during a luncheon. Right: Elizabeth Landau, L’12, center, meets students in KU Law’s 6th Semester in D.C. program.
38 KU LAW MAGAZINE
6TH SEMESTER IN D.C. Trinia Cain, L’09 Shannon Keating, L’13 Elizabeth Landau, L’12 Deb Lumpkins, L’87 Elle Marino, L’13 Jeffrey Morrison, L’95 Mark Parkinson, L’84 Stacy Parkinson, L’84 Krisann Pearce, L’95 Devin Sikes, L’08 Becky Weber, L’85 Ali Zayas, L’09
Alex Aguilera, L’11 Steve Allton, L’04 Paige Blevins, L’15 Crystal Cook, L’13 Bryan Didier, L’04 Max Ellenbecker, L’14 Jeremy Graber, L’09 Jason Harmon, L’15 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Kyle Kitson, L’13 Erica McCabe, L’17 Rob McCully, L’85 Max McGraw, L’17 Jean Ménager, L’14 Angel Mitchell, L’00 Matt Rogers, L’16 Julia Ronnebaum, L’15 Holly Smith, L’99 Elizabeth Souder, L’93 David Waters, L’02 Ed Wilson, L’00
THANK YOU EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING SUPERVISORS
LEGAL CAREER FAIRS Steve Allton, L’04 William Bahr, L’97 Curtis Barnhill, L’90 Bryce Bell, L’02 Kyle Binns, L’07 Stacey Blakeman, L’09 Paige Blevins, L’15 Ryan Boyer, L’13 Paul Brothers, L’15 Emily Brown, L’17 Ryan Brunton, L’02 Karen Cain, L’95 James Carter, L’12 Danielle Davey, L’09 Timothy Davis, L’10 Dennis Depew, L’83 Bryan Didier, L’04 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Mike DiPasquale, L’06 Mark Dodd, L’06 Chris Dove, L’03 Shaye Downing, L’05 Andrew Dufour, L’12 Jill Eggleston, L’83 Kip Elliott, L’95 Andrew Ellis, L’11 Mike Fischer, L’07 Lauren Fletcher, L’05 Bob Gallimore, L’05 Alexander Gard L’08
Kate Gleeson, L’12 Scott Gordon, L’94 Jeremy Graber, L’09 Michael Grigsby, L’15 Jennifer Hackman, L’15 Jason Harmon, L’15 Alma Heckler, L’82 Brandon Henry, L’03 Hon. Deborah Hernandez Mitchell, L’96 Garth Herrman, L’06 Thomas Hiatt, L’15 Lauren Hughes, L’16 Nick Jenkins, L’14 James Jordan, L’09 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Eve Kemple, L’03 Kyle Kitson, L’13 Paul Klepper, L’09 Tom Knutzen, L’10 Joanna Labastida, L’09 William LeMaster, L’03 Kimberly Long, L’99 Meg Lowry, L’14 Joseph McEvoy, L’14 David Melton, L’98 Terelle Mock, L’04 Phil Moderson, L’17 Matthew Moriarty, L’15 Hillary Nicholas, L’15
Whitney Novak, L’14 Brian Nye, L’09 Heather O’Hara, L’07 Aaron Oleen, L’07 Jason Oropeza, L’07 Ann Parkins, L’12 Tim Pickell, L’77 Hon. G. Joseph Pierron, L’71 Jeff Pyle, L’13 Scott Reed, L’08 Rachel Rolf, L’07 Jason Romero, L’09 Tad Ruliffson, L’14 Mark Savoy, L’14 Joe Schremmer, L’13 David Seely, L’79 Libby Snider, L’99 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Robert Stuart, L’91 Kenneth Titus, L’14 Aaron Vanderpool, L’16 Scott Waddell, L’02 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Kathleen Watson, L’16 Britton Wilson, L’08 Ed Wilson, L’00 Hon. William Woolley, L’86 Daniel Yoza, L’08
Brian Baltzell, L’08 Sarah Lynn Baltzell, L’08 Paige Blevins, L’15 Amii Castle, L’97 Mitch Chaney, L’81 Hon. Dan Crabtree, L’81 Hon. Paul Gurney, L’82 Hon. Dave Hauber, L’83 Chelsi Hayden, L’01 Steve Hunting, L’04 Hon. Janice Miller Karlin, L’80 Hon. Timothy Lahey, L’84 Hon. Steve Leben, L’82 Kate Marples, L’82 Chuck Marvine, L’96 Rob McCully, L’85 Lori McGroder, L’89 Hon. Carlos Murguia, L’82 Addison Polk, L’16 Shon Qualseth, L’97 David Rebein, L’80 Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 Joyce Rosenberg, L’96 Bill Sampson, L’71 Stephen Scheve, L’81 Chris Scott, L’08 Jon Strongman, L’02 Hon. Kathryn Vratil, L’75 Hon. Robert Wonnell, L’02 Marie Woodbury, L’79 Hon. William Woolley, L’86
KU LAW MAGAZINE 39
ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES
Items were received or collected prior to July 15, 2018. Submit your news online at law.ku.edu/keep-touch. KU Law Magazine relies on alumni for the accuracy of information reported.
1960 William Turner wrote a children’s book, “The Adventures of Bob and Babe,” published in November by Dorrance Publishing Company. He lives in Los Angeles.
1963 Robert Donatelli was elected to the board of directors of the Allentown Symphony Association. He is a member of Norris McLaughlin & Marcus PA in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
French National Defense Medal in gold for his support of French forces in Germany during his tenure as special advisor to the Judge Advocate, HQ US Army Europe, Wiesbaden, Germany, since 2009.
1976 Ross Hollander was ranked in
1980 Hon. Robert E. Nugent III was appointed chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the 10th Circuit, effective July 1. Nugent has served as a U.S. bankruptcy judge in the Wichita division since 2000. David Rebein was inducted into the Dodge City Community College Hall of Fame and received the Kansas Bar Foundation’s Robert K. Weary Award, recognizing his exemplary service and commitment to the goals of the KBF. His firm, Rebein Brothers Trial Lawyers, is in Dodge City.
by Gov. Jeff Colyer to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees. Zakoura is a partner at Smithyman & Zakoura, Chartered in Overland Park.
the top tier of labor and employment lawyers by Chambers USA 2018. This is the 10th consecutive year that Hollander has received the ranking. He is a partner with Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC in Wichita. Hon. Kent Lynch was appointed chief judge of the 11th Judicial District by Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. Lynch has been an 11th Judicial District judge since 2005, presiding over cases in Cherokee, Crawford and Labette counties.
1973 Dwight Keen, of Winfield, was
1977 Lydia Beebe was inducted into
1982 Chief Justice Lawton Nuss,
confirmed to serve a four-year term as a commissioner on the Kansas Corporation Commission.
the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame in April. Beebe is a member of several corporate boards of directors.
1974 Hon. Michael Farley retired after
1978 David Jeans was recognized
of the Kansas Supreme Court, received the Silver Good Citizenship Medal from the Kansas City area chapters of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
serving as a magistrate judge for the 10th Judicial District in Johnson County. Joseph Holman joined The Whitlock Company in Kansas City, Missouri. Steve Wilhelm, a business attorney in San Diego, joined Expert Network Distinguished Professionals.
as one of America’s Top Lawyers by the American Law Society. Jeans is a partner at Ray, McChristian & Jeans PC in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1967 Robert “Bob” Green retired in January from the Board of Directors of Peoples Inc., the holding company for all Peoples Banks in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico.
1972 James Zakoura was appointed
1975 Paul Conderman received the
40 KU LAW MAGAZINE
1979 Marilyn Harp received the Distinguished Service Award from the Kansas Bar Association in June. Harp serves as the executive director of Kansas Legal Services.
1981 Ardena Garth was appointed to the Hamilton County Partnership Network Advisory Board, tasked with improving failing schools in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
1983 Myron Frans was profiled in the Minnesota Star Tribune about his influence within Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration. Frans leads Minnesota Management and Budget. Forrest Robinson Jr. received the Champion of Justice Award from Kansas Appleseed, the Liberty Bell Award from the 13th Judicial District Bar Association
and the William A. Kahrs Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel. He is a partner at Hite, Fanning & Honeyman LLP in Wichita.
1984 Douglas Greenwald received the Pro Bono Award from the Kansas Bar Association in June. Greenwald practices at McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips PA in Kansas City, Kansas.
1985 Janet Murguia received an honorary degree from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts in June. Murguia is president and CEO of UnidosUS and lives in Washington, D.C. Kelly Rundell was inducted into the Southwestern College Business Hall of Fame. Rundell serves as of counsel at Hite, Fanning & Honeyman LLP in Wichita. Lisa Schultes was named among the BTI Client Service All-Stars by BTI Consulting Group. Schultes is a senior partner at Polsinelli PC in Kansas City, Missouri.
1986 Marjorie Blaufuss was appointed general counsel of the Kansas National Education Association in Topeka. Carol Bonebrake is the chief strategic officer for Citizens Medical Center in Colby.
1987 Kay McCarthy joined McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan PC in Kansas City, Missouri as a shareholder focusing on family law and mediation. Reggie Robinson was named vice chancellor for public affairs at the University of Kansas, having served in the
interim role since July 2017. He oversees communications, outreach and government relations for KU.
1988 Stephen McAllister was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Kansas. He was sworn in Jan. 25 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He is on a leave of absence from KU Law. Rebecca (Beutler) Miller is director of internal audit at Central National Bank in Topeka.
Nancy Price received a 2018 Women’s Justice Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Price operates a criminal defense practice in Springfield, Missouri.
1994 Kevin Weakley was elected managing partner of the Wallace Saunders Law Firm in Overland Park.
1995 Doug Anning, a shareholder at
Mattox Award from the Wichita Women Attorneys Association. The award honors those who show support for women in the legal profession, make significant contributions to the legal community and exhibit outstanding professionalism. Ortega’s law office is in Wichita.
Polsinelli PC in Kansas City, Missouri, was named among the Best of the Bar by the Kansas City Business Journal. Brian Facklam is a supervisory U.S. probation officer in Seattle. Sal Intagliata was named a Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyer for the fourth consecutive year. He practices at Monnat & Spurrier, Chartered, in Wichita.
1990 Tim Schantz was promoted to
1996 Michelle Desrosiers was
president of Troon, a golf and club management company in Scottsdale, Arizona.
promoted to senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Simon Property Group Inc. Jane O’Connell is associate dean for legal information at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. She was previously deputy director of the University of Texas’ Tarlton Law Library. Dawn Puderbaugh Hodges is administrator/chief operations officer at Greenwood Genetic Center in Greenwood, South Carolina. She is married to Andrew Hodges, L’95, owner of the Hodges Law Firm in Greenwood. They have a son, Drew, 13.
1989 Stacy Ortega received the Louise
1991 Julianne Story received a 2018 Women’s Justice Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Story leads the labor and employment group at Husch Blackwell LLP in Kansas City, Missouri.
1992 Joan Archer became general counsel at Farmobile, an agriculture technology and data store company in Leawood. She was previously a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP. Barbara Mayfield retired as director of accessibility services at Central Missouri State University.
1993 Marc Clements is chief litigation counsel for Newell Brands Inc. in Wichita. He was recently named to the board of directors of the Product Liability Advisory Council.
1997 Amii Castle received the Dykes-Budig Teaching Professorship in Business in recognition of teaching excellence and was nominated by KU’s Undergraduate Business Council for Outstanding Educator of the Year.
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ALUMNI NEWS
Castle teaches courses in electronic discovery at KU Law and business law at KU’s business school.
1998 Kelly Druten Green is director of legal recruiting at Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Amy Hansen, a shareholder at Polsinelli PC in Denver, became chair of the firm’s Real Estate Practice.
1999 Hon. David Stras was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Stras most recently served as a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court.
2000 Amy Fellows Cline received the 2017 Louise Mattox Award from the Wichita Women Attorneys Association. She is serving as the 2018-19 Kansas Bar Foundation president and practices at Triplett Woolf Garretson in Wichita.
2001 Scott McPherson was appointed as a judge in the 20th Judicial District of Kansas, which includes Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Russell and Stafford counties. Wendy Rohleder-Sook is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Fort Hays State University. She teaches legal studies courses and coordinates the university’s pre-law and paralegal programs. Karen Ruckert joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Los Angeles as an assistant U.S. attorney. She previously served as a senior trial attorney in the civil rights division at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Melissa Hoag Sherman received a 2018 Women’s Justice Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly. She practices eminent domain litigation at Spencer Fane LLP in Overland Park.
42 KU LAW MAGAZINE
2002 Diane Bellquist was elected president of the Topeka Bar Association. Bellquist is an attorney with Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC in Topeka. Jason Klein is a partner at Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP in Tampa and Miami, Florida. He lives with his wife, Laura (Gomez) Klein, L’00, and their two boys, Gus and Willie, in Tampa. Christopher Sook is a partner at Jeter Law Firm in Hays.
2003 Stefani Hepford is an assistant U.S. attorney with the District of Arizona in Tucson. She was previously with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. Jeff Morris founded Morris Patent Law in October 2016, serving clients nationwide from Aurora, Nebraska. John Rapp was installed as the Wichita Bar Association president for the 2018-19 term. He practices at Hinkle Law Firm in Wichita.
2004 Shannon Holmberg is vice president and trust counsel, personal trust services, at First National Bank of Hutchinson. Holmberg joined the bank in 2015 and previously worked as an attorney at Gilliland & Hayes LLC. Brooke Smith joined McAnany Van Cleave & Phillips PA in Springfield, Missouri.
2005 Jehan Kamil Moore was named a 2017 fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Moore is a partner at Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Robert Neigert, of Austin, Texas, joined Callan Capital as managing director for the Texas region. John Patterson was promoted to member at Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC in Kansas City, Missouri. He has been included in Missouri/ Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Stars every year since 2012.
Deborah Williams was selected as a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar to attend “The Native American West: A Case Study of the Columbia Plateau.” She is professor and chair of environmental science at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park.
2006 Carly Farrell Boothe received the Johnson County Bar Association President’s Award and was named a 2017 Super Lawyers Rising Star for the third consecutive year. She is an attorney and mediator at Boothe Walsh Law & Mediation in Overland Park. Lisa Fewins recently relocated to Thailand with Black & Veatch. Jamie Porterfield received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. The award recognizes his leadership and commitment in supporting the implementation of the new Uniformed Services’ Blended Retirement System. Shalini Shanker was promoted to senior associate athletic director at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Selena Sujoldzic joined Franklin D. Azar & Associates in Denver. She and her husband welcomed a baby, Ariella, in February. Britta Warren was admitted as a partner in the firm of Black Helterline LLP in Portland, Oregon. She is a third-generation KU Law alumna.
2007 Rachel Rolf is the inaugural general counsel at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She most recently served as interim general counsel at KU. Dillon Strohm was promoted to vice president and general counsel of AdParlor Media Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri.
2008 Luke Sinclair joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas, working as an assistant U.S. attorney from the federal courthouse in Topeka.
2009 Carrie Bader was promoted to partner at Erise IP in Overland Park. Justin Hendrix was promoted to partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP in Palo Alto, California. Beau Jackson joined Husch Blackwell LLP as a partner working out of the firm’s offices in Kansas City, Missouri, and Washington, D.C. Kelcie Longaker joined Offit Kurman PA in Maryland as a principal attorney in the business law and transactions group. Karen Collier Miller opened Miller Law Office in Caney, where she focuses her practice on family law, criminal defense and estate planning. Jason Romero is vice president and associate general counsel at Platform Ventures, formerly Mariner Real Estate Management, in Fairway, Kansas. Daniel Runge was promoted to senior compliance officer and associate research integrity officer at the University of Georgia, where he is involved in a range of research compliance matters.
2010 Kyle Hertel was promoted to
Anna Landis joined the Social Security Administration as an attorney advisor. Stephanie Lovett-Bowman is of counsel at Spencer Fane LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark Samsel was promoted to partner at Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Matthew Schoonover was named partner at Koprince Law LLC in Olathe.
2011 Katie Barnett was profiled in Kansas Alumni magazine for her work as an animal welfare advocate. Her Lawrence law firm specializes in animal law legislation. Daniel Buller was named a partner with Foulston Siefkin LLP in Overland Park. Buller practices in the areas of commercial litigation, natural resources litigation and cybersecurity.
2012 Lisa Bolliger joined AmeriTrust
in Overland Park as a claims attorney. Christian Corrigan joined Mountain States Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm in Denver.
2013 Brooke Brestel opened Brestel Bucar Ltd. in Broomfield, Colorado with partner Sara (Jones) Bucar. Joshua Carpenter joined global law firm K&L Gates in Miami. Kim Condon won the 2018 Langston Hughes Creative Writing Award for fiction.
Condon is an attorney with Midland Group in Lawrence. Lt. Col. Matt Keane took command of the 1st Battalion, 235th Regiment in Salina as part of his continued Kansas Army National Guard service. He oversees the Officer Candidate School and Warrant Officer Candidate School. Keane continues full-time law practice as an associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Jacob Lowenthal, of Wailuku, Hawaii, argued before the Hawaii Supreme Court in a First Amendment case involving the public’s rights to photograph police in their official capacity during traffic stops in public. He was elected to the board of the Hawaii Association for Justice. He and his wife, Erin Lowenthal, L’13, opened their own law firm, Lowenthal & Lowenthal, focusing on personal injury, family law and immigration. Lauren Luhrs joined KU Endowment as a development director for KU Law. She previously practiced with Kuhlman & Lucas LLC and Stueve Siegel Hanson, both in Kansas City, Missouri. Jade Marie Martin is an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at Spirit Aerosystems Inc. in Wichita. Eric Sader is serving as president of the
partner at Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri.
Holly Teeter, L’06, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a federal district court judge for Kansas. Teeter previously practiced patent law at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP and was a patent law clerk at Los Alamos National Security LLC. Most recently, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 43
ALUMNI NEWS
board of the Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Sader is assistant director of housing and neighborhood development for the City of Bloomington, Indiana. Joseph Schremmer was selected for the Wichita Business Journal’s 2018 40 under 40 class. Schremmer is a partner at Depew Gillen Rathbun & McInteer LC in Wichita.
2015 Amanda Angell joined John D. Wheeler & Associates in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
2016 Nicole Rose joined Foulston Siefkin LLP as an associate in Wichita. She previously clerked for Judge Daniel Crabtree on the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. Derek Schmidt, SJD, was elected in June to a one-year term as president of the National Association of Attorneys General. He is serving his second term as Kansas attorney general.
2017 Marisa Bayless is a policy analyst for the Colorado Senate in Denver. Tyler Childress joined the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office in Olathe as an assistant district attorney. He was previously with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office in Wichita. Travis Hanson joined Foulston Siefkin LLP as an associate in Wichita. Andrew Kershen joined the California State Lands Commission as a staff attorney in Sacramento, California. Mason Lent is an associate at Hite, Fanning & Honeyman LLP in Wichita. Nathan Mannebach joined Foulston Siefkin LLP as an associate in Wichita. Brian Moore is an associate at Hanson, Jorns & Beverlin LLC in Pratt. Marc Nunes joined the law office of Rose, Klein & Marias LLP in Ontario, California. n
44 KU LAW MAGAZINE
1956 Ward Ferguson McPherson, Kansas May 9, 2018
1958
1948 Richard Mankin Jr. Marietta, Georgia April 1987
1949 Aubrey Bradley Jr. Sacramento, California June 13, 2018
1951 Thomas Alexander Kansas City, Missouri April 25, 2018 Loren Corliss Wichita, Kansas May 31, 2018 Roger Lovett Topeka, Kansas June 7, 2018
1953 Dolly Ralston Anderson Mission Hills, Kansas January 17, 2018 J. Robert Wilson Lakewood, Colorado May 21, 2018
1955 Eugene Keller Phoenix, Arizona May 26, 2018
Donald Burnett Larned, Kansas December 18, 2017 William Nulton Prairie Village, Kansas March 16, 2018 Richard Simpson Redstone, Colorado March 14, 2018
1959 Bruce Maupin Denver, Colorado April 23, 2018
1961 Lawrence Brennan Kansas City, Kansas January 22, 2018 Stephen Schecter New York, New York December 29, 2017
1963 Matthew Dowd Topeka, Kansas May 15, 2018 Richard Hunsucker Rockville, Maryland Date unknown
1965 William R. Howard Jr. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma December 13, 2017 Arthur Piculell Scottsdale, Arizona April 28, 2018
IN MEMORIAM 1982 1966 Ward Lawrence Pagosa Springs, Colorado February 6, 2018 Robert Wagstaff Carmel, California October 8, 2017
1967 Olen Bunting Midland, Texas January 12, 2018 William Mills III Hutchinson, Kansas February 8, 2018
1968 James Tharp Honolulu, Hawaii March 21, 2017
1969 Sondra Sellars Chicago, Illinois July 25, 2017
1970 William Hoover Lemoore, California February 24, 2018
1971 James Kunce Overland Park, Kansas March 23, 2018
1972 N. Royce Nelson Salina, Kansas May 21, 2018
1973 Linda Lee Washington, D.C. March 11, 2018 Robert Watchous Olathe, Kansas January 15, 2018
1974 Ronald Loewen Columbia, South Carolina March 14, 2018 William Wiswell Olathe, Kansas October, 3, 2017
1978 Douglas Hansen Kansas City, Missouri March 16, 2018
1981 Martin Miller Lawrence, Kansas April 5, 2018
James Uhlig Yates Center, Kansas April 16, 2018
1983 D. Richard White Lawrence, Kansas January 18, 2018
1984 Joseph Hunt Lake Worth, Florida November 21, 2017
1989 Carroll Clausing Hoke Wichita, Kansas December 15, 2017
1990 Russell Cloon Baldwin, Kansas March 31, 2018
1995 Gary Hart Clayton, Missouri March 13, 2018
1999 Beverly Chang North Hollywood, California April 23, 2018
2001 Andria (McNames) Cooper Wayne, Nebraska February 5, 2018
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KU LAW’S 2018 U.S. SUPREME COURT SWEARING-IN CEREMONY In June, 18 KU Law alumni and their guests traveled from across the country to Washington, D.C., to be sworn in to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States during open court. They enjoyed a private reception with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch, toured the U.S. Capitol and gathered with D.C. area graduates for an alumni reception.
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