MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS || SPRING 2017
GOING BOLDLY Jayhawk lawyers forge entrepreneurial path
KU Law Magazine is published twice a year 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 kulaws@ku.edu | 785-864-9205 CONTRIBUTORS Nicole Krambeer Mike Krings Emily Sharp PHOTOS Jason Dailey Kelsey Kimberlin Meg Kumin Larken Photo & Video Co. Mindie Paget Earl Richardson, L’08 Andy White Mike Yoder PRINTING Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas
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10 Going boldly A health care executive, a restaurateur, a tech start-up team, a wealth management expert, and a dreamer intent on reforming education for Kansas City children started their entrepreneurial journeys at KU Law.
CONTENTS KU LAW MAGAZINE || SPRING 2017
DEPARTMENTS 4 IN BRIEF
Conferences, lectures, rankings and a continuing commitment to community service
24 FACULTY NEWS + RESEARCH
6 Outstanding advocacy Excellent student performances on the 2016-2017 moot court competition circuit lead to the second consecutive top-20 ranking for KU Law’s program.
24 Fond farewell
Research highlights, media coverage, kudos
30 ALUMNI NEWS Photos: Diversity in Law Banquet 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
Professors Elinor Schroeder and Bill Westerbeke retire after more than 80 years of combined teaching, scholarship and service to KU Law.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 1
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
A FOUNDATION
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FOR INNOVATION Legal education provides launch pad for KU entrepreneurs
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n our younger days my brother and I ran a thriving grass-cutting business in our Alabama hometown. My older brother operated the lawn mower, and I raked the grass clippings, trimmed around the sidewalks and swept up the debris. Regardless of the size of the yard and the extra services we provided, Dad would only let us charge $5. Even as a 10-year-old, I knew that, with rising gas prices in the mid-1970s, the whole enterprise was based on a faulty cost structure. Unable to convince my family that we were squandering goodwill and that the local landscaping market valued reliability more than cost, I was left with no choice but to resign my post. I try not to look back. Fortune has smiled more favorably upon the Jayhawk entrepreneurs featured in this issue, and that’s no coincidence. Although they operate across vastly different industries — from health care to education to food services — they are all innovators skilled at identifying gaps in the marketplace, devising creative solutions to fill them, and taking risks to execute their vision. Few practice law in the traditional sense, yet they rely heavily upon the training they received at KU Law. “I use my legal background every single day,” reports 1996 graduate Peter Mallouk, whose company manages $24 billion for clients in all 50 states and abroad. As dean, it’s gratifying to hear alumni confirm that we’re fulfilling our mission to educate professionals with the research, analytical and problem-solving acumen to succeed in whatever career they choose.
We also aim to cultivate a commitment to public service. We were proud to be recognized this spring on the Community Service Leaders honor roll for “schools with the greatest community impact.” The PreLaw Magazine ranking takes into account the more than 18,700 pro bono service hours completed by KU Law students during the 2015-2016 academic year — an average of 52 hours per student. We anticipate that number will increase with the launch of our new Pro Bono Program, celebrating students who complete more than 50 hours of pro bono service during law school. They have stellar role models in alumni like you, who share your time, talent and wisdom so selflessly with the communities and causes you believe in. KU Law counts itself lucky to be among the beneficiaries of your generous service. Future Jayhawk lawyers prosper immeasurably when you guest lecture in their classrooms, discuss employment opportunities at career fairs, critique their oral advocacy skills during moot court practice rounds, connect them with your professional networks and set them up for success in countless other ways. We acknowledge your contributions in this issue’s Volunteer Honor Roll. Thank you for all you do for KU Law.
Stephen W. Mazza Dean and Professor of Law
KU LAW MAGAZINE 3
IN BRIEF
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY KU LAW MAKES HONOR ROLL FOR PRO BONO SERVICE
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U Law ranks highly among law schools contributing the most in legal services to their local communities, according to a national publication. The Winter 2017 issue of PreLaw Magazine listed KU Law on its Community Service Leaders honor roll for “schools with the greatest community impact.” During the 2015-2016 academic year, KU Law students completed 18,725 pro bono service hours — an average of 52 hours per student — through law school clinics, field placements and other service opportunities. Students reviewed claims of actual innocence and constitutional violations from people incarcerated in state and federal prison in Kansas through the Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies. They assisted medical patients whose health issues might have legal solutions through the MedicalLegal Partnership and more. “Lawyers — and law students — have specialized skills, and with those skills comes a responsibility to serve,” Dean Stephen Mazza said. “Performing pro bono service in law school is an excellent way to give back to the community while gaining hands-on legal experience that enriches our students’ legal education and better prepares them for practice.”
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As a volunteer ombudsman with the Kansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office, Karly Weigel, L’17, worked as an advocate at a Lawrence nursing home facility, helping residents navigate a range of care and treatment issues. “I use many of the mediation and listening techniques from my law school course on alternative dispute resolution. Building relationships with the residents has allowed me to use my classroom knowledge in a real-world setting while giving back to the Lawrence community.”
RECOGNIZING SERVICE Beginning with the Class of 2017, KU Law will formally recognize student service through its new Pro Bono Program. Students who complete 50 hours of pro bono service during their law school career will be honored at graduation, and students who complete 15 hours or more of pro bono service during a single academic year will be recognized on the annual Pro Bono Honor Roll.
GIVING BACK
More than 200 federal and state tax returns prepared through the pro bono Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in 2017.
$12,500 donated to two local charities that support victims of domestic violence via proceeds from Women in Law’s Pub Night.
FREE KU CLINIC HELPS CLIENTS EXPUNGE CRIMINAL RECORDS People who have been arrested or convicted of crimes often face barriers to employment, housing or other opportunities — even long after they have served their sentences. KU Law’s Legal Aid Clinic opened more than 50 cases for such clients through its inaugural “Clean Slate” Expungement Clinic in February. The free clinic connected KU Law student and faculty advocates with community members to determine their eligibility and help them make a fresh start. An expungement seals an arrest record or conviction from public view, with certain exceptions. “In many cases, people are eligible to petition for expungement but haven’t been able to because they need help navigating the legal system or cannot afford the legal fees,” said Meredith Schnug, associate director of the Legal Aid Clinic. “This clinic can help obtain a fresh start for people who meet the requirements of the expungement laws and who qualify for free legal services.” Clinic students and faculty filed petitions in Douglas County District Court and Lawrence Municipal Court for eligible clients, and provided advice and counsel for those not yet eligible for expungement. The number of clients whose records were ultimately expunged will be known this summer after all court hearings are finalized. The Legal Aid Clinic offers students the opportunity to fine-tune their lawyering skills in a fast-paced, live-client setting by representing low-income clients under the careful guidance and thoughtful teaching of supervising attorneys.
$2,200 in stipends for students in public service internships raised during Public Interest Law Society’s Casino Night. KU Law students Kriston Guillot, Sarah Nelson, Tyler Reese, Zach Peterson, Heather Ford, Brian Vanorsby, Erica McCabe, Max McGraw and Yarhmaan Peerbaccus assisted clients during the Legal Aid Clinic’s inaugural “Clean Slate” Expungement Clinic.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 5
IN BRIEF
OUTSTANDING ADVOCACY KU LAW TEAMS EXCEL ON COMPETITION CIRCUIT
BREAKING NEWS || MOOT COURT PROGRAM RANKED 18TH IN NATION
Sarah McMillin-Beckman argues as part of the winning team in KU Law’s 2017 In-House Moot Court Competition.
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NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION MOOT COURT The tradition continues. For the third consecutive year, a KU Law team advanced to the national championship round of the National NALSA Moot Court Competition. Megan Carroll and Bill Madden placed second in the 2017 competition March 4-5 at the University of California-Los Angeles. Carroll also won the award for second-best oral advocate out of 128 competitors.
NATIONAL TRANSACTIONAL LAWMEET A team of KU Law students captured the Best Draft Award at the national championship rounds of the 2017 Transactional LawMeet. Aspiring transactional lawyers Jake Ediger, Justine Koehle and Alison Kryzer competed at nationals March 31 in New York City after winning a regional finalist title in Kansas City, Missouri. Their purchase agreement for the buyer’s side of the competition’s mock business transaction was deemed best in the nation. KU Law Professors Ken Lynn, L’81 (bottom left), and Webb Hecker prepared the Transactional LawMeet team for competition. Andy White / KU Marketing Communications (opposite page)
MORE SUCCESS FROM THE 2016-2017 SEASON Nick Bjornson and Brian Lynn finished 3rd in the ABA Section of Taxation Law Student Tax Challenge. Will Easley and Bill Madden took 3rd place at the FBA’s Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition. Ashley Billam and Sam LaRoque took 1st place in the regional rounds of the National Moot Court Competition.
Craig Boyd, Elizabeth Hanus and Taylor Ray were Transactional LawMeet regional semifinalists in Dallas, where they also won the prize for best draft agreement. Ben Stringer, Eric Wilson and David Hammack ascended to the regional semifinals of the Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition.
Skyler Davenport and Nathan Kakazu advanced to the regional semifinals of the ABA’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition. CJ Boyd and Dalton Mott advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Tournament.
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IN BRIEF
CONNECTING SCHOLARS
2017 LAW JOURNAL SYMPOSIUM
THE FUTURE OF GRASSLANDS
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rasslands play a crucial role in our planet’s ecological, social and economic health, but environmental degradation threatens this fragile ecosystem. Policymakers must balance agricultural development with conservation efforts to ensure that this precious resource remains for future generations. Legal scholars and environmental advocates convened Feb. 17 in Lawrence to discuss these issues during the 2017 Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy Symposium, “Grasslands: Balancing Preservation and Agriculture in the World’s Most Imperiled Ecosystem.” “Both worldwide and here in Kansas, prairies and grasslands play a crucial role in the health not only of humans but of countless other species,” said John Head, professor of law and symposium panelist. “For soil conservation, biological diversity, animal habitat, recreation and carbon sequestration, grasslands are irreplaceable. Unfortunately, they have been deeply degraded, so drawing attention to what protections can be put in place or strengthened is important and timely.” Environmental law scholar John Nagle opened the symposium with a keynote address, “Restoring the Prairie with the Endangered Species Act.” Panels followed on balancing grassland preservation and agricultural use, and grassland preservation in the management of public and private lands.
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Speakers (top to bottom, left to right): George Coggins and John Head, KU Law; Tim Crews, The Land Institute; Ron Klataske, Audubon of Kansas; John Nagle, Notre Dame Law; John Davidson, South Dakota Law; Robert Glicksman, GW Law; and Lijuan Xing, Hong Kong Law.
2017 TRIBAL LAW & GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE
INDIAN GAMING IN THE 21ST CENTURY American Indian law scholars and advocates gathered March 10 in Lawrence to grapple with legal issues surrounding Indian gaming during the 21st annual Tribal Law & Government Conference, “Indian Gaming in the 21st Century.” “The 450-plus gaming facilities in Indian country grossed over $29 billion in 2015,” said Elizabeth Kronk Warner, professor of law and director of KU Law’s Tribal Law & Government Center. “The industry has a profound impact on Indian country and the entire nation. By discussing these important issues, KU Law is at the forefront of legal matters facing native communities.” Jonodev Chaudhuri (below), chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, delivered the keynote address. A member of the Muscogee Creek tribe, Chaudhuri oversees the regulation of more than 450 Indian gaming facilities associated with nearly 242 tribes across 28 states. Other presenters included: • Richard Frias, partner, Frias Indian Law and Policy • Steven Light, associate vice president for academic affairs and co-director, Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law and Policy, University of North Dakota • Russ Brien, attorney, Brien Law LLC • Mark Dodd, executive director, Kansas State Gaming Agency • Kaighn Smith Jr., Drummond Woodsum Attorneys at Law
KU LAW HOSTS INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE LAW WORKSHOP Legal scholars from around the world gathered in Lawrence Feb. 10-11 to present their research on contemporary law and business issues. The American Society of Comparative Law (ASCL) Younger Comparativists Committee’s Third Annual Comparative Business and Financial Law Workshop explored topics ranging from Islamic commercial law to consumer financial protection and Chinese corporate governance. “The workshop provides an opportunity for younger comparative scholars to engage with a group of interdisciplinary commentators around cutting-edge issues in business law and financial regulation,” said Virginia Harper Ho, professor of law and current chair of the Younger Comparativists Committee, which aims to engage and support early-career scholars specializing in comparative law. “KU Law has a strong tradition as a member of the ASCL, and this workshop is a great complement to our international and comparative law program.” Presenters shared their research, while colleagues provided feedback and discussion to help authors advance their projects.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 9
GOING BOLDLY JAYHAWK LAWYERS FORGE ENTREPRENEURIAL PATH 2014 study indicates that roughly a third to half of U.S. residents with law degrees do not work as lawyers. The study of law opens up a variety of career paths, but it also equips JD holders with the tools to launch and manage their own enterprises. From negotiating contracts, to familiarity with legal and financial regulations, to the ability to dissect, analyze and synthesize information, a KU Law education provides the expertise that entrepreneurs need to turn visions into reality. In this issue we introduce you to a health care executive, a restaurateur, a tech start-up team, a wealth management expert, and a dreamer intent on reforming education for Kansas City children. Their paths are different, but the grounding they received in legal doctrine, writing skills, and practical experience is the same.
Scott Kaiser, L’03, Ty Hudson, L'00, Ryan Hudson, L'05, Thadd Hale, C’01, Frankie Forbes, L'00 and Corbett Mermis, C’02, are among the co-founders, investors and advisers of Vector Legal Method.
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Kelsey Kimberlin
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A PERIODIC TABLE FOR LITIGATION RYAN HUDSON, L’05
Scott Kaiser, Corbett Mermis, Ryan Hudson and Thadd Hale are co-founders of Vector Legal Method.
12 KU LAW MAGAZINE Kelsey Kimberlin
KU lawyers build system to standardize, manage cases
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yan Hudson and his business partners call it the $2,900 question. A client calls her lawyer at a law firm and asks, “How’s my case going?” That lawyer is often a senior partner who then emails a junior partner who mobilizes associates and legal assistants to scour the case files and report back. The billable hours add up fast. “As a result, a lot of clients won’t even ask the question anymore,” Hudson said. “They just sit in the dark and hope things are going well. We know there’s a better way to manage litigation.” The root of the problem? Right now, there’s no standard taxonomy or architecture for litigation, Hudson said. It doesn’t have a scoreboard, like baseball, for tracking balls, strikes and outs through nine innings. So there’s no easy or reliable way to have a conversation about where a case stands. Hudson and a group of University of Kansas graduates hope to change that. Their solution is Vector Legal Method, a case management software-asa-service that allows law firms, attorneys and in-house legal departments to map, organize, manage, track and analyze each stage of litigation. Vector’s beating heart is the Litigation Elemental Number System, or Vector LENS, which divides litigation into phases, parts and elements.
“It’s the litigation version of chemistry’s periodic table of elements,” said Hudson, a member at Sharp Law in Prairie Village. Each phase and element corresponds with a unique digital file folder to help organize documents exactly where they occur in the case. Attorneys and clients can log into the dashboard at any time and check the status of the case in a few clicks. By standardizing litigation, Vector also creates a platform for training lawyers (and law students) and collecting a deep pool of data that could eventually provide industrywide insights. Among Hudson’s cofounders are KU Law alumni Scott Kaiser, L’03, a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, Missouri, and Brennan Fagan, L’01, a partner at Fagan Emert & Davis in Lawrence. KU graduates Corbett Mermis, C’02, and Thadd Hale, C’01, are also co-founders, and the company is counseled by Michael Dill, L’09, an associate at Holland & Hart in Denver. KU Law Professor Lou Mulligan also helped shape Vector and has been actively involved from the beginning. A nationally known expert in civil procedure, he recognized both the importance of structuring litigation and the educational and training opportunities that Vector would provide. He is
working with several other Vector advisers to author a book that will explain the Vector LENS. Vector built a software prototype in 2016 and recently received funding from a venture capital firm and several other investors. A huge boost came in early 2017 when Vector was selected to participate in the Box.com Platform Incubator Program in Silicon Valley, which helps companies build, launch and scale businesses that leverage Box.com and Amazon Web Services. “It was a game-changer,” Hudson said. “The legal industry is obsessed with data security and 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies already use Box.com for their document management, so we’re working with the bestin-class company to build our product on their document management platform.” About 250 lawyers will begin using the latest Vector product in beta testing this summer. Many of them are KU Law graduates who have not only invested in Vector but also help advise the company on the software’s features. “This is an idea that would have stayed in my basement had I not known other KU lawyers across the country,” Hudson said. “KU grads are willing to put their heads down and work hard together.” — Mindie Paget
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IN PURSUIT OF DREAMS
CATINA TAYLOR, L’99
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Attorney-turned-teacher aims to educate the whole child
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s a young attorney, Catina Taylor moved to Los Angeles to launch her career in sports and entertainment law. But when her father became ill, Taylor returned home to Kansas City and her priorities shifted. After starting an event-planning business, Taylor responded to the understaffed Kansas City Public School system’s call for professionals to return to the classroom as teachers. The struggling district has long faced high administrator turnover, falling enrollment, low academic performance and a budget deficit, losing its accreditation in 2011. The district regained full accreditation in 2016. “I was a product of the school district and thought it was a great way to give back,” she said. “I never thought I would fall into it, and now here we are, 17 years later.” In those 17 years, Taylor has taught in public and private schools, helped establish an independent school, and worked with a nonprofit focused on adult education. She found her teaching career rewarding but felt her contributions could be bigger. “I’ve gone to sleep every night and woke every morning feeling I had an
impact on a small number of students,” Taylor said. “But why couldn’t that impact be larger? As teachers, we’re the professionals. We know what works, yet we aren’t stepping outside of our classrooms to be school founders or policymakers. We’re leaving that to the business community, to politicians, to everyone except the professionals. That made no sense to me. I think we can make this work for children in a new and innovative way.” That new and innovative model is DREAMS KC, Taylor’s antidote to what she describes as an archaic educational system designed to serve an antiquated agricultural and manufacturing economy. “Now we’re in a knowledge-based economy. The work force demands creativity, problem solving, communication, relationships, critical thinking,” Taylor said. “We haven’t been assisting young people in cultivating that skill set.” The hallmarks of the DREAMS KC model are civic, personal, professional and entrepreneurial competencies developed through projectbased learning, flexible learning environments,
adaptive technology, community-based approaches, culturally relevant curricula, and wrap-around family services. The goal is to appeal to the whole child, not just his or her intellect. DREAMS KC will launch an eight-week pilot project this spring thanks to funding provided by 4.0 Schools, a New Orleans-based education incubator. A summer pilot is also in the works with support from the New Schools Venture Fund, a nonprofit venture philanthropy firm. Taylor hopes her vision will take root for a full-scale launch in 2019. For Taylor, the new venture represents a fullcircle journey back to her home community and the core skills she developed as a Jayhawk lawyer-in-training. “As a school founder and businesswoman, I have to understand, negotiate, synthesize and dissect information,” she said. “Had I not had the experience of law school, I don’t think I would be equipped to do that.” — Emily Sharp
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SEIZING OPPORTUNITY PETER MALLOUK, L’96
Unique offering at right time yields success for financial adviser
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eter Mallouk makes his living in the financial services industry, so the 2008 market crash hit him hard — but not in the way you might think. “People came to us in droves,” Mallouk said. “Between the aftermath of 9/11 and the 2008 market dive, people started being more thoughtful about seeking the best financial advice possible rather than working with friends or neighbors. The crisis was really the turning point where assets started flowing quickly toward Creative Planning.” That’s the name of the Leawood-based wealth management firm Mallouk bought in 2004. Under his leadership, Creative Planning has skyrocketed from three employees managing $30 million in assets to more than 400 employees managing $24 billion for clients in all 50 states and abroad. Creative has twice been named the No. 1 Wealth Management Firm in America by CNBC. Mallouk attributes that success, in part, to his unique business model. Creative was
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among the first companies to offer comprehensive wealth management services, including investment management, financial planning, charitable planning, retirement plan consulting, tax and estate planning services. “I started my career as an estate attorney and was advising other advisers’ clients,” Mallouk said. “I saw a gap in the market where a client would really benefit from having all of those things under one roof.” Seizing that opportunity took the confident, entrepreneurial streak Mallouk developed at the University of Kansas. The Kansas City native graduated in 1993 with bachelor’s degrees in four majors, including business administration and economics. He went on to earn his JD/MBA from KU in 1996. “That joint-degree program made me aware of how much law helps with business,” Mallouk said. “If you’re going to run a fast-growing company where you’re taking quick, decisive action to fill needs in the marketplace, you have to be knowledgeable enough to act.
I use my legal background every single day.” Mallouk is featured in every eligible listing of Barron’s as one of the Top 100 Independent Financial Advisers in America, and is the only adviser ever to have been featured at No. 1 for three consecutive years. His 2014 book, “The 5 Mistakes Every Investor Makes and How to Avoid Them,” became a New York Times Bestseller, helping attract new clients and explain to existing clients how Creative Planning makes decisions. Being entrepreneurial has been key to Mallouk’s success, but he doesn’t discount timing. “The industry was ripe for a new approach,” Mallouk said. “I think that made it easier to succeed.” — Mindie Paget Jason Dailey
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NO ROADBLOCKS AYESHA MEHDI, L’09
Immigrant driven to realize the American dream
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reedom. It’s the word that springs to Ayesha Mehdi’s mind when she reflects on what it means to be an entrepreneur. Not just the freedom that comes with being her own boss and setting her own hours. But also the freedom to explore her passions, take risks and define her own success after immigrating from a country that offers limited professional opportunities for women. “It’s not typical in our culture for a woman to pursue a demanding career,” said Mehdi, who grew up in Lahore, Pakistan. “I have worked very hard to become financially independent, and I don’t take that for granted.” Mehdi launched Frontier Health Law in May 2016 in Las Vegas. She represents health care providers in regulatory and transactional matters in Nevada and throughout the U.S. Business is brisk, and not by chance. Mehdi began laying the groundwork for her thriving law practice back in 2010, when she co-founded Hope Cancer Care of Nevada with her husband, Raja, an oncologist. With a joint degree in law and health
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services administration from KU, Mehdi possessed the skills to both form the clinic and help manage its operation and growth. Once Hope Cancer Care was wellestablished, Mehdi went on to pursue her legal career. She interned with Judge Gloria Sturman on Nevada’s 8th Judicial District Court, then practiced health law with a local firm before opening her own. Mehdi immediately benefited from the network and reputation she had built within the Nevada medical community, and her practice has grown faster than anticipated. An active member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the Health Care Compliance Association, Mehdi stays busy counseling clients on business contracts and the federal laws that regulate the health care industry. In the future, she hopes to add attorneys and expand her firm. The common thread through all of Mehdi’s ventures is determination. From completing her undergraduate studies with highest distinction after an arranged marriage, to taking the LSAT when she was nine
months pregnant with her first child, to having her second child while pursuing two graduate degrees, to starting a medical practice from scratch in a city of strangers, to starting her own law firm, Mehdi doesn’t stop at roadblocks. “As a Muslim woman and an immigrant, I’m glad I can add much-needed diversity to the legal community,” said Mehdi, now a U.S. citizen. “Pakistan is rich in tradition and culture, but I left for better career opportunities in the world’s most powerful country. Entrepreneurs are driven to reach their full potential, and immigrants are goal-oriented individuals. Combine the two, and you have a beautiful chance of greater success in business and in life.” Indeed, immigrants now account for 28.5 percent of all new entrepreneurs in the U.S. and are twice as likely to start businesses as nativeborn Americans, according to the 2015 Kauffman Index. “That’s why the U.S. is a wonderful country,” Mehdi said. “It’s a land of immigrants — a land of trailblazers.”— Mindie Paget
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RECIPE FOR SUCCESS ZACH MARTEN, L’05
Kansas native creates memorable dining experiences in welcoming spaces
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ach Marten always knew he wanted to be his own boss. After law school, the McPherson, Kansas native worked with a real estate investment company in Dallas but quickly became antsy to strike out on his own. The opportunity arose when Marten and his business partner, Kansas City native Bret Springs, opened a Mr. Goodcents sandwich franchise in Dallas in 2008. “It was night and day to what I was doing previously,” Marten said. “It was a sevendays-a week, 15-hours-a-day job. It’s super competitive, and there are always fires to put out.” The pair thrived on the frenetic pace and challenging atmosphere and began making connections in the local restaurant community. In 2010 Marten and Springs sold their Goodcents franchise, moved back to Kansas City and opened Coal Vines, a pizza and wine concept on the Plaza. Westport Ale House followed in 2014, RND Corner Grille in downtown Lawrence in
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2015, and Rockhill Grille in Kansas City’s Crossroads district in 2016. Marten and Springs created Back Napkin Restaurant Group to own and operate their restaurants. The Back Napkin philosophy centers less on food trends and niche concepts, Marten said, and more on classic dishes and memorable experiences. He and Spring specialize in designing welcoming spaces that encourage guests to linger and return. “We design all our own restaurants,” Marten said. “The design phase and space layout is our favorite thing to do. We travel quite a bit, look at restaurants that have had staying power, look at designs. We’re on Pinterest a lot. I hate to admit this, but it’s true. We’re looking at restaurants all over the world, pinpointing different design elements, furniture, lighting. We’ll get into the space and start with the floor plan and space design, and it all comes together.” The biggest challenge? Hiring the right people and effectively managing a large
staff. The group takes pride in providing jobs to 120 Kansas City-area employees. “We learned management on the fly,” Marten said. “The lessons you learn are what happens when somebody doesn’t show for a shift in the kitchen and you don’t have anybody else. Many times my business partner and I have had to get out the notebook and take orders on the floor. I think the only way you can learn is by throwing yourself into those situations.” Though he didn’t follow a traditional legal career path, a legal education gave Marten an edge in negotiating contracts and managing his business. “I look at a lot of leases and contracts, partnership and operating agreements, bank agreements,” he said. “The education you get in law school is a good foundation for owning your own business.” — Emily Sharp
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Jeff Stowell, L’01 (left), is teaching KU Law students Anne Lee, Cachet Hancock, C.J. Boyd, Brian Mathay and Aaron Bowen (not pictured) the ropes of venture capital.
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INVESTORS IN TRAINING Law students learn ropes of venture capital through hands-on program
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achet Hancock didn’t go to law school to be a lawyer. The 2017 graduate hopes to start her own business one day, and she got a firsthand look at how she might entice future investors through the Kansas City University Venture Program. Hancock was one of five KU Law students selected for the first year of the competitive program, which provides real-world learning opportunities to college students interested in entrepreneurship and private finance. Participants learn the ropes of venture capital, cutting their teeth by evaluating a mock investment and then investing in actual start-up companies on behalf of the fund. The goal is to create a pipeline of experienced, young earlystage investors. Jeff Stowell, L’01, leads the program as managing director of Royal Street Ventures. Headquartered in Park City, Utah, with an office in Kansas City, Royal Street has worked successfully the last few years with
the Utah University Venture Fund, the largest student venture program in the country. “We’ve been really impressed by how that program works and how it serves the community. We jumped at the chance to emulate that in the Kansas City area,” Stowell said. “It’s been exciting to have so many talented students from KU in the program, and I’ve been personally pleased to see future KU Law grads participate. I took a bit of a nontraditional path, and I’m enjoying sharing some of those experiences with students.” Royal Street — which opened its Kansas City location last year — heads up the KC program in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, the University Venture Fund, the Sorenson Impact Center and other private donors. Students work on real projects, performing due diligence, studying markets, crafting and negotiating deal terms with established funds and investors,
helping venture-backed companies with special projects and, eventually, making direct investments in companies. “My legal background has been essential in conducting detailed research and crafting persuasive memos to convince the fund directors that we should make an investment,” said Brian Mathay, a member of the inaugural class who will continue with the project during his third year at KU Law. “For a law student going into business practice, having a working knowledge of private equity is really useful.” Hancock said the program broadened her finance skills, which will serve her well in whatever career she pursues. “The KC University Venture Program also taught me to view risk differently,” she said. “Learning from a veteran venture capitalist like Jeff allowed me to experiment confidently, knowing I had a safety net if I started down the wrong path.” — Mindie Paget
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FACULTY NEWS
FOND FAREWELL LAW SCHOOL CELEBRATES CAREERS OF RETIRING PROFESSORS
Professor Elinor Schroeder capped off
her 40-year teaching career at KU Law this spring. An employment law expert, Schroeder was named the Paul E. Wilson Professor of Law in 1999 and received the law school's Immel Award for Teaching Excellence. In 1984, the KU Commission on the Status of Women named her the outstanding woman teacher at KU and inducted her into the University of Kansas Women's Hall of Fame. “Few teachers have been as influential in my life as Professor Schroeder,” said Jon Blumenthal, L’92. “I am so thankful to have been one of her students. I would not be the labor and employment lawyer that I am had she not taught at KU.”
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Professor Bill Westerbeke taught his
final class in Green Hall in December. Known for his accessibility to students, Westerbeke won a number of teaching and mentoring awards during his career, including the law school’s Moreau Award for Student Counseling in 1987 and the university's Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence in 2006. His KU Law legacy lives on in the many careers he helped launch, the countless golf games he improved, and the dry wit and sharp humor that made his students and colleagues smile for the past 43 years. “One of my favorite law school professors,” said Lisa Beran, L’86.
FACULTY MEDIA COVERAGE
Richard Levy Associated Press
Lua Yuille Ottawa Herald
It’s the speed at which it has occurred which prevents a careful analysis of whether or not this is wholly lawful and whether or not it makes sense and is really in the national interest.” Discussing
It's making the church take the role of the government. I would expect that if the law is enacted it would not be very long before it is challenged.” Assessing the constitutionality of a bill that would allow an Alabama church to create its own police force.
President Trump’s first executive order on immigration.
Stephen McAllister Chronicle of Higher Education
Lumen Mulligan Washington Times
He’s been out of private practice and government service for a decade much removed from those matters.” On his belief that Judge Neil Gorsuch would not have issues regarding recusals if he were confirmed to the Supreme Court.
A sample exam and syllabus from years ago provide no comfort that he is committed to producing top-quality legal scholarship.” In tongue-in-cheek analysis of President Obama’s qualifications for a job in legal academia.
Legal Aid Clinic Director Melanie DeRousse testified before the Kansas House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee in February as its members considered potential amendments to the 2016 comprehensive juvenile justice reform bill. She urged committee members to draft changes narrowly to avoid triggering probation revocation proceedings for children who simply fail to appear in court or at appointments.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 25
FACULTY NEWS
FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP Meg Kumin / KU Marketing Communications
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Matjaz Slanic / iStock.com
PROFESSOR DEVELOPS BIG-DATA APPROACH TO PATENT VALUE
P
atents have long been used by inventors to protect their creations, but for just as long it has been exceedingly difficult to accurately determine the value of patents. KU Law Professor Andrew Torrance and his co-author, Kevin West at the University of Washington Information School, have published a study that offers a new and powerful method to evaluate patents, either individually or grouped together into gigantic portfolios. Their approach, based on network and big-data analysis, can instantly determine which patents are most important, whether overall or by owner, inventor, attorney, patent examiner or technology. Doing so allows the authors to probe for answers to previously unanswerable questions about patent law, and their novel approach to “patent analytics” has the potential to open up a new area of legal study of patents, innovation, economics and policy. “All Patents Great and Small: A Big Data Network Approach to Valuation,” published March 27 in the University of Virginia Journal of Law and Technology, outlines the powerful methods they used to explore and organize huge sets of patent data made available by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. These data sets include detailed information about every U.S. patent issued from 1976 to the present. Torrance and West used algorithms developed to analyze vast amounts of data, including patent citation data. “The mountain of data available on patents has become so large it’s just not possible for any individual, however brilliant, to understand, let alone master, it,” Torrance said. “What we’re doing could be called ‘big patent data analysis.’” Among their findings? Litigated patents tend to be much more valuable than those not litigated, and the value of litigated patents tends to rise strongly with the level of court in which litigation occurs. — Mike Krings
IMPROVING INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION Billions of dollars and the validity of government regulations can be at stake in international arbitration cases, so it is imperative parties are able to choose the best arbitrator to settle their disputes. KU Law Professor Christopher Drahozal is part of a project working to improve the information available to parties in such disputes, making the process fairer and more efficient and increasing the diversity of people deciding cases. Drahozal sits on the board of Arbitrator Intelligence Inc., also known as AI, an entity affiliated with Penn State University that promotes fairness, transparency and accountability in the arbitrator selection process. The centerpiece of AI’s innovation is the Arbitrator Intelligence Questionnaire, or AIQ, administered to parties at the end of a case to collect information on how the arbitrator managed and decided the case. Feedback from a recent public comment period will be incorporated into a version of the AIQ set to become available in June. The AIQ aims to gather unbiased information about the arbitrator by asking parties a series of specific, typically objective questions. AI will make that information available to parties seeking to select arbitrators through AI Reports — a substantial improvement over the current method of learning about prospective arbitrators through ad hoc person-to-person phone calls. — Mike Krings
KU LAW MAGAZINE 27
FACULTY NEWS
Virginia Harper Ho selected by National Committee on U.S.China Relations and Carnegie Foundation for Public Intellectuals Program fellowship.
Uma Outka discusses “Shifting Energy Landscapes” as the Norman Williams Distinguished Lecturer in Land Use Planning at Vermont Law.
Raj Bhala signs with BloombergQuint to pen “On Point,” a monthly column focusing on international legal and economic affairs.
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Sankai / iStock.com
FACULTY KUDOS
ACHIEVING GLOBAL, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
T
he current model of agriculture is unsustainable, uses unprecedented amounts of fossil-carbon energy and contributes to pollution, water degradation and other problems. KU Law Professor John Head has written a book calling for support of a revolution in agriculture and outlines the legal, national and international political innovations that would be required to make it happen. In “International Law and Agroecological Husbandry: Building Legal Foundations for a New Agriculture,” Head explores the prospects for transitioning to a system that could produce grains perennially and achieve adequate yields to feed the world while reducing problems such as climate change and soil degradation. “How can we use international law and international institutions to facilitate the transition to a natural-system agriculture? My impression has been that those engaged in crop research efforts feel that if they come up with the right answer as a scientific and technological matter, then agriculture will be somewhat easily changed,” Head said. “I doubt that will be the case. I see it as a progression that has several elements and will take a great deal of international cooperation.” Head supports research being done at organizations such as the Land Institute in Salina. The institute, along with other research bodies around the world, is studying how to develop high-yield grain crops that could produce food year after year without replanting. Drawing inspiration from native grassland ecosystems such as those of the prairies that once covered North America’s Great Plains, the scientific efforts aim not only to develop crops that are perennial — wheat, for instance, that would not require yearly land preparation, planting and intense weed and pest control — but that are also grown in mixtures with other plants. If successful, Head writes, research efforts at the Land Institute and elsewhere would revolutionize the way agriculture can be practiced around the world. — Mike Krings
EARNING A THIRD LAW DEGREE AT AGE 72 Plenty of people go back to school at a nontraditional age. But most of them don’t take classes for a doctorate at a school where they are also a professor. Or while they are practicing law full-time. Or at the age of 72. But that’s exactly what Bruce Hopkins did when he decided to get an SJD at KU Law, where he also serves as a professor from practice. He details his experiences in having the same young people as students and classmates, attending classes with professors many years his junior and answering questions about why he would do such a thing in his new memoir, “SJD: What’s the Point of Three Law Degrees? The Adventures of an Older Lawyer Who Returned to Law School for the Third Degree.” A well-established and respected lawyer in the field of tax-exempt and nonprofit law, Hopkins is no stranger to the classroom or writing. Now approaching his 50th year practicing law, he has written more than 30 books, most of them on all manner of tax-exempt or nonprofit legal topics. He earned his first two law degrees from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. He practiced there for many years, often thinking about getting the SJD, or Scientiae Juridicae
Doctor, commonly known as the equivalent of a Ph.D. in law. But at the time George Washington and Georgetown did not offer it. He considered Harvard, but the commute proved impractical. The book begins by addressing the question he gets most often: Why? Many lawyers didn’t even know the degree existed and told him he was wasting his time and money. Fellow lawyers had told him they’d sworn they’d never attend another law class after completing their degree and passing the bar. As one can imagine, there were many unique happenings, which he outlines in the memoir. “It’s given me a different attitude toward my students,” Hopkins said of gaining his third degree. And it's "changed our discussions. We now sit around and discuss things like they’re budding lawyers, not just people who are there to hear me lecture.” — Mike Krings
FACULTY KUDOS
Mike Kautsch, media law expert and former journalism dean, inducted into Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame.
law.ku.edu/faculty
KU LAW MAGAZINE 29
ALUMNI NEWS
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2017 DIVERSITY IN LAW BANQUET The KU Law community gathered March 10 for the 2017 Diversity in Law Banquet, a celebration of diversity in the legal profession and a fundraiser for the Diversity Scholarship Fund. The Asian Law Students Association hosted the event, and Judge Alok Ahuja of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, addressed banquet guests. “It’s hard to escape reminders of the fact that I, like so many of you, may be different from what many people consider to be an average or normal or real American,” Ahuja said. “Recent events only make it more important, I think, for diverse communities in the legal profession and elsewhere, to stand up with their allies, respond to words and actions born of hatred and animosity, and proclaim that this is our America as much as it’s anyone else’s.” Thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable evening.
Clockwise from opposite page: KU Law 2Ls DongJoo Kim and Waynell Henson; Matt Scarber, L’17; Catesby Major, L’04, of sponsoring firm Bryan Cave; keynote speaker Judge Alok Ahuja of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District.
Kelsey Kimberlin
KU LAW MAGAZINE 31
ALUMNI NEWS
Chris Scott, L’08, converses with students about opportunities at the Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office during Legal Career Options Day.
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Becky Weber, L’85, center, managing director of Prime Policy Group, hosted students in KU Law’s 6th Semester in D.C. program, from left, Josh DeMoss, Nathan Mannebach, Karina Kiewel and Adrienn Clark.
2016-2017
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 2016 to April 2017. 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 Xavier Andrews L’14 Sarah Lynn Baltzell, L’08 Andy Bauch L’02 Jacob Bayer, L’80 Jay Berryman, L’14 Doug Bonney, L’85 Lt. Tadd Blair, L’08 Gerald Brenneman, L’85 Ryan Boyer, L’13 Mitchell Chaney, L’81 Toby Crouse, L’00 Mark Dodd, L’06 Chris Dove, L’03 Rob Flynn, L’06 Edward Frizell, L’80 Jesús Güereca, L’14 Emily Haack, L’08 Jason Harmon, L’15 Katie Harpstrite, L’07 Lindsey Heinz, L’09 Nick Jenkins, L’14 Jennifer Johnson, L’05 Brian Johnston, L’90 Kimberly A. Jones, L’94 Kraig Kohring, L’92 Travis Lenkner, L’05 William Mahood, L’93 Katherine Marples, L’14 Sara McCallum, L’14
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Jake McMillian, L’15 Leyla McMullen, L’99 Capt. Nathan Michel, L’11 Hon. Stephanie Mitchell, L’06 S. Patrick O’Bryan, L’05 T.C. Penland, L’15 Jeff Pyle, L’13 Shon Qualseth, L’97 Charles Marvine, L’96 David Rebein, L’80 Zach Roberson, L’12 Bill Sampson, L’71 Mark Savoy, L’14 Steve Scheve, L’81 Lisa Schultes, L’85 Rachel Smith, L’99 Stan Smith, L’82 Julianne Story, L’91 Jon Strongman, L’02 David Treviño, L’06 Jennifer Tucker, L’10 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Tom Weilert, L’75 Zach Wiggins, L’11 Brian Wolf, L’08 Marie Woodbury, L’79 Samantha Woods, L’13 Alyse Zadalis, L’15 Dan Zmijewski, L’03
MOOT COURT JUDGES & COACHES Corey Adams, L’16 Hon. G. Gordon Atcheson, L’81 Paige Blevins, L’15 Grant Brazill, L’15 Hon. Mary Beck Briscoe, L’73 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Mark Dodd, L’06 Hon. Robert Fairchild, L’73 Maria Kaminska Garcia, L’09 Jason Harmon, L’15 Bryce Langford, L’16 Hon. Steve Leben, L’82 Terence Leibold, L’96 Kenneth Lynn, L’81 Hon. Michael Malone, L’73 Katherine Marples, L’14 Nikki Rose, L’16 Whitney Novak, L’14 Jacob Nowak, L’16 Kyle O’Brien, L’14 Hon. Joe Pierron, L’71 Matt Rogers, L’16 Kelley Sears, L’74 Hon. Caleb Stegall, L’00 Samantha Sweley, L’15 Chris Teters, L’16 Bradley Thomas, L’16 Grant Treaster, L’15 Annette Wallace, L’15
CAREER MENTORS Collin Altieri, L’01 Jennifer Ananda, L’10 Joan Archer, L’92 Marcos Barbosa, L’04 David Barclay, L’14 Stacey Blakeman, L’09 Carly Boothe, L’06 James Carter, L’12 Hon. Dan Crabtree, L’81 Adam Davis, L’08 Bryan Didier, L’04 Brian Dietz, L’07 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Anne Emert, L’05 Alison Erickson, L’09 Michael Fischer, L’07 Brendan Fletcher, L’09 Alan Fogleman, L’11 Sean Foley, L’12 Kelly Foos, L’09 Adam Gasper, L’08 Jesús Güereca, L’14 Emily Haack, L’08 Jason Harmon, L’15 Stefani Hepford, L’03 Jonathan Hines, L’13 Matthew Hoppock, L’08 Nick Jenkins, L’14 Maria Kaminska, L’09
Chris Kaufman, L’10 Anna Kimbrell, L’14 Kevin Kock, L’04 Michele Kraak Nelson, L’14 Laurel Kupka, L’11 Karyn Lopez, L’01 Joan Lowdon, L’10 Will Manly, L’12 Blane Markley, L’06 Katherine Marples, L’14 Sara McCallum, L’14 Jack McInnes, L’04 Jean Ménager, L’14 Hon. Scott Miller, L’94 Whitney Novak, L’14 Sean Ostrow, L’09 Kathryn Purdon, L’14 Bethany Roberts, L’99 Rachel Rolf, L’07 Luke Sinclair, L’08 Katie Studt, L’07 Kenneth Titus, L’14 Kristen Toner L’06 Emily Vijayakirthi, L’04 Sara Walton, L’09 Kevin Wempe, L’14 Edward Wilson, L’00 Alyse Zadalis, L’15
Paige Blevins, L’15, at Legal Career Options Day; Travis Lenkner, L’05, at the Rice Scholars Luncheon; Jon Strongman, L’02, guest teaching the Expert Witness Skills Workshop.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 35
ALUMNI NEWS
ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS William Bahr, L’97 Vedrana Balta, L’09 Diane Bellquist, L’02 Kyle Binns, L’07 Doug Bonney, L’85 Katy Britton, L’07 Ryan Brunton, L’02 Walt Cofer, L’81 Chris Colyer, L’09 Dan Cranshaw, L’03 Tim Davis, L’10 Ashley Dillon, L’13 Alison Dunning, L’96 Capt. Anne Fischer, L’92 Mike Fischer, L’07 Rob Flynn, L’06 Nicole Forbes, L’15 Rebekah Gaston, L’05 Colin Gotham, L’99 Matthew Gough, L’05 W. Rick Griffin, L’04 Bryanna Hanschu, L’15 Tyler Heffron, L’05 Jessica Heinen, L’14 Thomas Hiatt, L’15 Natalie Hull, L’12 Stephen Hunting, L’04 Milos Jekic, L’11 Neal Johnson, L’09 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Andrew Kovar, L’07 Laurel Kupka, L’11 Brad LaForge, L’01 Kristy Lambert, L’91
Jason Larson, L’89 Kelli Lieurance, L’05 Catesby Major, L’04 Carrie McAtee, L’03 Chris McHugh, L’00 Sarah Millin, L’03 Terelle Mock, L’03 Casey Murray, L’05 Jeffrey Nichols, L’99 Andy Nolan, L’98 Ryan Peck, L’03 Dallas Rakestraw, L’06 Jana Richards, L’90 Shon Robben, L’94 Eli Rosenberg, L’12 Tad Ruliffson, L’14 Mark Samsel, L’10 Bill Sampson, L’71 Ryan Schletzbaum, L’09 Joseph Schremmer, L’13 Dave Seely, L’79 Jere Sellers, L’93 Luke Sinclair, L’08 Courtney Sipe, L’11 Mike Sullivan, L’74 Jennifer Tucker, L’10 Sean Walsh, L’11 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Tom Weilert, L’75 Kevin Wempe, L’14 Will Wohlford, L’04 Samantha Woods, L’13 Gabe Zorogastua, L’07
Demetrius Peterson, L’09, serves on KU Law’s Diversity Advisory Council.
THANK YOU 36 KU LAW MAGAZINE
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 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 Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 Lydia Beebe, L’77 Wallace Brockhoff, L’91 Beau Jackson, L’09 Jake McMillian, L’15 Hillary Nicholas, L’15 Hon. Lawton Nuss, L’82 Alyssa Williamson, L’12 Joshua Williamson, L’11
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
Kelse y
Kimb
erlin
Martin Bauer, L’75 Lydia Beebe, L’77 David Elkouri, L’78 Kit Smith, L’72 Tom Wagstaff, L’72
KU LAW MAGAZINE 37
Earl Richardson
ALUMNI NEWS
MOCK INTERVIEWS
Above: David Rebein, L’80, started a three-year term on KU Law’s Board of Governors in 2017. Right: Cynthia Bryant, L’95, far right, and Debra Lumpkins, L’87, front row second from right, hosted a dinner for 6th Semester in D.C. students.
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6TH SEMESTER IN D.C. Cynthia Bryant, L’95 Angela Conway, L’92 Shannon Keating, L’13 Elizabeth Landau, L’12 Debra Lumpkins, L’87 Elle Marino, L’13 Jeffrey Morrison, L’95 Mark Parkinson, L’84 Stacy Parkinson, L’84 Krisann Pearce, L’95 Mark Savoy, L’14 Spencer Toubia, L’15 Becky Weber, L’85 Rep. Kevin Yoder, L’02
Paige Blevins, L’15 Jordan Carter, L’15 Crystal Cook, L’13 Kate Gasper, L’08 Jeremy Graber, L’09 Steve Grieb, L’07 Kyle Hertel, L’10 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Matt Keane, L’13 Jean Ménager, L’14 John Nettels, L’85 Hillary Nicholas, L’15 Clay Randle, L’14 Bethany Roberts, L’99 Jason Romero, L’09 Julia Ronnebaum, L’15 Elizabeth Souder, L’93 Henry Thomas, L’14 Ed Wilson, L’00 Aubrey Wilson, L’14
SUPERVISORS FOR FIELD PLACEMENT STUDENTS
THANK YOU LEGAL CAREER FAIRS William Bahr, L’97 Joe Bant, L’08 Paige Blevins, L’15 Ryan Brunton, L’02 James Carter, L’12 Kate Carter, L’86 Kelley Catlin, L’05 David Clauser, L’93 Karrie Clinkinbeard, L’99 Tim Davis, L’10 Victor Davis Jr., L’71 Bryan Didier, L’04 Mark Dodd, L’06 Jill Eggleston, L’83 Andrew Ellis, L’11 Capt. Anne Fischer, L’92 Michael Fischer, L’07 Meghan Flanders, L’10 Lauren Fletcher, L’05 Robert Flynn, L’06 Zachary Fridell, L’16 Alexander Gard, L’08 Rebekah Gaston, L’05 Kate Gleeson, L’12 Matthew Gough, L’05 Jeremy Graber, L’09 Steve Grieb, L’07 Jesús Güereca, L’14 Jennifer Hackman, L’15 Jason Harmon, L’15 Grant Harse, L’10 Garth Herrmann, L’06
Thomas Hiatt, L’15 Dennis Highberger, L’92 Lauren Hughes, L’16 Nick Jenkins, L’14 Neal Johnson, L’09 Thomas Johnson, L’88 Chris Kaufman, L’10 Michael Keenan, L’13 Paul Klepper, L’09 Linda Koester Vogelsang, L’91 Joanna Labastida, L’09 Adam LaBoda, L’04 Hon. Tim Lahey, L’84 Anna Landis, L’10 Bryce Langford, L’16 Bill Larzalere, L’83 Tamera Lawrence, L’10 Terence Leibold, L’96 William LeMaster, L’03 Ashlyn Lindskog, L’15 Meg Lowry, L’14 Katherine Marples, L’14 Matt Mentzer, L’08 Sarah Millin, L’03 Hillary Nicholas, L’15 Whitney Novak, L’14 Brian Nye, L’09 Kyle O’Brien, L’14 Ryan O’Grady, L’16 Ann Parkins, L’12 Tim Pickell, L’77
James Pottorff, L’84 Judy Pottorff, L’84 Jeffrey Pyle, L’13 Christopher Reed, L’06 Scott Reed, L’08 Ambriel Renn Scanlan, L’06 Andrew Ricke, L’10 Peter Riggs, L’04 Shawn Rogers, L’98 Sarah Ruane, L’06 Tad Ruliffson, L’14 Logan Rutherford, L’12 Mark Savoy, L’14 Chris Scott, L’08 Libby Snider, L’99 Amanda Stanley, L’14 Bradley Thomas, L’16 Todd Thompson, L’82 Jennifer Tucker, L’10 Jay Van Blaricum, L’04 Aaron Vanderpool, L’16 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Michael Werner, L’00 Edward Wilson, L’00 Britton Wilson, L’08 Marcia Wood, L’92 Samantha Woods L’13 Hon. William Woolley, L’86 Steven Wu, L’15
Doug Bonney, L’85 Hon. Dan Crabtree, L’81 Hon. Paul Gurney, L’82 Hon. David Hauber, L’83 Hon. Teresa James, L’84 Hon. Janice Miller Karlin, L’80 Hon. Timothy Lahey, L’84 Elizabeth Landau, L’12 Anna Landis, L’10 Hon. Steve Leben, L’82 Katherine Marples Hon. Carlos Murguia, L’82 Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 Christopher Scott, L’08 Ron Shaver, L’05 Hon. Kathryn Vratil, L’75 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Hon. Robert Wonnell, L’02 Hon. William Woolley, L’86
NEW MEMBERS KU LAW BOARD OF GOVERNORS Matt Austin, L’05 Daniel Belhumeur, L’08 Kimberly Klemme Bonifas, L’02 Jo Ann Butaud, L’81 Sean Cunningham, L’94 Michael Dill, L’09 Luis Gomar, L’05 Marilyn Harp, L’79 Hon. Teresa James, L’84 Justin Lungstrum, L’00 William Moore, L’06 David Rebein, L’80 Stephen Scheve, L’81 Patrick Stueve, L’87
KU LAW MAGAZINE 39
ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES
Items were received or collected prior to April 1, 2017. 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 E. Donatelli was elected to another term on the board of directors of the Bar Association of Lehigh County. Donatelli is a member of Norris McLaughlin & Marcus PA in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
1970 Hon. John Bingham retired after 17 years of service as a district magistrate judge for the 12th Judicial District, which covers Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic and Washington counties in Kansas.
1971 Hon. Joe Pierron was retained in November 2016 for his seventh four-year term as a judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals.
1976 Neil R. Shortlidge retired as a partner in the Kansas City office of Stinson Leonard Street LLP. He and his wife, Renee Shortlidge, have moved to Taos, New Mexico, to enjoy retirement.
1977 Lydia Beebe was elected to the board of directors for Aemetis Inc., an advanced renewable fuels and biochemical company. Beebe is senior counsel at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in San Francisco
40 KU LAW MAGAZINE
and president of the KU Law Board of Governors.
1979 Tonda Rush is public policy director and general counsel at the National Newspaper Association. She co-founded American Pressworks in Falls Church, Virginia, and recently launched Six Ideas, which provides consulting and special project services for nonprofit organizations.
1980 Judith A. Nelson published “Intentional Leadership: Using Strategy in Everything You Do and Say.” Nelson, of Redondo Beach, California, has been a certified professional coach since 2006.
1981 Scott Mach has been elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates and the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. Mach is a partner in the Popham Law Firm in Kansas City, Missouri.
1982 Chris McKenzie retired after 17 years as executive director of the League of California Cities, the advocacy and education arm of cities throughout the state. Sen. Jerry Moran was re-elected to the U.S. Senate for a second sixyear term. Mark Knackendoffel, founder and CEO of The Trust Company in Manhattan, Kansas, was recognized as the National Member of the Year by the National Association of Trust Organizations at the organization’s annual meeting in Portland.
1984 Stephen Young received the 2017 Exemplary Service Award from Sigma Phi Epsilon. He serves as Alumni & Volunteer Corporation president for the fraternity’s UC-Berkeley chapter. Young is senior vice president and general counsel at Independence Insurance Agents and Brokers of California.
1988 Kathy Greenlee is the new vice president of aging and health policy at the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City, Missouri. She previously served as assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. Barbara Melbourne has been named vice chancellor for institutional advancement at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. She previously served as vice president for development at the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend.
1989 Kevin Kelly has been named director of Chancellors Club support at KU Endowment. He previously served with KUEA as senior development director for KU Law.
1990 Brian Johnston has joined Jackson Lewis as a principal in the Kansas City Region office. His primary practice areas include the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), employee benefits and taxation. Johnston previously practiced with Polsinelli PC.
1991 David Pickle joined The Wagner Law Group as a partner in the Boston office, where he specializes in all aspects of ERISA Title 1 provisions. He previously operated a solo practice.
1993 Stephen Bahr joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in Kansas City, Missouri, where he focuses his practice on wealth planning and estate administration. Bahr was previously a shareholder/ director at the Law Offices of Dysart Taylor Cotter McGonigle & Montemore.
1993 Kimberly K. Hays was elected to the Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors, serving as the 2017 president-elect. Hays operates her own practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1995 Nathan Muyskens joined Greenberg Traurig LLP in Washington, D.C., as a shareholder. His practice focuses on white collar defense, government investigations, antitrust and cybersecurity matters.
1997 Kristie Remster Orme (above) was elected the first woman president in the history of McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan in Kansas City, Missouri. Orme has worked at the firm for 19 years and is a member of both the Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Banking & Financial Services groups. Hale Sheppard was recognized in the 2016 Super Lawyers' Business Edition in the area of business and transactions. Sheppard is a shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Autry in Atlanta.
1998 Brandee Caswell, partner at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP in Denver, was named a 2017 “Top Litigator” by Law
Kristie Remster Orme, L'97, is the first woman president of KC firm McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan.
Week Colorado. The award is given to lawyers who excel inside and outside of the courtroom in plaintiff and defense work, and in trials and appeals. Caswell leads the firm’s real estate litigation practice.
1999 Sarah Deer will join the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies and the School of Public Affairs & Administration in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Kansas as a professor in the fall of 2017. She will also hold a courtesy appointment at KU Law. Deer is known nationally for her scholarship and advocacy regarding sexual violence targeting Native women.
2000 Hon. Renee S. Henry was sworn in as a judge for the 29th Judicial District of Kansas in January. She won a contested primary election in August, and ran unopposed in
November. Henry served as a prosecutor in Wyandotte County and practiced law privately before taking the bench. She presides over Division 13 in Wyandotte County District Court. Damon D. Mitchell was appointed chief deputy attorney for Wyandotte County. Mitchell is a criminal trial attorney with more than 15 years of experience and a U.S. Air Force veteran.
2002 Christopher W. Sook joined Jeter Law Firm LLP in Hays as a partner. Sook was previously a partner at the Sloan Law Firm in Topeka.
2005 Curtis Summers joined Littler Mendelson PC as a shareholder in the Kansas City, Missouri, office. Summers was previously a partner at Husch Blackwell.
2006 Samuel MacRoberts and his wife, Polly, welcomed baby Eleanor Florence on Oct. 24. She joins a proud big brother, Ralph Birnam, 2.
KU LAW MAGAZINE 41
ALUMNI NEWS
2006 Sean J. O’Hara
Beau Jackson, L’09, right, presented at the 2017 Inter-Pacific Bar Association Conference with Sarah Schmidt, L’13, and KU Law Professor Raj Bhala.
was elected a member of Kercsmar & Feltus PLLC, a boutique litigation firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Selena Sujoldzic joined Feldmann Nagel LLC as an attorney on the Family Law Team in Denver. She continues to serve on the board of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services and works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Jabari Wamble provided remarks at an April reception for the exhibition “Education: The Mightiest Weapon,” presented by the Kenneth Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas. Wamble is an assistant U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Kansas.
2007 Mayra Aguirre joined the Hall Family Foundation as vice president and secretary in January 2017. Aguirre was previously executive director of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund.
2008 Sarah Baltzell was promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Baltzell assists regional, national and multinational clients with products liability, property damage, employment discrimination, insurance coverage disputes and consumer fraud cases. Matt Franzenburg began solo practice in the Lawrence area, where he specializes in criminal defense and family law. Kate O’Hara Gasper was promoted to partner at Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. She practices commercial litigation.
2009 Hissan Anis was promoted to partner at Lathrop & Gage LLP in Overland Park. Anis is a registered
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patent attorney, providing strategic patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret counseling. Christina Arnone was promoted to partner at Stinson Leonard Street LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Arnone is a litigator representing corporate policyholders in insurance coverage disputes. Clay Britton left Lathrop & Gage LLP to join the U.S. Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas. He primarily practices defensive civil litigation from the federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. Britton was sworn in by U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia in November 2016.
Chris Colyer was promoted to partner at Snell & Wilmer LLP in Phoenix. Colyer represents clients in a variety of transactional and litigation matters involving real estate, renewable energy, environmental, construction, and administrative law issues. Michael Crabb was promoted to shareholder at Kuckelman Torline Kirkland in Overland Park. He practices civil litigation, representing businesses and individuals in a variety of disputes. Crabb was recently named to the American Society of Legal Advocates’ Top 40 Under 40 List for the second year in a row. Lindsey Heinz was promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. Heinz focuses
her practice on the defense of corporations in product liability and consumer protection matters, and has litigated both individual and complex tort cases across the country. Beau Jackson (left) was promoted to partner at Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP, based in Washington, D.C. Jackson works from Kansas City, focusing his practice on international trade and intellectual property litigation. Molly Walsh Keppler was promoted to partner at Stinson Leonard Street LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. An experienced litigator, negotiator and mediator, Keppler focuses her practice on labor and employment law and business litigation. Devin Ross was promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP in Kansas City, Missouri. His practice focuses on mass torts and complex product liability litigation, with expertise in prescription drug and medical device matters.
2010 Blake Hardwick joined the National Commercial Services division of First American Title Insurance Company in July 2016 as senior underwriting counsel and Colorado counsel. He was previously a commercial finance and real estate lawyer at Snell & Wilmer LLP. Stephanie Lovett-Bowman rejoined Spencer Fane LLP as of counsel in Kansas City, Missouri, after serving as an investigative attorney at the U.S. Department of Education. She helps school districts and other public employers resolve disputes and avoid risk and conflict.
2011 Zach Wiggins was elected to partnership at Martin Pringle in Wichita. Wiggins joined the firm in 2011 and focuses his practice on business law, banking and financial services law, estate planning, tax law, oil and gas standup title opinions, and real estate matters.
2013 Joy L. Isaacs was elected to a two-year term on the Maricopa County Bar Association board of directors. Isaacs practices litigation at Snell & Wilmer LLP in Phoenix. Kyle Kitson joined Littler Mendelson PC in Kansas City, Missouri, as an associate. He advises and represents employers in a broad range of employment law matters. Joseph Schremmer has been elected partner at Depew Gillen Rathbun & McInteer LC in Wichita. Schremmer joined the firm in 2015. His practice focuses primarily on oil, gas and mineral law.
2014 Matthew Huntsman became shareholder and corporate secretary at Bukaty, Aubry & Huntsman, Chartered, in Overland Park. He represents the interests of both private- and public-sector unions in arbitrations, administrative hearings, unfair labor practice charges, and in state court. Rachel Lamm was elected county attorney in Thomas County, Kansas. She was sworn in Jan. 9, 2017. Prior to the election, Lamm served as assistant county attorney in the northwest Kansas county. Bradley Smith was recalled to active service as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, where he is assigned as director of anti-terrorism for Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. He is on military leave from his position as a deputy district attorney in Mesa County, Colorado.
Larken Photo & Video Co.
2017 GRADUATE RECOGNIZED AS KU MAN OF MERIT Kriston Guillot, L’17, was selected as a 2017 University of Kansas Man of Merit, recognized for his commitment to social justice, advocating for youth, and positively defining masculinity. An intern at Legal Services for Students and the Legal Aid Clinic, Guillot served as president of the 3L class, a justice on Traffic Court, a KU Law Student Ambassador, and a member of both the Moot Court Council and the Black Law Students Association. He completed a judicial internship with the Hon. Julie Robinson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas and a summer internship with Polsinelli PC. As an officer in the Kansas City alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Guillot helped raise scholarship funds for underprivileged young men. “I was raised by loving parents who would help anyone and expected me to do the same,” Guillot said. “They taught me that life is only measured by what we do for others. We are all blessed with unique gifts and talents that should be freely shared to fulfill our true purpose and change the world for the better.” The annual KU Men of Merit project is coordinated by the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity.
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ALUMNI NEWS 1951
2014 Emily M. Smith joined Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, as an associate. Her practice includes wage and hour litigation and class actions. Kenneth Titus started work as chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Agriculture. He was previously a staff attorney with the Kansas Department of Transportation. Robert Williams joined Gust Rosenfeld in Phoenix as an associate in the Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group. Williams previously served two years as a clerk to Judge Robert D. Berger of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas.
2015 Amanda S. Angell joined Koley Jessen in Omaha, Nebraska, as an associate in the firm’s health law practice group. She was previously a compliance consultant with Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
2016 Stephen P. Duerst is a lobbyist at Federico Consulting Inc. in Topeka. Alex Gilmore joined Joseph, Hollander & Craft in Topeka as an attorney, focusing his practice primarily on administrative law with an emphasis on professional licensure. Luke M. Hangge joined Littler Mendelson PC in Kansas City, Missouri, as an associate. Hangge advises and represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law. Nicole Lawson accepted an attorney position at the Johnson County Public Defender’s Office. Kelly Schodorf joined Adrian & Pankratz in Newton as an associate. Aaron Vanderpool was hired as an associate at Hovey Williams in Overland Park. n
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Joe Lill Arlington, Virginia March 4, 2016 Emerson H. Shields Saint John, Kansas January 6, 2017
1940 John D. Stewart Johns Island, South Carolina July 21, 2016
1947 Hon. Richard D. Rogers Topeka, Kansas November 25, 2016
1948 Charles Shangler Kansas City, Missouri September 17, 2016
1949 Fred Mitchelson Pittsburg, Kansas November 30, 2016 Arnold C. Nye Newton, Kansas December 3, 2016
1950 William B. Beeson Leawood, Kansas September 27, 2016 Payne H. Ratner Jr. Bonita Springs, Florida February 11, 2017
1952 William E. Goss El Paso, Texas February 14, 2017
1955 John D. McBride Wichita, Kansas December 30, 2016 Douglas J. Wall Prescott Valley, Arizona November 8, 2016
1956 James P. Johnston Wichita, Kansas December 26, 2016 Robert W. Schaefer Lebanon, Illinois August 15, 2016 Donald C. Tinker Jr. Wichita, Kansas January 29, 2017
IN MEMORIAM 1957
1958 Roth A. Gatewood Topeka, Kansas March 27, 2017 Thomas E. Morton San Francisco, California March 7, 2017
1959 James H. De Coursey Jr. Topeka, Kansas October 17, 2016
1969 Joe B. Vise Lenexa, Kansas February 26, 2017
1970 John H. White Council Grove, Kansas December 25, 2016
1971 Albert D. Keil Lawrence, Kansas February 1, 2017
1973 David L. Hiebert Wichita, Kansas December 15, 2016
1977 Edward W. Dosh Parsons, Kansas September 27, 2016
1979 D. Larry Fraser Satellite Beach, Florida December 31, 2016
1989 Stephen L. Sapp Dallas, Texas December 11, 2015
1991 Russell M. Johnson Olathe, Kansas December 30, 2015
1995 Stephen Parker Kansas City, Kansas March 28, 2016
2010 Katherine Mestas Grand Junction, Colorado March 7, 2017
1980 Kevin E. Koch Oro Valley, Arizona October 2, 2016
1988 Richard D. Fry Olathe, Kansas February 12, 2017
1994 Lauren I. Helmstetter Prairie Village, Kansas September 19, 2016
Meg Kumin / KU Marketing Communications
Gary W. Davis Oklahoma City, Oklahoma September 27, 2016
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