COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Jeff Mason, L’83 Combining career, community service in small town
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hen Jeff Mason, L’83, recalls his time at Green Hall, he thinks of bridge. “There was a constant bridge game going in the commons,” he said. “People would get in and out of class and hand off their hand and play for an hour or more.” Those endless card games provided more than a welcome diversion for Mason and his classmates. “That built relationships with people,” he said. “It taught us that even though we were in competition with one another — whether in law or a simple bridge game — there was still a way to do that and remain professional.” It is just this emphasis on professionalism and collegiality that Mason feels distinguishes KU and shaped his career. A southwest Kansas native, Mason chose to practice in Goodland, a town of 4,550 just miles from the Colorado and Nebraska borders. “I had no desire to be in a big firm in the city. I wanted to be in a
small firm where I could do legal work for people and be involved in the community,” Mason said. That civic duty was fostered in Green Hall, where professors instilled in students a sense of service and professionalism. “Professors taught us that the practice of law was a profession of service,” Mason said. “We were not just attorneys, we were people who were going to go out and serve the people of Kansas.” It’s a lesson Mason has taken to heart. He serves on the Board of Governors for the Kansas Bar Association and the Commission on Judicial Qualification, as chairman of the capital campaign for his local hospital, and as a member of the Goodland Kiwanis Club. As he puts it, living in a smaller community allows him to be involved in more important things. Mason hopes current students take that lesson from Green Hall as well. “Small towns in Kansas are underserved,” he said. “Students can find a very successful career in small towns where they will be financially successful but also have significant non-financial rewards.” At the same time, Mason hopes students won’t give up their bridge games anytime soon. He encourages students to experience life outside the walls of Green Hall. As a 3L, Mason and a friend took racquetball and golf lessons. He worked with classmates during his second year of law school on a campaign to elect a fellow student to the House of Representatives. “We got ourselves soundly defeated, but it was a valuable experience,” Mason said. “If you focus only on law school, you have severely limited yourself.” — Emily Sharp
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In addition to Jayhawk lawyers who serve the state directly through their jobs, many others engage in private practice or other careers but serve as volunteers and leaders in their communities. A few examples: John Bullock, L'91 Lawrence, KS President, Board of Directors Lawrence Arts Center Dennis DePew, L'83 Neodesha, KS President, Kansas Bar Association (and Assistant Neodesha County Attorney) Alan Weber, L'77 Humboldt, KS Vice Chairman, Thrive Allen County (and Allen County Counselor) Amy Fellows Cline, L'00 Wichita, KS Vice President, Board of Directors, Kansas Legal Services
KU LAW MAGAZINE 13