KU Law Magazine | Spring 2010

LAW

Magazine for Alumni & Friends | Spring 2010

Program prepares graduates to be strong advocates for American Indian tribes

Supreme Visitor n The Five-Year Itch n Volunteer honor Roll

Photos by David McKinney / KU University Relations

Second-year law student Lindsay Grise, above, argues in the final round of the 2010 Moot Court Competition in April. Grise and her co-counsel, Evan North, were deemed the winning team by a three-judge panel that included Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, L’73, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit and Gov. Mark Parkinson, L’84, both at left, as well as Judge John Lungstrum, L’70, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. Opposing counsel were fellow 2Ls Daniel Buller and Milos Jekic, who argued on behalf of the respondent. Grise won the award for best oral advocate, and she and North won first place in the brief category. Melissa Plunkett and Erin Slinker Tomasic won the award for second-best brief. Find a photo gallery and video from the final round at www.law.ku.edu/spring10.

KU Law magazine is published biannually for alumni and friends of the University of Kansas School of Law.

DEAN Gail Agrawal

Green Hall, 1535 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045-7608 785.864.4550 Fax: 785.864.5054 www.law.ku.edu

Editor & Designer Mindie Paget kulaws@ku.edu 785.864.9205

Contributors Sandy Patti Laura Hines

Photos Randy Edmonds Chuck France David McKinney Mindie Paget Steve Puppe

Contents KU law magazine | SPRING 2010

FEATURES

departments 2

Letter from the Dean A parting message from Dean Gail Agrawal.

10 ON THE GREEN News briefs: Diversity in Law Banquet, Law Review and Journal symposia, VITA program.

14 INTERNational Law NEWS

2

4

Conference launches center on international trade, agriculture.

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Publications, presentations and other notable activities by KU Law faculty.

Cover story

NATIVE VOICES

Faculty Notes

21

VOLUNTEER HONOR ROLL Recognition for alumni who have donated time, energy and expertise during the past year.

The Tribal Law & Government Center prepares a new generation of attorneys to be strong advocates for the unique needs of indigenous people.

24 28

Alumni Notes In Memoriam Deaths in the KU Law family.

29 THE WAY WE WERE

12

15

Supreme visitor

five-year itch

Wisdom and sharp wit marked conversations with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor during her two-day visit to the law school.

Professor Laura Hines writes in praise of the five-year itch to reconsider one’s initial legal career choice.

A reunion for KU Law moot court victors and their esteemed judge.

Corrections: Stephen J. Ware, professor of law, was inadvertently omitted from the Campanile Club section of the FY2009 donor report in the Fall 2009 KU Law Magazine. A feature headline in the same issue should have said that public interest lawyers “defend against injustice.”

KU LAW MAGAZINE 1

L e t t e r f ro m t h e DE a n Dear KU Law Alumni & Friends, Over the course of the last four years as the 14th dean of KU Law, I have had the great privilege – and the great pleasure – to work with a strong faculty, a dedicated staff and wonderful law students. I was warmly welcomed by KU Law alumni across the state and around the nation, and I quickly discovered that the learning relationships and friendships created here extend well beyond the walls of Green Hall and the three years of law school studies. I am grateful to each of you. And I am proud of all we have accomplished together.

We have revised the first-year curriculum, enhanced the amount and visibility of the law faculty’s scholarship, expanded our course and skills offerings, revamped our

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1L orientation and first-week program and provided public interest summer stipends to dozens of students. We hosted the chair of the FDIC, international diplomats, the 10th Circuit, the Kansas Court of Appeals and two Supreme Court justices.

We put on cutting-edge symposia on biolaw, health law, complex litigation, employment law and agriculture law, just to name a few.

Our international and comparative law program is strong and growing.

We established KU Law’s version of Make a Difference Day, volunteered in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and provided food at Thanksgiving and toys at Christmas to the needy in our communities. Our Diversity in Law Banquet has required ever larger locales to host the numbers of students, faculty, staff and alumni who want to attend. We established

two new centers, the Shook, Hardy & Bacon Center for Excellence in Advocacy and the Center for International Trade & Agriculture, and put on highly successful inaugural programs for each.

The law school is well-positioned as it begins a national search for its next dean. The faculty has created a supportive, collaborative learning environment for law students and for themselves as scholars and teachers.

And we are all looking forward to the arrival of KU Law’s two newest faculty members, professors Lumen Mulligan and Virginia Harper Ho. (You will read more about them in the next issue of the magazine.) With the creation of a role for an associate dean for student affairs and the appointment of Wendy Rohleder-Sook, L’01, we have enhanced the extracurricular services and support

we provide to our students. Jacqlene Nance, our director of admissions, has shown a talent for identifying and recruiting highly qualified students to Green Hall. Todd Rogers, assistant dean for career services, has created strong programming to help our students locate that sometimes elusive first job, and Karen Hester has sharpened our focus on diversity and inclusiveness. The Wheat Law Library continues to thrive under the leadership of Joyce McCray Pearson.

Crystal Mai, L’90, as associate dean for administration, ensures that the component parts of the law school form a well-functioning enterprise.

We have increased our outreach to you, our alumni and friends, with the able assistance of Mindie Paget, director of communications, and Noelle Uhler, director of external

relations. And you have reached out to us in ever larger numbers, sharing your time, talent and treasure for the benefit of the law students who follow you.

Each dean begins her work with the solid foundation created by her predecessors. I was very fortunate to build upon the legacies of current faculty members and former deans Martin Dickinson, Mike Davis, Mike Hoeflich and Steve McAllister, L’88.

Their leadership and hard work paved the way for me. A dean also benefits from the work of strong associate deans. I owe a debt of gratitude to professors Webb Hecker and Ellen Sward who, as associate deans for academic affairs and for faculty, respectively, guided me through the early months of my deanship.

To professors Chris Drahozal,

associate dean for research and faculty development and chair of the dean search committee, and Stephen Mazza, associate dean for academic affairs and interim dean designate, I can only say that I will be forever in your debt. No dean anywhere could ask for a better team.

I treasure the friendships I have made during my time in Green Hall. Although I will leave with the Class of 2010, I shall always consider myself a proud member of the Jayhawk Nation.

Rock Chalk,

Gail B. Agrawal Dean and Professor of Law

Thank you for your vision and service, Dean Agrawal.

KU LAW MAGAZINE 3

Artwork and story

by Mindie Paget

Program prepares graduates to be strong advocates for Indian tribes 4 KU LAW MAGAZINE

early 15 years have passed since a young American Indian professor who had abandoned his career in corporate law to work for his tribe decided to help others pursue careers in tribal law.

Robert Porter’s ambition brought him to the University of Kansas School of Law, where he helped establish the Tribal Law & Government Center and became its director. The center offered its first course in the fall of 1995.

Since then, 22 students have earned the Tribal Lawyer Certificate and dozens of others have taken the expanded variety of Indian law classes the school now offers.

“The need for tribal lawyers has never been greater,” Porter said back in 1995. “As Indian nations struggle to survive and maintain their sovereignty, it’s critical that their lawyers be trained in the law and customs of the tribes they represent.”

He could have said that yesterday.

only protecting the best interests of your client but that you’re also protecting the best interests of the nation,” says Yonne Tiger, L’06, in-house counsel for the National Council of the Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma. “The main thing is to always protect tribal sovereignty. It’s always a burden.”

Graduates of the program say the biggest challenges confronting tribal lawyers today remain the lack of understanding of tribal law in the broader legal community and the constant battle to protect tribal sovereignty.

But it’s a burden that graduates of KU’s tribal law program are well-prepared to tackle. Students who earn the certificate take 19 to 21 hours of course work in Indian law and complete internships with tribal legal departments or clerkships with tribal judges.

“With Indian law, you have to make sure that you are not

“KU Law’s reputation in Indian country is strong,” says Stacy

KU LAW MAGAZINE 5

Leeds, professor of law and director of the center since 2002.

“We have very recent graduates doing extraordinary work with tribes, the federal government and the private sector – work and responsibilities that attorneys in other areas of the law might not see until they are 10 years out of law school.” *** Count Tiger among that group. She took her current job just three years out of law school. Now she spends her days writing legislation, reviewing contracts, negotiating lawsuits and providing legal advice to the legislative body of the fourth largest tribe in the United States.

Yonne Tiger, L’06, is in-house counsel for the National Council of the Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma.

“Growing up I always wanted to come back and help my community, help my people,” says Tiger, a Muscogee Creek from Tahlequah, Okla. “Then working as a paralegal, I noticed a lack of Indian law attorneys and people who understood the unique needs of tribes and Indian people.”

Tiger met Leeds while attending the Pre-Law Summer Institute in New Mexico the summer before law school.

Leeds sold her on KU’s program. Tiger found a welcoming community at

“Every time some different issue comes up that involves the area of law that they specialize in,” Tiger says, “I can call them and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got this question. Can you help me or direct me to the right place?’”

Those types of connections prove crucial in a field that so few understand. Other areas of law have substantive differences but are premised on inclusion within the U.S. legal system, Leeds explains.

Tribal law, however, is based on law from indigenous nations that is both pre-constitutional and extraconstitutional as it relates to U.S. law. So while federal law ultimately governs native people, each tribe stands as a sovereign nation with its own unique laws and systems of governance. The scope of that sovereignty, however, is constantly called into question. *** At the time of its inception, Porter believed the Tribal Law & Government Center was the first law school-based program in the country to focus on legal and governance issues facing Indian people at the tribal level – as opposed to other programs that emphasized federal laws pertaining to tribes.

Green Hall and became active in the Native American Law Students Association, serving as its president and competing in the National NALSA Moot Court.

Perhaps most importantly, Tiger met an increasingly large network of Indian law experts and alumni from across the country each year at the center’s Tribal Law & Government Conference.

6 KU LAW MAGAZINE

Mark Dodd works within those sometimes dueling systems. The 2006 graduate serves as one of two tribal attorneys for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Mayetta, Kan. His day-to-day work mirrors that of a general practitioner because of the breadth of issues he confronts: drafting legislation, revising codes, forming businesses, dealing with tax and property law, grappling with

criminal and civil jurisdiction matters, and juggling state and tribal relations.

It gets complicated from there. A history of gross injustice against indigenous people and ongoing discriminatory attitudes and practices directed at tribes creates a complex path for tribal attorneys to navigate.

For example, tribal gaming has given rise to the myth of the “rich Indian,” Dodd says.

What people might not realize is that tribes don’t have the ability to tax, making them hard-pressed to generate income to fund a functioning government. Casinos and other economic development initiatives provide a much-needed source of income for tribes. It allows them to build roads and other infrastructure, support the government, give money to charities and assist their neediest citizens.

Yet the myth prevails. Dodd has been mindful of the perception while assisting Potawatomi veterans in approaching legislators about receiving refunds for state taxes that were wrongfully deducted from their paychecks for years. Federal law prohibits states from taxing residents of Indian reservations.

“The tribe is not at the forefront of the discussion because of the feelings that people have toward tribes, including ours, that they’re gaming and don’t need money,” says Dodd, a Cherokee. “The tribe is supporting these individuals, but it is reluctant to go in because it might hurt the veterans’ efforts to get compensated for money that was illegally taken from them.” *** The Tribal Law & Government Center contends that the complexity of Indian law and the lack of programs designed to educate students about the unique legal and cultural needs of indigenous people has created a situation in which lawyers representing tribes overemphasize state and federal laws.

As a result, they may unconsciously be

yan Rash crossed an ocean last fall to supplement his KU Law education.

The second-year student working toward his Tribal Lawyer Certificate capitalized on the school’s exchange program with the University of Auckland in New Zealand and spent the fall semester learning the law more than 7,700 miles from Green Hall.

Among other things, he learned that the native Maori in New Zealand are the focus of discrimination in much the same way as indigenous populations in the United States. He also learned that native people in both countries share a reverence for nature, family and ancestry.

“I now see myself pursuing a course toward more international indigenous study,” said Rash, a Cherokee from Tahlequah, Okla.

“Through my experience in New Zealand, I see we are all in this together.”

Rash took courses on international human rights, counterterrorism and legal history. He also participated in a Maori issues moot court, presented a paper on Cherokee history, attended a Maori law student awards banquet and took several “amazing” excursions. He and two of the fellow international visitors he befriended circumnavigated the South Island in a camper van during “spring break,” the first two weeks of September.

They watched blue penguins, the smallest of all penguins, come ashore from a day in the Pacific Ocean. They bungee jumped in Queenstown. They spent an entire day on a glacier and kayaked on the Tasman Sea. The highlight of the trip was an overnight stay on Doubtful Sound, one of the most remote places on Earth.

Ryan Rash, 2L, in New Zealand.

“It is more beautiful than can be imagined,” Rash said. “A dolphin had just given birth, and the pod swam with us for about 10 minutes as the boat headed up the sound. There were only eight passengers on this boat, and we were moved to tears by the experience.”

Back at KU Law, Rash continues progress toward his anticipated 2011 graduation.

The summer prior to his New Zealand trip and the few weeks after his return, Rash served as an intern at the Tribal Law and Policy Institute in Los Angeles.

He worked closely on projects aimed at creating more protection from abuse for American Indian women, who are twice as likely as any other demographic of women in the United States to be assaulted, raped and murdered.

Rash has not yet decided on a specific career path, but he hopes to help his tribe and Native America in any way that he can.

“The tribal law certificate as well as my law degree will help me to achieve that goal,” he said.

— Mindie Paget

KU LAW MAGAZINE 7

Mindie Paget

Mark Dodd, L’06, is one of two tribal attorneys for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Mayetta, Kan.

weakening tribal legal and governance traditions by recommending the adoption of tribal laws and policies founded upon Anglo-American legal and political traditions.

Graduates of KU’s tribal law program become ambassadors for the opposite approach: strengthening the unique

8 KU LAW MAGAZINE

nature of tribal legal systems. They often find themselves educating the public and members of the legal profession about Indian law.

“We were just in court last week,” Tiger recalls, “and the judge there said, ‘I should know more about Indian law, and I should know

more about these concepts and terms that you’re using. But I don’t, so could you explain those to me?’”

And that occurred in Oklahoma, the state with the highest Indian population in the country.

So Tiger and Dodd have their work

cut out for them. As do the other tribal lawyers trained at Green Hall these past 15 years. Fortunately, they hold influential positions from which to share their knowledge.

Burton Warrington, L’09, is a policy adviser to the deputy assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Damon Williams, L’02, is supervising attorney for the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes, in North Dakota.

The Tribal Law & Government Center prepares a new generation of advocates for careers representing the legal interests of indigenous nations and tribes.

It provides a forum for research and scholarship on indigenous legal and governance issues. The center operates four programs: The Tribal Lawyer Certificate Program ensures that law students who plan careers representing indigenous nations have the skills to appreciate and strengthen the unique nature of their legal systems.

Sarah Deer, L’99, is a tenure-track professor at the William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota, only the seventh female law professor in the country who is also a citizen of a federally recognized tribe.

The Tribal Law and Government Conference promotes research and scholarship on the unique legal and governance issues of indigenous nations.

Teri Barr, L’01, is the healing to wellness judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation District Court in Mayetta, Kan.

The Joint Degree Program in Law and Global Indigenous Nations Studies “aspires to facilitate the protection and strengthening of indigenous sovereignty, self-determination and self-sufficiency.” KU is one of three schools in the nation to offer a joint degree related to indigenous peoples.

The list goes on. And three new graduates just left Green Hall this month with the Tribal Lawyer Certificate and plenty of on-theground experience working with tribal courts, tribal legal departments and the federal government.

Tracie Revis, who survived cancer during law school and became KU’s first Native American Congressional Intern through the Morris K. Udall Foundation, plans to carve out a career in Indian health care law.

“I returned to Lawrence a woman with a mission,” she said of her time in Washington, D.C., as an intern.

“I will leave KU with a very specific skill and knowledge in hand – one that I would not have concentrated on had I not had the opportunities to develop my passions.”

Robert Porter, the center’s founding director, is now professor of law and director of the Center for Indigenous Law, Governance & Citizenship at the Syracuse University College of Law. Stacy Leeds, professor of law, has been director of the Tribal Law & Government Center since 2002.

She is a former justice on the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, the only woman and youngest person ever to serve in that capacity.

She is chief judge of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation District Court, chief justice of the Supreme Court for the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and chief justice of the Kaw Nation Supreme Court. In 2008, she won the prestigious Fletcher Fellowship to support her work on tribal sovereignty and citizenship issues.

She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

David McKinney / KU University Relations

William Reynolds, L’06, is the chief judge for the Northern Ute Tribe and an attorney with Sam, Reynolds & Evershed in Utah.

The Tribal Judicial Support Clinic allows second- and third-year students to assist tribal court systems.

Stacy Leeds

KU LAW MAGAZINE 9

green hall news

On the green

news briefs By Mindie Paget

Reginald Robinson, L’87, delivers the keynote address at the Diversity in Law Banquet.

Alumnus challenges students, recent grads to ‘depart from the text’ at Diversity in Law Banquet Reginald Robinson challenged current SEPT students and recent alumni of the KU School of Law with words from an ancient mathematician and a modern children’s book during the 15th annual Diversity in Law Banquet.

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Robinson delivered the keynote address at the March 5 event, which celebrates diversity in the law school and the legal profession. He combined the wisdom of Archimedes, who said, “Give me a lever and a place to stand and I can move the world,” and of comic author Berkeley Breathed’s character Opus, who said, “Sometimes it’s good that we look for a way to depart from the text and get carried away.”

Photos by Steve Puppe

From top, left to right, Dani Davey and Daniel Morris, both L’09, and Shaun Stallworth of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal; 2L Alex Aguilera, Kim Adams of Lathrop & Gage and Kellie Hogan, L’95; 3L Eunice Lee-Ahn, 1L Bennett Mbinkar and 3L Megan McGinnis; Andrea Swall of Stinson Morrison Hecker, 2L Lara Guscott and 2L Erin Slinker Tomasic.

10 KU LAW MAGAZINE

Robinson, a 1987 graduate of KU Law, singled out Bobby Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Thurgood Marshall, Janet Reno and Barack Obama as examples of courageous leaders who had changed the world by taking a stand and creatively reframing discussions about ongoing conflicts and issues.

Courage, integrity, hard work and – most of all – competence will be the tools

View a photo gallery and hear Robinson’s speech at www.law.ku.edu/spring10

necessary for the next generation of KU lawyers to create change in the world, Robinson said. They will need creativity, too.

“Don’t be afraid to put your insights and your different perspectives into the mix,” he said. “It is through the outsider insights that we bring to the table that diversity … will transform an unworkable stale text that has gridlocked us into a kind of new script that will equip us to effectively address the range of difficult challenges and problems that confront us.”

About 160 alumni, students, faculty and staff attended the banquet, raising approximately $6,500 for the Diversity Scholarship Fund.

Robinson left his post as president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents this month to become professor of law and director of the Center for Law and Government at the Washburn University School of Law.

Journal symposium focuses on employment law in recession

n Tom Willging, Federal Judicial Center n Patrick Woolley, University of Texas School of Law

Scholars and practitioners from across the country explored employment law in the context of the economic downturn during the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy’s 2009-10 symposium at the University of Kansas School of Law.

Papers presented at the symposium will be published in the Kansas Law Review, Volume 58, Issue 4.

More than 120 people attended the popular “Employment Law in Recessionary Times” on Feb. 19 at Green Hall.

Students prepare over 300 tax returns in VITA program KU Law students prepared more than 300 tax returns for students and community members during the 2010 tax season through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Presenters discussed knowledge and access in American employment law, the impact of electronic health records on the workplace, the Fair Labor Standards Act, strategies for preventing and dealing with wage and hour claims and more.

The VITA program prepares returns for taxpayers who are Kansas, Missouri or Illinois residents making less than $49,000 per year with no itemized deductions.

The program assist taxpayers, but it also provides experience for students who plan to work in the tax field.

Judge John Lungstrum, L’70, a U.S. District Judge for the District of Kansas, moderated a Fair Labor Standards Act roundtable.

Other presenters included: Marion Crain, Washington University School of Law n

n Glenn George, University of North Carolina School of Law n Sharona Hoffman, Case Western Reserve University School of Law n George Hanson, Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP

William Martucci, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP n

Papers presented at the symposium will be published in the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy,Volume 19, Issue 3.

Law Review symposium examines aggregate litigation Legal scholars from the University of Kansas, other universities and organizations across the country examined the state of aggregate litigation during the Kansas Law Review’s 2009 symposium.

Presenters at “Aggregate Justice: Perspectives Ten Years after Amchem and Ortiz” covered a broad range of topics, painting a picture of class actions and other methods that allow people to litigate cases on a group basis rather than individually, using Amchem Products Inc. v. Windsor and Ortiz v.

Fibreboard Corp. as a springboard for their exploration.

Laura Hines, KU professor of law, presented “The State of State Class Actions.” Other presenters were: n Elizabeth Chamblee Burch, Florida State University College of Law n Howard M. Erichson, Fordham University School of Law n Steven S. Gensler, University of Oklahoma College of Law

George Hanson, Judge John Lungstrum and William Martucci discuss the Free Labor Standards Act during a roundtable at “Employment Law in Recessionary Times.”

n Linda S. Mullenix, University of Texas School of Law

“The VITA Program is important because it provides hands-on experience for students interested in tax, whether it is master’s of accounting students or law students interested in tax law,” said Courtney Sipe,VITA coordinator and law student. “It also provides an opportunity for low-income residents of the community to receive free tax assistance.”

Sipe

Volunteers spent three days a week at Green Hall, the on-campus VITA site, and at other VITA sites throughout Lawrence. The program runs each year from midFebruary until April 15.

“The most rewarding part is seeing the impact the program has on the Lawrence community,” Sipe said. “The program has clients who come to get their taxes done every year. Also, we have many students in the KU community who take advantage of the program. I think it takes some stress off of them to know they don’t have to worry about trying to do their own taxes.”

KU LAW MAGAZINE 11

Chuck France / KU University Relations

green hall news

Judge Deanell Reece Tacha of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, left, questions Justice Sandra Day O’Connor during a fireside chat with the retired associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on April 12 at the Dole Institute of Politics. O’Connor spent two days at KU visiting law students and faculty.

Supreme visitor

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor shares wisdom, wit with KU Law community

BY MINDIE PAGET

S

One firm offered her a position as a legal secretary. But, forecasting her tenacious spirit and her drive to carve out a career as a lawyer, O’Connor declined.

“Law firms in those days would not hire a woman lawyer,” O’Connor said during an April visit to the University of Kansas.

Instead, she sought out the San Mateo county attorney, who had once hired a female lawyer. He liked O’Connor but possessed neither the funding nor the office space to hire another attorney. Undeterred, O’Connor wrote her

he climbed to lofty heights, becoming the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. But when Sandra Day O’Connor graduated from law school, she couldn’t even get a job interview.

12 KU LAW MAGAZINE

would-be boss a letter describing all of the assets she would bring to the position, offering to work without pay and proposing to share an office with the secretary.

She got the job. And her letter now resides in the San Mateo County History Museum.

“You may have to be a little creative in

getting that first job,” O’Connor told students during a fireside chat at the Dole Institute and a classroom Q&A at Green Hall. She compared her trials of graduating from Stanford Law School into a workforce unfriendly toward women to the challenges today’s students will face finding legal employment during a recession.

tough. But overall, I think it’s very satisfying.”

“For me, happiness is to work at work worth doing. I think being a judge is work worth doing.”

O’Connor expressed disappointment that President Bush did not appoint another woman when she retired from the court in 2006. She was hopeful, O’Connor met law students, faculty however, that and alumni during View a photo gallery and read a law President Obama a two-day visit on SEPT student’s blog about meeting O’Connor would consider April 12-13. She at www.law.ku.edu/spring10 filling the vacancy delivered the created by Justice Shook, Hardy & Stevens’ recently announced retirement Bacon Center for Excellence in with a female justice.

Advocacy Annual Lecture in the form of a fireside chat with Judge “There are a lot of qualified people out Deanell Reece Tacha of the U.S. Court there, and many of them are women,” of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. She she said. also spoke to students during a constitutional law class and had lunch O’Connor spoke often during her visit with a group of students and faculty. about two of her pet issues: civics education and an independent judiciary.

Work worth doing She touted Arizona’s merit system for Candor and sharp wit marked selecting judges and said she hoped O’Connor’s responses. She spoke more states would move in that direcopenly about her dread that President tion. And she plugged her Web site, Reagan would nominate her for a seat www.ourcourts.org, as a fun, interactive on the Supreme Court, which he did in method of teaching middle school 1981. students about civics, noting that half of U.S. states no longer require a civics “I did not seek that job. I didn’t know if or government course for graduation.

I could do it well enough to take the job.

It’s fine to be the first, but I didn’t want to be the last,” she said of her historic A defining moment role as the first female on the court.

The four finalists in the law school’s When Reagan called to offer her the 2010 Moot Court Competition enjoyed seat, O’Connor said, “My heart sank.” the privilege of dinner with O’Connor and other lawyers and judges after the If not for her husband’s insistence that final round. Earlier in the day, Lindsay she take the job, O’Connor might have Grise had won the awards for best oral passed up the opportunity. Instead, she advocate and best brief, and the judges spent nearly 25 years on the highest had deemed her and co-counsel Evan court in the land and enjoyed it imNorth the best team in the competition. mensely. One student asked O’Connor Still, she said, speaking with O’Connor why being a judge was worthwhile. was the highlight of that day.

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“I think being asked or enabled to serve as a judge and decide issues affecting all of us really is a tremendous honor,” O’Connor said. “It’s something that I thought was very special indeed, and I was pleased to be able to say, ‘Yes, I would like to do it.’ It’s a hard task because sometimes the issues are

“She is an incredible role model for law students,” Grise said. “Despite her many accomplishments and honored place in our country’s history, she is a warm, compassionate woman with a modest nature. At dinner, she was genuinely interested in our lives and professional goals.”

From left, 3L Stephanie Lovett-Bowman, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Dean Gail Agrawal, Judge Deanell Reece Tacha, 2L Erin Slinker Tomasic and 3L Dana Watts enjoyed brunch at Tacha’s Lawrence office.

North echoed Grise’s sentiments, characterizing the opportunity to meet O’Connor as a “defining moment.”

“She was so down-to-earth and approachable that it was easy to forget I was talking to the author of some of the most influential Supreme Court decisions in history,” North said. “I was truly impressed that she took such an interest in all of the students she met.”

Dean Gail Agrawal, who clerked for O’Connor at the Supreme Court during the 1984-85 term, took great pride in hosting one of her heroes. In her introduction of O’Connor at the chat, Agrawal noted that the justice had been asked many times over the years about being the first woman on that court.

“In an early response, she had this to say: ‘I think the important thing about my appointment is not that I will decide cases as a woman, but that I am a woman who will get to decide cases,’” Agrawal recounted. “And over the years since, she has observed any number of times that, more often than not, a wise woman and a wise man presented with a difficult question will reach a similar conclusion. And to my mind, as in so much of what the justice has said, there’s a lot of wisdom for all of us packed into those statements.” n

KU LAW MAGAZINE 13

green hall news

Conference launches NEW center on international trade, agriculture Watch video of conference presentations at www.law.ku.edu/spring10

T

he law school officially launched its Center for International Trade & Agriculture this spring with a well-attended scholarly roundtable on “Kansas and World Agriculture.”

“Keith Meyer was one of my very first professors,” Moran said. “And as a small-town rural Kansas kid who came to the University of Kansas – kind of a different world from where I had been accustomed – Keith Meyer was not only an outstanding teacher and knowledgeable of the subjects and topics, but he was one of those professors who made us small-town Kansas kids feel welcome and fit into the University of Kansas School of Law.” The April 9 program honored Meyer, the E.S. and Tom W. Hampton Professor of Law, who joined the law faculty in 1969, has taught agricultural law since 1975 and retired this month.

Genetically modified wheat, agriculture’s role in mitigating climate change and legal issues in animal agriculture were among the other topics that academics, industry experts and lawmakers explored during the roundtable.

Rice Distinguished Professor Raj Bhala talked about “Agricultural Controversies in the Doha Round of World Trade Negotiations.” Other presenters were: n n n

Charles Rice, Kansas State University Drew Kershen, University of Oklahoma School of Law Michael Roberts, Roll International Corporation and Affiliates

14 KU LAW MAGAZINE

David McKinney / KU University Relations

Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., a 1982 KU Law graduate, brought guests up to speed on agriculture policy in the 111th Congress during his keynote luncheon address. He also reminisced about his time at Green Hall.

Rep. Jerry Moran, L’82, delivers the keynote address at the inaugural conference of the Center for International Trade & Agriculture at KU Law. n n

Kendell Keith, National Grain and Feed Association Elizabeth Springsteen, National Agriculture Law Center

The Center for International Trade & Agriculture aims to promote key issues in international trade and agriculture through research and outreach in Kansas and Meyer around the world.

Moran was instrumental in securing $100,000 of federal money to fund the center for the first four years.

To accomplish its mission, the center sponsors interdisciplinary conferences addressing issues of importance to legal

practitioners, scholars and policymakers in international trade and agriculture, with special emphasis on matters of importance to the state of Kansas.

It hosts visiting scholars, practitioners and policymakers to interact with students, faculty and alumni. The center also educates and trains law students through course work and summer placements to engage in legal practice, prepare for work in law reform, or engage in agribusiness and international trade in areas related to trade and agriculture.

“The University of Kansas School of Law is the ideal location for this center because of the integral role that trade and agriculture play in the economy of the state,” said Dean Gail Agrawal. “It will also help us fulfill our mission as a public law school to serve the people of Kansas.” n

The Five-Year Itch

By Laura J. Hines

Think about indulging the urge to reconsider your initial legal career choice

“T

he Seven Year Itch,” a poppsychology phenomenon imagined in Billy Wilder’s wonderfully antic 1955 film of the same name, contends that even happily married people will begin to question their spousal choices sometime shortly after celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary. Despite several comically unlikely fantasies involving a sexy new neighbor, Wilder’s hero ultimately resists giving in to temptation and, with the so-called itch going successfully unscratched, everyone lives happily ever after. I write, however, in praise of the five-year (in my case) itch to reconsider one’s initial legal career choice. The decision to commit professional infidelity, if you will, may be the best guarantor of your own personal happy ending.

The ability to change direction, to reinvent ourselves, to contemplate a wide range of possible opportunities once came quite easily to most of us.

As college students, we abandoned our majors, causes and interests in favor of new ones almost instinctively, driven by forces ranging from a favorite professor, a provocative book, an intriguing class or a simple quirk of youthful curiosity. ...

The decision to attend law school itself likely sprung from this naturally curious state of mind. In my case, I was working in Washington, D.C. after college as a legislative assistant to a congressman from my home state. For me, the experience was a heady one — walking the imposing halls of Congress every day, crossing paths with prominent politicians and celebrities, meeting with lobbyists twice my age. I quickly realized, however, that the parts of the job I found most attractive suggested that I might be better suited to the law than to politics. I enjoyed the work of researching, analyzing and drafting memoranda on issues raised by proposed legislation, and I welcomed

with nerdy enthusiasm the chance to help a constituent navigate a particularly byzantine federal bureaucracy or regulation. Political wrangling, trade-offs and compromises held far less appeal to me than the policy debates, sometimes constitutional in nature, regarding what the law should be in a fair and just world. ...

My two summers spent working at large firms during law school served more clearly to eliminate possible specialties than to solidify my future career direction.

I was even lucky enough to land a judicial clerkship after graduation. ... I spent an extraordinary year clerking in St. Paul, Minn., for the late Donald P. Lay, then chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. ... At my clerkship’s end, I found myself succumbing to the siren’s song of the private law firm that had similarly lured most of my law school friends. I chose Arnold & Porter, a Washington, D.C., firm founded by New Deal reformers with an impressive record of pro bono service and a wide range of practice areas I hoped to have the latitude to explore. ...

[Soon] I found myself happily engaged in a richly challenging set of legal issues, working with two senior attorneys who exemplified my ideals of integrity and intellectual rigor, and who possessed unparalleled legal writing and advocacy instincts. Moreover, I was

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green hall news in the process of becoming enmeshed in the fabric of the firm, serving on committees and co-chairing the summer associate program. Why then, five years out of law school, did I experience an ultimately compelling itch to walk away from this attractive and promising career? In short, because I became convinced that my potential as a law professor held even greater promise for my long-term happiness.

My exposure to the complex world of mass tort class actions had made me crave the luxury of reflecting on its most intriguing facets on my own initiative, and not at the behest of any particular client.

I was drawn to an occupation that offered me the complete freedom to think and write about legal issues from whatever policy, historical, empirical or theoretical perspective I chose to pursue.

As self-indulgent as that may sound, I hasten to point out that academic hours are not shorter, and the work is not easier than that of a law firm attorney. But the hours are almost entirely yours to define, and I cherish the fact that as often as I stay up until 3 a.m. typing on my laptop in my bathrobe like an intensely dedicated blogger, I am also free to spend the occasional sunny afternoon at the park with my 3-year-old. I left practice before the advent of mandatory Blackberry accessibility, but I well remember plans dashed at the last moment because of an e-mail or phone call citing an urgent client matter. My weekends and vacations may still include unexpected work commitments, but at least I have no one to blame for that state of affairs except myself. ...

Now my itch came at the five-year mark, but some of you will feel that niggling sense (if not grim certainty) that your happiness lies in another direction within a few years or even months after landing your first law job. Whenever that moment arises, I urge you to pay close attention to your instincts, just as you did when they steered you to law school in the first place. And beware of the strong inertial

16 KU LAW MAGAZINE

forces potentially arrayed against any such movement. You may feel indebted to the employer that gave you your first job, fear the dislocation of uprooting yourself or your family, or simply balk at any course that rocks your comfortable and familiar boat. Leaving private practice for seemingly greener pastures often entails a pay cut, and reinventing oneself can mean rigorous new hurdles to overcome: My law school roommate’s job changes necessitated sitting for three state bar exams in 10 years.

ingly generic advice, forces reflection on your career arc and encourages frequent self-evaluation. It also eliminates the need for a massive curriculum vitae overhaul that could represent a daunting obstacle to applying for a new job.

For those among you who indeed feel an itch but cautiously resist acting on it, your risk aversion could well prove to be a healthy survival impulse. But I would urge you to consider opportunities that may allow you to have your cake and eat it, too: Take on a pro bono client; sign up to teach as an adjunct at a nearby law school; tackle a leadership role as a volunteer These are excerpts from an essay in your local community. originally published in “A Life in the You might also explore the Law: Advice for Young Lawyers” possibility of taking a brief leave from your current (ABA Book Publishing, 2009). job in order to check out The complete essay, by Laura Hines, another. Many firms will KU professor of law, is available at accommodate valued www.law.ku.edu/spring10. The book lawyers who wish to rejoin their ranks by is available at www.ababooks.org. leaving the window open for a possible return if the new opportunity does not pan out. ...

Some of my happiest and most successful friends, As for those of you who never however, walked away from the lucraperceive an itch to scratch or even a tive world of corporate lawyering to twinge of discontent, I applaud the become government attorneys at places prescience and dash of luck that led like the Department of Justice and the you straight out of law school into Food & Drug Administration, found your dream jobs. Indeed, a handful their true calling in the nonprofit sector, of my own law school and firm or left the safety of practice altogether to friends continue to thrive and pursue careers in screenwriting, venture flourish in private practice. But I capital or politics. My own move into still recommend the occasional academia required me to endure both exercise of self-assessment, perhaps a substantial salary reduction and a every five years, to ensure that your personally difficult move from a city contentment has not morphed into and friends I adored to a college town mere complacency. in Kansas where I knew no one. Such disincentives and risks can certainly Finally, if the itch you’ve scratched tamp down the temptation you might doesn’t lead you to the idyllic future experience to choose a new and better you thought it would, do not panic. path, but none should actually deter Your happy ending is still out there. you when the stakes are so high.

Remember, we lawyers are hard-wired with the ability to attack every chalMore pragmatically, I advise you to lenge with well-reasoned analysis and keep your eyes on the lookout for opthe mental agility to identify winning portunities that strike you as intriguing, alternatives. That skill set gives you the your resume updated and your connecoption to write and re-write the many tions with friends and colleagues intact. chapters of your professional career as ... Updating your resume, while seemoften as the itch may strike you. n

Faculty Notes Gail Agrawal has been appointed to the Curriculum Committee of the Association of American Law Schools. She will become dean of the Iowa University College of Law on July 1.

Bhala qualified for the Boston Marathon based on his performance in the Des Moines Marathon. The qualifying time for his group (men 45-49) is 3:30:00, and Bhala completed the Des Moines run in 3:06:51.

Raj Bhala is in the final year of his work on a new, 50-chapter, 1,000-page book titled “Understanding Islamic Law (Shari’a),” which LexisNexis is publishing. The book is designed as a text for law students and reference for practitioners.

Robert Casad published “Internet Jurisdiction” in “Essays in Honor of Konstantinos Kerameus,” published in Athens and Brussels. Casad also published the Kansas Civil Jury Instruction Handbook (West-Thomson, 2009-2010) and Jurisdiction in Civil Actions (3rd ed. 2009) (with William Richman and Wendy Collins Perdue).

His article “Resurrecting the Doha Round: Devilish Details, Grand Themes and China, Too,” was published as the lead article in 45 Texas International Law Journal 1-125 (Fall 2009). He presented the article at the University of Texas Law School in February.

Bhala also gave three presentations in January at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law: “Understanding Islamic Law (Shari’a): Perspectives on Finance, Women, and Apostasy,” presentation to faculty; “The Doha Round of World Trade Negotiations: Devilish Details and Grand Themes,” presentation to faculty and students; and “International Trade and Finance: Trends and Opportunities,” presentation to students, with Kara Tan Bhala, lecturer, University of Kansas School of Business.

In February, Bhala gave a presentation at a globalization seminar at the Hall Center for Humanities on “Whither Iran’s Green Revolution?” as part of a panel with Reza Aslan and Pooya Naderi.

He has been elected to lifetime membership in Who’s Who Among Collegiate Faculty.

This award is from a nomination by a peer or peers, peer review and verification based on credentials and accomplishments in the field of law.

Joe Custer will become director and associate professor of law at St. Louis University on July 1. He has been associate director of KU’s Wheat Law Library for more than 13 years. Prior to that, he was the reference and collection development librarian. During his tenure, Custer has written numerous grants for the library, was essential to several library remodeling projects and has had complete oversight of the growth and care of the library’s collection. He has taught legal research, advanced legal research courses and topical legal research. Custer has authored articles, chapters and books on legal research, collection development, library administration and other topics. He is past president of the Mid America Association of Law Libraries and has engaged in regional, national and international professional service activities.

Mike Davis testified at the Kansas House Committee on Local Government in support of a bill that would adopt a Kansas version of the Common Interest Owners Bill of Rights Act. He was representing a special committee of the Kansas Judicial Council that recommended the act to the Legislature. Davis was a member of the special committee.

Martin Dickinson presented a paper on “The Future of the Estate Taxes” to a gathering of estate planners and others on Nov. 12 in Lawrence. The presentation was sponsored by the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment Association and the Douglas County Community Foundation.

Christopher Drahozal published “The Future of Manifest Disregard” in the Stockholm International Arbitration Review (2009, No. 1). He did a presentation on “Private Regulation of Consumer Arbitration” with Samantha Zyontz, research associate at the Searle Civil Justice Institute, at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Law & Economics Association on Oct. 10 at Notre Dame Law School. Drahozal conducted a workshop Nov. 12-13 at Notre Dame on “Creditor Claims in Arbitration and in Court”; he guest taught an alternative dispute resolution class while there.

The Searle Consumer Arbitration Task Force, of which Drahozal is the chair, issued an interim report on Creditor Claims in Arbitration and in Court (November 2009).

He made presentations on the interim report to the Searle Board of Overseers at a meeting on Oct. 22 at Northwestern Law School; on Dec. 7 at the Fourth Annual Judicial Symposium on Civil Justice Issues, sponsored by the Northwestern Judicial Education Program; and at a meeting of the Consumer Financial Services Committee of the ABA Business Law Section on Jan. 11 in Park City, Utah. For the work of the Consumer Arbitration Task Force, the Searle Civil Justice Institute was awarded the 2009 Legal Reform Research Award from the Institute for Legal Reform of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented at the ILR’s 10th Annual Legal Reform Summit on Oct. 28 in Washington, D.C.

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faculty news

Drahozal is serving on the National Task Force on Issues Related to the Arbitration of Consumer Debt Disputes, set up by the American Arbitration Association to consider the creation of due process standards for debt collection arbitrations. The task force held an organizational meeting on Nov. 11, and Drahozal made a presentation on the Searle interim report at its meeting on Jan. 28.

Along with the other co-Reporters, Drahozal presented Preliminary Draft No. 2 of the Restatement, Third, of the U.S. Law of International Commercial Arbitration at a meeting with the Members Consultative Group on May 17 in Washington, D.C. Council Draft No. 1 was then reviewed by the ALI Council at a meeting on Oct. 23. Finally, the Reporters presented Preliminary Draft No. 3 to the project’s advisers and again to the Members Consultative Group on Jan. 28-31 in Philadelphia.

Jelani Jefferson Exum presented “Why March to a Uniform Beat?: Adding Honesty and Proportionality to the Tune of Federal Sentencing” at the University of Cincinnati College of Law (Scholar Exchange Program, Oct. 2) and the Central States Law Schools Association Annual Conference (Oct. 24).

She has written the following forthcoming articles: “Why March to a Uniform Beat?: Adding Honesty and Proportionality to the Tune of Federal Sentencing,” Texas Journal on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights,Vol. 15.2 (forthcoming, spring 2010); and “Making the Punishment Fit the (Computer) Crime: Rebooting Notions of Possession for the Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography Offenses” (invited article, forthcoming, Richmond Journal of Law and Technology).

John Head participated in a symposium Oct. 16-17 at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law on international economic affairs. The symposium, titled “Local to Global: Rethinking Spheres of Authority After a World Financial Crisis,” featured

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speakers from Georgetown, Duke, Cornell, Hong Kong University and elsewhere. Head’s presentation was based on the article he has written for the symposium issue of the Pacific McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal, “The Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 in Context: Reflections on International Legal and Institutional Failings, ‘Fixes,’ and Fundamentals.”

Head’s latest book, “General Principles of International Business and Economic Law,” was published by Renmin University Press (Beijing). The book, an expanded version of some earlier writings, is designed specifically for use in Chinese law schools.

On Nov. 6, Head participated in a symposium at the University of Pennsylvania on international economic affairs. The symposium featured economists and lawyers reviewing lessons learned from the Asian financial crisis (1997). Head’s presentation was based on the article he has written for publication in the East Asia Law Review, “The Asian Financial Crisis in Retrospect: Observations on Legal and Institutional Lessons Learned after a Dozen Years.”

In mid-November, Head returned to Italy to make a presentation at the University of Trento, where he and his wife had spent the spring 2009 term under a Distinguished Fulbright Fellowship. His November presentation focused on Chinese law in the context of a conference addressing the relationship between Tibet and the People’s Republic of China.

Head completed his teaching of a special course at the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth under a new KU-CGSC master’s degree program in special studies. Special forces officers, civilians and KU Law students enrolled in the course, modeled after Head’s usual Public International Law course but modified to emphasize rules governing the use of force in international relations.

On Feb. 2-3, Head traveled to Ohio to make both a public address and a faculty presentation at the University of Akron School of Law. Both presentations focused on Chinese law, with special emphasis on rule-of-law issues and constitutionalism, drawn largely from his recent book, “China’s Legal Soul.”

Later in February, Head accompanied the law school’s Jessup International Law Moot Court team to Houston for regional rounds.

The team, with Head as its faculty adviser, brought home four plaques, including individual awards for sixth- and seventh-place oralists and a team award for third-best briefs.

Head also published “Feeling the Stones When Crossing the River: The Rule of Law in China” 7 Santa Clara Journal of International Law (2010). He also served on the dissertation committee for Surendra Bhandari, the first candidate to complete the law school’s Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) program.

Laura Hines organized the Kansas Law Review’s 2009 Symposium, “Aggregate Justice: Perspectives Ten Years after Amchem and Ortiz,” which took place Oct. 30 at Green Hall. She presented “The State of State Class Actions.”

Mike Kautsch was appointed in 2009 to chair the Kansas Bar Association’s Media Bar Committee and has been coordinating planning of committee programs. The purposes of the committee include facilitating communication among the bar, bench and news media and providing educational opportunities for the public on media-related issues.

In fall 2009, Kautsch conducted research related to the committee’s agenda, including the issue of pre-trial publicity about criminal cases.

Kautsch also conducted research related to state legislative proposals on which he has testified. The proposals included Senate Bill 211, which called for a testimonial privilege

for journalists to protect confidential sources. Kautsch testified on the bill at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last February.

During follow-up legislative deliberations in early 2010, he answered questions about the proposal, which was re-designated Senate Substitute for House Bill 2585.

Kautsch continues as a principal in planning and presenting annual Media and the Law seminars. After last year’s seminar, at which he served as a moderator and presenter, Kautsch began researching issues related to the agenda for the 2010 seminar. The issues included use of social media by lawyers, news reporters and others.

On Dec. 8, Kautsch made a presentation titled “Digital Technology and Changing Media” at the Midwest Election Officials Conference in Overland Park.

Elizabeth Weeks Leonard presented on “State Constitutionalism and the Right to Health Care” at a faculty workshop on Oct. 12 at Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, Fla. She presented on “Health Care Challenges for the New Administration: The Individual Mandate” for the KU Health Law Society on Oct. 29 in Lawrence. Leonard’s promotion to full professor has been approved and will take effect in August.

Stacy Leeds presented “Proposal for Reform: American Indian Property Law” for a faculty workshop series titled “Ideas and Innovations in Legal Scholarship” on Oct. 23 at the University of Wisconsin School of Law. She also made the following presentations: “Beyond Land-Into-Trust: Creative Land Ownership Options for Tribes,” 11th Annual American Indian Law Conference, Federal Bar Association, Nov. 13, Washington, D.C.; “Ending the Multiple Trails of Tears: Strengthening Families and Tribal Communities by Application of the Indian Child Welfare Act,” Ninth Annual American Indian Symposium of the American Indian Council,

Nov. 10, Kansas City, Mo.; and “What Tribal Courts Do to Preserve the Sovereignty of Indian Tribes,” at “Protecting Sovereignty: The Role of Tribal Courts” training conference, co-hosted by the National Judicial College and the Tribal Judicial Institute with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 22, Albuquerque, N.M. Leeds was appointed to the Diversity Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section on Legal Education & Admission to the Bar for 2009-2010.

She will become interim dean of academic affairs at KU Law on July 1.

Richard Levy presented a continuing legal education session on “Avoiding Collisions at the Intersection of State and Federal Authority” for the Kansas Bar Association on Feb. 26. The same day, he presented legislative testimony to the Kansas Legislature’s Joint Committee on Rules and Regulations on HB 2530, the Judicial Council’s proposed revisions to the Kansas Rules and Regulation Filing Act. Levy presented “Silo Precedents in Administrative Law” (coauthored with Rob Glicksman) for a faculty research workshop at the George Washington University School of Law on March 12. He also presented “An Introduction to Federal, State, and Local Power in the United States” at a conference on “Federalism and Regionalism in the Advanced Nations” in November at Kanagawa University in Yokohama, Japan.

Stephen Mazza published an essay, co-authored with Tracy Kaye of Seton Hall, on taxpayer rights and taxpayer charters.

The essay is included in a commemorative book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Confederation Fiscale Europeenne. Scholars from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Australia also submitted essays discussing the sources of taxpayer rights within their respective tax systems.

Mazza was one among a group of KU scholars recognized by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce for outstanding research at its February event. He will become the interim dean of KU Law on July 1.

Stephen McAllister co-authored with Justice Randy Holland, Professor Jeff Shaman and Judge Jeff Sutton a new casebook: “State Constitutional Law: The Modern Experience” (Thomson-West 2010).

He served as summarian for the Association of American Law Schools and member of the American Bar Association accreditation team for the site evaluation of the MarshallWythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary, Oct. 18-21 in Williamsburg, Va. He was also a mock arbitrator for a mock arbitration conducted by the National Association of Attorneys General Mock in preparation for the states’ arbitration in 2010 with the tobacco industry regarding issues arising under the Master Settlement Agreement Oct. 8 and Dec. 17-18 in Washington, D.C. McAllister was a panelist for the KU Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center and the KU Office of Multicultural Affairs program on “The Race To Be Seated: Sonia Sotomayor’s Confirmation” on Oct. 7 at the Kansas Union.

Joyce McCray Pearson presented “Lawyers as Entrepreneurs: How to Market Your Skills in a Changing Economy” at the Black Law Students Association annual forum at the Washburn University School of Law. She also presented a program titled “Change Has Come; Or, Don’t Let the Budget Crisis Get You Down!” at the 51st Annual Southwest Association of Law Libraries conference in Albuquerque, N.M. Pearson was appointed to a three-year term as chair of the Judicial Board for University Governance.

John Peck published a book chapter on “Kansas Water Law” in volume 4 of a new

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faculty news

edition to a seven-volume “Waters and Water Rights” (ed. Robert Beck 2009).

He gave a presentation as one of two responders to a paper by Professor Emeritus Robert E. Beck of Southern Illinois University School of Law titled “The Removal, Disposal, and Use of Water in Relation to Oil and Gas Development and Production.” Peck also presented at “The Future Course of Oil and Gas Jurisprudence II, A Symposium” on Oct. 2-3 at Washburn University School of Law, organized by the Business and Transactional Law Center and the Washburn Law Journal.

Peck gave a continuing legal education presentation on “Legal Aspects of Water and the Kansas Oil and Gas Industry” at the 34th Annual Oil & Gas Conference, presented by the Kansas Bar Association and the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association on Oct. 23 in Wichita. He also gave a CLE presentation on “Water Law for the Small Firm/Solo Practitioner” at the KBA’s Solo and Small Firm CLE on Jan. 22 in Salina.

Peck presented “Comparative International Water Law and Management: The AsiaKansas Program” at the annual meeting of the American Water Resources Association on Nov. 12 in Seattle. He gave a talk on “Land Description Errors” at a meeting of the Heartland Association of Legal Assistants on Feb. 9 in Overland Park.

Elinor Schroeder published the fourth edition of her hornbook, “Employment Law” (West). Her coauthors are Mark Rothstein (Louisville), Charlie Craver (George Washington) and Elaine Shoben (UNLV). Schroeder also organized the 2009-2010 Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy symposium, “Employment Law in Recessionary Times.”

Andrew Torrance published “Neurobiology and Patenting Thought,” 50 IDEA: The Intellectual Property Law Review 27 (50th anniversary issue).

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In January, Torrance was a moderator and speaker on “Biology Invading and Transforming Law” at the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) annual meeting in New Orleans. He also presented “An Extinction Bar to Patentability” in the Biodiversity Institute’s Biodiversity Science Seminar Series at the University of Kansas. Torrance talked about “Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship” at the Kauffman Global Scholars Program and Kauffman Global Faculty Program at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Mo. In November, Torrance presented “The Legal Possibilities of Synthetic Biology” at the MIT Sloan School of Management’s MIT Innovation Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., and “Biology as the Future of Law” at Biolaw 3.0: Law at the Frontiers of Biology conference at the University of Kansas School of Law. Torrance also organized the conference.

Torrance presented “Patenting People Human Embryos, Genes, Thought, and Physiology as Intellectual Property” at the Seventh Annual Intellectual Property Law Scholars Conference in October at the Seton Hall School of Law in Newark, N.J., and “Patents and the Regress of Useful Arts” at the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City, Iowa.

In February, Torrance organized and presided over the First Annual Patent Olympics at KU Law. He was also quoted in a Feb. 8 article in the Kansas City Star, “Patent lawyers give your big idea an edge.”

Suzanne Valdez served as chair of the Diversity Issues Subcommittee for the KU Athletics Self-Study process and participated in the NCAA KU Athletics Certification Review in October 2009. She was also nominated by Attorney General Steve Six and confirmed by the Kansas Senate to serve as chair of the Kansas Crime Victim’s Compensation Board. Her term expires in March 2012.

Stephen Ware published three articles: “The Missouri Plan in National Perspective,” 74 Missouri Law Review 751 (2009); “Bankruptcy Law’s Treatment of Creditors’ Jury-Trial and Arbitration Rights,” 17 American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review 479 (2009); and “Authorities Split after the Supreme Court’s Hall Street Decision: What Is Left of the Manifest Disregard Doctrine?” Engage, March 2010, at 119 (with Marisa C. Maleck).

He spoke on arbitration at St. John’s University School of Law on Oct. 2 in New York City and at a State Bar of Texas continuing legal education seminar on Jan. 26 in Austin, Texas. He spoke on debt, foreclosure and bankruptcy on Jan. 25 at the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas; on alternative dispute resolution on Feb. 3 at the University of Florida School of Law; and on debt, foreclosure and bankruptcy on Feb. 11 and alternative dispute resolution and the economic crisis on Feb. 13, both at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas School of Law. Ware appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World in an article on the Farmland Industries bankruptcy case on Oct. 4 and in an article on judicial selection on Nov. 25.

Melanie Wilson co-authored a textbook, “Criminal Procedure,” seventh edition (LexisNexis 2009), with Joseph G. Cook (Tennessee) and Paul Marcus (William & Mary). She also presented a paper titled “Judging Police Lies: An Empirical Perspective,” which reports results of a study of judicial rulings in response to criminal defendants’ claims of police dishonesty, at faculty workshops at William & Mary Law School on Jan. 28 in Williamsburg,Va.; at the University of Oregon School of Law on Nov. 11 in Eugene, Ore.; and at the John Marshall Law School on Nov. 4 in Atlanta. She spoke on the same topic, police dishonesty, at Central States Law Schools Association 2009 Conference in October in Columbus, Ohio.

David McKinney / KU University Relations

From left, Judges Henry Green, L’75, Patrick McAnany and Michael Buser, L’77, of the Kansas Court of Appeals preside over the final arguments of the 2009 Moot Court Competition. Below: Holly Zane, L’86, talks to law students about careers at the Kansas Department of Corrections during Legal Career Options Day.

Volunteer Honor Roll

These names represent volunteer contributions made from March 2009 to March 2010. We made our best efforts to ensure that the list is complete. If you are aware of any omissions or errors, please contact Mindie Paget at mpaget@ku.edu.

Randy Edmonds

This second annual edition of the Volunteer Honor Roll recognizes the many KU Law alumni 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!

KU LAW MAGAZINE 21

alumni news Guest lecturers, speakers & panelists Katherine Allen, L’02 Chris Allman, L’89 Trinia Arellano, L’09 The Hon. Karen Arnold-Burger, L’82 Stacey Blakeman, L’09 Michael Book, L’01 Joan Bowen, L’90 Charles Branson, L’96 Clay Britton, L’09 The Hon. Michael Buser, L’77 Kelly Campbell, L’92 Emily Caron, L’02 Kelley Catlin, L’05 The Hon. Thomas Clark, L’64 Crissa Cook, L’07 Heather Counts, L’00 Dan Crabtree, L’81 Danielle Davey, L’09 Catherine Decena, L’08 Kirt DeHaan, L’95 Mike Delaney, L’76 Holly Dyer, L’94 Margaret Farley, L’88 Steve Fehr, L’76 Carl Folsom, L’05 Shelly Freeman, L’88 Katie Gates, L’07 The Hon. Henry Green, L’75 Barry Halpern, L’73 Deanne Watts Hay, L’77 Russ Hickey, L’01 Mark Hinderks, L’82 Martha Hodgesmith, L’78 John Holt, L’84 Chris Howard, L’01 Kim Ireland, L’04 Chris Jones, L’02 Heather Landon Jones, L’00 Carrie Josserand, L’98 The Hon. Janice Miller Karlin, L’80 Pamela Keller, L’93 Lana Knedlik, L’96 Samuel Korte, L’05 The Hon. Steve Leben, L’82

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Wendy Lynn, L’07 Jeff Mason, L’83 Terry Matlack, L’82 Robert McCully, L’85 Anne McDonald, L’82 Lori McGroder, L’89 Amy Miller-Seymour, L’03 Doni Mooberry, L’96 Steve Morgan, L’74 Andy Nolan, L’98 Leon Patton, L’83 Judy Pottorff, L’84 Rebecca Proctor, L’06 Wissam Rashid, L’09 David Rebein, L’80 Cathy Reinhardt, L’83 Ambriel Renn-Scanlan, L’06 Stephen Reynolds, L’71 Bethany Roberts, L’03 David Roby, L’06 Teresa Schreffler, L’06 Angela Seaton, L’98 Mike Seck, L’82 Holly Pauling Smith, L’99 Todd Thompson, L’82 Earl Tjaden, L’75 David Trevino, L’07 Corey Ziegler, L’98 Katie Zogleman, L’03

Moot court judges Carrie Bader, L’09 The Hon. Carol Beier, L’85 Clay Britton, L’09 Michael Crabb, L’09 Christina Elmore, L’09 Lindsay Heinz, L’09 Patrick Henderson, L’93 Robert Hoffman, L’93 David Jackson, L’08 The Hon. Steve Leben, L’82 The Hon. Lawton Nuss, L’82 Brian Nye, L’09 Luke Wohlford, L’09

Miscellaneous Constance Achterberg, L’53 David Elkouri, L’78

Charlie Hostetler, L’63 Peter Johnston, L’97 Patty Love, L’03 Daniel Lyons, L’77 David Vermooten, L’06

Diversity Advisory SEPT Council

18

Dan Cranshaw, L’03 Laura Clark Fey, L’92 C. Alberto Herdoiza, L’80 Lana Knedlik, L’96 Ricardo Kolster, L’01 Patricia Konopka, L’94 Marcella Lee, L’94 Don Low, L’75 Janet Murguia, L’85 Kelley Sears, L’74 Joe Serrano, L’93 Genine Ware, L’91 Damon Williams, L’02 Issaku Yamaashi, L’00 Holly Zane, L’86

Women’s Advisory Council Katharina Babich, L’91 Parthenia Evans, L’82 Amy Fowler, L’01 Cathy Havener Greer, L’76 Carrie Josserand, L’98 Madeleine McDonough, L’90 The Hon. Mary Murguia, L’85 Cathy Reinhardt, L’83 Elizabeth Schartz, L’88 Lisa Schultes, L’85 Stacey Warren, L’93 Jeanne Verville, L’85

New Members of the Board of Governors The Hon. Patricia Macke Dick, L’81 David Elkouri, L’78 Timothy Glassco, L’02 Andrew Halaby, L’96 Madeleine McDonough, L’90

Dara Trum Miles, L’87 Andy Nolan, L’98 J. Michael Porter, L’00 Cathy Reinhardt, L’83 Kelley Sears, L’74 Kevin Yoder, L’02 Find a complete list of board members at www.law.ku.edu/alumni

Mock interview program Ryan Brunton, L’02 The Hon. Michael Buser, L’77 Jennifer Carter, L’04 Devon Doyle, L’08 Chris Jones, L’02 Evan Ice, L’93 Ricardo Kolster, L’01 Chad Lamer, L’04 David Lockett, L’05 Krista Morgan, L’02 The Hon. G. Joseph Pierron, L’71 Ambriel Renn-Scanlan, L’06 David Roby, L’06 Jennifer Stevenson, L’04 Kevin Weakley, L’94 Katie Zogleman, L’03

1L Mentors Catherine Bell, L’07 Michael Book, L’01 Jennifer Carter, L’04 Kelley Catlin, L’05 Kim Christiansen, L’94 Dan Cranshaw, L’03 Braxton Copley, L’92 Danielle Davey, L’09 Lori Dougherty, L’06 Devon Doyle, L’08 Alphonso Eason, L’02 Anne Emert, L’05 Mark Emert, L’05 Michael Fischer, L’07 Deanne Watts Hay, L’77 Marie Haynes, L’05 C. Albert Herdoiza, L’80 Martha Hodgesmith, L’78

Legal Career Fairs Steve Allton, L’04 Eric Aufdengarten, L’03 Joseph Bant, L’08 Jonathan Benevides, L’09 Kyle Binns, L’07 Stacey Blakeman, L’09 Ryan Brunton, L’02 The Hon. Michel Buser, L’77 Randy Butler, L’04 Kathleen Butterfield, L’86 Meryl Carver-Allmond, L’06 Kelley Catlin, L’05

David Trevino, L’07 Ryan Walkiewicz, L’08 Deborah Wilkinson, L’83 Stanley Williams, L’81 Jay Witt, L’05 Daniel Yoza, L’08 Holly Zane, L’86 Aaron Zarchan, L’99

Supervisors for clinical students The Hon. Carol Beier, L’85 Mark Dodd, L’06 Alphonso Eason, L’02 The Hon. Robert Fairchild, L’73 Brandon Jones, L’00 Heather Landon Jones, L’00 The Hon. Janice Miller Karlin, L’80 Jill Kenney, L’02 The Hon. Peggy Carr Kittel, L’83 Lana Knedlik, L’96 The Hon. John Lungstrum, L’70 Jeremy Mai, L’08 The Hon. Michael Malone, L’73 David Melton, L’98 The Hon. Carlos Murguia, L’82 Leon Patton, L’83 Dave Rempel, L’94 Bethany Roberts, L’03 The Hon. Julie Robinson, L’81 The Hon. Jean Shepherd, L’77 The Hon. Dale Somers, L’71 The Hon. Kathryn Vratil, L’75

Randy Edmonds

Crissa Cook, L’07 Jonathan Davis, L’05 Michael Delaney, L’76 Matt Donnelly, L’07 Alphonso Eason, L’02 Richard Eckert, L’93 Katherine Elliott, L’05 Kip Elliot, L’95 Darron Farha, L’01 Carl Folsom, L’05 Melanie Freeman-Johnson, L’03 Matt Gough, L’05 Marie Haynes, L’05 Stefani Hepford, L’03 Martha Hodgesmith, L’78 Lisa Hoebelheinrich, L’96 Will Hurst, L’07 Ben Hutnick, L’08 Heather Landon Jones, L’00 James Jordan, L’09 Jehan Kamil, L’05 Brandon Kane, L’05 Adam LaBoda, L’04 The Hon. Tim Lahey, L’84 William Larzalere, L’83 Deanna Lieber, L’98 Karyn Lopez, L’04 Mary McDonald, L’88 Julene Miller, L’85 Diane Minear, L’04 Michael Nichols, L’07 Andy Nolan, L’98 The Hon. Lawton Nuss, L’82 Sean Ostrow, L’09 John Pauls, L’91 Jim Pottorff, L’84 Judy Pottorff, L’84 Nicole Proulx, L’08 Ambriel Renn-Scanlan, L’06 Matt Richards, L’99 Bethany Roberts, L’03 Elizabeth Rogers, L’07 Thomas Ruane, L’06 Demetra Salisbury, L’06 Walter Schoemaker, L’04 Greg Skoch, L’00 Charles Thoman, L’04 Mary Ann Torrence, L’74

Steve Puppe

Kim Ireland, L’04 James Johnson, L’03 Heather Jones, L’00 Jehan Kamil, L’05 Ricardo Kolster, L’01 Karyn Lopez, L’04 Jason McClasky, L’02 Anne McDonald, L’82 Jack McInnes, L’04 Matt Merrill, L’99 Charles Miller, L’09 Martin Miller, L’81 Rachel Monger, L’05 Aaron Oleen, L’07 The Hon. G. Joseph Pierron, L’71 Christi Pribula, L’07 Robert Ramsdell, L’99 Erika Rasmussen, L’06 Peter Riggs, L’04 Bethany Roberts, L’03 Elizabeth Rogers, L’07 Chandra Cranmer Ruyle, L’04 Bethany Shelton, L’09 Cary Smalley, L’05 Branden Smith, L’06 Rachel Smith, L’99 David Trevino, L’07 Emily Vijayakirthi, L’04 Jabari Wamble, L’06 Melissa Wangemann Maag, L’94 Kelli Wikoff, L’06 Natalie Yoza, L’07 Katie Zogleman, L’03 Guillermo Zorogastua, L’07

From top, left to right, Barry Halpern, L’73, delivers a lecture on business etiquette for lawyers during an installment of the Student Success Series; Alphonso Eason, L’ 02, speaks with a law student at Legal Career Options Day; Lana Knedlik, L’96 and a member of the Diversity Advisory Council, visits with a student at the Diversity in Law Banquet.

KU LAW MAGAZINE 23

alumni news

Alumni Notes

Items were received or collected prior to April 1, 2010. Submit your news by e-mail to patti@ku.edu or online at www.law.ku.edu.

Click on Alumni and look for Keeping in Touch. KU Law Magazine relies on alumni for the accuracy of information reported.

1970s Paul J. Conderman, L’75, was named Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate, Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe, in August 2009, making him the senior U.S. Army civilian attorney in Europe. Conderman is co-author of “The Handbook of the Law of Visiting Forces,” a treatise on Status of Forces and Stationing Agreements published by Oxford University Press in 2001. His most recent project is “Status of Armed Forces on Foreign Territory Agreements,” published in January 2010 by the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, an online research tool published by Oxford University Press in conjunction with the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, Germany.

Steve Fehr, L’76, has been named Major League Baseball Players Association special counsel. This formalizes a role Fehr has held for the past 23 years while serving as outside counsel to the MLBPA. He will continue to provide legal advice and support to the union’s labor relations efforts, and he will continue to play a major role in future rounds of collective bargaining. His duties will involve government relations, including support of the MLBPA’s congressional efforts on Capitol Hill. Fehr will continue to be based in Kansas City, where he is of counsel to the firm of Jolley, Walsh, Hurley, Raisher & Aubry PC. Jeffrey Baker, L’78, became a licensee of Charitable Concepts LLC in 2009 to engage supporters and 501(c)(3) organizations with a patent-pending concept to raise current charitable funds from supporters at no out-of-pocket expense to the supporter or charity. Contributions are tax-deductible subject to AGI restrictions.

Thomas W. Keefe, L’78, has been named the new president of the University of Dallas. He assumed the presidency

24 KU LAW MAGAZINE

on March 1. Keefe has spent more than 20 years in higher education, most recently as vice president of advancement at St. Louis University.

1980s Michael K. Seck, L’82, spoke at a seminar for the Johnson County City and County Attorneys Association on overview of significant 2009 appellate decisions. Seck was also appointed to the Kansas Federal Bench/Bar Committee, published a pocket part to the text “Determining Economic Loss in Injury and Death Cases” and was named in Super Lawyer and Best Lawyers of America.

Chris Biggs, L’83, has been appointed interim Kansas Secretary of State

by Gov. Mark Parkinson.

Biggs is the first democrat to serve as the state’s chief elections official in nearly 60 years.

He will serve out the term of Ron Thornburgh, who resigned Feb. 15 to become a senior vice president for the Olathe-based website company NIC Inc. Biggs is a former Geary County prosecutor who served as securities commissioner since May 2003.

Stephen M. Griffin, L’83, is serving as interim dean of Tulane Law School for the 2009-10 academic year. Griffin previously served as vice dean of academic affairs for six years and is the Rutledge C. Clement Jr. Professor in Constitutional Law. Kent Nunn, L’84, has been named global risk officer for Capgemini’s worldwide outsourcing business. Capgemini is a global provider of consulting, technology and outsourcing services and is headquartered in Paris. In his new role, Nunn will be responsible for the negotiation of new and existing outsourcing contracts and for performing risk and financial reviews of new and existing outsourcing relationships.

Judge Randall Pankratz, L’84, has been appointed to the Kansas Bar Foundation Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) Committee by Gov. Mark Parkinson.

Pankratz has served as municipal judge in Hesston for more than 20 years and is a municipal judge in Halstead. He is also an attorney at Adrian & Pankratz PA in Newton.

Mark Deatherage, L’85, who is with the Phoenix law firm of Gallagher & Kennedy, is a longstanding member of the Volunteer Lawyers Program. As such, he became involved in a pro bono case in 2006, together with several other attorneys, in the representation of a family that had lost its home to equity skimming fraud masquerading as foreclosure rescue. The lawyers’ tireless advocacy on the family’s behalf eventually led them to a courtroom and a resounding victory three years later when the family’s home was returned to them. In addition to the restoration of the home to the rightful owners, a testament to the outstanding legal work in the case came when the jury awarded more than $400,000 in compensatory, RICO and punitive damages. For their commitment to ensuring equal access to justice for VLP clients with civil law problems, simple or complex, of short or long duration, Mark Deatherage, and the other attorneys involved in the case, shared the distinction of January 2010 Volunteer Attorneys of the Month.

Bradley W. Denison, L’85, has been promoted to executive vice president of Alliance HealthCard Inc. in Norman, Okla.

Denison will continue his role as general counsel and secretary for the company.

Aline E. Pryor, L’87, has been included in Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide Edition for her outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of law. Pryor has over 22 years of legal experience.

Her private practice specializes in family law, protection from abuse, divorce, paternity, support and personal injury cases. Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide highlights the professional lives of individuals from every significant field or industry, including business, medicine, law, education, art, government and entertainment.

Reginald Robinson, L’87, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, will leave his position at the end of academic year 2009-2010 to become professor of law and director of the Center for Law and Government at Washburn University in Topeka. He has served as the board’s president and CEO since October 2002. Before his appointment, Robinson was chief of staff for four years for University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway and a visiting associate professor at the KU School of Law. Robinson also delivered the keynote address at the law school’s 15th annual Diversity in Law Banquet in March.

Kimberley H. Tyson, L’87, has been named director of the Denver-based law firm Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe PC. Tyson’s practice focuses on bankruptcy, workouts and related commercial litigation.

She will continue her work with secured and unsecured creditors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 proceedings. Additionally, she represents Chapter 7 trustees as well as individuals appointed under Chapter 11 plans of reorganization to perform the duties of a Chapter 7 trustee.

in 2005 as site manager at a condominium in Washington, D.C. Roby quickly progressed to a position in portfolio management and took on a number of high-profile communities. In addition to his work as a portfolio manager, he also assists in training programs for new employees and frequently mentors new community managers. He has been awarded the Certified Manager of Community Associations designation (CMCA) and the Association Management Specialist (AMS) designation from the Community Associations Institute.

Al Perkins, L’89, has been promoted to an assistant public defender in the new Major Crimes Unit in the Fourth Circuit Public Defender’s Office in Jacksonville, Fla. Perkins has been a public defender in the Fourth Circuit for 18 years, most recently serving as a division chief in the felony unit.

1990s Mark Andersen, L’90, was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Andersen practices with the Lawrence firm of Barber Emerson LC.

Mike Keyes, L’88, became a shareholder in the Minneapolis office of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg PA in January 2010. He is an experienced commercial litigator who focuses in the areas of professional liability, securities fraud and complex business litigation.

Anthony G. Stergio, L’90, has joined the Houston office of Andrews Myers Coulter & Hayes as senior counsel and practice leader of the firm’s recently established labor and employment practice. Stergio has almost 20 years of practice focused on employment law and commercial litigation and arbitration. He is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has extensive experience in defense of state and federal employment discrimination claims, wage and hour compliance, noncompetition agreements and employment policy design and review. Stergio also counsels clients regarding developments in various areas of state and federal employment law.

Gregory D. Roby, L’88, has been promoted to regional vice president at Legum & Norman Inc., an Associa Company. Roby will assume responsibility for the operations of the company’s regional office in Chantilly, Va. He joined the Legum & Norman team

Susan Krehbiel William, L’90, was selected by her peers for inclusion in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of tax law. She is a shareholder in the Topeka law firm of Coffman, Defries & Nothern PA.

John T. Bullock, L’91, Lawrence has joined Stevens & Brand LLP as a partner. His areas of concentration will be commercial litigation, real estate and construction, regulated industries, constitutional rights and personal injury. Bullock was previously a partner in the law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP in San Francisco.

Donald Wilson, L’91, a partner with the law firm of Murray, Jensen & Wilson Ltd., was elected as the Fourth Ward Alderman for the City of Evanston, Ill. Ezra Ginzburg, L’92, and Barbara Ginzburg, KU Law librarian 1999-2003, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Daniel Ariye Ginzburg, in September 2009. They make their home in Topeka.

Kimberly K. Hays, L’93, is serving as chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association Family Law Section, which is the OBA’s largest section.

Her practice in Tulsa is focused exclusively on family law.

John Snyder, L’94, has been named managing partner of Sonnenschein’s Kansas City office effective Feb. 1. Snyder will continue to practice law actively, handling all aspects of commercial real estate and lending transactions, including loan workouts, financings and loan transactions, real estate development, leasing, land use and economic incentives.

Pat Warren, L’94, has been named president of the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. Formerly the speedway’s vice president for marketing and sales, Warren is the second president to lead the 82,000-seat track, which opened in 2001.

Jay Seaton, L’96, is the publisher of The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colo.

He withdrew from the partnership of Lewis Rice & Fingersh in August 2009.

Bill and Carolyn Matthews, both L’97, welcomed a daughter, Beatrice Louise, in October 2009, who joins big brother, George, 2. Bill and Carolyn are both partners with Foulston Siefkin in Wichita.

KU LAW MAGAZINE 25

alumni news Carl Gausman and Shannon Braden Gausman, both L’98, welcomed triplets – Matthew Wade, Paige Naomi and William Braden – in May 2009. The triplets join big brother, Joshua. Carl continues his work with the Principal Financial Group as assistant director for contract education and development. Shannon is senior counsel for Wells Fargo & Co.’s defensive consumer litigation group. They reside in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Hale Sheppard, L’98, has been promoted to equity shareholder within the Atlanta office of the national law firm of Chamberlain Hrdlicka. Sheppard specializes in international tax and controversies and represents clients in a plethora of tax law issues. Most recently, Sheppard argued against the IRS to successfully prove the commissioner was paralyzing a tax-funded program that would create 10,769 jobs in Virginia and raise property values throughout the United States. He has recently been ranked in the 2010 Chambers USA guide to the top attorneys in the nation. Sheppard holds five college degrees, including three from the University of Kansas.

Brian Goodman, L’99, has been promoted to senior practice leader for Resources Global Professionals’ Legal & Regulatory practice in Costa Mesa, Calif. Goodman, who joined Resources in 2004, will be responsible for the strategic growth and development of the legal and regulatory practice in the western region, which comprises 18 offices in the U.S. and Mexico. Resources Global Professionals, a leading multinational provider of professional services, is the operating subsidiary of Resources Connection Inc.

2000s Erin Anderson, L’00, and Brandon Pittenger, L’01, welcomed Faith Taylor Pittenger into their family in July 2009. Erin is practicing with Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP in Kansas City, Mo. Justin Lungstrum, L’00, was elected a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

GivinG back to your alma

mater shows that you appreciate the high-caliber education you received.

Gifts of all sizes matter, and 100 percent of your donation supports the area of your choice. By making a $1,000 annual gift to the KU School of Law, you will be recognized as a member of the Deans Club.

Making a gift is just a click away—simply visit kugiving.org/givenow. Giving online is easy, fast and secure. What better way to show your passion for KU?

Lungstrum is in the New York office and is a member of the firm’s corporate department. His practice focuses on banking, credit and acquisition finance.

Lungstrum joined Simpson Thacher in 2000.

Julie Sassenrath, L’00, who practices in the Dallas office of Winstead PC, was recognized as a Texas Rising Star and was featured in the April 2010 Texas Monthly magazine. Sassenrath is a member of the firm’s taxation practice.

Nominated by members of the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, the Texas Rising Star honor is reserved for the top Texas attorneys who are 40 years old or younger or have been in practice fewer than 10 years. Only 2.5 percent of eligible Texas attorneys receive this honor each year.

Ricardo A. Kolster, L’01, has become a partner in the Kansas City, Mo., office of Bryan Cave LLP. He is a construction lawyer practicing within

the commercial litigation and real estate and banking client service groups.

Melissa Sherman, L’01, has been made a partner in the Overland Park office of Lathrop & Gage LLP. Sherman represents clients in a wide range of litigation matters in state and federal court, from complex business disputes to professional liability actions. She has particular expertise in condemnation law and has represented both condemning authorities and landowners in all phases of the condemnation process. Sherman has significant trial and appellate experience and has also assisted clients with alternative dispute resolution.

Ryan C. Brunton, L’02, has been named a partner in the Kansas City, Mo., office of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP. Brunton joined the firm in 2002.

He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and consumer lending, general corporate transactions, real estate development and financing, and other financial and real estate transactions.

Frankie Forbes, L’02, Blane Markley, L’07, and Stacy Harper, L’09, have formed a new law firm, Forbes Law Group LLC, in Overland Park.

The firm focuses on providing legal services to health care providers in Kansas and Missouri.

Forbes, Markley and Harper have experience working with acute, specialty and critical access hospitals; ambulatory surgery centers; physician practices; community mental health centers; and rural health clinics.

Maria A. Macoubrie, L’02, has joined the financial services division of the Kansas City office of Stinson Morrison Hecker as of counsel. Macoubrie’s practice focuses on financial institution regulatory and opera-

tions matters, business transactions and general business law. Her practice includes working with financial institutions and other financial and nonfinancial businesses on payments systems and products.

Jeffrey A. Peterson, L’02, was elected a shareholder of Gray, Plant, Mooty, a Minneapolis-based law firm. He practices in the areas of commercial law, creditors’ rights and agricultural law. Jeff and his wife, Stephanie (Sears) Peterson, welcomed a daughter, Harper Elizabeth, born in August 2009. Her parents are anticipating she will be KU Class of 2032.

Greg S. Steinberg, L’02, has been named a partner in the Kansas City, Mo., office of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP. Steinberg joined the firm in 2002. He represents buyers and sellers, both public and private, in merger, acquisition and divestiture transactions in various industries and represents issuers in public equity offerings.

David E. Waters, L’02, has been made partner in the Overland Park office of Lathrop & Gage LLP. Waters represents developers, landowners and local governments in planning, zoning and real estate development matters and advises clients in connection with all general real estate matters, including the negotiation and settlement of purchase and sale agreements, commercial leases, development agreements, easements, restrictive covenants and title matters. He is also experienced in municipal law, representing local municipalities and school districts and counseling clients with respect to public financing incentives. He also handles design and construction projects, including architectural contracts, construction management and design-build projects.

Brooke Bennett Aziere, L’03, has been named a partner in the Wichita office of Foulston Siefkin LLP as of Jan. 1.

Stephanie Hiebert, L’03, was one of five legal aid attorneys to receive a 2009 Chicago Bar Foundation Sun-Times Fellowship Award.

Fellows receive up to $50,000 each in loan

LOOKING FOR

KU LAW GEAR?

LOOK NO FURTHER. The Student Bar Association has polos, pullovers, T-shirts, hats and other gear for you to show off your ties to KU Law! Just visit the SBA tab on klfp.org to browse. Then e-mail kansas.sba@gmail.com to place an order.

KU LAW MAGAZINE 27

IN MEMORIAM Robert M. Bond, L’47, Benton, Kan., January 5, 2010 Mary Beth Debicki, L’88, South Pasadena, Calif./Whitewater, Kan., February 13, 2010 Jerry G. Elliott, L’64, Lawrence, Kan., April 5, 2010 Fred J. Gasser Jr., L’50, Wichita, Kan., October 11, 2009 P. Stephen Harris, L’77, Kansas City, Mo., January 17, 2010 Sally H. Harris, L’78, Village of Loch Lloyd, Mo., January 9, 2010 Jerre F. Hersh Jr., L’53, Leawood, Kan., December 17, 2009 Douglas F. Martin, L’84, Clay Center, Kan., December 27, 2009 Marion Claude Miller, L’41, Hilton Head Island, S.C., March 25, 2010 Kenneth M. Nohe, L’49, Wichita, Kan., November 2, 2009 R. Sam Pestinger, L’71, Cypress, Texas, January 16, 2010 Phillip A. Rein, L’63, Las Vegas, Nev., October 11, 2009 Louis A. Silks Jr., L’50, Shawnee, Kan., February 2, 2010 John J. Ziegelmeyer, L’41, Kansas City, Mo., December 13, 2009

repayment assistance over five years to help them continue their careers in legal aid. Hiebert is a staff attorney for the Senior Citizens’ Legal Services Project at Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in East St. Louis, Ill. Malissa L. Walden, L’03, and her husband, Don, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Lenora Christine, in February 2010. Lenora joins big sister, Opal Adelle. Malissa practices with Walden & Pfannenstiel LLC in Lenexa.

Rick Griffin, L’04, has been voted a partner in the Wichita law firm of Martin Pringle Attorneys at Law. Griffin is one of 22 partners at the firm. His practice focuses primarily on commercial and contract litigation and products liability.

Miranda K. Owens, L’04, has been made a partner at Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer LLP in Topeka. Owens has been with the firm since 2005 and practices in the areas of tax, estate planning, probate and tax-exempt organizations.

Kimberly Wiggans Corum, L’05, is a trial attorney for the district court section of the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Carl Folsom III, L’05, has become a partner at Bell Folsom PA, which was formerly the Bell Firm PA, in Lawrence. The firm provides representation in criminal defense matters in both state and federal courts throughout Kansas. Folsom was formerly with the state’s Appellate Defender Office, where he earned several honors.

Carly E. Farrell, L’06, opened a new firm in Olathe – Law Office of Carly E. Farrell LLC – in January 2010. Her practice focuses on family law, personal injury, traffic and criminal law.

Jamie Brooksher, L’07, has been named the new general counsel at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. She previously served as associate general counsel and director of equal opportunity at Pittsburg State.

28 KU LAW MAGAZINE

Leena Phadke, L’07, has accepted a position as assistant regional counsel at the Office of the General Counsel of the Social Security Administration in Kansas City, Mo. Erik C. Tate, L’07, has been appointed as the new prosecutor of DeKalb County, Mo., by Gov. Jay Nixon. Previously, Tate was a criminal defense attorney with the Missouri Public Defender System, working out of the Chillicothe office.

Daniel Belhumeur, L’08, has been promoted to tax director at Cheniere Energy in Houston.

Vedrana Balta, L’09, has joined the Kansas City office of Polsinelli Shughart PC. She concentrates her general corporate practice on assisting both public and private clients with business contractual matters, company formation and compliance issues.

Ashley M. Epperly, L’09, is with the law firm of Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson PC in Tulsa, Okla., practicing in the area of litigation.

Alicia Kirkpatrick and Tim Swanson, both L’09, are pursuing the LL.M. in tax from Northwestern University School of Law. In March, they competed in the European Tax Law Moot Court Competition in Belgium, winning the title of best oral advocates on behalf of the applicant.

Jason Romero, L’09, has joined the Kansas City, Mo., office of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP as an associate in the litigation department.

The way we were

B

ack in 1984, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor sat on the panel that deemed a trio of KU Law students the winning team at the National Moot Court Competition in New York. The story made the cover of the law school alumni magazine, along with this photo of the team — from left, Dolph Schmidt, Mark Parkinson and Matt Keenan — accepting a trophy from O’Connor. The KU team also won first prize for the best brief, and Parkinson took second place in oral arguments.

When Parkinson, now the governor of Kansas, accepted an invitation to judge this year’s in-house Moot Court Competition during O’Connor’s visit to Green Hall, the perfect opportunity for a reunion arose.

Keenan joined the light-hearted meeting, and the three are pictured at left.

David McKinney / KU University Relations

Matt Keenan, left, and Gov. Mark Parkinson, both L’84, members of the KU team that won the National Moot Court Competition that year, reunited with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor during her April visit to Green Hall. O’Connor sat on the panel that deemed the KU team the winners of the competition.

O’Connor’s recent campus stop marked her second on the KU campus. Incidentally, she also visited the month after the moot court competition in 1984 to deliver the business school’s Vickers Lecture. She spoke to law students in Green Hall then, too.

KU LAW MAGAZINE 29

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