nity contributions are shaping the future of the Denver area. Caswell was recognized for her business leadership, accomplishments and community involvement. Blake H. Reeves, L’98, has been selected as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” for 2009 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Reeves is a senior associate at Polsinelli Shughart, where he is in the Kansas City firm’s health care litigation practice. Patrick Johnson, L’99, and wife, Kristan Bina, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Seth Patrick Johnson, in September 2008. They make their home in Austin, Texas.
2000s Darron C. Farha, L’01,Valparaiso, Ind., joined Valparaiso University’s senior leadership team as vice president and its first university general counsel in the fall of 2009. Farha has extensive experience addressing legal issues in a higher education setting. He was general counsel for Pittsburg State University in Kansas for six years prior to joining Valparaiso. As chief legal counsel, Farha will work closely with the president, board of directors and university administrators on law-related and policymaking issues affecting the institution. He will also have supervisory responsibilities over compliance, risk management and internal auditing functions within Valparaiso University. Jarod Goff, L’01, has been named a member of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC, Kansas City, Mo. Goff practices in the areas of aviation, toxic tort, product liability defense, trucking defense, premises liability, civil litigation and complex commercial litigation. Christopher P. Sobba, L’01, has been selected as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” for 2009 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Sobba is a partner at Polsinelli Shughart, where he is in the Kansas City firm’s construction litigation practice. Andrew Steinberg, L’01, is the new vice president-revenue for the Kansas City Wizards. Steinberg will oversee all aspects of revenue generation and brand development for the Wizards. The previous seven years, he was with the University of Kansas athletics department, most recently as the associate athletics director for marketing and revenue development. He is a member of the State Bar of Kansas and the U.S. Federal District Court for Kansas. Tim Glassco, L’02, has accepted a position as principal at the Podesta Group, the fastestgrowing public policy firm in Washington, D.C.
alumni chosen for prestigious U.S. Attorney Honors Program othing short of exhilarating. That’s how three recent KU Law alumni described the experience of their first time entering an appearance in a case “on behalf of the United States.” Less than four years out of law school, David Roby, Teresa Schreffler and Wendy Lynn began jobs this fall at the U.S. Department of Justice through the prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program. The highly competitive program, established during the Eisenhower administration, attracts applicants from the nation’s best law schools for about 150 spots each year and is the only way the department hires entry-level attorneys. “I was given cases and responsibilities from day one,” said Lynn, L’07. “I believe the training and broadbased experience will help me develop as a litigator.” Lynn works in the land acquisition section of the environmental and natural resources division, which acquires land through eminent domain for public purposes such as national parks, construction of federal buildings and national security. She recently traveled to the Pennsylvania crash site of United Airlines Flight 93, the only 9/11 aircraft diverted from its intended target because of the actions of its passengers. “This project is a great example of why I wanted to continue my federal service,” Lynn said. “The work being done by DOJ attorneys will result in a park to honor heroes of 9/11. Being a part of the project is inspiring and fulfilling.” Expectations are high at the DOJ, but seasoned attorneys are always willing to help newcomers meet those expectations, said Roby, L’06, who works for the federal programs branch of the civil division. His office defends the executive branch in civil actions ranging from national security and discrimination cases to constitutional challenges to statutes.
“One of the things about this office that most appealed to me is that the subject matter of the work varies,” Roby said. All three alumni clerked Schreffler for federal judges before entering the Honors Program, which allowed them to experience cases from the court’s point of view. Now they are getting an Roby intense look at the advocate’s viewpoint. “The level of responsibility new honors attorneys are given is astounding,” said Schreffler, L’06, who also works in the federal proLynn grams branch of the civil division. “I don’t draft memos or briefs for more senior attorneys to review and file; I draft things for my own case and file them in my own case. “I’ve been assigned both a mentor and a management mentor, and I can go to them at any point with questions. … But all in all, I carry the ultimate responsibility for handling the cases to which I’ve been assigned.” — Mindie Paget
KU LAW MAGAZINE 33