University of Kansas School of Law Blog

Pregnant in Law School | Part 5: Adjusting to law school life as the mother of a newborn

2015-05-15T10:28:00.000-05:00

Third-year law student Joni Bodnar balanced caring for a newborn with finishing her final semester at KU Law.

The first week after having baby Kendall was a blur of visitors, along with trying to recover from surgery. I was healing well enough that I could stop taking pain killers just six days after my C-section, which allowed me time to be free of any grogginess when I returned to school the following Monday.

The school never told me how much time I was allowed to take off to recover, though I am sure they would have given me all the time I needed had I asked. I personally made the decision to only take off one week because I did not want to make it too difficult to get caught up when I finally did return. Fortunately, everything went well post-op, and the only compromise my doctor forced upon me was to have someone else drive me to school my first day back.

Aside from worrying about being physically ready to return to school, I was concerned about how to continue my choice to breast feed when I would be away from Kendall for almost nine hours every Monday, and then six hours every Tuesday and Wednesday. When I contacted KU Law about potential accommodations, they were more than willing to help me find a safe, private place to pump while I was away, and even offered to store my milk supply for me.

Once I had a plan in place for my return and how to handle pumping, my only concerns were how to stay awake during class and how to survive being away from my beautiful baby girl so soon. Surprisingly, I never had an issue staying awake in class, regardless of how little sleep I had the night before (though my mandatory morning coffee probably helped).

As for being away from Kendall, I think any new mom will tell you that as hard as it may be, one way to survive the day is to stay busy with plenty of distractions. With law school, I always had plenty to do, so I kept myself busy with schoolwork (and pumping) between classes. I was also lucky enough to have a retired father and close-to-retired mother and mother-in-law taking care of Kendall while I was at school. This allowed me to regularly check in on her, and also meant I regularly received picture messages showcasing her day at home without me.

On a couple occasions when I did not have a day care option, I was lucky enough that both Dean Mazza and Professor Yung allowed me to bring Kendall to class! I was not sure how things would go considering both times I brought her (Tax Procedure one day and Criminal Procedure the other), class was two hours long. She managed to make it through with very few issues, although she made sure Professor Yung knew when it was time for a break halfway through by announcing with a tiny shriek!

Overall, I can’t say that returning to school so soon was easy, but I think that in general, moms have this inexplicable ability to make things work, no matter what. It takes a lot of prioritization and planning, but I did not feel overwhelmed. I was able to care for my newborn, continue my final semester of law school, take care of my two older children and their daily extracurricular activities, keep up with household chores (most of the time), and even work out most days.

Without the help of the fantastic people in my life, both at school and at home, much of this would not be possible. I am truly blessed for all the help and support from not only my immediate family, but also from my law school family. Having gone through this experience over the past year, I have come to realize how truly great my decision was to attend law school at KU. The faculty, students and staff have far exceeded my expectations of what it means to be a community.

— Joni Bodnar is a third-year law student from St. Joseph, Missouri. This is her final post in a five-part series about being pregnant during law school. Previous posts recounted her reaction to finding out she was expecting a baby during law school, how she got through her summer internship during her first trimester of pregnancy, staying focused through classes and finals while pregnant, and meeting her new daughter, Kendall.

Graduate Profiles: Jason Harmon, L'15, & Paul Mose, L'15

2015-05-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Jason Harmon

Jason Harmon and Paul Mose followed similar paths through law school — both have young families, were moot court partners and will work at Kansas City firm Shook Hardy & Bacon after graduation.

For Harmon and Mose, balancing the roles of husband, father and student proved the most challenging aspect of law school.

“My wife and kids deserve a law degree of their own,” said Harmon, father of a 4-year-old, 3-year-old and 1-year-old. “They’ve made many sacrifices and are looking forward to being done. We’ve grown a lot as a family and made a lot of friends at KU Law.”

One of those friends was Mose, a husband and father of a 1-year-old from Emporia, Kansas, who says he learned about balancing multiple priorities from Harmon. “I saw how he successfully balanced having a wife, three kids, living in the country, school and church responsibilities,” Mose said. “I imagine most in my class would agree that we’ve learned far more from our classmates than any particular class.”

Paul Mose

“There came a point in my second year where I was not sure if I could physically do everything,” Harmon said. “Just when I’d have that thought, I’d get another Law Review assignment.” He persevered by keeping his priorities in check, going home for dinner every night and spending time with his family on the weekends.

“My kids are small, and they’ll never be small again,” Harmon said. “I made a firm commitment at the beginning of law school never to forget that.”

For Mose, the adjustment to law school took a lot of prayer and learning from mistakes, but the big moments — like winning KU’s in-house moot court competition with Harmon – made it worth it.

With the support of their families, both Harmon and Mose not only survived law school, but thrived, and found a place in the KU Law community in the process.

“When we came to Lawrence, it was the farthest east we had ever been,” said Harmon, an Orem, Utah, native. “Now we plan on staying.”

Graduate Profile: Caroline Gurney, L'15 & Tyler Manson, L'15

2015-05-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

Caroline Gurney and Tyler Manson met on the first day of law school orientation and began dating the following semester.
“Our ‘first date’ was when my car ran out of gas as I was driving home from class one day,” Manson said. “I decided to call Caroline, partially because I knew she had just gotten out of class, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t because I had a crush on her. After that and a few more dates, we were inseparable.”

The couple’s blossoming relationship was of special note, as Gurney’s parents also met as KU Law students. They went on to marry, have four kids, and forge two successful legal careers between them.

“I think I remind Caroline’s dad of himself when he was young,” Manson said. “His car was falling apart, he was always late to class, and he was dating a girl who was way out of his league.”

Gurney and Manson relied on each other and their classmates to handle the stress and long hours of law school. Both balanced their studies with part-time legal work, and Manson served on the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy for two years. They got through by keeping a consistent schedule, making down time with friends a priority and staying focused on the end goal.

As for the future? Gurney will join Orrick and Erskine LLP, an Overland Park firm specializing in eminent domain and condemnation, while Manson will work for Warner Robinson LLC in Kansas City, Missouri, a firm that focuses on corporate tax credits.

“My mom and dad have set a wonderful example of how two people can do good work in the Kansas City legal community and be outstanding parents at the same time,” Gurney said. “I look to them for guidance on work-life balance.”

“As long as we can continue to respect and support each other’s career and personal goals, we’ll be OK,” Manson said. “We make a great team.”

Graduate Profile: Jake McMillian, L'15

2015-05-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

Before law school, Jake McMillian contends that his grasp of the law ran about as deep as an episode of “Law and Order: SVU.” But after three years in Green Hall, he’s armed with the knowledge and experience to launch his legal career and advocate effectively for his passion, LGBTQ rights.

“Kansas is a tough place for LGBTQ rights,” he said. “That being said, law is as effective a tool for creating change as any, and if I truly want to do this work, then Kansas — my home — is a great place to do it.”

McMillian notes his role in planning the 2015 Diversity in Law Banquet as his most enriching law school experience. Hosted this year by the student group OUTLaws & Allies, the annual event is a major fundraiser for the school’s diversity scholarship fund. “It was the first time that the LGBTQ student group hosted the event, and we raised more money than any banquet in history,” McMillian said. “It was a big moment for KU and for OUTLaws.”

Classmates and faculty rely on McMillian for his tireless support of the school and his peers, but he sees his allegiance as the natural response to the support he received from KU.

“KU Law administration, faculty and students have invested a lot in me as a student and as a professional,” he said. “KU has demonstrated that they see value in me and my interests by recruiting me, hiring me in Admissions to recruit diverse students, sending me to LGBTQ legal conferences to focus my craft, and seeking my guidance and recommending me for committees regarding student safety and inclusion.”

“I support KU Law because KU Law has done so much to support me. Being valued by your institution is the most any student can ever ask for.”

Graduate Profile: Nick Puckett, L'15

2015-05-12T09:48:00.000-05:00

While many law school graduates dream of launching their careers with big firms or large companies, Nick Puckett always knew he wanted to practice in a rural area.

“I enjoy the outdoors, and a smaller community represents more opportunities to pursue outdoor activities with my kids,” Puckett said. “I also wanted to be in a place where I could contribute. I feel like a smaller community gives me the chance to plug in and really make a difference.”

Puckett served in the U.S. Army before law school, continuing his commitment with the National Guard throughout his studies. “After 70-plus hours a week in the military, the amount of time needed for law school didn't seem all that intimidating,” Puckett said. “It helped me take a disciplined approach to studying. I'm now a commander in the National Guard, and a lot of what I do is resolving soldier issues and unexpected roadblocks in training. Law school has helped me approach problems more analytically and broadened my leadership skills.”

Balancing school, family and military commitments was not easy, but Puckett credits his wife and two children with providing constant support, and his professors for their guidance and mentorship.

“As an undergrad, I focused on getting done and getting out,” Puckett said. “In law school, I had a lot of great professors willing to take time [with me] outside of the classroom. Also, I have to acknowledge Career Services and LaVerta’s candy bowl.”

Puckett is looking forward to establishing roots with his family in Salina, Kansas, and growing his career with Salina firm Brown & Vogel.

“My success will depend on my continued willingness to learn and hard work,” he said. “I can’t wait.”

Graduate Profile: Tamara Combs, L'15

2015-05-11T11:52:00.004-05:00

Tamara Combs arrived in Lawrence after studying law in her home country of Brazil, then earning degrees in political science and city and regional planning in the U.S. For her, law school wasn’t just an academic experience; it was a cross-cultural one.

“It was fascinating to navigate a new legal tradition — common law instead of civil law — and see that one is not intrinsically better than the other,” Combs said. “The educational systems are strikingly different. Experiencing both made me a more pragmatic problem-solver, knowing that there is more than one right way to achieve a goal.”

While students of all backgrounds grapple with unfamiliar legal concepts, Combs faced the added challenge of studying the law in her second language. “I overcame that the only way I knew: through hard work and discipline,” she said. “If a reading was especially dense, I just had to put in more hours than my peers, and use the dictionary more often.”

Combs focused her studies on immigration law and international law, and counts her time on the editorial board of the Kansas Law Review among her most enriching law school experiences. This fall she will join the Kansas City office of Stinson Leonard Street as a litigation associate, handling a caseload ranging from local municipal planning issues to international business and immigration matters.

“I will use my planning background and my international background to build a rewarding practice,” she said.

Pregnant in Law School | Part 4: Meeting Baby Kendall

2015-05-07T14:28:00.000-05:00

In order to survive my last semester as a law student with a brand new baby, I did a lot of planning ahead of time. KU Law offers two winter intercession courses that count for the spring semester, as well as an additional intercession course immediately following spring semester finals. These courses would account for 6 of my remaining 11 credit hours, leaving only 5 hours for me to take during the actual semester.

Things do not always go as planned when it comes to babies, though, and I barely made it through the first 2-hour intercession course after having two early labor scares. I was not due until the second week of the spring semester, but I did not want to risk being unable to finish the second winter intercession course. The school allowed me to drop without a penalty due to the circumstances, so I was able to relax at home those last couple of weeks before my due date.

I had to schedule a C-section since I had two prior C-sections with my other children, thus I was lucky enough to be able to pick any date from a week prior to the baby’s due date. My original plan was to schedule surgery the day before my due date, so that I could miss as little school as possible, but with the labor scares, my doctor decided it was best to schedule it a week before the due date.

On Friday, Jan. 23, 2015, I gave birth to my amazing little girl, Kendall Marie! She was 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and 19.5 inches long. She was also born with a full head of dark hair, which was a huge shock to me and my husband. Everything went extremely well, and I was able to leave the hospital after only two nights (at my request – if I’m recovering, I would rather do it in my own home and save the money!).

That first week home with my new baby girl was such a blur! Aside from being on pain meds while recovering from my surgery, my husband and I found ourselves deep in the life of no sleep as new parents. Kendall was completely mixed up on her nights and days, so she was sleeping during the day and awake at night. They say to sleep when your baby sleeps, but that is not realistic when you also have two other children to take care of (and one comes down with the flu that first week home with the new baby).

I was so grateful for the time I got with my new baby girl, and I enjoyed every moment before I had to return to school the following week. Even though I was only getting about two hours of sleep at a time, there is something about being a new parent that keeps your adrenaline going and allows you to not even care about your sleep schedule. During many of those late-nights feedings, I would just stare into my new baby’s beautiful eyes and think how amazing she is. And as I thought about returning to school so soon after having her, I reminded myself that I was finishing school for her as well. I wasn’t finishing just to better provide for her, though, but also as an example of how women can pursue both a career and a family without sacrificing either one.

— Joni Bodnar is a third-year law student from St. Joseph, Missouri. This is her fourth post in a five-part series about being pregnant during law school. In the final installment, Bodnar will talk about adjusting to law student life as the mother of a newborn. Previous posts recounted her reaction to finding out she was expecting a baby during law school, how she got through her summer internship during her first trimester of pregnancy, and staying focused through classes and finals while pregnant.

Pregnant in Law School | Part 3: Staying focused

2015-04-28T13:26:00.003-05:00

From left: Law students Jennifer Hackman, Professor Bill Westerbeke, Joni Bodnar, Ashlyn Lindskog, Andrea Horvath and Suzanne Hale at a baby shower that Westerbeke threw for Bodnar.

By the time the fall semester began, I was almost halfway through my pregnancy at 18 weeks. I had made it through my summer internship and, most importantly, the first trimester!

I was feeling so good at that point in my pregnancy that I was able to get up early every morning and work out before I had to get the two oldest kids up and ready for school. Now, if I could recommend anything to any pregnant woman, let alone a pregnant law student, it would be to try your best to work out regularly, if possible. I did not exercise much during my first two pregnancies, but it made a tremendous difference during the third one. I felt physically better all around as a result, and it allowed me to have an hour each day to forget about school and the billion things I constantly had to manage.

That fall semester was a busy one for me. I took an additional 3-hour course when I found out I was pregnant (so I could take fewer hours when the baby arrived), giving me a total of 15 hours. This may not sound so bad, but add in the fact that I commute an hour each way every day and have two older kids in a ton of sports and activities, and things can get a little crazy. But this was the case even before I was pregnant, so my pregnancy did not really impact my schedule too much.

The biggest obstacle that semester was my lack of ability to focus for extended periods of time, which is a fairly common issue during pregnancy. I read a ton of articles online claiming that pregnant women can’t perform as well on tests because of this, so I was honestly a little worried about taking finals in December when I was 8.5 months along.

Though I did get distracted easier while studying throughout the semester, I now know not to believe a word of those online resources regarding any correlation to test performance. I am here to officially say that, after taking my finals — including an intellectual property exam that ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — there is no truth to that!

Looking back on my fall semester being pregnant, it was honestly one of the most enjoyable times I had while attending law school. Maybe it was partially due to finally reaching 3L status, or maybe due to the excitement and anticipation of my new baby. Honestly, though, I believe all the wonderful friends and professors are what truly made that semester so amazing. I received so much support and understanding on all fronts. One of my professors even threw me a small, intimate baby shower with the help of one of my closest law school friends. I don’t know how many people can say their professor gave them a baby shower, and for that I am truly blessed in knowing that I picked the absolute best law school to spend three years of my life!

— Joni Bodnar is a third-year law student from St. Joseph, Missouri. This is her third post in a five-part series about being pregnant during law school. In future installments, Bodnar will address planning for and delivering her daughter, and returning to school after her baby's arrival. Her first post recounted her reaction to finding out she was expecting a baby during law school, and her second post detailed how she got through her summer internship during her first trimester of pregnancy.

Pregnant in Law School | Part 2: The Internship

2015-04-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

From left, Grant Treaster, Paul Budd, Joni Bodnar and Christopher Staley (Washburn).

By Joni Bodnar

Like many 2Ls beginning their summer internship, I was extremely nervous and worried about making a good impression, hoping for that coveted offer of full-time employment at the end of the summer. I was also one of five interns, and we all knew we most likely were competing for a limited number of offers. So, no pressure whatsoever!

I was only two weeks into that “no-pressure” internship when I found out I was pregnant. This was one of the most nerve-wracking things of all to sort through. In a normal job situation, I would simply wait the requisite 12 weeks and then make the joyous announcement to my boss and fellow co-workers that I was expecting. No big deal, right?

Well, a summer legal internship was completely different. I had only three months to show what I was made of, to show that I was a dedicated, driven employee to whom they would definitely want to make an offer of permanent employment.

My baby news created two complications for me. The first one was how to deal with breaking the news. Should I tell them I was pregnant right away so they would not think I was rude when I turned down offers of camaraderie over beers? Or should I try to hide it, and basically fib my way through those first 12 weeks, with false excuses as to why I was not fully participating? This was a real dilemma because the social aspect of the summer internship is a pretty big deal, and I did not want to seem like I was not a team player and lose an offer because I did not fit in socially with the firm.

The second issue: If I planned to hide the pregnancy until I was further along, how would I account for my perpetual exhaustion and the multiple bathroom trips as I dealt with my nausea?

I decided to put my research skills to good use and found out I was allowed to drink 200 mg of caffeine per day. I also looked up every coffee on the Starbucks menu and found out I could still have most grande lattes and be under the 200 mg mark (though it was a far cry from the quad-shot lattes to which I was accustomed).

My internal struggle with when and how to break the news was eventually solved for me when a partner jokingly gave me a hard time for not having a beer at a social function. I was 10 weeks along and had just had a sonogram of my baby a few days earlier confirming her health, so I figured now was as good a time as any to share my news.

The partners’ reactions to my news was better than I could have ever hoped, and I was immediately met with congratulatory hugs and cheers. All my fears about sharing my news were much more trivial than I had built them up in my head. No one even noticed my exhaustion or multiple bathroom trips. I felt so relieved, and I realized that even though this was a summer internship, I was still surrounded by normal people who were extremely excited to share in the joy of my baby news.

— Joni Bodnar is a third-year law student from St. Joseph, Missouri. This is her second post in a five-part series about being pregnant during law school. In future installments, Bodnar will address tackling her fall semester, planning for and delivering her daughter, and returning to school after her baby's arrival. Her first post recounted her reaction to finding out she was expecting a baby during law school.

Pregnant in Law School | Part 1: The Big News

2015-04-06T12:30:00.001-05:00

By Joni Bodnar

When I first learned I was pregnant, I had just completed my 2L year and was two weeks into my summer internship with a law firm. Now I know there are many different emotions a woman may feel when she finds out she is pregnant, depending on her particular circumstances. Since I was already married with two children, ages 5 and 7, one would think the news of a third child on the way would cause me elation, but that honestly was not my initial reaction.

John and Joni Bodnar with children Addison Beffa, 8 (left), and Harper Beffa, 5

Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I had actually talked many times about having a third child, since both of my older children were from a previous marriage and this would be our first child together. We talked about possibly having a baby during my third and final year of law school as opposed to my first year as a lawyer. We even talked about how perfect it would be if I got pregnant in April of my 2L year, because then the baby would be due over Christmas break. (And as we all know, babies always come at the most convenient time!)

When April came and went, my husband and I decided we should probably just wait on the whole baby thing. At that point, any baby would be arriving during my last semester of law school, which is when I am supposed to be interviewing for jobs, applying to take the bar exam, etc.

Exactly 29 days after our decision to hold off on expanding our family, we found out we were expecting our third child! My first reaction was to immediately process the news from a pragmatic standpoint: How would I handle being pregnant during my current summer internship? How would I handle missing school my final semester? How would I handle day care? These were things I needed to have completely figured out right away so that I could feel secure and happy with the ultimately great news of having another baby.

But as the initial shock wore off, I slowed down and realized I had plenty of time to figure out all the little details. Then, I did something very foreign to me: I began focusing on one day at a time, one thing at a time.

I first decided to focus on figuring out my schedule for my 3L year, so I contacted the dean to get permission to decrease my course load for the spring below the required 12 hours. I also added 3 hours to my fall schedule. Then I put my name on a list and turned in a deposit for day care. With those initial concerns out of the way, I could turn my attention to the next task: getting through the first trimester of pregnancy as a legal intern, sans caffeine!

— Joni Bodnar is a third-year law student from St. Joseph, Missouri. This is her first post in a five-part series about being pregnant during law school. In future installments, Bodnar will address getting through her summer legal internship during her first trimester, tackling her fall semester, planning for and delivering her daughter, and returning to school after her baby's arrival.

Law school no exception to 'practice makes perfect' mantra

2015-03-23T15:34:00.001-05:00

Over the last three years, I’ve noticed striking similarities between playing sports and being a law student. Both activities require lots of time and dedication. To excel in either, you must learn the game, discover your strengths and weaknesses, and of course practice, practice, practice in preparation for game day. To be successful in law school, there are three things to remember: train daily, practice makes perfect, and play until the end.

Train Daily

Like being introduced to a new sport, very few people come to law school knowing already how to play the game. During the first year, I spent most of my time learning the fundamental concepts and doctrines of the law. The thought of having only one exam at the end of the semester to determine my grade was worrisome. What I learned is that I have to train daily to be successful.

High-performing athletes maintain a daily training regimen: early morning workouts, strict diets and meal plans, and reviewing game film. Similarly, successful law students train daily. My daily training consists of reading for class, reviewing class notes, or preparing an outline/study guide. Something can be done everyday to prepare for finals. Spreading work over a span of 15 weeks is much easier than cramming at the end of the semester. A classmate of mine goes on a series of short runs, ranging from 6 to 10 miles, in the months leading up to running a marathon. The same concept must be applied to law school exams. Mastering your coursework a day at a time paves the road to law school success.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice? Yes. In the famous words of Allen Iverson, “We talkin’ about practice.” Practice is an essential piece of playing a sport. In practice, you learn plays, prepare for specific scenarios, and build endurance. Some high-performing athletes even visualize their performance before each game. I have learned that by practicing, I am much more prepared to answer final exam questions.

After I have spent some time training, I like to see how well I’ve mastered the material by answering practice questions. One invaluable resource available to law students is access to old exams and test questions. If time permits, I take as many practice tests as possible to get familiar with analyzing facts and applying the law clearly and concisely. Similar to professional athletes preparing for certain situations, the more familiar you are with various fact patterns, the more prepared you will be on test day. An NFL football team would not show up to the Super Bowl without practicing first; a successful law student should not show up to the final exam without answering practice questions.

Play Until the End

Playing “until the whistle blows” is a familiar sports mantra. I have learned to apply that same attitude toward law school. A shining example of playing until the end of the game is KU’s late season basketball game against West Virginia. The Jayhawks rallied from down 18 to beat the Mountaineers in overtime. The ’Hawks erased a 4-point deficit in the last 49 seconds of the fourth quarter. If the team had decided that this game was over and gave up, they would not have tied the game, sending it to overtime and ultimately claiming victory.

In the last few years, there have been times that I didn’t fully comprehend a concept or doctrine until the final week, even days, before the semester’s end. Sometimes it is hard to see the big picture until you’ve learned all of the parts that make the whole. Sticking with a subject until it clicks is necessary for success.

Similarly, I have had the same attitude in final exams. Last semester I found myself extremely flustered during my Federal Income Tax final. I came to a question that completely derailed me, and I contemplated what would happen if I quit, left the exam unfinished and walked out. After a split second, I came back to reality and said to myself, “Just finish the exam.” Good thing I did, because I did much better than expected. Deciding to give up is never a good plan. It is unwise to let one question get under your skin. There are many points to gain on a final exam. Staying the course, finishing the exam and answering as much as possible before time runs out is the best way to maximize your test score. Athletes and law students alike should commit to playing until the end.

To conclude, successful law students should approach the semester the same as athletes approach a big game or match. Taking time to train daily, practicing to gain familiarity, and playing until the end are all methods that have worked for me in my journey through law school. Hopefully one or more of these tips will assist you with navigating through your education experience as well.

— Johnathan Koonce is a third-year law student and KU Law Student Ambassador from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

3L gains experience, confidence in Tribal Judicial Support Clinic

2015-03-10T10:32:00.002-05:00

Third-year law student Zach Boggan developed an interest in Indian law when he took a course on the subject and participated in the Native American Law Students Association moot court program. “It can be hard to find a firm practicing Indian law in a meaningful way,” Boggan said. “That’s what drove me to the clinic, to get a practical application of Indian law.”

As a Tribal Judicial Support Clinic participant, Boggan helped tribes develop new legislation and review existing legal code, double-checking everything from grammar errors to federal statute references.

Boggan’s work to develop a guardianship code for a tribe relocating to Kansas proved to be his most rewarding clinic experience. “Guardianship is very important to Indian tribes because the federal government has gone so far as to forcibly remove Indian children from their families and place them with white families to assimilate them to white culture,” Boggan said. “A guardianship code allows tribes to keep their children in a way that not only serves the child’s interests, but also serves the tribe’s interests in terms of allowing them to keep their culture, to keep their tribe together.”

Boggan researched guardianship codes of other states and tribes, then created a new one that accommodated his client’s circumstances yet still followed the letter of the law. “Making sure it was a functioning code was the hardest part,” Boggan said. “There were good parts of other codes that I wanted to stitch in there, but everything had to be added in a way that it would be functional by the time it got to the tribe.”

Clinic participants collaborate with tribal attorneys who know their subject area well but lack resources and support. “Tribes have really thin, stretched legal resources. They might have a sizeable tribe or reservation, but have one tribal attorney or no tribal attorney. Anything we can do helps them out tremendously,” Boggan said. “They don’t need to be told what to do, they just need help doing it, and that’s where we come in.”

While the hands-on legal research and writing was beneficial, Boggan found the practical aspects of team collaboration, interoffice communication and client interaction to be among the most valuable lessons of his clinic experience. Tribal Judicial Support Clinic students and Professor Elizabeth Kronk Warner, the clinic director, met once a week to discuss projects, interview clients and assign tasks.

“Most of the time Professor Kronk Warner put the client on speaker phone and had us ask questions so we could get used to soliciting the information we needed, get used to interacting with clients and get that confidence to act like an attorney,” Boggan said. “We’d meet and talk about what we were going to do, what our responsibilities would be, then start diving in.”

Boggan plans to move back home to Tennessee to launch his legal career. He’s confident that his clinic experience has prepared him for life beyond law school, both because of his exposure to a specialized area of the law and because of the hands-on experience he gained.

“Whenever you mention Indian law, it’s pretty impressive to a lot of practitioners because it’s so unknown. Everyone knows about contracts, torts, business associations, but hardly anyone knows about Indian law. If an attorney has any connection to it, it stands out,” Boggan said.

“Law school gets so abstract. It’s important to learn how to practice, and clinics start you on that path. If you take a class in contracts or workers' comp, you aren’t going to be ready to try a case or go in front of a mediator, but when you do a clinic and interact with real people and see how it happens in the real world, you’ll be more confident.”

— Zach Boggan is a third-year law student from Kingsport, Tennessee.

I get by with a little help from my friends

2015-03-05T12:08:00.000-06:00

From left: Law students Jennifer Hackman, Professor Bill Westerbeke, Joni Bodnar, Ashlyn Lindskog, Andrea Horvath and Suzanne Hale.

I began a little routine during my last semester of my 3L year at KU Law. It starts with dragging myself out of bed and giving myself a pep talk as I blankly stare into my closet for 10 minutes.

“OK, Ashlyn. You can do this. You can be a person today. You’re almost done. Who cares what anyone says … leggings are absolutely pants.”

The necessity of this routine probably stems from a number of different places. First, I really hate putting on pants. Second, the law school grind seems so familiar and “old hat” that it requires an extra dose of motivation at this point. “3L-itis” is a very real thing, and coming out the other side of a three-year long panic attack offers some perspective. It will all get done because it always does. Having a clearer picture of what you’re capable of keeps the panic at bay, and you’re left bouncing between elation at the prospect of getting your life back and the terror of launching a professional career and assuming the adult responsibilities that come with it.

Law school is temporary. It doesn’t last forever. This is both good and bad. Good, because law school is tough and exhausting. Bad, because as the memories of pure panic fade and those moments you shared with your peers come front and center, the last thing you want to do is give them up. It may be fair to analogize law school to childbirth: The mind blacks out all the painful parts so that when it is all over the whole experience feels more meaningful than exhausting.

From left: Bri Hanschu, Alison McCourt, Jennifer Hackman, Lauren Bavitz, Ashlyn Lindskog, Suzanne Hale Andrea Horvath.

I don’t know the science of it all, but what I do know is that I don’t remember the mechanics of surviving as clearly as I remember studying for 1L finals with a group of my friends and laughing hysterically at how unprepared we all felt. I remember having whiteboard races to see who could get the information out the fastest and yelling at each other while we competed. I remember taking over a classroom during 2L finals and bringing snacks and a space heater and trying to teach each other legal concepts. I remember hosting baby showers and engagement parties and finding any excuse to celebrate. I remember golfing with my professor and dancing at the various law school events. And I remember how reassuring it felt to be surrounded by people who not only understood my daily struggle, but truly wanted to see me succeed. The kind of people who share in your little victories as if they were their own and refuse to allow you drop of out law school because you don’t have any clean clothes.

The best advice I can offer is to be aware from the beginning how special the relationships you form in Green Hall are. Take the time to build relationships and nurture them throughout your time as a law student. If you do that, many of your peers will turn into friends and confidants and the kind of people you’d wake up for at 4:00 in the morning to analyze a conversation from the night before. KU Law offers you this incredible opportunity to not only create professional relationships that will last throughout your career, but to leave with lifelong friends who will support you even after you’re all gone. The type of friends who will confidently refer clients to you in one breath and question your competency as an adult in another.

Those are the moments you want to take with you when you leave Green Hall, and it is my sincere hope that when you’re a 3L giving yourself a pep talk to get through the last 83 days, you are reminded of how lucky and grateful you are for the opportunity to share this experience with some of the most brilliant, loyal, supportive, encouraging and inspiring peers. It will all get done and you will eventually be an attorney, but for what my opinion is worth, it’s better to be an attorney with really awesome friends and really awesome stories.

— Ashlyn Lindskog is a third-year law student and KU Law student ambassador from El Dorado, Kansas.

Judicial Clinic ‘puts things in perspective’ for 2L

2015-02-24T11:12:00.001-06:00

Second-year law student Maureen Orth aspires to be a litigator, and just halfway through law school, she’s well on her way.

“While you learn a lot in your first year, there’s a lot that you don’t understand until you’ve actually seen it,” Orth said. “Getting to be in the courtroom and getting to see different proceedings has really helped flesh out my academic coursework and understand how it all fits together.”

Through KU Law’s Judicial Clinic, Orth works with Chief Magistrate Judge James P. O’Hara of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, a 14-year veteran of the bench with private practice experience. Her duties include observing proceedings, writing orders, reading motions and getting feedback from the judge and his clerks.

“You have unique access to judges at the state and federal level, and equally exciting, you have access to his or her clerks,” Orth said. “I’m getting feedback on my writing from those same people who are researching and writing for the judge. That is an invaluable experience to get in law school.”

The clinic serves as a sort of living laboratory, with Orth learning case law in class one day, then witnessing how those legal concepts play out in the courtroom the next. She recalls taking Criminal Procedure as she was observing criminal proceedings in the courtroom, seeing how search warrants were used and how special agents and U.S. attorneys presented testimony. This semester Orth is taking Evidence and witnessing firsthand how parties enter evidence at motion hearings.

“I can see the benefits of being prepared versus using boilerplate objections,” Orth said. “I can see how what I’m learning will be applicable in the future.”

Beyond the technical aspects, Orth has been welcomed into the Kansas City legal community, learning each judge’s stylistic conventions and building a valuable professional network.

“As someone who does not have anyone in their family who practices law, a lot of the proceedings were unfamiliar,” Orth said. “I’m hoping to practice in the Kansas City area, so familiarity with how the courthouse works is helpful.”

Her courthouse colleagues have offered Orth everything from research and writing tips, to input on career opportunities and advice on which classes to take. The Judicial Clinic also offers a welcome departure from time the classroom, providing a glimpse of life after law school. “Sometimes in law school it can feel like you’re on pause because a lot of people our age are working already,” Orth said. “To get up and go to work feels all the more closer to being a worki

ng professional. You’re working on court orders and doing research that affects someone’s actual case, as opposed to the hypotheticals in class. It puts things in perspective.”

Ultimately, the clinic offers students the hands-on experience employers are seeking in addition to an understanding of theory and case law. “There are few things more valuable that KU offers than the clinic experience,” Orth said. “Law is so interesting from a theoretical standpoint, but until you actually see how it plays out in court, you don’t understand how it all comes together.”

- Maureen Orth is a second-year law student from Prairie Village, Kan.

Some secrets to law school success

2015-02-19T13:32:00.000-06:00

Networking, anxiety and keeping things in perspective

It's February of my 3L year, and I am flying high. Instead of reading for my one real class, I go to trivia night with my roommates. Instead of writing yet another draft of my Law Review note, I watch “The Bachelor” (#TeamWhitney). Instead of stressing out over Lawyering assignments, I plan weekend trips to visit the friends I can finally make a priority in my life again.

Man, I hate myself just reading that. I'm sorry.

Here's the thing: Like anything else you’ve jumped into blindly, it gets better with time. Two years ago, I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Even last year, I felt like I was sinking in a never-ending pit of stress, anxiety and competition. But I slogged through, and it got so much better. To some extent, this is just a natural product of time and experience. Shoot a thousand free throws and you get better at shooting free throws. Do a bunch of musicals and you get better at doing musicals. Take a dozen law school exams and, hey, guess what?! You get better at law school exams. (I am fairly certain this logic is true – I haven't played sports in a decade, and the musical thing is but a lifelong dream).

That said, in the nostalgic and sentimental cruise down memory lane that inevitably accompanies every senior year I’ve ever done, I have been reflecting on the whole law school extravaganza and there are some things I wish I had known earlier. Here are a few of them, compiled from both my own thoughts and with some input from my fellow upperclass comrades who have also conquered this monster of a ride:

You have to network

I can’t count the number of times someone said, "You've got to network!” and the number of times I said “.... but I don’t want to.” I hate networking. It makes me uncomfortable and weird, and all I want is to run away from meaningless small talk about the cold winter we’ve been having and how much work law school is. But, alas, it is so. so. important. It’s the only way to get a job – all the As in the world won’t cover up your extreme awkwardness when you are forced to chat with a dozen people in the span of a callback interview. But it doesn’t end there. Law school events, from summer internship parties to visiting speakers to random conversations with professors in the hallway pretty much begin and end with small talk. Most of us are interchangeable based on our resumes – good grades, involvement in frivolous college organizations that we bill as “leadership,” a study abroad experience that was really a nonstop party, a couple of unpaid internships – so you have to be a functioning human in person. With opinions. But not too many opinions. NEVER HAVE TOO MANY OPINIONS because you will anger someone, and that someone will be a law firm partner, and then you’re done. So I would tell 1Ls to network, but network wisely. Network with care.

All you have is your reputation

Perhaps a piggyback on the last point. [Side note: How many times have you heard, “I’m just going to piggyback off that idea...” in law school classes? More than a thousand? Definitely.] Anyway, I’m going to piggyback real quickly. I think all legal communities are relatively small, but that is definitely true in Kansas and the Kansas City area. It can be a great thing: one small connection, and you're basically walking into a web of opportunities. But it can also be a not-so-great thing: one small connection, and you’re basically walking into a web of disaster. The legal community is small and news (and gossip) travels quickly. Watch what you do and watch what you say because it does follow you for the length of your career. Be nice to each other, and make friends wherever you can. You will need these connections because you will truly be around the same people for the rest of your life.

Anxiety is OK

I have always been fairly anxious, but I managed it fine until law school. This environment was completely new and demanding in a way I wasn’t ready for, and I went a wee crazy for a little bit. I wish someone had told me it was going to happen, or at least when it happened that I would be OK. I will forever be grateful for my best friend, Celina, who was one of my roommates at the time of my anxiety-induced brain fog situation (Google it: It’s real and it’s scary). One desperate night I tried to explain to her what was happening, and she told me in her best nursing student/calm friend voice, “It’s just stress. You will be OK." And even though I probably freaked her out, that is what I needed to hear in that moment. Because it was just stress. And I was OK. But to have a semester’s worth of anxiety, fear, stress and self-doubt come crashing down on you in a flaming explosion where it seems like you are literally going insane was really not what I was anticipating when I started law school. So I would tell incoming law students or 1Ls or maybe even 2Ls who are facing a new batch of stressors: It’s just stress. You will be OK. And also: Go to the doctor, man! No one wants to talk about mental health because we are Strong People Who Don’t Need Help, but sometimes we need help. And that’s OK.

Ask for help to figure out the rules of the game ASAP

None of us know how to do law school. Starting day one, we have to read 20-30 pages a night for each class and are expected to be able to talk about every fact, every rule, every issue, every policy rationale, every dissent, and how everything fits together. OK ... go! And then we are expected to condense it into a brief synopsis that you could memorize and apply to any set of facts. And then we are expected to eloquently articulate it on a three-hour exam and do it better than everyone else in the class can do it. I wish I had reached out to someone and asked him or her to go through a week’s worth of law school with me. Just sit next to me and guide me through it, like an older sibling teaching her little sister how to tie her shoes. I wish someone had explained how to be prepared for class without overstressing the night before. I wish someone had made me figure out time management. I wish someone had explained to me how to outline. I wish someone had shown me how to write a law school exam, one that just gives the professor what he or she wants instead of being a jumbled mess of rules and cases. I mean, I get that we all have to figure that out on our own, it’s all part of the “process” or whatever, but as long as we’re talking about things I wish I had known, I’ll add this to the list.

Nothing is a disaster

So simple to say, so hard to remember. These are not my words (thanks, Emily!) but they sum up the message perfectly. We are in law school, which is such a privilege. We get to spend our days talking about abstract theoretical concepts and hypotheticals. We are so lucky to have the chance to get graduate degrees in a country and a world where that’s not a reality for everyone. My worst days in law school are heavenly compared to so many people’s lives. The things that stress me out are inconveniences – a lot of reading, a lot of pressure, a lot of information crammed into my head – but they are not problems. I wish someone had made me remember that. I wouldn’t have listened, clearly, because I get too wrapped up in my head and lose perspective. But I wish I had done a better job of remembering that it would be fine, that I would pass my classes and graduate and be a lawyer and it would not matter how my final trial in Trial Ad went or if my Law Review paper was not superb. The little failures or the bad days just do not matter in the long run. It will be fine. Nothing is a disaster.

Keep on marching. Savor the good experiences, and do your best to move past the bad. Three years honestly flies by; one day you’re nervously sitting alone in the hallway in your OCI suit, wondering how you can be so sweaty in January, and the next thing you know, you’re booking hotels in the middle of Missouri for the bar exam and hoping your friends like you enough to be character references for your application. 3L year does arrive. And once it does, it’s glorious.

— Jordan Carter is a third-year law student and a KU Law Student Ambassador from Topeka, Kansas.

Why I Teach: Andrew Torrance

2015-02-03T12:09:00.000-06:00

Andrew Torrance never thought he would be a law professor. “I thought I would be a veterinarian, or maybe a doctor,” Torrance said. “I was accepted to medical school in Canada, but I decided to do a Ph.D. instead. I think my deferral to medical school is still in force, so I suppose it’s not too late to become a physician.”

Torrance always had a passion for science. While pursuing his Ph.D. in biology at Harvard, he developed an interest in policy, and a mentor encouraged him to consider law school. Torrance added JD to his list of Harvard credentials, then went to work for Fish & Richardson, a firm specializing in Intellectual Property law. “It was a great time to be a biotechnology patent attorney,” Torrance said. “The Human Genome Initiative was in full swing, there was exploding interest in inventions involving biotechnologies like genetic engineering, stem cells and gene therapy, and there were all sorts of wonderful applications of these scientific breakthroughs.” He spent four years working on patent prosecution and patent litigation involving genes, genetically engineered organisms, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

In 2004 Torrance became patent counsel for a multinational medical device company, Inverness Medical Innovations. “It was fun to learn how to be the client and to work on strategy, not just to focus on specific, isolated individual projects whose end results I would rarely get to see,” Torrance said. He helped supervise several of the company’s subsidiaries and helped develop and defend the company’s large portfolio of patents to cover the molecules and methods they developed for cardiac diagnostic devices.

While Torrance was working in industry, his wife, herself a dean at Harvard University, noticed a job posting for a professorship at KU Law. “The description was so precisely tailored to my interests that she thought I should apply,” Torrance said. He joined the KU Law faculty in 2005.

Though Torrance enjoys more creative freedom and greater autonomy as a professor, he applies the same rigor to his scholarship that he did working for his former law firm and company. His biggest challenge is finding enough time to explore his ideas. Some of the research that inspires him the most involves applying scientific approaches to legal research.

One project, with coauthor Bill Tomlinson, professor of information and computer science at the University of California Irvine, involved an online simulation game that enabled players to invent things virtually, patent them, sell them, buy them, license them and sue each other for patent infringement.

“We asked questions that are almost impossible to ask in the real world,” Torrance said. “Our first finding was the most controversial. In our game, under our particular conditions, we found that a system without patents generated more innovation than a system with patents. We’ve replicated that finding each time with varying conditions.”

Torrance’s research informs his teaching approach and sparks interesting dialogue in his classes. “I bring my research into the classroom all the time,” he said. “Today we talked about the possibility of copyrighting DNA. My students could not look to case law for an answer, because there is none yet; instead, they had to apply existing legal principles to a brand new issue in a rigorous way. They seemed to enjoy exploring this new idea. My hope is that forcing them to think creatively about legal questions for which there is yet no precedent will help prepare them for the many novel legal issues they are sure to confront during their careers.”

Professor Torrance (second from left) and his students in the Virgin Islands.

In other cases, Torrance takes his students out of the classroom and immerses them in the research environment. One of his most popular and rewarding teaching experiences was developing a field-based course in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Students do extensive reading to prepare for the course and conduct field research for a biodiversity law paper during their time abroad. The class meets with attorneys, developers, environmental groups, legislators, parks services and federal government officials, federal and territorial judges, landowners, and other citizens with vastly different perspectives about biodiversity.

“Students come away with an understanding not just of existing doctrine in biodiversity law, but also how legal issues develop and evolve, sometimes unpredictably, in the real world among real people,” Torrance said. “Sometimes we have literally stood between groups of people having very different interests: one group driving bulldozers to remove tropical forest for new luxury houses and the other with placards, bullhorns and handcuffs for attaching themselves to trees they hoped to save. My students have often had the great privilege of talking to both sides about what role the law has to play in deciding how biodiversity should be used. There is no better way to learn the law than to do and experience it in the midst of vigorous conflict.

“Teaching has been one of the highlights for me here at KU. I love how much teaching is valued by both students and professors. I love to teach, and I love to do my teaching in ways that stray somewhat from traditional approaches.”

Torrance credits KU Law with supporting his unorthodox approaches to scholarship and teaching. “I have wonderful colleagues, none of whom has ever tried to discourage me. They've bent over backward to accommodate the weird topics I study,” he said. “KU has been the perfect place for me. It’s been a fantastic launching pad, with supportive colleagues and great students. I look forward to what I will be able to do here in the future.”

Professor Torrance’s scholarship is available to download for free on SSRN.

What Happened in Wichita

2015-01-28T12:12:00.000-06:00

It’s 12:55 PM. My web browser is open and my fingers, clammy with sweat, have just finished typing an email crafted to execute a very particular objective. My cursor hovers over the “send” button. It has to be hit precisely within 15 seconds of the clock striking 1:00 – no sooner, no later. The extensive time trials I conducted earlier through Microsoft Outlook had confirmed as much. I’ve chosen to sit on the blue couch outside the school’s Career Services Office as I’ve reasoned it would afford my data packets the shortest route to my target’s computer. I have a pretty good idea what the odds are, but I know if I can pull it off the returns will be incalculable in comparison. It’s 1 PM. I count to 10. I hit send.

Less than one minute later, my target emerges from the office. It’s already over.

No, I didn’t just launch a malware attack against KU Law’s servers. I did, however, successfully send in my RSVP for an event that, for me and 19 other victorious 1Ls, amounted to a full-scale city invasion for just under 24 hours.

An invasion in the best sense of the word, mind you. The “24 Hours of Wichita” event put on by KU Law’s Career Services department in conjunction with the Wichita legal community has by far been one of the best and most enjoyable experiences I’ve had, period. The anticipation for the event really can’t be understated. The 20 spots opened to the 1L class were filled in under a minute as Dean Thompson’s inbox was inundated with eager missives just like mine.

Given that my only familiarity with the city was driving through it on my way back from a spring break road trip, I really had no idea what to expect. In the weeks leading up discussion amongst those event-bound included what we’d be wearing, speculation about where we’d be going, and anxious feelings about what we’d be doing to try and not seem completely intimated as we mingled with partners of some of the state’s largest firms.

Fast forward to the day of and we arrive in Old Town, which is smack dab in the heart of Wichita. The place is actually super modern, we toured some recently developed apartments that can attest to the fact, but I get that “New Town” as a name doesn’t really conjure up the same sort of whimsical yearning you want tied to a sense of place. The name of the district really does capture that sort of romantic 19th-century city aesthetic of old-brick buildings and streets, adorned by grandiose lampposts luminescent with nostalgia for the past as you walked on by.

KU Law students explore Wichita's Old Town.

Walking actually turned out to be half the allure of the city. I’d liken it to downtown Lawrence in that you can literally walk anywhere you’d want to go on a night out and then walk back home again. After touring a little bit, we went back to check into the hotel (we got GIFT BAGS – I was like, “What is this, the Oscars?”), changed clothes, and then walked over to a fancy restaurant called Oeno (don’t try to pronounce it) to mingle with the aforementioned scary lawyers.

Put short and sweet, they all turned out to be incredibly welcoming and easy to talk to. The cocktail/tapas hour was one of the best parts, a classic good food, good drinks, better people type situation. To have these individuals take (very valuable) time out of their day just to come hang out and talk with us was both rewarding and encouraging, because it showed me that the Kansas legal community is genuinely interested in my development as a young professional despite my bewilderments and as of yet unarticulated career goals.

And the city is definitely appealing to my young professional self. After a couple hours of mingling, the 20 of us left for a night out on the town. That’s its own separate series of blog posts. It was, I’ll say, “Wichitawesome.”

We wake up early the next morning to split up and grab breakfast with more area attorneys at different local breakfast joints and later regroup to head over to the art museum. I personally love art, and although I know next to nothing about it, the museum did not disappoint. You would have never guessed that there were famous paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe and Norman Rockwell in the middle of Kansas, but they were there among many other inspirations.

There was a LOT more occurring here, there and everywhere in between. I could write a short novella about this trip and the friends I made on it, but I’d like to conclude by saying that I was indeed inspired by the lengths KU Law and the community at large will go to see to it my legal education is supplemented with intensely personal and fulfilling experiences. Did I mention the firms footed the bill for the entire thing? I really could not be more grateful. And that honestly goes for all of the opportunities Career Services has put on so far, ranging from this event to a fashion seminar to bringing in over 100 different legal employers in one night just to talk to you about what your options actually are as a KU law grad. My suggestion to any entering 1Ls would be to take advantage of as many of the prospects the Career Services office and Kansas legal community has to offer you, because they all have the potential to be just as satisfying as this 24 hours of Wichita trip ended up being for me.

Getting good at hacking computers may not hurt either. Just a thought.

— Cody Wood is a first-year law student from Leawood, Kansas, and a KU Law Student Ambassador.

How to shop like a KU Law 1L

2014-12-10T14:09:00.001-06:00

First-year law students Cody Wood, left, and Ethan Brown

When I started law school, I thought that I had things pretty well figured out. I mean, I had survived for more than four years on my own in undergrad, and that had worked out for me.

Not so, my friends, not so.

Things are different here. Classes are (basically) in a whole new language. I’m surrounded by incredibly brilliant people (I think we can all agree that this is not the norm for undergrad campuses). Even my shopping trips in law school are quite different from how they were in undergrad. Back in the day, I’d saunter in to Walmart (around 1 a.m., of course), grab a cart, and begin my long, aimless meander through the store. I never had a specific, pre-determined list. I might have one or two things in mind, but for the most part my inner-dialogue while shopping went something like this:

Did I need shampoo or body wash? Eh, I’ll just get a combo and call it good.

Aw, heck yeah, pizza rolls are on sale! I can fit 17 bags in the freezer, right?

I should buy some fruit or vegetables or something. How do you tell if an avocado is ripe? I guess I’ll just try a few.

I think you get the idea. By the end of the trip, I probably couldn’t even tell you why I had half the stuff in my cart, let alone what I had originally come to the store for. Probably for the better, my law school shopping trips have come a long way. They are direct and pointed missions. I move through the aisles like a cat on the hunt (maybe more like a dog … a big dog. I’ve never been very graceful, and I tend to bump into things a lot).

To save you the trouble of learning as I had to, I’ve compiled the essential shopping list of a first-year KU Law student. You, too, can have efficient shopping trips during which you don’t forget any of the essentials. I would recommend adapting as needed to fit your circumstances, but I feel that this should cover a wide range:

New coffee maker
That one-cup-at-a-time Keurig just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Sorry. I recommend going for capacity here, rather than features. Really, something industrial might be best.

New shoes
Oh, you’ll have the best of intentions. You’ll tell yourself that you’ll wake up early enough every morning to get one of the coveted parking spots close to the building, but it won’t last long. When you eventually give in to making the trek up the hill from the far lot, you’re going to want something comfortable.

Ingredients for that fancy recipe you’ve been wanting to try
It’s your turn to host the “family dinner” that your small section has every weekend. These people really have become your support system/life lines/best friends, and you’d like to impress them. You’re thinking something that has asparagus in it. That’s always popular.

Dinner rolls and whichever wine is on sale
Because, let’s face it, there’s a very real chance that the aforementioned recipe won’t work out. It’s great that you’re trying new things, but it’s still good to be prepared.

Flu shot
Just give in. Your mom has been bugging you about this one for a couple of weeks now, and she has a point. Being sick is the last thing you want on your plate when trying to study for finals. Besides, you really need that 20-cent-per-gallon gas discount that they’re giving to anyone who gets the shot.

Ear plugs
For some reason, you decided it would be a great idea to live with your best friend, a music major. You have no complaints about his personal hygiene, which is great, but his practicing isn’t always conducive to your studying. I’d skip the little disposable foam earplugs and go for something sturdier. Maybe something that guarantees maximum sound blockage. He’s not just any music major, you know … he’s an opera major.

Potted plant
Spruce up that study carrel! Make it yours! The touch of life provided by something as simple as a plant will make your hours in the library much more comfortable. And, if it turns out that maybe you aren’t completely ready to be responsible for another living thing, you won’t feel as bad as you would if you’d gotten a goldfish.

Cookies
On second thought, skip the cookies. You go to KU Law now. That means you live in a town where you can have cookies delivered right to you, day or night. (Yes, it’s a very real thing. I wouldn’t lie to you about cookies.)

KU gear
Whether you’re an out-of-stater like me or you grew up in Kansas, you’re a Jayhawk now! Rejoice! As a KU Law student, you are part of a great community in a great town, and that is something that you'll want to show off!

OK, so maybe this list is a little too specific. All joking aside, law school will be a very different experience, no matter your circumstances. There will be challenges, and your life WILL change. The important thing is to adapt and go with it. Hang in there and have faith, my friends. If I can do it, anyone can. Just ask my (very much still living) carrel plant.

— Ethan Brown is a first-year law student from Dallas and a KU Law Student Ambassador.

Trailblazing judge reflects on career

2014-12-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

Twenty-two years ago, I took the oath of judicial office to the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. I was the 23rd individual, and the first woman, to hold that position. Few are blessed with the opportunity to do something which is historically unprecedented. So I approached my swearing-in ceremony on October 30, 1992, with an acute awareness of that fact, a reverence for the judicial system which has served us so well and a thrill which even now is almost beyond belief.

People often ask whether I always hoped to become a federal judge. The answer to that is no – a resounding no. When I started law school at KU in 1972, no woman had ever been on the United States Supreme Court. Only one woman had served on a federal court of appeals. On the trial court level, we had only four women in the entire federal judiciary. Back then, it was common for bar organizations to meet in private men’s clubs – as a lawyer, I remember having to take the service elevator in the kitchen of the University Club to attend bar luncheons. The idea that I might become a federal judge was too far-fetched to warrant serious consideration.

Fast forward 40 years. Today we have 249 women in the federal district courts – 23 percent of the total. Women represent at least half of the legal talent pool in America. And we have a way to go in the federal judiciary, but the day is over when women only appear in high places as token performers.

As I said, I did not start out with any far-fetched notions of becoming a judge – let alone a federal judge. Almost by accident, I became a municipal judge in Prairie Village in 1990. For two years I addressed the entire range of human foibles: drinkers, speeders, window peepers, exhibitionists, picketers, property code violators, and so forth. Calvin Trillin, who wrote for The New Yorker, even picked up on one of my cases – where an irate store owner threw a jar of gefilte fish at a customer and broke the customer’s windshield. To be fair, Mr. Trillin wasn’t much interested in the fact that I had broken the glass ceiling in the Prairie Village judiciary. He was mostly bewildered that a kosher grocer would sell gefilte fish in a jar.

Fresh out of law school, from 1975 to 1978, I was a law clerk for the Hon. Earl E. O'Connor in the District of Kansas. I came to the clerkship, more or less, by indirection. In 1975, I graduated near the top of my class at the University of Kansas Law School. I had set my sights on large-firm practice in downtown Kansas City, but like the other 12 or 13 women in my class, I soon found that this option was beyond my reach. In the end, almost by default, I took a law clerkship position with Judge O'Connor. It was not my first choice, or his. Judge O'Connor had never employed a woman law clerk and he was not enthusiastic or optimistic about the prospect. He was, however, true to his school - KU Law. In the final analysis, I received my clerkship because Martin B. Dickinson, in his capacity as then-dean of the KU School of Law, asked Judge O'Connor to give me a chance. By the time I left my clerkship three years later, my inauspicious introduction to the federal judiciary was a source of candid amusement to both me and Judge O'Connor. Little did either of us dream what the future had in store.

When I had the chance to fill Judge O’Connor’s vacancy in 1992, and to return to the court family where I had begun my legal career, it was extraordinary in every respect. To work with Judge O’Connor again, to enjoy such learned and accommodating colleagues – the whole experience has been a challenge, a great energizer and a privilege beyond compare. I owe it all to a great legal education at KU Law, and fantastic mentors among its faculty, administration and graduates.

Kathryn H. Vratil, L'75

Chief Judge Emeritus

United States District Court for the District of Kansas

Achieving balance, pursuing passions in law school

2014-11-26T10:09:00.000-06:00

When l entered KU Law, I got involved because I wanted an opportunity to showcase my talents and values. I immediately obtained information on all the clubs and activities offered on campus and joined a few that interested me. Did this increase my workload? Sure, but the knowledge I’ve gained and camaraderie among my peers has been rewarding.

Law school is not just a GPA, it’s an experience. Grades are crucial to what future employers look for, but they are not the only thing they look for. If this was the case, there would be no need for interviews. Getting involved in clubs and activities conveys to an employer that you are a team player, that you are able to be cohesive in a unit and successful at the same time. Clubs and activities give you the opportunity to apply your knowledge outside of the classroom. The skill of knowledge application is a critical piece of learning and what future employers are really looking for. Even more important, clubs and activities provide a needed break from scholastic strain. During orientation, so many speakers spoke of the need to find the proper balance for success. I interpret that as a warning against all work and no play. Activities teach the value of work-life balance.

Law school is a competitive beast. It takes a lot of hard work and discipline, but it can also be the greatest experience of your life. Let the clubs and activities become your creative outlet. When I get bogged down in a mountain of memo research and discovery projects, I relieve the stress by pursuing my passions. I pursue my passion for community service by helping coordinate the Black Law Students Association's food drive, or my passion for litigation by helping defend parking violations in traffic court. Whatever your passion is, pursue it. Be the real you. Be the best you. Let your best qualities show through more than a four-hour final. Find a club that you are passionate about, and get to work.

— Kriston Guillot is a first-year law student from Shawnee, Kansas, and a KU Law Student Ambassador.

EMBRACING THE UNCOMFORTABLE: Student combines language and the law in Beijing

2014-11-12T12:46:00.000-06:00

As a dual-degree student working on a J.D. and an M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures, I am inevitably asked where I hope these two degrees will lead me. It’s a fair question and the best answer I have is, hopefully anywhere.

I spent this past summer in Beijing doing an intensive Chinese language program. To what extent does a summer studying Chinese in Beijing bear on my legal studies? More than you might think. In an increasingly globalized world, language skills are becoming especially important, and as multicultural interactions increase, so too does the value of language skills. This summer I improved my Chinese language skills, but many memories and lessons I brought back are invaluable souvenirs. Learning is a continual process. I have been advised time and again that the practice of law requires practice. It is a valuable kernel of truth applicable to any study one undertakes. Regardless of how many hours, months or years I have spent studying, there will always be new developments. Statutes and case law change and evolve, and so do the ways in which people, particularly young people, communicate and use language to express themselves. Complacency is not just standing still; it is taking a step backwards. Each day is an opportunity to build upon yesterday’s progress.

I learned the importance of encountering the uncomfortable. There were plenty of moments where I felt uncomfortable and out of place in China. The real work has not been forgetting those uncomfortable moments. The real work has been learning to embrace those moments as experiences that, if nothing else, have built character and molded me into a person that is able to find comfort in the uncomfortable. From the stories experienced lawyers have kindly passed on, it sounds as though being a lawyer often involves helping clients through some of the most uncomfortable moments in life. Knowing how to guide yourself through those moments can go a long way in counseling others to do the same.

I learned to never underestimate the healing power of a good meal. The intensive language program I enrolled in put the tense in intense. I spent five hours a day in classes, had a quiz every single day, a test every single week, and a weekly oral presentation in Chinese. There were many days when it felt impossible to keep up that pace. Those were the days I treated myself to a good meal. A good meal can provide a moment of respite and gratitude when you need a reminder about what’s important in life. In my case the reminder was that each day’s hard work was not a means to an end, but an end in itself. Hopefully this is the lesson I’ll keep in mind as I continue to tackle my studies and my next challenge, embarking on my career. There will undoubtedly be challenges, including many that are impossible to predict. My experiences in law school and around the world might not always provide the answers, but they have provided me the tools to find those answers on my own.

— Kasey Considine is a third-year law student from Boston and a KU Law Student Ambassador.

PIRATES & PROFESSIONAL KARAOKE SINGERS: Students consider alternative careers, decide law school was best choice

2014-10-28T15:53:00.000-05:00

From time to time, law school can be overwhelming. During moments of distress, I consider everything else I could be doing instead of attending law school. I decided to poll my peers and compile a list of the most insightful answers. Conclusion? Attending law school was clearly the best decision we all could have made:

Locate the bat that spearheaded the Ebola outbreak and ask it: “Dude, what’s your problem?” 2L
Finding, and eating, the perfect bagel. 2L
Determine how long it would take for someone to go insane while walking around Ikea – 3 maybe 4 hours? 2L
Continue my hunt for Florida’s hanging chad. His arms must be getting tired. 2L
Watch time pass stationed in a fire watchtower in a remote wilderness of marginal land. 3L
“There’s nothing I’d rather be doing besides law school” – said no one ever. 2L
The gatekeeper in the far side of darkness. 2L
I’d probably try and get my book on what really happened to Tupac Shakur published, then when that fails, end up back in law school. 2L
Become an architect and redesign Green Hall’s bathrooms. 2L
Watch “The Wire.” 2L
I’d rather be the bat boy for the Kansas City Royals. 2L
Attending Hogwarts and playing on the quidditch team. 2L
Be the custodian at a mud-wrestling arena. 3L
Traveling the world and learning new languages. 3L
Building a “cat snap” empire. 3L
Spend more time training and developing my gadgets to become a better Batman superhero for Gotham and, therefore, the rest of the world. 2L
Finding the perfect cherry turnover recipe. 2L
Golfing and reading everything I can to improve my fantasy football team. 3L
Carrying around Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s booster seat. 3L
Living my life in reality, and not through hypotheticals. 2L
I would become a chef so my job description can be eating all the food in the world. 3L
Fearlessly auditioning to someday land my dream job as a news anchor on “The Today Show.” 2L
Living my dream of becoming a professional “selfie” taker. 2L
Standing in line at the DMV. 3L
Whatever it took to get a ticket to see the Royals in the World Series. 2L
Pursue my dream of becoming a professional karaoke singer. 3L
Shopping. 2L
Enjoying a beer outside in Kansas City! It’s hard not being able to enjoy the great weather we typically have in the area late in the fall. 2L
The sixth member of One Direction. I’m cheeky, everything is better with an American, and statistics suggest that at least one of them is gay and I desperately need a boyfriend. 3L
Rafting in Colorado, living off the land, figuring it out. 2L
I would rather be in any other profession that doesn’t require suits on a regular business day. Sweatpants preferred. 2L
Lying on a beach somewhere, with a drink in hand and sand between my toes. 3L
An international food critic, giving acerbic yet insightful reviews using my charming wit. Basically I want to be Anthony Bourdain. That guy seems to have it figured out. 2L
A World Champion Donkey Kong player. 3L
Trying to become a party in a case in a law school textbook. I mean, have you READ Stambovsky v. Ackley?! 2L
Start my own commune and drive around the country in RVs. 2L
I’d rather be living jobless on a beach somewhere with the money from a large inheritance. 1L
On the island with the person living off of their inheritance. 1L
Making old school hip-hop mix tapes. That, or taking up carpentry and flipping houses. I’m never bored. 2L
Go to D.C. and try to teach Congress common sense, if I hadn’t chosen a profession where I could actually achieve my goals through hard work and perseverance. 2L
Anything else. 2L
Running around the country getting people to put charcoal in their soil. 2L
Leading a super heroic crime-fighting nightlife while wondering what in the world a tort is. 3L
Lying in a sea of corgis with my boyfriend, overlooking a mountain. 2L
I’d rather be a ski bum at a Colorado ski resort and not have a care in the word. There was an explicative in there, but I reined it in. 3L
A professional dog lady. 3L
Move to Somalia and learn how to become a pirate. ARGH! 3L
Jet-setting around the world as Beyonce’s highly paid assistant/eventual best friend. 3L
A professional sports spectator. 2L
Loading a surfboard up on my car after a great day at the beach. 2L
Sleeping. 1L

And finally…

I would rather be Amanda Bynes’ life coach. Girl’s got some problems and could use some direction: “No, sweetheart. Put that back on the ground. That looks sticky.” Easy money. 3L

— Grecia Perez is a second-year law student from Boston and a KU Law Student Ambassador.

Out of the closet and right at home at KU Law

2014-10-14T15:04:00.001-05:00

There are many things that make me proud to be a Jayhawk, but in honor of National Coming Out Day on October 11, I wanted to talk about why I think diversity has, and will, play an important part in my law school experience.

When I decided to come to KU Law, one of the things I was really concerned about was the general attitude toward LGBTQ people at the school. I had moved away from Kansas over 13 years ago, and I didn't really remember it being a bastion of liberal ideology. After my departure, I found the strength to come out of the closet and wasn’t especially stoked about the idea of going back in. What I encountered at KU has been the complete opposite. I found a school that not only welcomed diversity, but celebrated it.

I didn’t run through Green Hall screaming, “I’m gaaaaaaaaaay!”, but I didn’t feel like I had to hide it either. I found the culture at KU Law to be incredibly accepting, and I immediately felt comfortable just being myself. During the 1L boot camp, Dean Melanie Wilson pointed out that we are all professionals now, and there is no place for sexism, racism or homophobia in a professional environment. Within my first couple months at school, I had joined the OUTLaws & Allies organization and been invited to a diversity meet-and-greet. At the meet-and-greet, many of the diversity organizations that operate within the law school came together and reaffirmed KU Law’s pledge to diversity. It felt really empowering to know that I had the support of my classmates, the staff and the faculty at the school.

As LGBTQ media visibility continues to rise and waves of court rulings supporting marriage equality sweep the nation, you might be wondering if sexuality is even a relevant issue anymore. To that I say, “You bet it is!” Being exposed to a diverse student body can help prepare you for real life. As lawyers we never know which client is going to walk through our door or which case is going to land on our desk. We need to be able to put aside our personal prejudices and serve the needs of our clients the best we can.

In the classroom, I think diversity brings with it diverse ideas that help facilitate the learning process. Imagine sitting in a class where all of your peers mindlessly nod in agreement to everything someone says. There is no critical thinking there, no academic dialogue. I don’t know about you, but that sounds super boring to me, and so I embrace it when a spirited debate arises from two differing viewpoints. When you have a classroom full of people with different sexualities, religions, ethnicities, political beliefs, etc., you are given access to a wide berth of knowledge and experience that will help you grow personally and professionally.

I think it’s pretty awesome to have a found a place where I feel comfortable being out and being myself. It doesn’t matter if you’re coming out as gay, or as Republican, or just as a huge fan of Nickelback. KU Law has created an environment that feels safe and inclusive for everyone. Because of this, on National Coming Out Day, I didn’t find myself running back into the closet of which I had struggled so hard to come out.

— Travis Freeman is a first-year law student from Olathe, Kansas, and a KU Law Student Ambassador.

Why KU Law? Big dreams + rewarding career

2014-09-23T15:37:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Schartz, L'88

KU LAW TEACHES 'FARM GIRL' TO DREAM BIG

"I learned how to dream about a career at KU--everything from a small-town practice to working at the largest firms. I had all those possibilities by getting an education at KU."

A farm girl from rural Kansas, Elizabeth Schartz grew up knowing she would be a lawyer.

“There were five girls in our family, so we had an elaborate chore distribution,” Schartz said. “I thought the arrangement was patently unfair, and when I complained about it I was told to take it to the Supreme Court. I didn’t know what that meant, so I asked my dad.”

Schartz’s father explained that the Supreme Court was a “group of judges that all the other judges, Congress and the president had to listen to,” and that one had to study hard, get good grades and go to law school to get there.

“I had to have been 8 or 9 years old at the time, and I announced, ‘I’m gonna be a lawyer,’” Schartz said. “I didn’t know any lawyers; We didn’t have any lawyers in our family. Neither of my parents went to college. But no one laughed at me or said I couldn’t do it, so I did it.”

It was a big leap from rural Cimarron to the state’s largest university, but Phil and Pat Ridenour, a husband-wife team of KU Law graduates, convinced Schartz to make the move. The Ridenours, both from rural communities, excelled at KU and built a successful practice in Cimarron. “Had I not had that encouragement, I’m not positive I would have gone to KU,” Schartz said. “For a small-town girl, it seemed such a big university.”

Law school brought academic challenge and classmates from prestigious universities. Schartz graduated from a small liberal arts college in western Kansas. “Although I didn’t have the undergrad credentials, I appeared to be just as smart as they were,” Schartz said. “I decided that just meant I needed to work harder.”

Schartz built relationships with her professors, who encouraged her to apply for a clerkship. She spent a summer working at Foulston Siefkin in Wichita alongside talented attorneys, many of them KU graduates from small towns. “It was a revelation about the work they did and the level of sophistication,” Schartz said. “It opened a world of possibilities that didn’t exclude staying in Kansas but also didn’t exclude working in a big city.”

After graduation, Schartz accepted a position with Thompson & Knight in Dallas. “My thought was I would come to Dallas for a few years, learn what it was like to practice at a big firm, then come back to Kansas,” Schartz said. Twenty-five years later, she’s still in Dallas.

Schartz practices employment law, representing management and offering day-to-day advice. She is drawn to the dynamic nature of the field with its new statutes and ever-changing interpretations, and opportunity for advocacy through litigation. “The clients we deal with want to do the right thing, and we can help them do that,” Schartz said.

Schartz works alongside attorneys with diverse educational backgrounds, but she feels KU’s small class sizes and accessible faculty gave her an advantage. Clinical programs are also an asset. “It used to be the firms were looking for just the best and brightest – good writers, deep thinkers,” Schartz said. “Today, firms want lawyers to have as much practical experience as they can stepping out of law school.”

Perhaps the most important thing Schartz learned at KU was how to dream, and dream big.

“I learned how to dream about a career,” she said. “The great thing about that dream was that it included everything from a small-town practice to working at the largest firms out there. I had all those possibilities by getting an education at KU. None were closed to me. That’s as true today as it was when I stepped foot on campus in ’85.”

Why KU Law? Affordability + quality of life

2014-09-09T13:23:00.000-05:00

Amanda Angell, L'15

"You have to look beyond getting into law school and think of what your life will look like after."

As an experienced professional, wife and mother of two young children, Amanda Angell had to weigh the pragmatic aspects of law school along with her career aspirations.

Angell taught music but felt drawn to a new career. She began researching law schools, studying for the LSAT after her kids went to bed.

“At the end it was a matter of my debt load and what our lives would look like after I graduated,” Angell said. She created two spreadsheets: one detailing tuition costs, rent and day care during school, and a second detailing median salary, student loan payment and mortgage payment after graduation.

“I got into some pretty high-ranked schools with high median salaries, but found I would actually bring home more money in Kansas,” Angell said, noting that her KU debt load will be a third of what it would have been elsewhere.

In the end, the decision came down to her family’s quality of life.

“We wanted to make sure my husband would teach in a good school district, that the kids would have access to quality public schools and we could afford good housing.”

At KU, Angell developed an interest in health care law, taking courses ranging from Health Law and Policy to Health Care Finance and Regulation to Insurance Law. Her experience helped her land a summer position with Forbes Law Group in Overland Park, where she worked with the firm’s seven attorneys, handling provider disputes with payers.

“It’s a small firm, so I was treated just like an associate,” Angell said. “I worked on significant projects that I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to work on if I had been at a large firm.”

Angell’s firm helped physicians and practices navigate changes brought by the Affordable Care Act and the transition to electronic medical records. “It’s an area of growth,” Angell says of the field. “Right now it’s very intense. There are a lot of compliance issues that arise as the law changes and more parts are implemented. It’s valuable for physicians and hospitals to have qualified counsel who specialize in health.”

Collaboration with senior attorneys was Angell’s favorite part of the job. “They’ve been really open with sharing how they interact with clients, how they work through issues, how they counsel entities when issues arise,” Angell said. “That’s my favorite part of the day, seeing how they navigate client issues.”

Beyond the hands-on experience, Angell is earning a Tribal Lawyer Certificate and is an active member of the Native American Law Students Association, competing in the National NALSA Moot Court Competition, which she calls the “best experience I’ve had in law school.”

“She really pushed me to be more confident about what I know,” Angell said of NALSA advisor and moot court coach Elizabeth Kronk Warner. “It was a really positive experience working with seven other NALSA members who were very supportive, weren’t afraid to offer constructive criticism and help each other get to the next level in our writing, oral arguments and advocacy.”

Angell is currently drafting an article exploring the federal regulation of tribal pharmacies and will be working with the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic during her final year of law school.

“I’m interested in the intersection between federal Indian law and health care law,” Angell said. “The Indian law community in Kansas is fantastic. People are warm and open about sharing their experience, what coursework was helpful, what experience was like as a tribal attorney. The more I learned, the more I saw value in learning about issues that arise with the law and tribes as sovereigns.”

Angell advises prospective students to visit Lawrence and see if KU is the right fit.

“I think the most valuable thing you can do is come visit,” she said. “KU is different. The environment is friendly. Professors are willing to go out of their way to help you.”

When it comes to choosing a law school, she recommends taking a long-term approach. “You have to look beyond getting into law school and think of what your life will look like after.”