Student finds his professional calling through the Legal Aid Clinic
When Matt Koegel, L’25, first visited KU Law in the middle of a chilly February in 2022, he wasn’t sure this was where he’d end up. The quiet streets of Lawrence didn’t initially make a strong impression on the New Yorker, but a return visit changed his mind and ultimately shaped the next three years of his life.
“Coming to KU for law school is one of the best decisions I’ve made,” Koegel wrote in a blog post from his 1L year. “Even if I wasn’t sure it was the right decision at the time.”
He made the move from Long Island to Lawrence after a 20-hour drive with his dad. Shortly after arriving, he jumped into the community with a trip to a Kansas City Royals game alongside new classmates, followed by a concert with his dad that reminded him Kansas wasn’t the “middle of nowhere.” Those early experiences set the tone for the welcoming, collaborative environment he would come to value at KU Law.
Koegel made the most of his time in Green Hall. He was a student ambassador, a member of OUTLaws and Accomplices and the Public Interest Law Society (PILS), participated in the In-House Moot Court Competition and, most meaningfully, worked in the Legal Aid Clinic.
“I wanted to do legal aid because I knew I wanted to get experience in court as well as be able to help people,” he said. “It made an impact on me because I learned that so much more goes into being a good lawyer than advocacy skills. Client communication, creative thinking and being able to ask for help were all skills that doing legal aid helped me get a better hold of.”
He also appreciated the classroom experience, especially learning from Professor Tom Stacy before his retirement. And when it came to unwinding, he says some of his favorite law school memories were made with classmates at Red Lyon Tavern on Mass Street.
After graduation, Koegel will join the Public Defender’s Office in Johnson County.
“I chose to go into this area of law because I feel very strongly about providing indigent people with a strong defense,” he said. “It is crucial to our country that the rights of people are upheld, and I feel that being a public defender allows me to do that every day.”
From a hesitant campus visit to becoming an advocate for justice, Koegel’s journey is proof that sometimes the best decisions are the ones you didn’t see coming.
“Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned is the ability to bounce back from failure,” he wrote in a blog post from his 3L year. “Law school taught me that setbacks are not the end; they’re just the beginning of a process of recovery and growth.”
He leaves KU Law ready to keep learning, keep growing and keep fighting for those who need it most.
-By Casey Bacot