Recent graduate experienced a “full circle moment” in law school

Evan Norkey, L’26, came to the University of Kansas School of Law with a clear sense of purpose and a desire for change. 

Norkey earned their undergraduate degree from KU, double majoring in psychology and linguistics while minoring in music. After graduating, they worked as a case manager at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, where they frequently connected their clients with KU Law’s Legal Aid Clinic.

“Witnessing the impact the clinic had on my clients’ lives was a major part of why I went to law school, and it convinced me that if I were going to attend law school, it should be at KU,” Norkey said. 

 Already living in Lawrence, KU Law felt like the obvious choice of law school for Norkey, but it was the school’s commitment to experiential learning and public service that ultimately cemented their decision.

Throughout law school, Norkey immersed themself in student leadership and hands-on advocacy work. They served on the boards of several student organizations, including the Public Interest Law Society, OUTLaws & Accomplices and the Trans Law Student Association. They also helped found and served on the board of Advocates for a Barrier-Free Legal Education, a student organization focused on disability advocacy.

“Serving in leadership roles with student organizations was a major part of my law school experience,” Norkey said. “Especially significant were serving as president of PILS during my 2L year and helping build ABLE throughout my time in law school.”

Beyond student organizations, Norkey participated extensively in experiential learning opportunities. They competed in both Moot Court and Mock Trial, worked in Traffic Court, and participated in two clinics: the Project for Innocence and the Legal Aid Clinic.

Those clinical experiences became the cornerstone of their legal education.

“My favorite classes at KU Law were the clinics,” Norkey said. “I cannot overstate the importance of my time in the Project for Innocence and in the Legal Aid Clinic. Thanks to the clinics, I feel ready to practice law when I graduate and pass the bar exam.”

One of Norkey’s favorite memories from law school came during their first appearance in municipal court with the Legal Aid Clinic.

“It felt like a full circle moment,” they said. “The clinic was a major part of what inspired me to go to law school, so appearing in court as a legal intern with the clinic was very meaningful to me.”

Another standout memory came this spring, when Norkey helped organize a benefit concert through ABLE that raised money for a local grassroots organization.

“I got to see a student organization that I helped start bring together law students and community members,” they said. “It inspired numerous law students to get involved with the community outside the law school.”

After graduation, Norkey will continue pursuing the work that first inspired them to attend law school. They will spend the next two years with Kansas Holistic Defenders as an Equal Justice Works Fellow through the Design-Your-Own Fellowship program. Their project will focus on partnering with grassroots organizations to provide legal services and education to tenants in Douglas County.

“I went to law school because I recognized housing injustice as one of the most persistent and pernicious forces in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors,” Norkey said. “I determined that I could do the most good on this topic as an attorney.”

As they begin their legal career, Norkey is excited to finally put that mission into practice.

“I finally get to do what I set out to do,” they said. “I saw a problem, I decided a law degree was the tool I needed to solve it and now I am going to use my law degree to help solve the problem.”

-By Casey Bacot