Following her 1L year, class of 2026 graduate Tanya Singh participated in the Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement at LMH Health through the KU Law Field Placement Program. The experience allowed her to put what she learned in her first year at the University of Kansas School of Law into action with clients on several different types of legal issues, including drafting wills, working with government assistance programs and estate planning.

The KU School of Law Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) is a collaboration between the KU School of Law and two health systems: The University of Kansas Health System at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and LMH Health in Lawrence. Under the supervision of experienced MLP attorneys, students assist in providing free transactional legal assistance to low-income patients and their families.

“My experiences with the Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement have taught me the importance of addressing social factors of health and collaborating across disciplines and professions,” Singh said.

Singh shared her experience with the Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement in a Q&A.

Where were you working for this field placement and when?

I worked for this field placement during the Summer 2024 semester, right after 1L, at the LMH Health location! 

Why did you choose to participate in the Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement?

I was originally interested in KU Law on account of its Medical-Legal Partnership, as I have always been interested in patient care. Because the MLP is embedded within a hospital, I got the opportunity to work directly with patients. I was especially drawn to the clinic's objectives, which range from addressing social determinants of health to eliminating barriers to healthcare, as well as preserving patient autonomy in decision-making. 

What type of work did you do through the field placement?

I did quite a bit during my field placement! I will say that the clinic's workflow is variable and unpredictable, at least with the types of client matters that arise — I think that is inherent to the legal profession, though. I did not observe any trials, partly because I was only at the MLP for the summer, but I did a lot of document drafting. Not only did this include the memos I wrote to my supervisor and client letters, but estate planning documents as well. This included a will, a durable power of attorney and a transfer on death deed. Much of my work also involved researching assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid and Social Security. The clinic also helped facilitate the process of applying for programs and seeking information on the termination of benefits.

Were there any specific skills you developed or improved while working through this experience?

I developed important legal writing skills while working at the clinic and improved at being more concise in my writing. I got the opportunity to conduct client intakes and learned how to formulate thoughtful questions.

How did this experience impact the rest of your time in law school or your future career goals?

After my time at the MLP, I realized I wanted to work more closely with patients and address health disparities in my professional career. I took Elder Law, where I learned more about social services and healthcare for older adults and individuals with disabilities. I was also the chair of KU's Student Health Advisory Board, where I leveraged my understanding of health disparities to provide information to the student body and devise proposals to increase healthcare access on campus. I will be attending medical school in the fall and would like to focus my future medical practice on caring for older persons. My experiences at the MLP have taught me the importance of addressing social factors of health and collaborating across disciplines and professions. I hope to apply my knowledge of advance care directives (think durable power of attorney for healthcare, living will, etc.) in my practice of medicine, and have compassionate, reasoned discussions about healthcare decision-making with my patients.

What was your favorite part of working with this field placement? 

Working with my supervisor, Juliann Morland DaVee, was my favorite part of the field placement. She was extremely kind and patient with me, fostering an environment where I felt comfortable. When I was lost or confused about a matter, she provided me with guidance and gave constructive feedback on all the work I submitted to her. She was amazing, and I never dreaded coming into the clinic because of that, no matter where the day took me!

What would you say to law students considering enrolling in this field placement?

I would highly recommend the MLP to everyone. Really. I learned a lot about healthcare and aging, which is relevant to every person. I got multiple perspectives on the healthcare system, especially because Juliann and I worked closely with the social workers at LMH Health, who are also phenomenal! The MLP has a great work environment. I found it to be the best of both worlds and hope I find my future career to be similarly gratifying. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The MLP, as is true with any field placement, deals with real client matters that have real-world consequences. For many of the clinic's clients, this impaired their ability to support their basic needs such as nutrition, housing and healthcare. This is something not to be taken lightly. People are putting their livelihoods in the hands of the clinic, and it is imperative to treat clients and their matters respectfully and attentively. At the same time, the MLP is embedded in a hospital, which entailed having difficult experiences, such as those relating to death and dying. It is especially important to practice self-care when you work with client matters, as you often deal with the weight of the distressing things you may hear from clients. Even with this in mind, I would still recommend the MLP to everyone!