Student Spotlight: Malika Baker excels in Jayhawk community

Deciding where to attend law school was an easy choice for Malika Baker. After earning her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas, she decided to continue her education at KU because of the Jayhawk community.

“I ran cross country and track and field at KU as an undergraduate student, and I really embraced the tight-knit Lawrence community,” Baker said. “No matter where I travel across the country, people always recognize the Jayhawk and that resonated with me. I wanted to continue my education at a place where I felt a connection to the institution and network.”

As the daughter of a retired Army officer, Baker moved around a lot as a child but considers Lansing her hometown. Baker is a second-year law student, and she is involved in Women in Law and the Black Law Students Association.

“I am grateful to be a member of both organizations because each has strong ties to the community and unique ways of bringing law students together,” Baker said.

Starting this fall, she will also join members of the Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council to promote diversity and inclusion within the KU Law community.

This summer, she is serving as an intern for Judge Steve Leben at the Kansas Court of Appeals as part of the school’s Judicial Field Placement Program.

“It has been very rewarding to work with such experienced and insightful people every day,” Baker said. “Judge Leben and all of the judges that I have met at the Kansas Court of Appeals share great insight on being a focused and dedicated lawyer.”

Baker was given the opportunity to work in Judge Leben’s chambers after meeting one of his law clerks at the Legal Careers with Government Agencies Fair at KU Law.

At her internship, Baker conducts legal research and writes memoranda. She is currently working on a prehearing bench memo for a three-judge panel that will include a case summary, facts, deep-issue statements, analysis and a recommendation for the ruling.

“The most rewarding part of my job is being able to foster my research and writing skills while working on real cases,” Baker said.

Baker said the most challenging part of her job is ensuring that her analysis is thorough and that she is providing judges with the most accurate case law to help them make informed decisions.

The best advice she has received at her internship? To explore any area of law that she is interested in while in law school.

“I found this to be great advice because I believe that using this time to explore my interests will provide for a fulfilling law career in the future,” Baker said.

Through her internship, Baker has figured out what she would like to do with her law degree.

“After working closely with Judge Leben’s law clerks, I am interested in possibly clerking for a judge after law school,” Baker said. “I am excited to explore this option more and other opportunities to best serve the community.”

— By Ashley Hocking

This post is the third in a series highlighting the diverse internships and jobs KU Law students and recent graduates are engaged in over the summer and early in their careers. Check out earlier posts from this series about Omar Husain and James Hampton.

Student Spotlight: James Hampton strives for equality

James Hampton plans to build a career out of helping others.

Hampton is spending his summer as a Legal Fellow at the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBTQ civil rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in Washington D.C.

Hampton, a third-year KU Law student and Wichita native, said the most rewarding part of his fellowship is helping others.

“HRC is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ equality,” Hampton said. “Working with amazing people who are on the ground fighting for LGBTQ rights and supporting them through the legal department is amazing. By figuring out what these laws mean, I can inform our members what the law is and they can go to their government officials and demand change.”

Hampton said the most challenging part of his fellowship is making legal terms sound simple to people who aren’t familiar with technical legal jargon. A large part of his summer has consisted of explaining the meaning of laws and the impact they have to non-legal professionals.

At Hampton’s fellowship, he has a wide array of responsibilities that include: tracking bills at the state and federal levels and the impact these laws have on the LGBTQ community; tracking Supreme Court decisions and looking at what cases the court is taking; working with the Human Rights Campaign’s communications department to break down and interpret opinions; interpreting laws, bills and city ordinances; and looking at city and state laws to determine how they affect the LGBTQ community.

“HRC is primarily focused on LGBTQ rights, but we also jump in on other areas, such as immigration, gender equality and civil rights,” Hampton said. “Since the Supreme Court has been active in all these areas this past summer, it’s been busy but very exciting.”

Hampton initially decided to go to Washington, D.C., after being selected by the KU Law Office of Career Services to attend the Equal Justice Works Conference last October. The conference is a KU-sponsored trip that gives law students who are passionate about public interest law the opportunity to visit the nation’s capital, interview for jobs and network.

“I hope to make more connections in D.C. and build on the ones I’ve already made this summer,” Hampton said. “Hopefully, I can secure a job for after graduation and learn more about public interest opportunities.”

He chose to attend KU Law after falling in love with the university during his undergraduate years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and was a student athlete on both the KU cross country and track teams. Hampton graduated a year early and continued to compete athletically during his 1L year.

While he is on Capitol Hill, Hampton hopes to establish a solid network of connections that will help and support him with his post-graduation search for jobs in D.C. He strives to one day do both legislative and policy work for an advocacy group or non-profit that specializes in civil rights.

“I believe no one should be discriminated against because of who they are,” Hampton said. “The best way to ensure that is by enacting laws that protect everyone.”

— By Ashley Hocking

This post is the second in a series highlighting the diverse internships and jobs KU Law students and recent graduates are engaged in over the summer and early in their careers. Check out an earlier post from this series about Omar Husain.

Student Spotlight: Omar Husain cultivates legal relationships

Omar Husain is pictured with Judge Paul Gurney and Arleen Schuman, Judge Paul Gurney’s Administrative Assistant.

To say that Omar Husain is “busy” is an understatement.

Husain is a KU Law Student Ambassador, vice president of the Student Intellectual Property Law Association, secretary of the Environmental Law Society, a research assistant for Professor Andrew Torrance and a student representative for the American Bar Association. He is also a member of KU Law’s Student Bar Association, Asian Law Students Association and the intramural basketball team.

The most recent addition to his resume? A clerkship with Judge Paul Gurney of the Johnson County District Court as part of the school’s Judicial Field Placement Program.

Husain, a second-year law student from Lenexa, has enjoyed getting firsthand experience of how the law works and seeing civil procedure, motions and hearings in action daily.

“I get to learn what the judge considers when he is making his decisions,” he said. “I get to see and hear what attorneys, judges and staff discuss when talking about an attorney, both good and bad. I am learning the ‘what-to-do’s’ and ‘what-not-to-do’s’ of being a lawyer — the savvy and experience that get added on to the academic knowledge from school that turn a ‘lawyer’ into a ‘good lawyer.’”

At his field placement, Husain researches and writes memos, observes court proceedings, and reads and proofreads orders. His favorite part of the clerkship so far has been forming connections.

“By far, the most rewarding part of the job is getting to meet and build relationships with so many people I hope to be colleagues with and interact with one day,” he said. “More so in this profession than most, it always helps to know people. Not just attorneys and judges either, it helps to know the clerks, administrative assistants and other court staff, too.”

Through Husain’s clerkship, he is gaining invaluable hands-on experience and knowledge about how court systems operate.

“There is just something about writing for a judge that is unlike anything else I have done,” Husain said. “It feels so much more important and official than doing an assignment for a professor.”

He has also learned some valuable life lessons at his clerkship. Husain said the best piece of advice he has received is to be mindful of your reputation and to always try to make a positive impression.

“If you are ever in an unfamiliar place, being nice to the assistants and clerks will help because they can fill you in on the details and rules of that court,” Husain said. “I have seen many examples of lawyers whose names are followed up with strong reactions, both good and bad. Especially as a young lawyer, it is imperative to have a positive reaction follow your name.”

Husain chose to get both his undergraduate degree and his law degree from the University of Kansas. He’s a fan of KU’s rich history and the opportunities KU Law offers to students and graduates in both the Kansas City area and across the country.

He hopes to combine his undergraduate degree in biology and his law degree to pursue a career in either patent law or intellectual property.

“Although my plans for the future are not set in stone, a combination of these areas would be ideal,” Husain said. “I am also taking everything step-by-step and trusting the process to find where I belong.”

— By Ashley Hocking

This post is the first in a series highlighting the diverse internships and jobs KU Law students and recent graduates are engaged in over the summer and early in their careers. 

Alumna joins KU Law development team

A 2013 KU Law graduate and former trial attorney has joined the law school’s fundraising team at KU Endowment.

Lauren Luhrs started in late May as the school’s new director of development. She works with Malcolm Jackson, associate director of development, to build relationships with donors across the country and cultivate support for the law school. Luhrs reports to Kristen Toner, assistant vice president of development.

Lauren Luhrs A seventh-generation Kansan, Luhrs attended Kansas State University and studied apparel marketing and public relations and received minors in both leadership studies and business. An interest in trademarks and copyrights in the fashion industry led her to pursue a law degree, and she decided to attend KU Law after receiving a Rice Scholarship. “I understand the impact that scholarships have on drawing students to KU Law,” she said. “Ultimately it was the generous support of our alumni that attracted me to Lawrence.”

While at KU, Luhrs served as managing editor of the Kansas Law Review, clerked for Judge Carlos Murguia of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, and interned with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and Martin, Pringle, Oliver, Wallace & Bauer in Overland Park. After law school, Luhrs practiced at Stueve Siegel Hanson and then a small firm in downtown Kansas City. Her passion for Kansas, higher education and the law school, and connecting with others brought her to KU Endowment.

Outside of work, Luhrs has been a K-State football season ticket-holder with her mother for more than 20 years, but also loves attending KU football and basketball games. A native of Overland Park, she now resides in bustling downtown Kansas City, Missouri. She is involved in the Kansas City community through the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, and BOTAR, a women’s organization focused on supporting the American Royal.

Three chief judges

Chief Judges Janice Miller-Karlin, Julie Robinson and Karen Arnold-Burger

Alumnae, friends rise to lead respective courts

First, they were KU Law students, then they were Assistant United States Attorneys, then they were judges. Today, some 28 years after they first started working together as litigators for the Department of Justice, they are all now chief judges of their respective courts.

Janice Miller Karlin, L’80, graduated first, immediately heading to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas City, Kansas. Julie Robinson L’81, was next, first completing a two-year clerkship with Chief Bankruptcy Judge Benjamin E. Franklin, and then joining Karlin as an AUSA in 1983. And the triad was completed when Karen Arnold-Burger, L’82, who had worked for Shell Oil Company, then as a prosecutor and police legal advisor for the City of Overland Park, joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1989.

These three neophyte AUSAs navigated their early years of practice together.  They not only shared litigation strategies, but maternity and baby clothes, as well as tips on raising their collective eight children, who ranged in age from infant to 7 years old. They were too busy for lunch together, but resolved to spend one lunch hour a week together, power shopping for diapers and other child necessities.

Karlin noted, “At first, I was disappointed that in 1979 when I began interviewing, the big firms were not all that interested in hiring women. As it turns out, going to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where I was immediately assigned first chair responsibility on all of my cases, was the second best thing that ever happened to me. The first was having these two women by my side, and being able to discuss everything from the intricacies of the Federal Rules of Evidence to which brand of diapers was best.” Robinson recalled that “we counseled, affirmed and supported one another, with healthy doses of empathy and laughter.”

One by one they navigated from trial lawyer to trial judge. Arnold-Burger was the first to leave the U.S. Attorney’s Office, when she was appointed a municipal judge for the City of Overland Park in 1991. Five years later, she became the first female chief judge of that court. In 2011, Arnold-Burger was appointed to the Kansas Court of Appeals, and became chief judge of that court in 2017.

Robinson left the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1994, when she was appointed the first female U.S. bankruptcy judge in Kansas. She also served as a judge on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2001, Robinson was appointed a U.S. District Judge in Kansas, the first African-American appointed to that position. In 2017, she became chief judge of that court.

Karlin left the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002, when she was appointed the second female U.S. bankruptcy judge in Kansas. In 2008 she was appointed to serve as a judge on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and became its first female chief judge in 2015. In 2016, Karlin was appointed the first female chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Kansas. Robinson and Arnold-Burger, thus, affectionately refer to Karlin as “Chief, Chief.”

And the constant throughout all the years? These three chiefs have remained fast friends and loyal KU Law alumni. All have served on the law school’s Board of Governors, and Robinson is a past president of the board. They know their journey started with getting an excellent education at KU Law, and they are forever grateful to the professors who prepared them for their careers.

Although they serve as chief judges on different courts, they remain a strong support group for one another. Arnold-Burger noted, “Being with two other women who were going through the same thing was incredibly empowering. We had each other to talk to about the challenges we faced from that moment on. Now we perform the weddings of each other’s children, share pictures of our grandchildren and wonder how we did it all.”

Internationally focused

Josh DeMoss in Kyiv, Ukraine.

As finalist in prestigious federal leadership program, KU Law grad accepts international trade appointment

A recent University of Kansas School of Law graduate has been named a finalist in one of the nation’s most competitive fellowship programs.

Josh DeMoss, L’17, earned the designation of 2018 Presidential Management Fellow Finalist after an intensive application and interview process. More than 6,000 people applied for the fellowship, and less than 10 percent made the final cut.

DeMoss accepted an appointment with the International Trade Administration at the Department of Commerce.

“I applied to the PMF program because I knew it was a prestigious avenue to federal government service for those with advanced degrees. I have wanted to work in the government since I was a child – even enlisting in the Air Force when I was 17,” said DeMoss, a native of Gilmer, Texas. “I would love to have a career that is internationally focused. I aspire to one day be a Foreign Service officer or work in international development, particularly through trade.”

Josh DeMoss in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Josh DeMoss in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Josh DeMoss with Ukrainian colleagues at the 25th anniversary celebration of US-Ukraine relations.

Josh DeMoss with Ukrainian colleagues at the 25th anniversary celebration of US-Ukraine relations.

DeMoss is certainly laying the foundation for the career of his dreams. He earned a law degree and a master’s in Russian and East European studies through KU’s joint-degree program after studying the Russian language and interning in Moscow as an undergraduate at Baylor University. He switched his focus to Ukraine during his first year at KU, when that country’s revolution signaled future interest in development.

En route to earning a Certificate in International Trade and Finance at KU Law, DeMoss spent a semester studying, researching and living in Ukraine. He sharpened his Ukrainian language skills and learned “surzhik,” a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian that allowed him to maneuver seamlessly in social, academic and professional settings. The summer after his second year of law school, DeMoss interned in the Office of East Europe and Central Asia at the joint United Nations/World Trade Organization’s International Trade Center in Geneva, helping Ukrainian exporters enter the EU market.

DeMoss spent his final semester of law school in KU Law’s Sixth Semester in D.C. Program. He met alumni who had similar professional interests — even one who had worked on legal development issues in Eurasia.

“I also gained experience at an international trade law practice and worked on my legal writing and research skills at the National Association of Attorneys General,” he said. “I attended events for Eurasia specialists and a conference about contemporary legal issues in anti-corruption enforcement and compliance.”

After graduation, DeMoss worked on a State Department program with American Councils. Through the FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) Program, he led teams in Kazakhstan and Ukraine in testing, evaluating and interviewing students for possible study in the United States.

“I took the contract job while waiting for the PMF results and to get more international experience and practice my Russian and Ukrainian,” DeMoss said.

The PMF program was created by executive order in 1977 to develop potential government leaders. It provides extensive on-the-job leadership and management training to advanced degree candidates through two-year, paid positions at federal agencies.

— By Mindie Paget