KU Law Blog

1L thankful for friends, librarians and theater-worthy hypotheticals

My first semester at KU Law is winding down and Thanksgiving break is this week. During my time as an undergraduate, Thanksgiving was a break from school and work. In law school, all my 2Ls and 3L friends tell me the exact opposite: It’s finals season. Before the long nights at the library and cramming for exams begin, I thought it would be appropriate to think about what I have been thankful for during the first semester of my 1L year. So, below are the top six things I am most thankful for at KU Law!

1. The librarians

I can’t even begin to describe how helpful and awesome the librarians are at KU Law. Who do you go to if you are researching something and are stuck? The librarians. Who do you go to if you are having a problem with Blackboard? The librarians. Who do you go to if you want to see cute pictures of dogs? The librarians. Who do you go to if you need advice? The librarians. I think you are seeing a common trend here.

2. My professors’ unique teaching styles

KU Law professors all have their unique teaching styles that manage to keep students really engaged. Professor Kautsch re-enacts fact patterns of tort cases with clip art and sometimes with the help of my theater-major roommate. Professor Lucas gives in-depth hypotheticals about his love for Mercury Cougars. Professor Hines draws maps on the board with stunning accuracy — if you are into abstract art. All of them care deeply about the subject they are teaching and us as students. KU truly has a high class of professors.

3. The Roasterie in the DeBruce Center

Having a phenomenal coffee shop a two-minute walk from Green Hall is clutch.

4. Free pizza

I feel like 73 percent of my diet in Green Hall is pizza. Two or three times a week, an organization or the Career Services Office puts on presentations over lunch. They almost always provide lunch, and it is almost always pizza. You will get to know the pizza places of Lawrence very well.

5. My bomb Lawyering professor

Every 1L takes Lawyering Skills, where we learn how to write and research like a lawyer. My small section had Professor Keller as our Lawyering professor. Despite the stress of writing our open memos, Professor Keller kept our class fun, challenging and engaging. She put up with all our questions and shenanigans over the entire semester, and we emerged as stronger legal writers.

6. My supportive small section

1L year would have been awful without my small section. These 20 people took all the same classes I did, and I became close to all of them. They know when to be serious and when to relax and have fun. We just had a Friendsgiving and everyone made amazing food. I do not know what I would do without this squad.

— Jake Turner is a 1L and KU Law Student Ambassador from Mission, Kansas.

From hiking trails to Nationals games

Future Jayhawk lawyer relishes D.C. experience

3L Ciara Malone took time away from her internship to network with alumni at KU Law’s D.C. reception in June.

This summer I worked and lived in D.C. and cannot wait to go back. Working with incredible D.C. and Virginia attorneys cemented my desire to be part of the legal community there. Landing an internship in D.C. was not easy. Getting advice from KU alumni in the area was a huge help in understanding the legal culture and knowing what to expect at D.C. firms. I was also helped by personal connections to lawyers in the area. I used these connections to target specific litigation firms. I sent out resumes and detailed, firm-specific cover letters. I flew to D.C. in August 2015 and spent a week going to as many interviews as I could schedule. Through these efforts, I landed an internship at Ashcraft & Gerel LLP, a great plaintiff’s civil litigation firm.

I worked in Ashcraft & Gerel’s D.C. and Alexandria offices, switching back and forth between mass torts and workers’ compensation. These two areas are very different, and I was able to get a broad range of experience. In workers’ comp I responded to interrogatories, prepared motions for court, drafted settlement demand letters, and attended hearings. Workers’ comp taught me the importance of the local bar. D.C.’s bar is not as big as you might expect, and maintaining positive working relationships across the aisle is essential.

In the mass torts division, I researched different jurisdiction’s laws, wrote memos, and compiled and organized client data. Our firm worked with firms from all over the country. Efficiently working with attorneys in different firms and time zones is a much-needed skill. I enjoyed the work and loved working with Ashcraft & Gerel.

Malone and her girlfriend, Rachel Bunner, in front of trees and rock outcroppings.

Malone and her girlfriend, Rachel Bunner, hike Bear Island’s Billy Goat Trail just outside of Washington, D.C.

I also loved living in D.C. The area is filled with exciting and delicious experiences. One of my favorite discoveries was Union Market, a warehouse filled with vendors serving delicious food from all over the world. D.C. also has a great sports culture. I went to a Nationals baseball game and had an incredible time surrounded by Nationals’ fans.

If I ever got home sick for Lawrence, I would visit Old Town, Alexandria. Old Town is a cute, Lawrence-esque small town within a large city. I also enjoyed getting out of the D.C. area. There are wonderful national and state parks not far from the city. Bear Island, 30 minutes outside of D.C., had the best hiking trail I have ever been on. The trail involved scrambling up cliffs, jumping from rock to rock, and taking in incredible views.

I very much enjoyed my summer and am excited to start my career in D.C. after I graduate. My internship gave me first-hand exposure to the area’s legal culture and introduced me to aspects of D.C. I had never seen before.

Malone and Bunner wearing baseball caps at stadium at night.

Malone and Bunner take in a Nationals game.

My advice to anyone considering a career or internship in D.C. is to find a way to travel there to network and job search. It can be difficult to convince smaller firms and government agencies to fly you out for an interview. It is a lot easier to convince a firm to interview you when you will already be in the area. Ask our KU Law Career Services Office for contacts in the D.C. area. There are many alumni living and working in D.C. who are willing to give advice and point you in the right direction.

— Ciara Malone is a 3L from Overland Park, Kansas.

From weekend competitors to Jayhawk lawyers-in-training

David Hammack, fourth from right in back row, and Jordan Kane, far right in middle row, with their mock trial teammates in 2014.

Mock trial prepares undergraduates for law school

KU Law provides ample opportunities for students to gain hands-on courtroom experience, but for some future Jayhawk lawyers, the training began long before stepping foot in Green Hall. KU is home to a growing mock trial program that allows undergraduate students of all academic majors to participate in simulated courtroom trials. For some students, mock trial is a fun weekend diversion and a great opportunity to make new connections and brush up on presentation and analytical skills. For others, it’s all that plus the first step in launching a legal career.

2L David Hammack built on his undergraduate mock trial experience by pursuing law school at KU. The program provided public speaking experience and an introduction to the legal system. “The first time I stood up to give a cross examination, I remember my legs shaking so bad I thought I wouldn’t be able to walk,” Hammack said. “After a while, it became second nature. I came from a family with no legal background, so it was invaluable to learn some of the procedure and terminology.”

Classmate and former teammate Jordan Kane agrees. “It wasn’t until I was in law school that I realized how much mock trial benefited me,” Kane said. “It gave me great context for understanding the content I was learning in my courses. It also gave me practical knowledge about trials that most law students do not learn until their second or third year of law school.” Kane learned the basic structure of a trial, from how to give opening and closing statements, to questioning witnesses, to using Federal Rules of Evidence. Mock trial also teaches students proper courtroom decorum, teamwork and strategy.

Kane and Hammack, then graduating seniors, at the team’s 2015 awards banquet.

Hammack and Kane note that few things compare to the rigor and intensity of the first year of law school, but mock trial offers a foundation for the practical skills lawyers need to succeed, including oral advocacy and familiarity with trial procedures.

“The first year of law school was fairly different than mock trial because most of what first year involved was studying and reading case law,” Kane said. “In my second year, there has been a lot of use for my mock trial experience. For example, I am taking evidence and I have already had four years of experience applying the Federal Rules of Evidence.”

Hammack and Kane continue to expand their practical skills experience. Hammack participated in the Judicial Field Placement and serves as chief en banc of Traffic Court, while Kane interns with the Project for Innocence. Both plan to participate in moot court and will compete as partners.

“I would absolutely recommend mock trial to anyone considering litigation,” Kane said. “During four years of undergrad, I’ve participated in over 60 mock trials. Through those experiences I developed courtroom presence and invaluable practice being an attorney in a competitive setting.”

First-year law student Tyler Fix, 2L Daniel Hilliard and 3L Eric Wilson also participated in KU’s undergraduate mock trial program. KU will host its annual Jayhawk Invitational Mock Trial Tournament in Lawrence Dec. 3-4, 2016. See our previous post about the team, and check out the latest on KU Law’s new mock trial program. Learn more about the KU mock trial program on Facebook and Twitter.

– By Emily Sharp

Devoted to public service

KU Law student leverages EJW Conference to launch legal career

As a 1L, Emily Dutcher spent a month volunteering at Cape Town’s Project Abroad Human Rights Office, providing legal aid in vast shanty towns of over a million people. Demand for assistance was so acute that client lines snaked out the clinic door.

“The disparity in wealth, education and resources simply left them without knowledge of any of their rights,” Dutcher said. “They were always so happy when we told them they weren’t allowed to be treated a certain way.”

Dutcher’s experience in South Africa cemented her passion for a legal career focused on public service.

Back in the states, she applied to attend the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair in Washington, D.C. The conference is the largest career fair of its kind, allowing students to network and interview with more than 150 employers from across the country. The KU Law Career Services Office paid all expenses for Dutcher and 12 other students to participate in 2015.

With a focus on landing a summer field placement near Charlotte, North Carolina, Dutcher interviewed with both the public defender’s and prosecutor’s office from that community and others. Before she had even returned to Kansas, Dutcher received an offer from the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office – an offer she ultimately accepted.

KU Law student Emily Dutcher (front row, second from left) with fellow interns at the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I spent my days in front of judges, advocating for indigent clients who were told daily that because they were poor they weren’t able to have certain things in life,” Dutcher said. “The goal of my office was to provide good, honest, hard-working counsel and to treat defendants as human beings. My clients were grateful and surprised anyone cared for them, and that firmly grounded me in the public defender world.”

Dutcher worked alongside students from law schools like Duke, Virginia, Wake Forest, NYU, George Washington and UCLA. They served adult clients charged with criminal offenses in state trial courts, learning from the more than 60 attorneys who handle cases in the office. Inspired by that experience, Dutcher hopes to secure a public defender position after graduation.

“I am certain I would not have gotten the job in Charlotte had I not attended EJW last October. It’s a great chance for those who want to work outside of the Midwest to meet with employers face to face,” Dutcher said. “Nailing down a summer job early gave me peace of mind, and Career Services made sure the trip was one to remember. There was even an alumni event that allowed students to network with Jayhawk lawyers in D.C.”

Dutcher will return to the nation’s capital this month with 16 other KU Law students attending the 2016 EJW Conference and Career Fair as guests of KU Law’s Career Services Office. Several of them are preparing to spend their final leg of law school in KU Law’s 6th Semester in D.C. Program, working in field placements at government agencies, nonprofits and NGOs while taking classes from KU Law faculty and establishing a professional network in D.C.

For Dutcher, who thoroughly enjoyed her time in Charlotte last summer, a public interest job in North or South Carolina is the ultimate goal.

“The skills we learn in law school are valuable and unique,” she said. “I want to use my skills to help others who may otherwise be at a loss.”

— By Mindie Paget

Early to law school and loving it

First impressions from an accelerated degree student

I am about halfway into my first semester of law school and I can say, without hesitation, that I’ve gotten myself into the most fulfilling, outrageous, exhausting, formative, wonderful journey of my life. It’s not like what I expected, though.

I am a member of the first cohort of KU’s Legal Education Accelerated Degree six-year BA+JD program. The LEAD program pre-admits students from high school, so I’ve been set on going to KU Law since I was 18 years old.

In anticipation of my ultimate foray into this law thing, the last three years I had been building up many expectations of how I thought it would be. The first months of law school have been a bull in my china shop of expectations. In order to shed some light for undergrad LEADers or those considering law school, I’d like to share some of these expectations and compare them to reality as a neophyte in the field of law.

Expectation

“Law school is for people who are boring and ugly and serious.” — Elle’s dad from “Legally Blonde”

Reality

The people here are serious, no doubt. Most of my colleagues have years of work experience, amazing life stories, or other graduate degrees – and they mean business when they come to law school. Being surrounded by this caliber of people is both inspiring and humbling, and might be my favorite part of the whole thing. However, the people are anything but boring or ugly. We gather for a ton of social events such as weekly bar crawls, tailgates, Halloween parties, casino nights, happy hours with professors, and even a Law Prom. There are many opportunities to forge friendships, and the common experience of being law students strengthens these friendships to the point where I know they’ll last a lifetime.

Expectation

Being a lawyer is about verbally outmaneuvering your enemies in the courtroom.

Reality

No, it is nothing like “Suits” or “Law & Order” — sorry. Being a lawyer is about diligently researching a topic by spending many hours reading previously decided cases with similar issues and looking for precedent. Moreover, the vast majority of cases will never go to trial, so the big thrill for lawyers is writing a good document, not dropping evidence bombs in front of a jury. Reading comprehension and written analysis are definitely the key skills, not being able to use “verisimilitude” conversationally. So don’t worry if public speaking isn’t your thing.

Expectation

Law school probably won’t be that much harder than undergrad.

Reality

Wrong. But the work is infinitely more interesting and usable, so it is actually enjoyable. Also, although the work load is substantially higher on a daily basis, it is a blessing in disguise. One of my biggest takeaways so far is a new appreciation for the value of my time. You can definitely see this same appreciation among professors and other students as well. People in this field learn how to work hard and efficiently so they can carve out time for the things they enjoy most in life.

I never could have foreseen just what law school would be like, but so far I am anything but disappointed.

— Nate Crosser is a first-year law student and KU Law Student Ambassador from Lenexa, Kansas. He is a member of the inaugural LEAD Program class. The deadline to apply for the accelerated degree program is Dec. 1.

Couple says ‘thank you’ with gift for future law students

Roger Viola’s KU Law degree has opened many doors in his life, both professionally and personally. He and his wife recently responded by creating a scholarship.

Consider it a note of sincere thanks.

“I have had the opportunity to work in several interesting and rewarding legal fields, and none of this would have been possible without my KU Law degree,” said Viola, L’74. “I had the good fortune of having some of the best law professors in the country. The scholarship is one way to say thank you to such a great group of faculty for all they’ve done for me.”

The Violas established the Roger and Karen Viola Law Scholarship with an initial $15,000 gift and a three-year pledge to increase the fund to $30,000. The need-based award is reserved for a recipient who graduated from a Kansas high school.

“While our scholarship is currently modest in size, we hope to increase it during our lifetime and through our estate,” Viola said. “Karen and I look forward to meeting many of these students and following their progress.”

Now retired, Roger Viola worked in a variety of legal settings during his career, including private law firms, corporations, state agencies and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, he led the Topeka Community Foundation as president from 2007-2016. His daughter, Cori, graduated from KU Law in 2016.

PHOTO | Roger Viola, L’74 (right) and his wife, Karen (left), celebrate the 2016 KU Law graduation of their daughter Cori. Karen is holding granddaughter Rose Loftus (Cori’s niece), who joined the festivities.

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