Law student, veteran named finalist in prestigious federal leadership program

kevin-anderson-blog

With an eye toward a career in public service, 2016 graduate Kevin Anderson weighs multiple employment opportunities

A University of Kansas law student with a history of military service has been named a finalist in one of the nation’s most competitive fellowship programs.

Capt. Kevin Anderson earned the designation of 2016 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.

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. Anderson is set to graduate from KU Law in May 2016 and will have one year to apply for PMF positions.

He is also entertaining offers from the Army, Navy and Air Force JAG Corps, a rare trifecta in a competitive program.

“I’m interested in federal service,” said Anderson, who has remained active in the Army National Guard during law school. “While money is important, it is not my main motivator.”

Anderson hopes to work in the intelligence community supporting national security. His interest in the field began while earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Colorado State University and the University of Colorado, respectively. Five years of active duty as a signal officer in the U.S. Army followed, including a 12-month deployment to Iraq, where Anderson was responsible for the health, morale, welfare and training of 67 soldiers.

With the continued draw-down of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Anderson saw diminishing opportunities for future deployments and decided the timing was right to continue his education. He left his post in Hawaii, moved to Kansas and started taking classes at KU Law in 2013.

In addition to his coursework, Anderson has served as a teaching assistant for the Law of War class taught by Professor Mike Hoeflich, whom Anderson considers an invaluable mentor and friend. Anderson also clerked at an Overland Park law firm and worked as a legal intern for U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts. He credits that experience with enhancing his application for the PMF program and the JAG Corps.

“A lot of students interested in the intelligence field don’t take the proactive step of working for a senator or representative,” Anderson said. “I would highly suggest they do that because it opens a lot of doors.”

As Anderson decides which door to walk through next, he’s wrapping up final exams and staying busy as the father of two sons, 5-month-old Calvin and 3-year-old Benjamin. His wife of six years, Jenn Anderson, is associate director of institutional compliance at KU.

“We’re trying to move this country forward,” Anderson said. “Ultimately I would like to run for federal office. You have your sphere of influence in the Department of Defense, but when you get into federal office you can affect change on a national level. Hopefully it will be ‘Vote Anderson 2024.’”

— By Mindie Paget

Graduate’s legacy of activism, service fostered in law school

Rusty Leffel, L'73

Photo courtesy of University Archives

Rusty Leffel arrived on the KU campus as an undergraduate in 1966 and stayed until he finished law school in 1973. In his seven years on the Hill, student life evolved from a social experience to a political one. As a student leader, Leffel helped usher in that change.

“When I first came to KU the student council was based in social groups — fraternities and sororities, living groups,” Leffel said. “I had a substance-based agenda. I stayed at KU Law in part because I had a list of things I believed needed to be done at KU.” Leffel devoted his time in Lawrence to reforming student government, bolstering its impact on the university’s mission. “We declared war on the old way,” Leffel said. “We were dedicated to making student government more issue-oriented.”

As the student body became more active and vocal, unrest surfaced. The Kansas Union was set on fire, and the computer center was bombed. National Guard troops were called in to patrol, and faculty and students spent the night on campus to protect buildings.

“People were mad. We started seeing the Legislature cut funding for KU. As students, we felt we had a stake in this. We needed to express our concern that higher education is important. So we did.”

While some students protested national issues, Leffel and his fellow activists advocated for local initiatives. “Vietnam was not really something the Student Senate could control, so we went back to the people of Kansas,” Leffel said. “What can we do?”

Leffel helped found Students Concerned for Higher Education in Kansas, a group dedicated to getting results through dialogue and cooperation rather than disruption. “We tried to encourage every student group on campus to express their concerns, to express the importance of higher ed individually and to our state,” Leffel said.

KU’s student government responded to the state’s budget cuts by proposing that funds raised from student activity fees cover the shortfall. SCHE mobilized a campus-wide campaign to explore the role of student activity fees in the university’s budget, and the Student Senate measure was narrowly defeated. Gov. Docking vetoed the cuts and funding was restored, an outcome Leffel called “highly successful.”

Years after he graduated, Leffel’s legacy continues. KU still presents the Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award annually to students committed to furthering the ideals of the university and higher education, a gesture that “humbles” and “overjoys” Leffel.

He credits his legal education with bringing a lawyer’s sensibilities to his activism. “It helps us to understand both sides of an issue — to study, research, present and advocate for all sides of a concern,” Leffel said. “The underpinning of democracy is the ability to argue, discuss and dialogue. Students at KU Law were prepared not just to be lawyers, but to be citizens.”

— A version of this post appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of KU Law Magazine. The issue celebrated the career of Martin Dickinson, KU Law’s longest-serving professor, and included reflections from several of Dickinson’s former students. 

Human trafficking victim starting new life in U.S. with help from KU Law student

No more interviews with the Department of Homeland Security, no more meetings with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, no more facing her traffickers in court. The criminal case was finally closed. Now she was living in a foreign country, away from family and friends, with minimal funds, unable to speak English, and wanted to stay in the U.S. to avoid retaliation from her traffickers. This was the client I was assigned during the Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) externship orientation.

hill-henning-72dpiI have never felt so nervous than I did when I left the MLP orientation. And I have never felt so confident and excited about pursing a legal career than I did on my last day at the MLP.

Orientation day for the MLP was the most overwhelming day I’ve experienced during law school. I walked out of the office with a client who had been a victim of human trafficking, a book about T and U visas (something I knew nothing about), and a list of people I had never met with whom I needed to schedule meetings. I had never had a real client, conducted an interview, worked with an interpreter, or written anything more complex than a summary judgment. I felt incredibly unprepared to take on my client’s task and was beyond scared that someone’s future had been placed in my hands.

My one semester in the MLP gave me invaluable practical experience. My first task was a trivial one — make a phone call. But I had to call the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ask for copies of documents filed during the criminal trial of the traffickers. My hands were shaking as I dialed the number. By the end of the semester I was on a first-name basis with my contacts in various government offices. My MLP experience taught me more than just how to do legal research, fill out forms, and write. It taught me how to connect with my client and maintain emotional health, showed me the importance of networking with people who aren’t lawyers, and that legal work is much more complex than class materials ever intimated.

I ended my time with the MLP by turning over an almost 2-inch-tall stack of papers that was my client’s T visa application. It needed one final review and would then be sent off. I walked out of the MLP confident in my work. For the first time during school, I felt like I had accomplished something. That day I was sure I was pursuing the right career.

Ten months later I received a phone call from the MLP office. My client’s T visa had been approved. The gravity of what I had worked on for an entire semester truly came into focus at that moment. I had helped make a real difference for a real person. This was my best day during law school. My MLP experience showed me that true success as a legal advocate is achieved when your client succeeds.

— Monica Hill Henning is a third-year KU Law student from Kingman, Kansas. She is set to graduate in May 2016.

Top Five Law School Myths

Sarah McMillin-Beckman and friends

Sarah McMillin-Beckman, far right, gathers with classmates at Women in Law’s annual Pub Night Gala.

Myth # 1: You won’t have time to have a social life in law school.

While I spent more time in the law library this year than I ever thought possible, I’ve still had plenty of time for other activities. Which is good because there are lots of opportunities to get involved at KU. There are 28 student organizations at the law school alone, and over 600 campus-wide. There are also plenty of social events such as Barrister’s Ball (Law Prom), Pub Night and TGITs.

Myth # 2:  Everyone at KU will be from Kansas, and everyone will stay in Kansas after graduating.

I love Kansas. But after growing up near Fort Riley, an Army base, I recognize the immense value in having a student body that has a diverse set of experiences. At KU, the Class of 2018 includes students from 25 states and three foreign countries.

While KU does an excellent job placing students in regional jobs, the school also has a large network of dedicated alumni working outside of Kansas who offer invaluable assistance to students hoping to travel with their degree.

Myth # 3: Professors will teach “the law.”

When I came to law school, I expected to learn black-letter law by listening to lecturing professors. But instead of rote memorization of cases and statutes, law school has been more about actively learning how to “think like a lawyer.” Instead of focusing exclusively on legal theory, there are plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning while still in school. The school offers several workshops and twelve clinics, where students can earn school credits by improving practical skills.

Myth # 4:  If you want to go to law school, you have to major in Political Science or Philosophy.

There is no major that will perfectly prepare you for law school. Focus on taking classes that will advance writing and critical thinking skills. At KU, there are a wide variety of college majors represented. As someone who received degrees in Political Science and History, it’s refreshing to take classes with students who bring many unique perspectives.

Myth # 5:  School rank is the most important factor when deciding which law school to attend.

Law school experiences are difficult to quantify. While national ranking systems can be a helpful tool, they shouldn’t be the only thing you consider. For some ranking systems, cost of attendance makes up only 15% of the overall score. For me, cost was incredibly important, because I didn’t want to graduate with a level of debt so high that it would determine my entire career path.

There were also plenty of factors that were important to me but impossible to assign a numerical value. I wanted professors who were accessible, a career service office that would invest time in getting to know each student, and an environment where students were collegial and welcoming. Visiting the law school made it clear that KU was the best fit for me.

— Sarah McMillin-Beckman is a 1L and KU Law Student Ambassador from Junction City, Kansas.

Former teacher found calling as pioneer woman attorney at KU Law

Judge Jean Shepherd, L’77, was one of the KU Law women pioneers of the 1970s. Like several of her women classmates, Shepherd pursued law as a second career, leaving behind the fields traditionally open to women at the time. When she entered law school in 1974, Shepherd was a non-traditional student, a single mother and a former high school teacher. The campus had changed since she completed her undergraduate degree in 1968. Women were wearing jeans to class, and students were consumed with the Vietnam War and civil rights, which resulted in a more “aware and involved” student experience.

“I graduated in January of 1968,” Shepherd said. “Things were really changing on campus. When I was an undergrad the big ruckus was women not wearing dresses to class. Those were such non-issues when I came back for law school in 1974. Students were focused on larger issues. We were much more aware of the world and the country. It was no longer this idyllic, Midwestern isolated college experience. It was much more aware and involved.”

Though the atmosphere on campus was one of engagement and action, the KU Law community was still adjusting to women studying in Green Hall. “We had a little bathroom with just two stalls, and there would always be a long line coming out the door,” Shepherd said. “It wasn’t set up for women students at that point.”

Judge Jean Shepherd, L'77

Judge Jean Shepherd, L’77, pictured at left.

Aside from the logistical issues, more fundamental challenges existed as well.

“I was a single parent,” Shepherd said. “I found out we were expected to have Saturday classes. I didn’t have child care. I went to Martin Dickinson, gathered all my courage, and said, ‘I don’t have day care for Saturday classes and can’t make that work.’ He rearranged my schedule, which was unheard of. But that was it for me. It meant I was able to stay.”

Shepherd and her women classmates banded together to tackle the challenges, developing deep friendships, professional connections, and a spirit of camaraderie and cooperation that continues today.

“I just remember how close the women in my class were, and it certainly wasn’t because we all had similar interests,” Shepherd said. “There was a woman who was a harp major and sold real estate, a woman who was a nun, women from a variety of first careers. There were not a lot of us, but we were really close. We ate lunch together and encouraged each other. It took that kind of a process for us to feel comfortable enough to stay there and get through it.”

Though she left teaching behind, Shepherd maintained her commitment to children and families throughout her law practice and judicial career.

“I always valued areas of the law that related to children and families and thought that’s where a difference could be made for the future,” Shepherd said. “In law school I was head of the juvenile clinic, and we represented children in court. When I first started practicing, I was in the DA’s office, so I prosecuted cases involving child victims. When I was in private practice I represented children and families in abuse and neglect cases. In those situations you have one or a few clients and can really advocate for and get to know them. As a judge you’re not an advocate for a child, but I could advocate for system changes and programs that would help children and families involved in the courts system.”

Shepherd also credits her teaching background with making her a more effective judge.

“I think teaching was the best training I had for being in control of a courtroom,” Shepherd said. “There’s a lot of teaching that goes on–explaining people’s rights and the process. There’s a look that students and adults get when they’re nodding their heads but don’t understand. You need to recognize that look and rephrase things, find other words to use so people can get some clarity. Sometimes the excuses people use are like all those excuses for why homework didn’t get done, only at a different level.

“In teaching, you learn how to act like you’re in charge even though you’re not sure you are, and there were certainly moments like that in the courtroom. You make really important decisions and you mete out consequences that are hopefully appropriate, but people have to understand the process. If people feel they’ve been heard and if they feel they understand what happened, there are very few complaints.”

– A version of this post appeared in the fall 2015 issue of KU Law magazine. The issue celebrated the career of Martin Dickinson, KU Law’s longest-serving professor, and included reflections from several of Dickinson’s former students. 

KU Law basketball campers ‘love, cry and bleed crimson and blue’

Neil's Atomic Fireballs

Neil’s Atomic Fireballs is the unofficially official University of Kansas School of Law camping group. For over 20 years, law students from KU have been waiting, scheming, and plotting in the concourse at Allen Fieldhouse before every home men’s basketball game. In 1995 we finally gave ourselves a name: Neil’s Atomic Fireballs. The law school camping group is one of the longest-running camping groups at the university, rich in tradition. We are proud to occupy our small corner of that history.

Our name was chosen in honor of the late Neil Dougherty, who was an assistant basketball coach under head coach Roy Williams from 1995 until 2002. He was known for handing out Atomic Fireball candies to players who did well in practice.

For those of you unfamiliar with the process, camping or a lottery or some variation of either or a combination of both is a well-established and time-honored tradition at many of our nation’s elite basketball programs.

At Kansas, we do it all: We use a lottery to determine the order of entry. We camp to stay in that order. We do it for every game, whether it is an exhibition game against Washburn; a get-up game against Kentucky, North Carolina, or Duke; or a renewing-the-hate game against that team to the west of us in Manhattan. We do lottery. We camp. For every single game. There is a reason that our student section was voted the inaugural Naismith Student Section of the Year.

We don’t just care. We love, we cry, and we bleed crimson and blue with every heartbreaking loss and every shining moment.

Here is how the process generally works:

Groups are put on a list in the order that they show up at Allen Fieldhouse. The closer a group is to the top of the list, the better seats its members can get. From the time that the group signs up on the list until two hours before game time, at least one member of the group must be in the Fieldhouse all day.

Groups verify that someone is present from every group by randomly calling roll. Any camper can call the roll at any time, and if any group isn’t present for a roll call, that group gets crossed off the list.

Finally, two hours before game time, a final roll is called. The groups then get to line up according to their order on the list and enter the Fieldhouse first, before any other students or general admission ticket holders. Each group can have up to 15 members in line. This is still no guarantee that you will get the seats of your choice, though. Once groups enter the doors, it’s then a mad scramble to get to the seats they want and an even greater battle to save seats for cohorts!

Law students, of course, have our own way of organizing things. We have a point system to decide the order we get to go into games. However, it’s also easy to get to go if you aren’t in the camping group. As a 1L, it’s been a great way to get to know law students I would not have met otherwise. This season, we got to sit in the front row multiple times. Whether you’re a casual fan going to your first game at Allen Fieldhouse or a die-hard fan who camps for every game, Neil’s Atomic Fireballs is a great experience to have in law school.

— Claire Kebodeaux is a 1L and KU Law Student Ambassador from Olathe, Kansas.