KU Law Blog

What’s It Like to Have Your Mom in Law School?

Sometimes I like to pretend that I am no different than any other law student. After all, each of us has particular strengths and challenges that make his or her time in law school unique. However, I suppose I am a bit different because my exceptional circumstances have 4 different names: Francesca, Peter, Bella, and Eden.

Instead of me talking about what it’s like to be a mom in law school, I thought I would ask my kids what it’s like to have their mom be an attorney-in-training.

What do you think your mom learns about each day in law school?

Bella (age 7):
She learns about how you should act in public. And she probably takes a lot of tests.

Eden (age 5):
I think Mom learns about taking care of her kids, and also I think she learns about how to drive a car.

What does a lawyer do?

Bella (age 7):
Goes to court.

Eden (age 5)
I think a lawyer studies. I also think lawyers talk to people.

What has been difficult about having your mom in law school?

Francesca (age 11):
We don’t get to see her as much. But we know that she’s working towards helping us because she will have a good job.

Peter (age 10):
Whenever we get into a fight, Mom talks about court things and what we would do if we were in a court to solve the problem. Why can’t we talk about it like normal?

Bella (age 7):
Mom has to study a lot.

What is cool about your mom being in law school?

Francesca (age 11):
In class when we talk about the law, I can say that my mom is in law school. And we get to learn a little bit more about the law because Mom teaches us.

Peter (age 10):
I’ve learned so many things about the law that I did not know about before. Like the Constitution.

Bella (age 7):
When she does it, it makes her happy and she feels proud of herself.

— Alison Dessert is a 1L and KU Law Student Ambassador from Lawrence, Kansas.

‘KU Law just feels like home’

Claire Kebodeaux (center) enjoys a KU Law tradition — Women in Law’s Pub Night — with law school friends.

If you had told 18-year-old me that I would be attending law school in Kansas, I would have laughed. After growing up 45 minutes from Lawrence, I managed to attend undergrad somewhere as far away and different from Kansas as possible — Miami, Florida. I thought I was going to stay there forever. When I began my law school decision process, KU was never the front-runner.

That changed when I visited. Everything I had heard about the people being the best part of KU Law was absolutely true, and I was sold.

I walked in on the first day of orientation not knowing what to expect, but I immediately found people to connect with and realized the room was full of people genuinely wanting to meet each other. I bonded with a group of girls over our love of Fuzzy’s Tacos and hot cheese. Being placed in a small section made making friends easy. My section played intramural volleyball in the fall and somehow decided to let me stay on the team even though I hit the ball a total of zero times. During finals, my study group and I alternated between studying and playing ping pong (more studying than anything else, though, I promise).

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop — where were all the competitive, ruthless, and vindictive people I had heard law school attracts? Eventually, I realized they aren’t here. People at KU Law — students, professors, staff — all want you to succeed.

The friends I have made at KU Law have made all the difference. Law school is hard. Really hard, actually. But being surrounded by supportive, insightful, and compassionate people makes a hard time so much easier. I’ve only been here one semester, but I can’t picture myself anywhere else.

KU Law just feels like home.

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

A window into the policy process: Grant Treaster, L’15

Participating in Professor Jennifer Schmidt’s Public Policy Clinic convinced Grant Treaster of the value of gaining legal research and policy analysis skills in a hands-on learning environment. When enrollment opened for Professor Schmidt’s Legislative Clinic, Treaster took advantage of the opportunity.

Students meet weekly, but most learning takes place at the statehouse in Topeka, where students intern with legislators. Treaster was paired with Sen. Jeff King of Independence, who serves as vice-president of the Senate and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Treaster conducted legal research, compiled data, wrote memos and presented his findings to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a rare opportunity for a student intern. His work centered on a bill to increase penalties for drunk drivers whose actions result in bodily harm to their victims. While Kansas previously charged drunk drivers who killed their victims with felonies, those whose victims were injured but did not die faced only misdemeanor charges. Treaster researched sentencing guidelines and compiled data, which he shared during his presentation.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Treaster said. “But after spending the whole semester there, going to meetings, getting to know senators, researching in depth, it ended up being fun and interesting.” Ultimately, Treaster followed the bill’s journey from the initial drafting stages, through committee, to passage on the floor.

Legislative Clinic students write a reflection paper at the end of the semester. Treaster came away with two surprising conclusions: how complicated Kansas politics is, and how small a role partisan politics plays in the political process. “I realized you cannot look to a person’s party label and know how they’re going to vote,” Treaster said. “You have to dig deeper to determine where someone lies. It didn’t seem like interest groups and some of the more cynical things we associate with politics were happening on a big level. It really seemed like on both sides of the aisle, senators were voting based on their beliefs, views and instincts. That was refreshing to see.”

Treaster currently puts his research and analysis skills to work as a law clerk for Judge Julie Robinson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. “Having the background from the policy and legislative clinics sets me apart from students who focused solely on civil or criminal research,” Treaster said. “It definitely helps me in doing the job.”

Treaster touts the invaluable networking opportunities the clinic provides and the legal experience for those pursuing government or litigation careers. “You get to work closely with all kinds of people in Kansas government, from research offices to the Attorney General’s office, to different state agencies,” he said. “It provides a great window into how policy is formed.”

Learn more about KU Law’s clinical opportunities.

Experiencing Work and Life in India

This summer I had the opportunity to work as an intern with the firm J. Sagar and Associates in Gurgaon, India, a suburb of New Delhi. I got the job by talking to a former KU Law student, Aqmar Rahman, who had done the same program. I went with the hope of working in international trade law and experiencing a new culture.

Baumgartner visiting the Baha’i House of Worship in New Delhi.

I worked alongside 10 other interns, all from various parts of India. This turned out to be quite the stroke of luck. In terms of work, the other interns helped me navigate the Indian legal landscape, introducing me to Westlaw India and explaining how to find government agency orders, a common work project. Outside of work, the other interns did everything from teach me Hindi phrases to help me catch buses. We ate lunch together in our building’s top-floor café with a nice view of the city.

The work itself, like most legal work in my experience so far, ranged from the exciting to the technical. In the former category were advising the head competition law partner on a question of U.S. antitrust law and researching state requirements for setting up an alcohol manufacturing plant, while the latter included a tedious calculation of the average time the EU Competition Commission has taken to review mergers over the past three years. I did a variety of legal research projects–looking up government orders, exploring antitrust issues, and examining factors influencing and inhibiting the growth of the Indian logistics sector.

My most enriching project was researching the tax laws on setting up an alcohol manufacturing facility in different Indian states. I didn’t have any background in tax law or Indian law, but after learning how to navigate Indian research tools, I was able to find answers. The project gave me the feeling that if I can figure out something like this, which I had absolutely no clue about before I started, I can probably figure out most things.

In addition to work, I was thankful for the opportunity to travel and experience the Indian culture. In just this small area of the country, there was an incredible amount of religious, linguistic and culinary diversity. The fact that India can function as a democracy with this kind of diversity never ceased to amaze me. I was able to see the Taj Mahal and the Sikh’s Golden Temple and went on a memorable three-day hiking and camping adventure in the Himalayas. I also went ice skating in a mall with my fellow interns, something I certainly hadn’t expected to do in India.

Regardless of the specific project, since J. Sagar is a “big law” firm in India, practically all the work involved an international component or some nationwide matter. I enjoyed being exposed to these big-picture issues, and the experience helped me realize that I may enjoy working in a large firm. Many thanks to J. Sagar for making this experience possible for me.

-Ben Baumgartner is a third-year law student from Hesston, Kansas.

Egyptian Fulbright scholar embraces college-town experience while earning doctoral degree

Fulbright scholar Ahmed Mansour is calling Lawrence home for the next three years, and just a semester into his stay, he’s taking the Fulbright’s mission of mutual cooperation and cultural exchange to heart.

A native of Luxor, Egypt, Mansour completed his undergraduate degree in English and Sharia Law at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, then earned an LL.M. in intellectual property from the University of Derby in England. After returning to Al-Azhar to teach and practice at a Cairo law firm, Mansour applied for the Fulbright program, which increases global understanding and cooperation through scholarly exchanges. Mansour will earn his Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) at KU Law before returning to his practice and teaching duties at Al-Azhar.

“Having Ahmed here is exciting,” said Professor Mike Hoeflich, Mansour’s faculty advisor. “Like all of our S.JD. students, he is a bright, young foreign lawyer, and the first to receive a Fulbright. This marks a major milestone in the growth of our program and shows the quality reputation our school, faculty and students enjoy at the highest levels.”

“It’s huge to have two different legal experiences,” Mansour said. “I already have a French and Latin legal background, so when I started to work in common law, I found little differences. I started to see how the two systems can get mutual benefit from each other.”

Mansour’s research interests center around intellectual property law — specifically how IP regulations affect access to pharmaceutical products in Muslim countries.

“Islamic law understands the value of having property protected, but it also protects people who need access,” Mansour said. “It’s hugely important in many countries around the Middle East these days. Fewer people are lobbying the pharmaceutical industry, which is setting prices regardless of the financial status of many people. Islamic law puts some rules in favor of society and public interest.”

The differences in educational systems have proved illuminating, too. “Most of the courses I’ve taken in the UK are more theoretical, philosophical,” Mansour said. “Here it’s more practical — perfect for someone who would like to have a practicing career and a scholarly career.”

Mansour also believes that his expertise in Islamic law will help him confront misconceptions that create barriers to mutual understanding.

“Islam unfortunately now is associated with acts of terrorism and killing,” Mansour said. ”It’s so sad to see this. It’s totally unrelated to Islam. Islam is a religion that encourages people to have cooperation with others, mutual respect, understanding.”

Mansour is encouraging that mutual respect on a personal level as well as a scholarly one. When he observed homeless people on Lawrence’s streets, he got involved with the Lawrence Community Shelter. He plans to continue his commitment to service when he returns home to Egypt and dreams of opening his own soup kitchen someday. When he’s not volunteering, he spends his free time exploring Lawrence’s dining scene — the Ladybird Café’s chicken fried steak has become a favorite dish. One of his most memorable moments as a new Lawrencian was scoring a 100-year-old painting from an estate auction.

Mansour is also heartened by the warm reception he’s received from his KU Law classmates, faculty members and mentors. “American students are open to new people and cultures,” he said. “As long as they know you need help, they will offer it — sometimes without even asking.”

— By Emily Sharp