MAY 2015

Greetings from the University of Kansas School of Law!

Law school honors top graduates for scholarship, leadership, service

KU Law honored Class of 2015 graduates at a hooding ceremony on May 16. During the ceremony, nine students received awards for distinguishing themselves in scholarship, leadership and service to the law school and the community.

The recipients:

KU expanding accelerated law degree program to other Kansas universities

Students at state universities across Kansas will have an opportunity to accelerate their legal education and save a year of tuition through an expansion of the 3 Plus 3 Program at the University of Kansas.

The program will allow high-ability students at participating Regents universities to maximize their undergraduate coursework, earning a bachelor’s degree and a KU law degree in six years instead of seven. Students will spend three years on requirements for the bachelor’s degree from their undergraduate institution and three years on requirements for a KU law degree. They will graduate with a bachelor’s degree after their fourth year and already have one year of law school under their belt.

The 3 Plus 3 Program is entering its third year at KU with growing enrollment each year since its inception.

The KU law school anticipates that Kansas State University will become its next 3 Plus 3 partner. The expansion will be offered to all other state universities, which include Fort Hays State University, Emporia State University, Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University.

“KU Law is at the forefront of changing the way students gain a legal education,” said Stephen Mazza, dean of the law school. “Through this expansion of the 3 Plus 3 Program, Kansas will become the first state with a statewide, guaranteed-admission accelerated law degree. Not only will Kansas students benefit from a great legal education at less cost and in less time, but the university and the state will also benefit by being able to recruit the best and brightest prelaw students nationally.”

Read more

Save the Date: KU Law Reunion Weekend

Class of 2014 employment success best since 2007

Family's gift to support media law program and diversity scholarship

A gift from a Kansas City family that built its livelihood in the media insurance business will support KU’s media law program and help diverse students finance their legal education.

Larry and Beverly Worrall and their daughters, Michelle Worrall Tilton and Rachelle Worrall Smith, recently donated $250,000 to be split between the Worrall Family Media Law Fund and the Worrall Family Scholarship. 

“The media lawyers I’ve known were high-caliber and very well-educated in First Amendment law. I want to help KU continue to train graduates who wish to specialize in representing media companies,” said Larry Worrall, L’57. “At the same time, I want KU students from diverse backgrounds to move into their first year of practice without the burden of excessive student loan debt.”

A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Larry Worrall rose from a family of modest means to co-found Media/Professional Insurance, which insured the media for defamation, privacy and intellectual property exposures. He handled many high-profile First Amendment lawsuits, including Westmoreland v. CBS and Ariel Sharon v. Time Inc. His company became the largest underwriter of media liability insurance in the world, with more than 100 employees in the Kansas City area. 

He sold Media/Professional Insurance to Aon in 1993 and later helped start First Media, another media liability insurance agency, with his daughter Michelle, L’88. Larry founded the Media & the Law Seminar, a nearly 30-year-old conference sponsored by KU Law and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. First Amendment attorneys from across the country attend the Kansas City conference each year. 

Rachelle, L’90, maintains a solo practice in Olathe, Kansas, and works predominately as a guardian ad litem representing the best interests of children in custody matters.

Make a gift

Join us for a KU Law lunch in Springfield

Dean Stephen Mazza invites alumni in the Springfield, Missouri, area to join him for lunch next month. A complimentary meal with fellow KU Law alumni will be served, along with the latest news from Green Hall.

Tuesday, June 16 | 12 – 1:30 pm
Springfield Brewing Company
305 S. Market Ave., Springfield, MO 65806

RSVP by June 12 to Noelle Uhler at nuhler@ku.edu.

View all KU Law events

Alumni news

Robert E. Donatelli, L’63, joined the Pennsylvania office of Norris McLaughlin & Marcus PA after nearly 50 years with his successful trusts and estates and real estate firm, the Law Office of Robert E. Donatelli. He practices in the estate planning and administration group.

Lydia I. Beebe, L’77, corporate secretary and chief governance officer for Chevron Corporation, received the National Judicial College’s Advancement of Justice Award at a private reception attended by distinguished attorneys and judges from around the country on March 19 in San Francisco. The award honors those who have demonstrated dedication to improving justice in the judiciary.

Sheila C. Bair, L’78, was named president of Washington College, an independent liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Bair is the school’s 28th president and will be the first female to serve in that role since the college was founded in 1782.
 
Jeffrey S. Southard, L’78, is retiring in June to begin a mediation practice after 20 years as in-house trial counsel for Farmers Insurance. Southard plans to specialize in personal injury and other types of civil cases. While at Farmers, he tried more than 75 jury trials and was named attorney of the year by Farmers in 2008.

William F. (Brad) Bradley Jr., L’80, will retire from NIC Inc. on Dec. 31, 2015. He currently serves as executive vice president, chief administrative officer, general counsel, and corporate secretary for the company. Bradley has been with NIC for 20 years and was involved with eGovernment for nearly 30 years. Founded in 1992, NIC is the nation’s leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions.

Scott W. Mach, L’81, of Popham Law Firm PC in Kansas City, Missouri, has been selected as a member of the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. The association aims to objectively recognize attorneys who elevate the standards of the bar and provide a benchmark for other lawyers. Mach practices workers’ compensation and personal injury law.

Dennis D. Depew, L’83, was chosen by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt to lead the division in Schmidt’s office that handles civil lawsuits. Depew is from Neodesha and has had a private law practice for more than 30 years. He served as the Kansas Bar Association’s president in 2013 and 2014. The division Depew leads is the principal defender for the state, its agencies and its employees when they are sued.

John M. Holt, L’84, news anchor at WDAF-TV FOX4, emceed the inaugural Kansas City Armed Forces Day banquet, “Celebrating Freedom & Honoring Service,” on May 16 at the Kansas City Convention Center. Hosted by the American Fallen Warrior Memorial Foundation, the banquet brought together hundreds of active duty military personnel, reservists, veterans, their families, and business and community leaders.

Stephen L. Sapp, L’89, joined the Dallas office of Schiff Harden LLP as a partner in the corporate and securities group. His practice focuses on public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate and securities reporting and compliance. Sapp previously worked at Locke Lord LLP.

Michael J. Armstrong, L’91, was appointed by Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick to serve on the Kansas Water Authority (KWA). Armstrong has served as general manager of WaterOne since 2003. Based in Lenexa, it is one of the largest independent, nonprofit public water utilities in the state. The KWA is responsible for advising the governor, the Kansas Legislature and the director of the Kansas Water Office on water policy issues.

Curtis L. Winegarner, L’91, received the 2015 Defender of Distinction award from the Missouri State Public Defender. Winegarner joined the Missouri State Public Defender office in 1997 after several years in private practice and currently serves as a trial team leader in the Kansas City office.

Michael D. Burrichter, L’94, of Lawrence, Kansas, has been appointed an administrative law judge for the U.S. Social Security Administration. He was sworn in March 13, 2015, during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Megan L. Brackney, L’98, a partner at the New York firm of Kostelanetz & Fink LLP, was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. The College is a professional association of tax attorneys whose membership is limited to a maximum of 700 tax attorneys across the United States.

Robert G. Vaught, L’00, has joined the Phoenix office of Quarles & Brady LLPL, serving as of counsel in its Labor & Employment Practice Group. He regularly counsels human resources and risk management personnel regarding Title VII, ADEA, FMLA, ADA, OSHA, wage and hour matters, hiring and discipline issues and wrongful discharge complaints. He also represents employers in related proceedings in state and federal courts, and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor, and state administrative agencies.

Kirk A. Patten, L’00, assistant chief of fisheries for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, was chosen by the National Conservation Leadership Institute as part of the ninth cohort of Fellows for its 2014-2015 leadership development program. Since 2006, 36 conservation professionals join the ranks of Fellows selected each year from state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and companies working in the natural resources industry. Fellows have become widely regarded as future senior leaders who will help build a conservation legacy for the next generation. Kirk resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jacob B. Smith, L’03, has been promoted to partner in the Phoenix office of Squire Patton Boggs. He focuses his practice on federal and state income tax matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, real estate transactions, tax planning for limited liability companies, partnerships and corporations, and international tax issues in cross-border transactions.

Matthew E. Austin, L’05, has been promoted to president of Caliber Development Company, a commercial real estate development and management company based in Oklahoma City and owned by Wexford Capital. Prior to joining Caliber in 2010, Austin was an associate at Polsinelli in Kansas City, Missouri, where he focused on real estate zoning and tax incentives.

Stanley Wan, L’06, was elected partner in the Beijing headquarters of Commerce & Finance Law Offices. His practice focuses on antitrust, litigation/arbitration, and capital markets.

Takafumi Komatsubara, L’07, will become in-house legal counsel at Coca-Cola (Japan) Company Limited on June 1, 2015. He is currently an attorney in TMI Associates’ Tokyo office.

Bobby W. Pineda, L’07, was appointed as city prosecutor for the City of Green River, Wyoming, in February 2015. Pineda operates a private practice that he established in 2008 and has acted as the alternate municipal court judge in Rock Springs, Wyoming, since September 2013.

Heiko Heppner, L’08, has been promoted to counsel in the litigation and dispute resolution department of Clifford Chance LLP’s Frankfurt, Germany, office, where he has been practicing since 2009.

Matthew T. Schoonover, L’10, joined Koprince Law LLC in Lawrence, Kansas. His practice focuses on federal government contract law. Schoonover also writes about government contracting on SmallGovCon. Prior to joining Koprince Law, Schoonover practiced as a commercial litigator in Phoenix and Kansas City.

Aaron J. Steventon, L’14, joined Andreas Law Office in Winfield, Kansas. Steventon maintains a general practice, including divorce, criminal and juvenile defense, landlord-tenant, immigration and other civil matters.

In Memoriam

Kirk Dean Auston, L’87, Great Bend, Kansas, March 29, 2015
Russell N. Barrett, L’51, Wichita, Kansas, April 24, 2015
John W. “Jack” Brand Jr., L’59, Lawrence, Kansas, May 12, 2015
Ronald P. Clevenger, L’84, Independence, Missouri, March 8, 2015
Michael D. Moeller, L’91, Kansas City, Missouri, May 4, 2015
William B. Pendleton, L’57, Lawrence, Kansas, May 15, 2015
Robert G. Walmer, L’52, Leawood, Kansas, March 9, 2015

Report your alumni news and update your contact information at law.ku.edu/keep-touch. Have a story of interest to fellow alumni? Contact Mindie Paget at mpaget@ku.edu or 785-864-9205.


The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, ioa@ku.edu, 1246 West Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, TTY 711.

The University of Kansas School of Law, 1535 W. 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66045