Graduate Profile: Matt Koegel, L’25

Student finds his professional calling through the Legal Aid Clinic

Matt Koegel, L’25

When Matt Koegel, L’25, first visited KU Law in the middle of a chilly February in 2022, he wasn’t sure this was where he’d end up. The quiet streets of Lawrence didn’t initially make a strong impression on the New Yorker, but a return visit changed his mind and ultimately shaped the next three years of his life.

“Coming to KU for law school is one of the best decisions I’ve made,” Koegel wrote in a blog post from his 1L year. “Even if I wasn’t sure it was the right decision at the time.”

He made the move from Long Island to Lawrence after a 20-hour drive with his dad. Shortly after arriving, he jumped into the community with a trip to a Kansas City Royals game alongside new classmates, followed by a concert with his dad that reminded him Kansas wasn’t the “middle of nowhere.” Those early experiences set the tone for the welcoming, collaborative environment he would come to value at KU Law.

Koegel made the most of his time in Green Hall. He was a student ambassador, a member of OUTLaws and Accomplices and the Public Interest Law Society (PILS), participated in the In-House Moot Court Competition and, most meaningfully, worked in the Legal Aid Clinic.

“I wanted to do legal aid because I knew I wanted to get experience in court as well as be able to help people,” he said. “It made an impact on me because I learned that so much more goes into being a good lawyer than advocacy skills. Client communication, creative thinking and being able to ask for help were all skills that doing legal aid helped me get a better hold of.”

He also appreciated the classroom experience, especially learning from Professor Tom Stacy before his retirement. And when it came to unwinding, he says some of his favorite law school memories were made with classmates at Red Lyon Tavern on Mass Street.

Koegel and other students at orientation during his 1L year.

After graduation, Koegel will join the Public Defender’s Office in Johnson County.

“I chose to go into this area of law because I feel very strongly about providing indigent people with a strong defense,” he said. “It is crucial to our country that the rights of people are upheld, and I feel that being a public defender allows me to do that every day.”

From a hesitant campus visit to becoming an advocate for justice, Koegel’s journey is proof that sometimes the best decisions are the ones you didn’t see coming.

“Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned is the ability to bounce back from failure,” he wrote in a blog post from his 3L year. “Law school taught me that setbacks are not the end; they’re just the beginning of a process of recovery and growth.”

He leaves KU Law ready to keep learning, keep growing and keep fighting for those who need it most.

-By Casey Bacot

Graduate Profile: Anne Marie Yatsula, L’25

From the Sunshine State to the Sunflower State

Anne Marie Yatsula, L’25

Anne Marie Yatsula, L’25, likes to joke that she randomly looked at a map to decide where to go to law school. The truth is, the Florida-native fell in love with Lawrence when she visited.

“I got the sense that KU would be a place where I could be part of a vibrant, welcoming community,” she said. “That has been the case!”

After earning her undergraduate degree at Florida State University, Yatsula packed up for the Midwest, a move that would shape both her legal education and her future career.

From the start, she jumped into leadership, serving as 1L SBA Class President. But it was her work with the Kansas Supreme Court’s Rural Justice Initiative Committee that left the deepest mark. Over two years, she conducted focus groups, met with legal practitioners and even testified before the Kansas Legislature in support of a rural attorney student loan forgiveness bill.

“Assisting the Kansas Supreme Court, though not a typical extracurricular, was the highlight of my law school career,” she said. “I’m lucky to be able to continue this work through my post-grad job.”

That job? Staff Attorney at the League of Kansas Municipalities, where she previously worked during her field placement. It’s a role that perfectly blends her interests in law and local government, a passion that started during an undergraduate internship with the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to work in government, but I caught the local government bug during college,” Yatsula said. “I worked with some dedicated, passionate and interesting people, and that experience carried me into Career Services at KU Law, where from day one, I said that I wanted to work in municipal law.”

Since beginning law school, she’s worked for the Cities of Olathe, Salina and Kansas City, Missouri, and she’s returning to the League to continue that work.

“I have a special interest in helping extremely small cities resolve legal issues, and at the League, I take calls every day from cities with populations of less than 200,” she said. “It is so rewarding to help people who cannot afford to keep a full-time city attorney to run their government and make their communities better.”

Her love of local governance even extended to the classroom. One of her favorite KU Law experiences was taking Local Government Law with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas just as the city was navigating the fallout of a failed stadium referendum. She even got to work for him the following semester!

But not all her memories are academic. One of her fondest moments came during the fall of her first year, when ESPN’s College Gameday came to town during KU’s undefeated football streak in 2022.

“I went out to the Hill with some of my classmates at two in the morning and stayed through kickoff that afternoon,” she said. “It was a magical, silly and exciting experience, and I won’t forget it.”

Reflecting on her time in Green Hall, Yatsula credits KU Law not just for preparing her professionally, but also personally.

“Though my classes prepared me for the workforce, the thing I did not expect was to learn about myself,” she said.

That self-discovery came, in part, through KU Law’s in-house moot court competition. She went into the class with the belief that she was not particularly good at answering questions on the fly. But as the competition unfolded, she realized she was more capable than she had imagined — a revelation that continues to shape how she approaches challenges.

“Having the confidence to know that I can tackle whatever task is put in front of me is the most invaluable thing that KU Law has given me,” she said.

-By Casey Bacot

My tribute to the LGBTQ+ community at KU Law

When I applied to KU Law four years ago, I wrote in my application how proud I was to be a queer and transgender Kansan. I wrote about the future of LGBTQ+ people in the law and society, and I spoke truthfully about my identity, my pronouns and my views on justice. I also pledged my extracurricular dedication to OUTLaws & Accomplices, the LGBTQ+ affinity organization at KU Law. To me, law school would not be a complete experience without cultural engagement.

My hopes for my law school experience have rung true. I helped found the nation’s second Trans Law Student Association here at KU in 2022. I have been the president of OUTLaws & Accomplices and a co-president for Student Ambassadors for the last two years. Through my involvement in these organizations, I have made some incredible, dedicated, thoughtful, passionate and powerful friends who also share the LGBTQ+ identity. Many of us have had to work extremely hard to be recognized as ourselves in classes, in offices and in courtrooms. We have laughed, cried and studied together. We have gathered on campus to discuss our dreams and convened off campus to celebrate our existence.

As I prepare to graduate in a few short weeks, I have been reflecting on the proud LGBTQ+ Kansan that I was when I started law school. Although I remain proud and outspoken, I am weathered by the constant challenges to LGBTQ+ freedoms. My queer and transgender peers continue to face everyday struggles and threats to their safety. Despite this adversity, I know that my community at KU Law will continue to be a kind and accepting space. I hope that prospective students will read this on the KU website and know that LGBTQ+ people exist at KU Law. We always have and we always will. To my fellow classmates, I am so proud of you all and the memories we made together. Thank you for joining me in passionate solidarity.

– Corrinne Yoder-Mulkey is a 3L KU Law Student Ambassador from Eudora, Kansas

Graduate Profile: John Harris, L’25

Native American Law Students Association president to continue his passion for public service

John Harris, L’25

For John Harris, L’25, public service and Jayhawk pride run deep. Originally from Shawnee, Kansas, his journey through law school wasn’t just about building a career; it was about answering a lifelong call to public interest.

“Both of my parents worked for government employers, so I was exposed to the idea of public service early,” he said. “Summer internships with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and Johnson County confirmed my desire to serve the public interest. Protecting Kansans against deceptive business practices sounds like some of the most fulfilling work for me.”

That passion led him to KU Law, where he found not only a strong academic foundation but a community that nurtured his goals.

Harris attended KU for his undergraduate degree, where he majored in political science and minored in sociology. While Harris has always been a big fan of KU sports and enjoys living in Lawrence, KU Law’s high bar passage rate and great value are what made staying three more years for his J.D. an easy choice.

Outside the classroom, his commitment to service deepened. As president of KU Law’s Native American Law Students Association (NALSA), he not only found an organization to connect with others but also a way to give back.

Harris is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and found the most impactful aspect of NALSA was volunteering in the community and getting the chance to connect with KU undergraduate and Haskell University students interested in pursuing law. Harris also helped plan the 2024 Diversity in Law Banquet, an annual celebration of diversity in the legal profession, which was hosted by NALSA that year.

Harris speaking at the 2024 Diversity in Law Banquet.

Harris cites his favorite classes at KU Law as Trial Advocacy and the Deposition Skills Workshop. He said he chose classes that he knew would help develop practical skills needed for his career in law.

“Having these opportunities makes me confident in being prepared for the future. Learning the law is important, but you really need to know how you should act when you’re practicing,” he said.

After graduating, Harris will be working with the Office of the Kansas Attorney General Honors Program in the Public Protection Division. In this role, he’ll work on enforcing antitrust, consumer protections and open government laws.

As he prepares for the next chapter, Harris is focused not on what he knows, but how he can use his knowledge to serve others.

“I’m most excited to keep developing my skills and using them to make a difference,” he said.

-By Casey Bacot

“Leaning In” in Law School

Mia Colanero, 1L

“Lean into what you came to law school for.” This tidbit of advice was given to me in my first week of law school by Assistant Dean of Career Services Stacey Blakeman. It has now become a guiding principle for me. 

I came to law school with the clear intention of making a difference by becoming a civil rights litigator. I spent my time after college working at the Missouri State Public Defender’s office and had long been interested in criminal justice and civil rights advocacy.

In the flurry and excitement of starting law school, I started to feel lost in all the possible career paths that were presented to us. Hearing my friends’ and classmates’ ideas and plans for their future made me wonder if I really knew what I wanted. When presented with a series of career panels to attend, I asked Dean Blakeman if I should attend the criminal defense panel since I already knew that I was interested in the field. That’s when she told me to “lean in” and do the things that I came to law school to do. So, I attended the panel, caught up with an old coworker who was on the panel and remembered the passion that drove me to apply to law school in the first place. 

I am now only weeks away from finishing my first year of law school, and I am still guided by Dean Blakeman’s advice. I have made sure to attend speaker events and student organization meetings that are aligned with my passions. And every time that I have, I feel that same drive that led me to apply to and attend KU Law. Now, I allow myself to learn and explore other fields of the law without judgment, and I lean on my passion to guide me where I need to be. 

To any future law student reading this, I hope you too lean into the reason that brought you here in the first place. You might feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, just like I did, and that’s okay! I hope that you take a deep breath and remember why you worked hard to get here in the first place. And then lean in.

– Mia Colanero is a 1L KU Law Student Ambassador from Overland Park, Kansas

Graduate Profile: Leah Stein, L’25

KU Law student looks ahead to a career in civil litigation

Leah Stein, L’25

As a Dodge City native with deep roots in southwest Kansas, Leah Stein always knew she wanted to make a meaningful impact close to home. When it came time to choose a law school, the decision was easy.

“I picked KU Law because I grew up in southwest Kansas and have always wanted to practice law in the Midwest,” she said. “I also loved my time at KU as an undergrad and was not quite ready to say goodbye to Lawrence in 2022. Now that it’s 2025 and I’ve been here seven years, I’m realizing I love it just as much—if not more—than I did back in 2022. KU Law was the perfect choice for me.”

During her time at KU Law, Stein immersed herself in the community, joining student organizations including Moot Court, the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy, Dean’s Fellows, Women in Law and the Federal Bar Association. Of these, Moot Court left the most lasting impression.

“Moot Court was the most impactful activity during my time at KU Law because it helped me improve my oral and written advocacy skills,” she said.

After succeeding in the KU Law in-house moot court competition during her 2L year, she competed in three national competitions in Washington, D.C., San Diego and Brooklyn.

Stein and Karen Campbell during the 2023 KU Law In-House Moot Court Competition.
Quan Nguyen and Stein at the 2025 National Criminal Procedure Tournament in San Diego.

Stein earned an award for Third Best Oral Advocate at the National Criminal Procedure Tournament in San Diego, where she and her teammate, Quan Nguyen, reached the quarterfinals. She also tied for 1st place in the in-house competition alongside Karen Campbell, with the team earning a brief award.

In the classroom, Stein particularly enjoyed Secured Transactions with Professor Stephen Ware, and outside of it, she found joy in planning memorable moments for her classmates.

“My favorite memory in law school was singing along to ‘Pink Pony Club’ with a bunch of my 3L friends at the karaoke party in February,” she recalled. “I’ve always loved Pub Night and Law Prom, so I wanted to plan an additional social event during my last semester. I rented out Jazzhaus and invited all 1Ls, 2Ls and 3Ls to come and sing karaoke for a couple of hours. It was so fun to see all the classes mingling and watch some absolutely incredible performances from a group of soon-to-be-lawyers.”

Looking ahead, Stein is set to begin her legal career as a civil litigator at Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City. She’s drawn to litigation for its strategic nature and the opportunity to work on a wide variety of cases.

Stein during the 2025 Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy Symposium.

“I’m most excited to work on a trial team,” she said. “I think it will be incredibly rewarding to work on a case for several months or years and then watch it go all the way to trial.”

As she closes this chapter and begins her next, Stein credits KU Law for preparing her in more ways than one.

“KU Law prepared me for the workforce by teaching me practical skills like how to take a deposition, how to draft various legal documents and how to interact with clients,” she said. “Of course, KU Law taught me how to think and write like a lawyer, too, but I am extremely grateful for those other skills that supplemented the traditional law school curriculum.”

-By Casey Bacot