As times and needs change within the law community, so changes the library. Where we were once only a gathering place for students to focus on their academic well-being, we have also become a place for mental and physical well-being.
In August of 2017, the ABA’s National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being released its report Creating a Movement to Improve Well-Being in the Legal Profession. This report shined a spotlight on evidence that too many lawyers face mental health and substance use disorders or otherwise aren’t thriving. The task force suggested reaching out to groups that influence the legal profession: the judiciary, regulators, legal employers, law schools, bar associations, lawyers’ professional liability carriers, and lawyer assistance programs. In response, the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration announced the formation of the Kansas State Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. Under the coordination of The Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program (KALAP), this task force was charged with implementing the national recommendations. For law schools, this includes, amongst other things, providing education opportunities on well-being-related topics. A course should be created to include various restorative practices such as mindfulness, meditation and yoga.
W. Blake Wilson
In response to the task force recommendations, the University of Kansas School of Law instituted a school-wide wellness program. This program offers students mental health and substance use disorder resources, onsite professional counselors, and discourages alcohol-centered social events. It has also opened up the door for the Wheat Law Library to take on a new role: a space for restorative practices.
As luck would have it, I have been in the mindfulness field for a dozen years. I began practicing Zen in 2007 and in 2017 was ordained, receiving certification to teach. In 2018, I became the faculty advisor for KU’s Mindfulness in Law Society and began leading the group in short meditations across the street at the Burge Union. Starting in August 2019 with the integration of the Kansas Lawyer Well-Being Task Force’s recommendation, dedicated space in the Wheat Law Library was given to host various restorative practices. The Mindfulness in Law Society’s meditations were moved from the Burge Union to Room 212 of the Wheat Law Library and have been dubbed Mindful Mondays, starting at 4:45 p.m. On Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m, former KU Law students are brought in to teach yoga.
The Wheat Law Library has always been and will remain a space that fulfills the needs of our students and faculty whether it’s setting students up for academic success, helping faculty with their research needs, or focusing on our patrons’ overall wellness. Books are just a small part of what we do.
— By W. Blake Wilson, the Assistant Director for Instructional & Faculty Services at KU Law
Dr. Vivek Sehrawat researches drones from an international point of view
Dr. Vivek Sehrawat, SJD’17
As he was getting ready to apply to Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) programs, Dr. Vivek Sehrawat was looking for an angle. He had been reading about technology – specifically, drones – and came up with an idea that stood out.
“This is a hot topic right now. There’s a lot of controversy regarding the usage of drones internationally,” Sehrawat said.
Sehrawat earned his S.J.D. with distinction from KU Law in December 2017. His dissertation was titled, “Drones: The Role of LOAC, Targeted Killing, International Law, and Privacy Law.” The research looked at drone usage from a national security point of view, particularly when drones are used internationally for warfare. He looked at examples from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen. Sehrawat’s perspective on the role of law in drone use shifted as he explored the issue, he said.
“As I went into my research and I started reading about drones, I thought, this is a great technology, and this is going to benefit the entire world,” Sehrawat said. “It depends how you handle it. It could be a boon for the society.”
He also researched privacy issues related to drones and comparative uses between the U.S., the United Kingdom and India.
“I looked into the privacy issues in domestic use by different departments, and I tried to bring a global set of laws which can be applicable in any of the countries,” he said.
After KU Law, Sehrawat continued his research as a visiting scholar at the University of California Davis School of Law. He added a new chapter to his dissertation to turn it into a book, which he plans to send out for publication. His scholarship about drone use and autonomous weapons systems has been published in the Santa Clara High Technology Journal and the Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs.
Originally from the suburbs of Delhi, India, Sehrawat found his way to KU with support from the school’s faculty involved in international and comparative law, he said. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Delhi; an LL.B. in law from the University Institute of Law and Management Studies in Gurgaon, India; and an LL.M. in international human rights, immigration law and business law from the UC Davis School of Law.
During his time in Green Hall, Sehrawat was a research assistant and teaching assistant to Dr. Michael Hoeflich, John H. and John M. Kane Distinguished Professor of Law. Working with Hoeflich, Sehrawat developed his research abilities on a range of topics. He sat in on classes to advance his legal writing and lawyering skills. Sehrawat also benefited from faculty guidance on publishing his scholarship, he said.
“They were always willing to guide me as to what will be expected from me when I go for jobs, once I started teaching,” he said.
Sehrawat recently started as an assistant professor at BML Munjal University in Gurgaon, India, near his hometown of Delhi. He is teaching courses on Indian legal systems, English legal writing, national security, torts, international law and international humanitarian law. A few months into his position, Sehrawat said he is enjoying teaching and interacting with students.
“I was very sure from a very young age that I didn’t want to practice. Even before getting into my S.J.D., I was sure that I wanted to teach,” he said.
When Chinese scholar Dr. Lijuan Xing decided to bolster her legal education with an American doctorate degree, she set her heart on KU Law. It is one of the few law schools in the U.S. that offers a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree.
Xing earned an S.J.D. from KU in international and comparative law in May 2012. She delivered a dissertation titled, “Behind the Mounted Ladder Trading System: Legal Indigenization and the World Trade Organization in Comparative Perspective.” Her dissertation explored how common, civil and Chinese law traditions each influence major WTO members’ legal perspectives and their participation in the organization.
“Pursuing a doctorate degree at a place that was completely strange to me, at that time, was one of the biggest decisions I’ve made in my life,” she said. “It turned out to be one of the best decisions that I have made.”
Xing holds an LL.B. in international maritime law and an LL.M. in international law from Dalian Maritime University. She also has a Ph.D. in economics from Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.
Xing is originally from the harbor city of Dalian, China. When she looked into S.J.D. programs in the U.S., she was attracted to KU Law because of Robert W. Wagstaff Distinguished Professor John Head, and his published works in both international and Chinese law.
Head was the supervisor for Xing’s dissertation. The pair have since coauthored four books and worked on a number of research projects.
“Professor Head kindly provided me with an opportunity to work with him,” Xing said. “He is a rigorous writer and researcher. I am truly humbled to call myself his colleague.”
Since graduating from KU Law seven years ago, Xing has published five monographs; 14 journal articles and book chapters; and a number of conference papers and book reviews in various jurisdictions across the globe.
In addition to her published work, Xing has taught law courses in multiple countries. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law in Winnipeg, Canada, where she taught the university’s first course on Chinese law in 2012. She was also an assistant professor and the associate director of the LL.M. program at City University of Hong Kong. At City U, she taught courses on the intersections of international law, common law and Chinese law.
As an educator, Xing aims to emulate the teaching styles of faculty members she took courses from or communicated with at KU Law.
“Their ways of teaching and inspiring me have influenced me a lot and made me a better teacher of the law,” she said.
Xing said earning an S.J.D. from KU Law has had an impact on her both personally and professionally.
“I am very proud to be a Jayhawk. I am truly grateful for all the time I’ve spent at KU and in Lawrence,” Xing said. “My experiences and studying at KU Law have made me a better lawyer and a better person.”
Referring to Xing’s work, John Head noted that, “she is one of the many success stories emerging from our international and comparative law program here at KU. The experience Lijuan had during her time in Green Hall helped her make important contributions through her scholarly research in a wide range of topics that include international trade, maritime law, environmental protection and global institutions.”
KU Law’s curriculum equips law students with the legal knowledge
and practice-ready skills needed to succeed.
In the past five years, six KU Law students have been selected to
clerk at a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A circuit clerkship is a prestigious
and challenging post-graduate opportunity for law students to develop a
relationship with a circuit court judge and to observe the legal practice in
action.
Clerkships are available in both federal and state courts. Law students
interested in applying for clerkships are aided by the law school’s Judicial
Clerkship Committee and the Office of Career Services.
Circuit court clerkships
Ashley Akers (center) clerked for Judge N. Randy Smith at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Pocatello, Idaho. Photo courtesy of Ashley Akers.
Ashley Akers, L’16
Ashley Akers, L’16, clerked for Judge N. Randy Smith at the U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Pocatello, Idaho.
“During my clerkship, I learned a tremendous amount about the
practice of law in a short period of time, met and interacted with brilliant
law clerks and judges from across the country, and, best of all, gained a
lifelong mentor,” Akers said. “I know for certain that I am a better lawyer
because of my clerkship.”
Sara Fevurly (right) clerked for Judge Nancy Moritz at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Photo courtesy ofSara Fevurly.
Sara Fevurly, L’16
Sara Fevurly, L’16, clerked for Judge Nancy Moritz at the U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Topeka.
“My experience as a circuit clerk was tremendously rewarding. Over
the course of a year, my writing and critical thinking improved significantly,”
Fevurly said. “I am eternally grateful to Judge Moritz for hiring me, teaching
me and supporting me as I continue my legal career.”
In addition to Fevurly’s circuit clerkship, she also did a
judicial clerkship. Fevurly clerked for Judge Julie Robinson at the U.S.
District Court for the District of Kansas in Kansas City, Kansas.
Maureen (Orth) Moeder, L’16, clerked for Judge Daniel Crabtree at the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo courtesy of Maureen Moeder.
Maureen (Orth) Moeder, L’16
Maureen (Orth) Moeder did not one – but two – clerkships. Moeder,
L’16, clerked for Judge Mary Murguia, L’85, at the U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Phoenix. She also clerked for Judge Daniel
Crabtree at the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas in Kansas City,
Kansas.
“My clerkship experiences after law school were invaluable. Not
only was I exposed to many different areas of law, I was also mentored by two
extraordinary judges,” Moeder said. “Through both clerkships, I learned how to
be a better legal writer and a better legal thinker.”
Michael Hayes (far right) is currently clerking for Judge Steven Grasz on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo courtesy of Michael Hayes.
Michael Hayes, L’19
Michael Hayes, L’19, is currently clerking for Judge Steven Grasz
on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Clerking for Judge Grasz has been a great experience so far. It’s
required me to dive deep into legal research and sharpen all the skills I’ve
developed while in school,” Hayes said. “There are always opportunities to
discuss legal questions and theories with the judge, which is an opportunity
that few other legal jobs provide.”
Chris Carey, L’19
Chris Carey, L’19
Chris Carey, L’19, will clerk for Judge Nancy Moritz at the U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Topeka next year. Carey is
currently doing a clerkship for Judge Steve Leben at the Kansas Court of Appeals
in Topeka.
“For me, pursuing a circuit clerkship was a no-brainer. The
prospect of getting to research and write every day on a wide variety of
complex legal issues was simply irresistible. So too was the opportunity to
work through those issues in a chambers environment where I could observe how
judges decide cases at the appellate level. That kind of experience will be
invaluable later in my career,” Carey said.
Cara Beck, L’20
Cara Beck, L’20
Upon her graduation from law school in May, third-year law student
Cara Beck will clerk for Judge Jonathan A. Kobes on the U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“I chose to pursue a circuit court clerkship, so that I could have
the opportunity to observe some of the best attorneys in the nation in action,
both in brief-writing and oral arguments,” Beck said. “Clerking for Judge Kobes
on the Eighth Circuit will be the most rewarding experience and will hopefully
help shape me into a diligent and thoughtful advocate.”
Judicialclerkships
A considerable number of KU Law graduates accept judicial
clerkships, including nine members of the Class of 2019. The school’s Judicial Clerkship
Committee has overseen a doubling in the number of federal and state court
clerkships obtained by law school graduates in recent years, including
positions at prestigious federal courts of appeal.
Over the past five academic years, 30 students have secured clerkships.
Class of
2020
Cara Beck – U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for
the Eighth Circuit
Andi Leuszler – U.S. District Court of Kansas
Joy Merklen – U.S. District Court of Kansas
Class of
2019
Chris Carey – U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
for the Tenth Circuit; Kansas Court of Appeals
Jeff Carmody – Kansas Court of Appeals
Maria Drouhard – U.S. District Court of
Missouri, Western District
Michael Hayes – U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
for the Eighth Circuit
Paul Keithley – Kansas Court of Appeals
Nancy Musick – U.S. District Court of Kansas
Ryan Ott – Kansas Court of Appeals
Alex Rindels – U.S. District Court of Kansas
Amelia Selph – Kansas Court of Appeals
Class of
2018
Bradley Hook – Kansas Court of Appeals
Sangeeta Shastry – U.S. District Court of
Kansas
Lindsay Strong – Kansas Supreme Court
Ben Stueve – U.S. District Court of Missouri,
Western District
Class of
2017
Ethan Brown – Kansas Supreme Court
Skyler Davenport – U.S. District Court of
Kansas; Kansas Supreme Court
Nathan Kakazu – U.S. District Court of Kansas
Clay Nordsiek – U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri
Hannah Schoeb – U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the
Western District of Missouri
Maggie Turek
– Kansas
Court of Appeals
Eric Witmer – Kansas Supreme Court; 16th
Judicial District Court of Jackson County, Missouri
Class of
2016
Ashley Akers – U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Benjamin Baumgartner – U.S. Court of International Trade
Reid Day – U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
Sara Fevurly – U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; U.S. District Court of Kansas
Maureen (Orth) Moeder – U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; U.S. District Court of Kansas
Raj Bhala’s work in the area of international and comparative law has taken him to both sides of disputed international borders. He’s conducted scholarship in Taiwan and mainland China, Israel and Arab countries, and Pakistan and India.
“Here we are in the American heartland, with a borderless professor who’s trying to advance cosmopolitan, borderless thinking in his teaching and research,” said Bhala, who serves as the Brenneisen Distinguished Professor at KU Law. He is a senior advisor at Dentons US LLP and writes a column for BloombergQuint, based in Mumbai, India.
In December 2018, Bhala traveled to Taiwan to advise the Taiwanese government’s Office of Trade Negotiations on policies and strategies related to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The visit included private meetings with senior officials, as well as a closed-door session for government representatives. Bhala also spoke to a public audience of 200 people in a presentation titled, “WTO Reform in Context: FTAs, National Security and Three Specific Crises – Tentative Thoughts for Taiwan.”
Bhala addressed challenges facing the WTO, proposals Taiwan could make to ensure the success of the WTO, and Taiwan’s relationship with international trade partners.
“Taiwan wants to embrace organizations like the WTO and maybe get plugged into a free trade agreement network,” Bhala said. “The overall picture is, how can Taiwan safeguard its unique position in the world trading system?”
The 2018 visit was Bhala’s second consulting trip to Taiwan – he taught a week-long course on General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade law and policy in 2014.
Bhala also traveled to Israel in March of this year to teach an intensive course in international trade law to students at Tel Aviv University who came from around the world. It was the most recent of nearly two dozen trips to the Middle East, Bhala said. He had previously traveled throughout the region, not only on trade matters, but also to develop his textbook on Islamic law, titled Understanding Islamic Law (Sharī‘a).
Working on multiple sides of trade and political borders reveals links between international trade and comparative law, Bhala said.
“The connecting theme is national security,” Bhala said. “We’ve never been in an era in which the link between trade and international security is more tightly drawn, and a lot of my scholarship highlights that link.”
Bhala recently authored the fifth edition of International Trade Law: A Comprehensive Textbook, a four-volume work about economics, politics, international relations, philosophy and religion as they relate to international trade law. His commentary on international trade has recently appeared in outlets including The Washington Post, NPR’s Marketplace and Reuters.
Yes, you. The one who opened this post ready to defend your immediate emotional response to reading the title. No, this is not a conventional KU Law blog post and no, this post is not going to shame you for your ignorance. With November 20 marking Transgender Day of Remembrance and November 18-22 representing Trans Liberation Week, this blog post is dedicated to the cisgender community, myself included, who want to support and uplift the transgender community. Let’s start with the basics: a definition.
Cisgender: a term used to describe a person whose gender identity conforms with the sex they were assigned at birth.
For example, I was assigned female at birth and I identify as female. This security of understanding my gender identity is a privilege. I can leverage this position to support my trans sisters and brothers and plan to do so throughout my legal career.
Names were posted on a bulletin board in Green Hall to bring attention to the more than 22 trans and gender expansive individuals who have been murdered in 2019. Photo courtesy of Bria Nelson.
Did you know?
More than 22 trans women of color and gender-expansive individuals were murdered in 2019, their deaths largely arising out of acts of hate. I decided to post these victims’ names in Green Hall in hopes that this student activism effort would bring awareness to the acts of violence taking place against the transgender community, and specifically against black trans women. Two of these acts of violence occurred in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. We have the power to end acts of anti-trans violence. It is important to me to continue advocating for this community, who I would argue is one of the most marginalized in the country. You can read more about it here.
Second-year KU Law student Bria Nelson participates in the 2019 San Francisco Pride Parade. Photo courtesy of Bria Nelson.
The importance and impact of positive pronoun practices
Being an ally is as easy as you make it. Respect other people’s existence, diversify your friend group, learn about LGBTQIA+ and trans history, and add your pronouns to your email signature. We tend to assume an individual’s pronouns — and therefore, their gender — based on their appearance or name. These assumptions, even when correct, send the potentially harmful message that people who look a certain way must identify with a certain gender.
Not everyone uses
“she/her” or “he/him” pronouns. “They/them/theirs” and “ze/zir/zirs” are some
examples of non-gendered pronouns you may see being used. Because not all
people identify with the gender binary, it is important to practice proper
pronoun usage. By making appearance-based assumptions about a person’s
pronouns, we are perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes and potentially
misgendering individuals along the way.
You can also practice
inclusive pronoun usage by avoiding gender-exclusive language. For example, say
“friends and colleagues” or “students and future colleagues” instead of “ladies
and gentlemen” as a greeting. Or refer to people by their first names or their
titles (i.e. “Attorney Nelson” or “Counselor Nelson” as opposed to “Ms.
Nelson”).
Please see below for an example of an email signature template:
If we don’t understand
the importance of a person’s pronouns, we risk making them feel disrespected,
alienated, or unsafe when we use their incorrect pronouns. By encouraging
inclusive practices around pronouns, we normalize the expression of pronouns and
create a more welcoming environment for transgender and nonbinary people.
For additional information regarding pronouns and definitions, listing tips on navigating pronoun conversations, and more examples of inclusive pronouns practices, visit this link.
In conclusion, trans women are women. Trans men are men. Non-binary identities are valid. They deserve your respect and equal rights.
