Why KU Law? Big dreams + rewarding career

Elizabeth Schartz, L’88

KU LAW TEACHES ‘FARM GIRL’ TO DREAM BIG

A farm girl from rural Kansas, Elizabeth Schartz grew up knowing she would be a lawyer.

“There were five girls in our family, so we had an elaborate chore distribution,” Schartz said. “I thought the arrangement was patently unfair, and when I complained about it I was told to take it to the Supreme Court. I didn’t know what that meant, so I asked my dad.”

Schartz’s father explained that the Supreme Court was a “group of judges that all the other judges, Congress and the president had to listen to,” and that one had to study hard, get good grades and go to law school to get there.

“I had to have been 8 or 9 years old at the time, and I announced, ‘I’m gonna be a lawyer,’” Schartz said. “I didn’t know any lawyers; We didn’t have any lawyers in our family. Neither of my parents went to college. But no one laughed at me or said I couldn’t do it, so I did it.”

It was a big leap from rural Cimarron to the state’s largest university, but Phil and Pat Ridenour, a husband-wife team of KU Law graduates, convinced Schartz to make the move. The Ridenours, both from rural communities, excelled at KU and built a successful practice in Cimarron. “Had I not had that encouragement, I’m not positive I would have gone to KU,” Schartz said. “For a small-town girl, it seemed such a big university.”

Law school brought academic challenge and classmates from prestigious universities. Schartz graduated from a small liberal arts college in western Kansas. “Although I didn’t have the undergrad credentials, I appeared to be just as smart as they were,” Schartz said. “I decided that just meant I needed to work harder.”

“I learned how to dream about a career at KU — everything from a small-town practice to working at the largest firms. I had all those possibilities by getting an education at KU.”

Schartz built relationships with her professors, who encouraged her to apply for a clerkship. She spent a summer working at Foulston Siefkin in Wichita alongside talented attorneys, many of them KU graduates from small towns. “It was a revelation about the work they did and the level of sophistication,” Schartz said. “It opened a world of possibilities that didn’t exclude staying in Kansas but also didn’t exclude working in a big city.”

After graduation, Schartz accepted a position with Thompson & Knight in Dallas. “My thought was I would come to Dallas for a few years, learn what it was like to practice at a big firm, then come back to Kansas,” Schartz said. Twenty-five years later, she’s still in Dallas.

Schartz practices employment law, representing management and offering day-to-day advice. She is drawn to the dynamic nature of the field with its new statutes and ever-changing interpretations, and opportunity for advocacy through litigation. “The clients we deal with want to do the right thing, and we can help them do that,” Schartz said.

Schartz works alongside attorneys with diverse educational backgrounds, but she feels KU’s small class sizes and accessible faculty gave her an advantage. Clinical programs are also an asset. “It used to be the firms were looking for just the best and brightest – good writers, deep thinkers,” Schartz said. “Today, firms want lawyers to have as much practical experience as they can stepping out of law school.”

Perhaps the most important thing Schartz learned at KU was how to dream, and dream big.

“I learned how to dream about a career,” she said. “The great thing about that dream was that it included everything from a small-town practice to working at the largest firms out there. I had all those possibilities by getting an education at KU. None were closed to me. That’s as true today as it was when I stepped foot on campus in ’85.”

Why KU Law? Affordability + quality of life

Amanda Angell, L’15

Amanda Angell, L'15

As an experienced professional, wife and mother of two young children, Amanda Angell had to weigh the pragmatic aspects of law school along with her career aspirations.

Angell taught music but felt drawn to a new career. She began researching law schools, studying for the LSAT after her kids went to bed.

“At the end it was a matter of my debt load and what our lives would look like after I graduated,” Angell said. She created two spreadsheets: one detailing tuition costs, rent and day care during school, and a second detailing median salary, student loan payment and mortgage payment after graduation.

“I got into some pretty high-ranked schools with high median salaries, but found I would actually bring home more money in Kansas,” Angell said, noting that her KU debt load will be a third of what it would have been elsewhere.

In the end, the decision came down to her family’s quality of life.

“We wanted to make sure my husband would teach in a good school district, that the kids would have access to quality public schools and we could afford good housing.”

At KU, Angell developed an interest in health care law, taking courses ranging from Health Law and Policy to Health Care Finance and Regulation to Insurance Law. Her experience helped her land a summer position with Forbes Law Group in Overland Park, where she worked with the firm’s seven attorneys, handling provider disputes with payers.

“It’s a small firm, so I was treated just like an associate,” Angell said. “I worked on significant projects that I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to work on if I had been at a large firm.”

“You have to look beyond getting into law school and think of what your life will look like after.”

Angell’s firm helped physicians and practices navigate changes brought by the Affordable Care Act and the transition to electronic medical records. “It’s an area of growth,” Angell says of the field. “Right now it’s very intense. There are a lot of compliance issues that arise as the law changes and more parts are implemented. It’s valuable for physicians and hospitals to have qualified counsel who specialize in health.”

Collaboration with senior attorneys was Angell’s favorite part of the job. “They’ve been really open with sharing how they interact with clients, how they work through issues, how they counsel entities when issues arise,” Angell said. “That’s my favorite part of the day, seeing how they navigate client issues.”

Beyond the hands-on experience, Angell is earning a Tribal Lawyer Certificate and is an active member of the Native American Law Students Association, competing in the National NALSA Moot Court Competition, which she calls the “best experience I’ve had in law school.”

“She really pushed me to be more confident about what I know,” Angell said of NALSA advisor and moot court coach Elizabeth Kronk Warner. “It was a really positive experience working with seven other NALSA members who were very supportive, weren’t afraid to offer constructive criticism and help each other get to the next level in our writing, oral arguments and advocacy.”

Angell is currently drafting an article exploring the federal regulation of tribal pharmacies and will be working with the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic during her final year of law school.

“I’m interested in the intersection between federal Indian law and health care law,” Angell said. “The Indian law community in Kansas is fantastic. People are warm and open about sharing their experience, what coursework was helpful, what experience was like as a tribal attorney. The more I learned, the more I saw value in learning about issues that arise with the law and tribes as sovereigns.”

Angell advises prospective students to visit Lawrence and see if KU is the right fit.

“I think the most valuable thing you can do is come visit,” she said. “KU is different. The environment is friendly. Professors are willing to go out of their way to help you.”

When it comes to choosing a law school, she recommends taking a long-term approach. “You have to look beyond getting into law school and think of what your life will look like after.”

Why KU Law? Reputation + faculty

George Sand, L’14

REPUTATION, TOP-NOTCH FACULTY DRAW KANSAS CITY NATIVE TO LAWRENCE

George Sand, L'14

Kansas City native George Sand was looking for a nationally recognized school and top-notch faculty. He found both at KU.

A business undergraduate, Sand brought his love of numbers to KU, where he earned a joint degree in economics and law. Sand carved a niche for himself in the economic realm, landing a position with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

“The price for what you’re getting is good,” Sand said. “We are placing people in jobs, competing with extremely expensive schools. People are nice here. You get the college town feel, but you have the city 45 minutes away, so you get the best of both worlds.”

As a law student, Sand served as editor-in-chief of the Kansas Law Review, an elected position that involves reviewing submissions, selecting articles and coordinating the publishing and distribution of five issues per year. Sand credits the Law Review with teaching him to articulate technical subjects clearly, pay attention to detail and keep a tight schedule.

“The faculty are probably my favorite part of school. Their doors are always open.”

“It’s good experience for students,” Sand said. “You’re exposed to new areas of law and get to network with experts. You’re meticulously looking at the law, making sure T’s are crossed and I’s dotted. You’re reading thousands of pages but still have to notice one missing comma.”

“This is the one way students can influence law,” Sand said. “We’re the ones choosing the pieces that people will see when they search in Westlaw. In most fields it’s professionals who choose what is published, but we have some power in shaping the law.”

In addition to editing others’ work, Sand coauthored a paper with Professor Mike Kautsch exploring Google’s evolution and the possibility that the company could become a regulated utility as it grows to include citywide Wi-Fi networks. “That’s when the government gets involved, so we talked about the ramifications surrounding that,” Sand said. The pair’s paper was published in the ABA Journal.

Thanks to his long hours in the Law Review office, Sand enjoyed many chats with his professors and developed close relationships with his mentors.

“My favorite part of school was the professors. Their doors are always open,” Sand said. As Law Review editor, he benefited from that open-door policy. “If we publish an article on administrative law, not having any foundation in administrative law, it’s hard to know if a paper is good or not. I would send it to Professor Levy and he would give me honest critiques. Anytime I had questions about an article I would send it to faculty. They would review it and give me feedback.”

Beyond the academic support, Sand knows his faculty connections will serve him well throughout his career.

“A lot of the jobs students have gotten have been from talking to professors, from professors connecting with practitioners,” Sand said. “Our faculty are engrained in the professional world.”

Why KU Law? Location + community

David Carrasco, L’16

CENTRAL LOCATION, VIBRANT COMMUNITY BRINGS TEXAN TO LAWRENCE

David Carrasco, L'16Law school wasn’t on David Carrasco’s radar as a kid growing up in El Paso, Texas.

“In high school I didn’t think it was possible. I wasn’t the best student. I was just around a mindset where you didn’t look toward the future,” Carrasco said.

All that changed in college, where he connected with mentors and met like-minded students with big aspirations. “In college I saw people who looked like me being successful and thought maybe I could do that, too. I had an epiphany.”

As a student at the University of Texas at El Paso, Carrasco participated in a program designed to recruit and prepare minority students for law school called the Law School Preparation Institute (LSPI). He volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), assisting with Child Protective Services cases and advocating for children navigating the court system. He got involved with Empower, a program that worked with juvenile first-time offenders with mental illness. Carrasco monitored cases, kept parents informed of proceedings and mentored young people.

“I like the environment, the opportunities, the access. I just like Kansas.”

“I read about the Brown v. Board case and saw the impact a Supreme Court decision could have on social change,” Carrasco said. “In college, I learned lawyers do that every day on a personal basis, and it can have just as much impact on people as doing so on a national basis.”

It was KU’s location within easy commuting distance of both a major city and the state capital that drew Carrasco to Lawrence. Between Kansas City’s abundance of firms and Topeka’s state government offices, Carrasco knew the area held plenty of employment opportunities after graduation. Lawrence’s diversity was also a draw.

“There are a lot of international students, such a wide variety of people from different states and countries,” Carrasco said of the community. “I enjoy being surrounded by different cultures.”

Carrasco threw himself into law school during his first year, getting involved with Traffic Court, the Project for Innocence, Kansas Appleseed, which provides pro bono legal services for families, and the Hispanic American Law Students Association.

“You feel like you’re a real lawyer,” Carrasco said of his Traffic Court experience. “I met with a client, asked questions, gave oral arguments, prepared an evidence packet and exchanged with opposing counsel. I practiced my oral arguments. It encourages you to stay focused and see the endgame rather than get bogged down in details.”

Attending the school’s annual Diversity Banquet was a highlight of his first year. Carrasco connected with faculty and alumni and heard Jabari Wamble, L’06, speak about his journey from law student to U.S. attorney. “It put perspective on the forest that I was in at the time,” Carrasco said.

Carrasco’s first-year experience wasn’t without its challenges. Aside from the typical pressures of law school, he spent a year away from his wife and 3-year-old son. They remained in El Paso while his wife finished her nursing degree and their parents cared for their toddler. The hardships were worth it to be part of a supportive legal community that will prepare Carrasco for a rewarding and successful career. The family looks forward to being reunited in Lawrence, where Carrasco will finish his law degree and his wife will launch her nursing career.

Carrasco doesn’t know what the future holds, but he has no plans to leave Lawrence anytime soon. “I’m leaning toward staying in Kansas,” he said. “I like the environment, the opportunities, the access to them. I just like Kansas.”

Why KU? Tribal law + community

Jacob Wamego, L’14

TRIBAL LAW AND GOVERNMENT CENTER EQUIPS ALUMNUS TO SERVE HIS COMMUNITY

Jacob Wamego, L'14“A lot of my relatives were elected officials growing up so I’ve seen how they tried to protect tribal sovereignty, and it was something I wanted to do as well. I figured learning how to use the law is a good avenue to pursue that.”

By the time Jacob Wamego started law school, he had a wife and three kids, a criminal justice degree and a career in Indian gaming. A citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Wamego had worked with the tribe’s gaming commission for six years. He knew the regulations and issues but wanted the analytical perspective and legal expertise that comes with a law degree.

“A lot of my relatives — my grandparents and aunts and uncles — were elected officials growing up, so I’ve seen how they tried to protect tribal sovereignty, and it was something I wanted to do as well,” Wamego said. “I figured learning how to use the law is a good avenue to pursue that.”

Wamego found his opportunity through KU’s Tribal Law and Government Center. The program trains students to represent Indian nations through an understanding of indigenous tribal legal systems. Wamego worked with center director Professor Elizabeth Kronk Warner to develop his skills and knowledge of federal Indian law. He participated in the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic, drafting laws and working with tribal attorneys and judges to pass new legislation.

“There are a lot of complex issues when you’re working with Indian tribes,” Wamego said. “It borrows from other areas — property, contracts, constitutional law — but has its own special place.”

One of Wamego’s most rewarding experiences was helping a local tribe implement provisions of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. In 2013, President Obama signed the act into law, giving tribes jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit domestic and sexual violence offenses against Indians in Indian country.

“It was groundbreaking because in the ’70s the U.S. Supreme Court said tribes don’t have jurisdiction over non-Indians, so there was a lot of domestic violence and rapes against Indian women by non-Indians,” Wamego explained. “Through the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic, I worked on code revisions so that the Tribe we were working with could exercise jurisdiction and impose harsher punishments. I also developed a sentencing guideline by surveying how other tribes were punishing these offenses and developed a model to see if tribes wanted to adopt it.”

Wamego also interned at the National Indian Gaming Commission’s General Counsel’s office in Washington, D.C. “I’d just gotten to D.C. and finished my 1L year. My first day they said, ‘We’re thinking of fining this company, and we want you to write the memo.’ They were fining the company several million dollars. I had just finished Constitutional Law and got to apply it right off.”

Wamego also landed an externship with the Prairie Band Economic Development Company, where he worked with property, contracts, secured transactions and Indian law.

“I have the best things to say about the clinics: deposition skills, tribal law, moot court, externships,” Wamego said of his time at Green Hall. “It’s good to learn the law, but it’s also good to gain practical skills.”

As for his career, Wamego plans to use his expertise to give back to the community that supported him.

“I’m not aware of anyone else that grew up on the reservation and has gone to law school,” Wamego said. “The support of the community was really important. I would like to work for my own tribe, as general counsel to tribal leadership or something in that capacity. I’m not looking for a big firm.”

Why KU Law? Affordability + portability

Justin Hendrix, L’09

AFFORDABLE PRICE, DEGREE PORTABILITY ALLOW ALUMNUS TO PURSUE PASSIONS

Justin Jendrix, L'09Justin Hendrix studied nuclear and mechanical engineering as an undergraduate, but it was an internship in Washington, D.C., that ignited his interest in law and public policy.

“I had learned the science, but I wanted to understand law and the legislative process,” Hendrix said. “For me, law school was the best way to do that.”

Today, Hendrix explores both law and science in a career focused on intellectual property. The KU alumnus currently clerks for Judge Alvin A. Schall at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which handles patent law, international trade issues and Veterans Affairs cases, among other things.

“KU gave me the freedom to pursue the type of law I wanted to practice, and to practice it how and where I wanted.”

“It’s a fun part of the job, combining the science and engineering with the law, whether it be software or high-tech inventions,” Hendrix said. “You have to learn the engineering and science aspect, too, and that’s fun for me.”

Although he grew up in Kansas, Hendrix always thought he might eventually want to practice on the East Coast. “In picking a law school, the decision for me was between going to KU or an East Coast school, considering the traditional wisdom that you go to school where you want to work,” Hendrix said. “When I read about KU and looked to see what other students had done, it was clear that KU grads were working everywhere. A lot find jobs in the Midwest, but a lot work on both coasts. I went to KU knowing all options would be open.”

Hendrix also sought a school with an affordable price tag so that he would be free to pursue the career path he wanted. “If I wanted to do public policy or government work but had $150,000 in debt, is it even possible?” Hendrix asked. “I didn’t want to be saddled down with that much debt. KU provided an alternative. KU had faculty with impressive credentials, a track record of alumni that were working all over the country and a price that couldn’t be beat. KU gave me the freedom to pursue the type of law I wanted to practice, and to practice it how and where I wanted.”

Following a summer internship with intellectual property law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP in Washington, D.C., Hendrix accepted a position with the firm after graduation. He practiced patent law there for four years before beginning his clerkship at the Federal Circuit. When his clerkship ends, Hendrix plans to return to patent law, this time practicing at Finnegan’s Palo Alto, California, office.

Whether he remains on the coast or eventually returns to the Midwest, Hendrix knows that his KU Law degree will continue to serve him well.

“There are a lot of KU Law graduates who work in the Midwest and stay there for good reason,” he said. “But there’s no reason you can’t work on either coast or anywhere in between.”