Chapter for the districts of Kansas & Western Missouri

KU State and Federal Criminal Practitioners Panel

fedbarkanmo_admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:33:27 +0000

On October 2, Judge Richard Federico of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals led a panel of attorneys with extensive experience in criminal law and litigation for law students at the University of Kansas. Panelists included attorneys from the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, the State and Federal Public Defender’s Offices, attorneys who serve on the federal criminal appointment panel, and those who had previously served as Assistant United States Attorneys. Panelists gave their perspective on the profession with insight on what led them to their careers and what they find most meaningful about their work. The panel was made possible with the generous support of the professional chapter of the Federal Bar Association of Kansas and Western Missouri.

Photos Courtesy of KU School of Law

Law Day 2024 Presentations

fedbarkanmo_admin — Fri, 24 May 2024 15:39:33 +0000

Our Chapter again hosted Law Day presentations throughout Kansas and Western Missouri during the week of May 1. This year we had more than a dozen lawyers speak to several hundred students, including speaking to 250 7^th graders at Hays Middle School. We spoke to students in Belton, Kansas City (KS and MO), Independence, Topeka, Olathe, Kansas City, and in Hays, KS. Our presenters consisted of federal judges, prosecutors, public defenders, corporate attorneys, solo practitioners, and big firm lawyers. This event, which occurred throughout a week, had lawyers/judges going into middle school and high school classrooms to talk about being a lawyer and the evolution of voting rights. We are so grateful for the opportunity to connect the bench/bar to our community and make sure students feel comfortable talking about big constitutional topics that affect their lives as well as have experience speaking with those that facilitate the justice systems in their communities.

Please join us in sending a big thank you to:

Volunteer Presenters: Hammons Hepner, Kevin Breer, Stephanie Lopez, Laurel Stevenson, Tuck Duncan, Patrick Waters, Eli Dodge, David Trevino, Judge James, Susan Sposato, Judge Howard, and Wendy Rohleder-Sook.
Teachers/schools who invited us to speak: Belton High School, Pembroke Hill School, Van Horn High School, Farm School KC, Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and College Prep, Turner High School, Olathe Mission Trail Middle School, Hays Middle School.

We hope to continue to grow this program in the years to come!

Heads up/looking forward: We are hosting a similar event, National Civics Day, on Wednesday, 9/4/24 in conjunction with the FBA Annual Meeting and Convention. Please email Danielle Atchison at datchison@uslegalimmigration.com if you’d like to volunteer to present in September OR you know a school who would like to have a speaker that day.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! LAW DAY––MAY 1ST, 2023

fedbarkanmo_admin — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 21:12:01 +0000

FBA NEEDS ATTORNEYS AND JUDGES TO FACILITATE LAW DAY 2023 CIVICS PRESENTATIONS IN CLASSROOMS ON MAY 1ST

Volunteer to teach kids the importance of civics and the law!

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER!

Our FBA Chapter is proud of our commitment to sharing resources and learning opportunities on civic education with students in our communities. We participate in Law Day celebrations (See ABA Law Day information here: LINK) each year on May 1. We are going to be presenting in Kansas and Western Missouri classrooms on the Law Day theme “Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics Civility, and Collaboration” this year during the week of May 1, 2023.

We need volunteer attorney and judges to sign up to present to HUNDREDS of students throughout our communities! It will be a time commitment of less than a couple hours and make a big impact. The FBA will connect you with pre-made presentations and resources to make your contribution as seamless as possible. Thank you in advance for making a positive impact for civics education!

What we need from you:

Volunteer Presenters! Please sign up to speak during this week. We need volunteers to go into schools and speak to the children (classroom assignments may be elementary through high school). We will provide you with a presentation and training on that presentation. All we need is your time! Please complete the survey linked to the button below to sign up to speak:

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER!

School Contacts! We need contacts to more schools/teachers who may want an attorney/judge to present to their students. If you have any, please send them this LINK or have them directly email Civic Education and Outreach committee chair, Danielle Atchison at datchison@uslegalimmigration.com

Interview with Western District of Missouri Magistrate Judge Jill Morris

fedbarkanmo_admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 14:53:19 +0000

We are excited to release a video interview of recently appointed Western District of Missouri Magistrate Judge Jill A. Morris. Many of you know Judge Morris for her service as the Director of the WDMO Mediation and Assessment Program. But we wanted to get to know her better. Fortunately, she agreed to a recorded interview. We are now making that interview available to you. Not only will you learn something new about her, but she provides excellent practice tips for appearing before her and the federal bench generally.

Click here to view interview

2018 Heart of America Sentencing Guidelines Conference

fedbarkanmo_admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 16:05:17 +0000

Hon. Daniel D. Crabtree and Hon. Stephen Bough present at the 2018 Heart of America Sentencing Guidelines ConferenceThe District of Kansas, the Western District of Missouri, the United States Sentencing Commission, and the Federal Bar Association were honored to host the Heart of America Sentencing Guidelines Conference on April 26 & 27, 2018. Over 175 federal judges, U.S. Attorneys, Federal Public Defenders, private counsel and probation officers attended the two day event. The first day was focused on the basics of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Day two included presentations from practitioners and legal experts from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Attendees also heard from experts within the Bureau of Prisons. The highlight for many was a conversation between Judge Richard Kopf and Georgetown Law Professor Shon Hopwood.

Hon. Richard Kopf and Prof. Shon Hopwood converse about Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Mentorship Program Finale

fedbarkanmo_admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 14:48:38 +0000

From left to right: Whitney Novak (mentor—law clerk), Hon. Teresa J. James (mentor—judge), John Shaw (mentor—attorney), Ben Stueve (mentee—KU)

From left to right: Nathan Kakazu (mentor—law clerk), Ben Donovan (mentee—Washburn), Susan Sposato (mentee—UMKC), Elizabeth Ellis (mentee—UMKC)

We held a happy hour at the Dole Federal Courthouse on Friday, April 13, 2018, to celebrate the conclusion of the FBA Mentorship Program for 2017–2018. Attendees included mentees from several law schools and several mentors, including judges, practicing attorneys, and law clerks.

Special thank you to Grant Treaster, who coordinated this year’s program!

Welcome to the Chapter’s New Website!

fedbarkanmo_admin — Sat, 13 May 2017 16:44:43 +0000

Welcome to the new website for the FBA Chapter for the Districts of Kansas and Western Missouri! Please bear with us as we continually tinker with the website.