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J.L. WEIGAND, JR.-A LEGACY OF RECRUITMENT
By Roarke R. Gordon |
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Recruitment is one of the toughest challenges facing the Wichita Bar as well as the entire state of Kansas. Our firms spend significant amounts of time and money attempting to hire the best and brightest law students, who are too often enticed away by the starting salaries offered in larger cities. Regardless of our willingness to hire qualified individuals from anywhere, we are cognizant of whether a particular student is from Kansas as it provides some comfort that he or she will be willing to stay or return to Kansas to practice law. Nevertheless, we have no guarantee that the students in which we invest time and effort will decide to practice law in Kansas post graduation. One member of our Wichita Bar recognized this problem, and as a direct result of his foresight and sacrifice, has left a legacy which will help ensure that the Wichita and Kansas Bar will benefit from its home-grown talent long into the future.
J.L. Weigand Jr.
Born in Wichita on July 31, 1932, J.L. Weigand had strong connections to both Kansas and the University of Notre Dame. He attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Cathedral High School in Wichita for two years. He then entered Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Following his graduation from Campion in 1950, he enrolled at Notre Dame and became a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Finance Club, and the varsity tennis team. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1954 with a BS in commerce.
Mr. Weigand served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and then set out to receive a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He graduated from Georgetown in 1962. Immediately following his graduation from Georgetown, Mr. Weigand returned to Wichita and began to practice law with his father in the firm of Weigand, Curfman, Brainerd and Harris. He maintained his practice in Wichita until his retirement.
As an attorney, Mr. Weigand valued the vibrant spirit and tradition of the law, and maintained a strong work ethic, a deep sense of loyalty and a fundamental notion of fair play. His religious upbringing, while never far from his actions, was not worn on his shirt sleeve. Mr. Weigand remained an active member in the Kansas Bar Association and Wichita Bar Association, and faithfully served the legal community of Kansas throughout his career.
The J.L. Weigand, Jr. Legal Education Trust
Long before his death in 2002, Mr. Weigand expressed his desire to establish a trust for the benefit of Kansas residents attending law school. His wish was to help educate the state's finest students who, in turn, would practice law in Kansas for the betterment of its citizens. By assisting with the financial costs of a legal degree, Mr. Weigand hoped qualified students would have less debt following graduation and be more apt to turn down the starting salaries offered in larger cities.
Mr. Weigand lived a frugal life, leaving much of his lifetime earnings to provide for this legacy. In 2003, the J.L. Weigand, Jr. Notre Dame Legal Education Trust was established. The trust works aggressively to assist law students from Kansas by arranging clerkship and employment interviews and providing full tuition scholarships at Washburn University School of Law, Notre Dame Law School, and the University of Kansas Law School. By not only assisting with tuition but also books, room and board, the Trust provides the largest legal education scholarships offered in the country.
Dan Lawrence, an associate at Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLC, said "There's no question that the J.L. Weigand, Jr. Legal Education Trust makes it easier for Kansas law students to stay and practice law in Kansas following graduation. Without the scholarship, student loan debt can make it difficult or impossible to indulge that desire. The Weigand Trust not only makes staying in Kansas much easier, but, because of the gratitude that scholarship recipients have for J.L. Weigand's sacrifice, the Trust actually strengthens Weigand Scholars' ties to Kansas."
Scholarship recipients recognize a great deal of value in the Trust well beyond the financial and employment support it provides. Older recipients mentor and help relieve the anxiety of younger recipients. Additionally, the older students and graduates provide tips and training for interviews, as well as a "step in the door" for many employment opportunities.
Through its scholarship cri-teria, the Trust highlights those students in which our firms are most interested: highly qualified residents who want to practice law in Kansas. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have been a legal resident of Kansas for at least ten (10) years, and they must attend law school at Notre Dame, Washburn or KU. Students must reapply for the scholarship annually, and the scholarship awards are provided to students ranked in the top ten percent (10%) of their class. Most importantly, applicants must exhibit an interest to either stay or return to Kansas to practice law.
Since the first round of scholarships were offered in 2004, the Trust has provided 42 scholarship awards with a value of over $1.2M. Five (5) scholarships have been awarded to students at KU, twenty-five (25) to students at Washburn, and twelve (12) at Notre Dame. The Trust has a success rate of approximately 75%. In other words, three out of every four scholarship recipients are staying or returning to Kansas to practice law.
The Wichita and Kansas Bars are already benefiting from Mr. Weigand's legacy. The following is a partial list of locations where Weigand scholars are currently working:
Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin
Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLC
Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Martin Pringle Attorneys at Law
Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Honorable John L. Lungstrum, U.S. District Court
Honorable Deanell Reece Tacha, U.S. Court of Appeals
Kansas Court of Appeals
Bryan Cave
Foulston Siefkin
Lathrop & Gage, LC
Parmele Law Firm, PA
Shughart Thompson & Kilroy P.C.
Honorable Julie A. Robinson, U.S. District Court
Honorable Gary Sebelius, U.S. District Court Magistrate
Office of the President, Washington, D.C.
Through his ongoing legacy, Mr. Weigand's many contributions and positive impact on the Kansas legal community will continue for perpetuity. The J.L. Weigand, Jr. Legal Education Trust will carry on his rich love for the law and love for Kansas.
For further information regarding the Weigand Trust, the scholarship recipients and trust activities, visit their website at www.jlweigandtrust.org.
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Reprint from Bar-o-Meter
Official Publication of the Wichita Bar Association January 2009 Vol. 23, No. 1 |
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