This year, four Weigand scholars will graduate and return to Wichita to begin their legal careers.  Congratulations to our students, left to right:

Joel Griffiths, New York University - LL.M. (Foulston Siefkin, Wichita); Sarah Burch, Notre Dame - J.D. (Foulston Siefkin, Wichita); Jeffrey Pyle, Kansas University - J.D. (Martindell Swearer Shaffer Ridenour, Hutchinson); Kendra Hanson, Washburn University - J.D. (Seigfreid Bingham, Kansas City)

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Click here to see the news article published by Notre Dame Law School.  

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See our article in the Wichita Business Journal 

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Wichita non-profit passes $2 million mark in scholarships awarded.     

The J.L. Weigand, Jr. Notre Dame Legal Education Trust awarded scholarships to three deserving Kansan students last week, passing the $2 million mark for total scholarships awarded.

Recipients for the 2013 - 2014 school year are: (From left in photo) Katie Jo Baumgardner (Lousiburg), Matthew Schippers (Wichita), and Taylor Concannon (Hugoton). 

First-time scholarship winner Katie Jo Baumgardner is from Louisburg and will be a 2L at Notre Dame Law School. She attended Baylor University, where she earned  a Bachelor of Arts in University Scholars and graduated summa cum laude with Honors in 2011.  Her University Scholars concentrations were in Political Science and Great Texts.

Katie Jo and her partner won the 2013 Notre Dame 1L Moot Court Competitin.  After completing her 1L year in May, she will be a summer associate with Husch Blackwell in Kansas City. 

Matthew Schippers, another first-time Weigand scholar, is a Wichita native.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with Highest Distinction from the University of Kansas in 2008.  Since then, he’s been employed in Wichita with Koch Industries, most recently as Accounting in the Financial Reporting Division of Koch Fertilizer LLC.  He received his Certified Public Accountant Certificate in 2011.  Matthew will begin his legal education at the University of Kansas School of Law in the fall. 

Taylor Concannon, a Hugoton native, is a two-time winner of the scholarship, and will be a 3L at Washburn University School of Law.  In 2010, she graduated summa cum laude from Kansas State University with a BS in Political Science.   

Taylor is Comments Editor on the Washburn Law Journal and serves as a Student Ambassador.  She is a member of Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity.  This summer, Taylor will be working at Husch Blackwell in Kansas City and Foulston Siefkin in Wichita. 

The J.L. Weigand Trust – which offers the largest legal education scholarships in the United States – was established to offer assistance to law students from the State of Kansas.  The scholarships provide full tuition, fees, books, and a room and board allowance for selected long-term Kansas residents.   In addition to providing full scholarships, the J.L. Weigand Trust provides its scholars with invaluable mentoring and legal networking opportunities to facilitate both career placement in Kansas and career development during and after their graduation from law school.

J.L. Weigand, Jr., a native of Wichita who returned to his birth city after earning a B.S. from Notre Dame and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown Law School, established the J.L. Weigand Trust to actively promote excellence in legal education and to encourage the most scholastically qualified Kansans to remain in or return to Kansas to practice law.

Claudette Glenn, Director for the J.L. Weigand Trust said, “Through his commitment, sacrifices and generosity, Mr. Weigand established a legacy that will benefit Kansas law students for generations to come.  What a tremendous gift to Kansas!  We’re very pleased to award scholarships to Taylor, Katie Jo, and Matthew and are confident that Kansans will benefit from their contributions to the legal community.”

The J.L. Weigand Trust was established in 2004 and has awarded 67 scholarships, worth a combined value of just over $2 million.  Scholarships are awarded to the University of Notre Dame Law School, Washburn University School of Law and the University of Kansas School of Law.

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