“I am forever indebted to the hard work and generosity of Mr. J.L. Weigand, Jr. The Weigand Trust has opened the door to new opportunities that will allow me to make a difference in my community down the road. I am honored to be a part of his legacy.”
Courtney P. Klaus
University of Notre Dame
Weigand Scholar: 2021, 2022, 2023
Hometown:
Mulvane, KS
Education:
B.A. Communication, B.A. History, Minor in Journalism, Newman University, 2020
- Summa Cum Laude
- Honors Program
J.D., Notre Dame Law School, 2023
- Magna Cum Laude
- 1L Moot Court Tournament Champion
- Notre Dame Law Review, Managing Symposium Editor
- Moot Court Board, President
- A. Harold Weber Moot Court Award
- Patricia O’Hara Scholarship and Leadership Award
Employment
Courtney Klaus grew up in Mulvane, Kansas.
She studied communication and history at Newman University in Wichita, where she served as the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper. For her senior thesis, Courtney created an educational role-playing game about Kansas History which was executed as the Honors Seminar class final.
With the help of the Weigand Trust, Courtney was able to attend her top choice law school, Notre Dame Law School.
Courtney won Notre Dame’s 1L Moot Court Tournament. During her 2L year, Courtney was the president of Notre Dame’s American Constitution Society. She was a teaching assistant for Professor Sadie Blanchard’s contracts class, two sections of Professor Jay Tidmarsh’s torts class, and a research assistant for Professor Jim Seckinger’s advanced trial advocacy course. Courtney also served as the Managing Symposium Editor for The Notre Dame Law Review. Courtney’s 2L Note about the First Amendment, Put Mahanoy Where Your Mouth Is: A Closer Look at When Schools Can Regulate Online Student Speech, was published in Volume 98, Issue 2 of The Notre Dame Law Review.
Courtney was elected President of Notre Dame’s Moot Court Board. During her time as President, Courtney and her fellow Weigand classmate Olivia Rogers had the opportunity to demonstrate a showcase appellate argument for the law school in front of a panel of federal judges with Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett presiding. Upon graduation, Courtney was a recipient of the Patricia O’Hara Scholarship and Leadership Award.
Courtney was a summer associate with Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson, & Kitch in Wichita in 2021. She was a summer associate at Polsinelli in Kansas City in 2022. She accepted a full-time associate position at Polsinelli, starting in 2023.
“Growing up in Kansas, I learned about the power of hard work, the importance of integrity, and the strength that comes from community. I want to continue to build upon the foundation that started at home and use what I learn in law school to hopefully make a positive difference in the world.”