“Over the past 20 years, J.L.’s desire to keep Kansas’s best in Kansas to practice law has been fully realized—he has amassed an incredible group of Kansas attorneys, and I am honored to join this group as a Weigand Scholar and future attorney. The spirit of J.L.’s legacy lives on through each person associated with the Weigand Trust. I hope that I can maintain this spirit through my efforts and contributions in law school and beyond, and I look forward to being a lifetime member of the Weigand family.”
Gabby Phillips
University of Kansas
Weigand Scholar: 2025
Hometown
Norwich, KS
Education
B.A., English, with minors in Leadership and Spanish
Emporia State University, 2015
- ESU Honors College
- Graduated summa cum laude
M.S.E., Higher Education Administration
University of Kansas, 2017
J.D., University of Kansas School of Law, anticipated May 2025
- Staff Editor, Kansas Law Review
- Moot Court Council
- CALI Awards: Lawyering Skills I; Professional Responsibility
- Payne & Jones Writing Award Recipient
Publications:
How Kansas’s Pragmatic Approach to its Consumer Protection Act Has Paid Off: An Unexpected Source of Health Data Privacy, forthcoming in Issue 5 of the Kansas Law Review, Vol. 72
Gabby Phillips grew up in Wichita, KS, and moved to Norwich, KS in middle school. She attributes her success as a student and professional to the many Norwich teachers and community members who supported her. She has benefited greatly from Kansans and looks forward to serving this great state and its citizens.
In May 2015, Gabby graduated summa cum laude from Emporia State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and minors in Leadership and Spanish. While at Emporia State, she was involved in many clubs and activities. Most notably, she was a member of the ESU Honors College, resident assistant, cross country athlete, and founding member of the ESU Student Foundation, a student-led philanthropy campaign to help students in financial crises.
After earning her bachelor’s degree, Gabby started her master’s degree at the University of Kansas. In May 2017, Gabby graduated with a 3.98 GPA with a Master of Science in Education in Higher Education Administration. After college, she worked in various positions in admissions and enrollment management. While serving as the KU Honors Program’s head of admissions, Gabby discovered her passion for advocacy and solving complex problems, which prompted her decision to attend law school.
Gabby is a rising 3L at KU, where she serves as a staff editor for the Kansas Law Review for Volume 72 and will become one of its Comments Editors for Volume 73 next fall. At KU Law, Gabby is a member of KU’s Moot Court Council, the secretary for the Business and Tax Law Society, a site coordinator for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, the treasurer for the Asian Law Students’ Association, a teaching assistant for the Lawyering Skills Program, and Distinguished Professor Michael Hoeflich’s research assistant. As a 2L, Gabby and her moot court partner were semi-finalists in KU’s In-House Moot Court Competition. And Gabby competed on a team at the 2024 UCLA Transactional Law Competition. As a 1L, Gabby was selected as the first Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program Scholar in Kansas. This is a rigorous academic program designed to prepare diverse first-year students for summer positions at large law firms and other prestigious legal institutions.
During the summer after her first year of law school, Gabby worked for Husch Blackwell in Kansas City. During her second year of law school, Gabby participated in KU’s Judicial Field Placement program, where she served as an intern for the Hon. Toby Crouse in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. Gabby will return to Husch for her 2L summer. Following graduation, Gabby has accepted a one-year clerkship with the Hon. Toby Crouse.
“I am a beneficiary of a small Kansas community that nurtured my academic potential and ensured I would become a first-generation college graduate. I am indebted to the Kansans who have poured into me, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve Kansans as a member of the Weigand family and the Kansas legal community.”