“I am absolutely thrilled to be named a Weigand Scholar and to be a part of the Weigand Family. This network of esteemed attorneys is truly one of the best in the country and I feel incredibly lucky to join such an impressive group of people. I look forward to taking part in giving back to the legal community in a way that maintains the spirit of J.L.’s legacy.”


Riley A. Nickel

University of Kansas
Weigand Scholar: 2021

Hometown:
Topeka, KS

Employer:

Husch Blackwell

Education:
B.S., Political Science with a minor in History, Kansas State University, 2018

  • Eminent Recorder, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
  • Ambassador, Pre-Law Department

J.D. Candidate, University of Kansas School of Law, 2021

  • Order of the Coif
  • Managing Editor, University of Kansas Law Review
  • Dean’s Fellow

As a rising 3L at KU, Riley is a member of the Law Review serving as the Managing Editor for Volume 69. He also serves as a Dean’s Fellow, where he assists incoming 1L’s with the transition into law school and mentors the 1L’s as they navigate their first year. Riley worked as a legal extern for Judge Murguia, a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, in the summer of 2019 and as a summer associate at Husch Blackwell in the summer of 2020.

Riley accepted post-graduate employment with Husch Blackwell in Kansas City.

Riley received his B.S. in Political Science with a minor in History from Kansas State University in 2018. During his time at Kansas State, he served on the Executive Board for Sigma Alpha Epsilon and was involved with the Pre-Law Department as an Ambassador for the department. He also co-authored a peer-reviewed article that was presented at the International Studies Association Midwest Conference in 2017. 

Before going to college, Riley grew up in Topeka, Kansas and went to Seaman High School. He is the oldest of three and the only boy in the household besides his father. He got his first job at age 16 working at a local movie theater, which he kept up until he started law school.


“It took travelling away from Kansas to realize what Kansas had that other places don’t—a collection of truly wonderful people. Nowhere else have I been able to find the support network and community that Kansas has, and I could not be more excited to finish school and become a Kansas attorney.”