Volunteer Opportunities

One of the most valuable ways for alumni to reconnect with Washburn Law is by volunteering. You can support the law school and our outstanding students in their course and career choices, expand your alumni network and recruit top students. Wherever you live or whatever your time constraints, we have a volunteer opportunity to match your interest.

Admissions

Volunteers are always needed in admissions. Whether it is mentoring an incoming student, making a phone call or writing a letter to a prospective student or attending admissions events and talking to prospective students, alumni involvement is crucial. Help the admissions staff recruit top-notch students for the law school.

Contact Preston Nicholson, Assistant Dean for Admissions, at (785) 670-1706 or preston.nicholson@washburn.edu if you are interested.

Career Assistance

The Professional Development Office is always looking for alumni to share their knowledge and experience with current students. Areas where you can help are talking to students about your practice area or opportunities in your area, conducting mock interviews, reviewing resumes/cover letters/writing samples, speaking at a seminar about your career area, or leting the Professional Development Office know about job opportunities. Firms can host networking functions and government agencies and corporations can participate in externship programs.

Contact Tammy King, Director of Professional Development, at (785) 670-1703 or tammy.king1@washburn.edu if you are interested or need more information.

Be a Mentor

The program is designed to give first-year students a connection to the community and a resource for discussing issues related to their career. The program also provides an excellent opportunity for area alumni to re-connect with the School of Law and interact with students at a level they prefer. Mentors are asked to make at least one substantive contact with an assigned student. Of course, it is perfectly appropriate and we encourage you to invite your assigned student to lunch, for an office visit, to accompany you to court and/or to participate in other pertinent learning experiences.

For the program to be a success, we need area alumni and friends of the school to volunteer to mentor a first-year student. To participate in the Mentor Program, please complete the Mentor Registration Form.

Contact Tammy King, Director of Professional Development at (785) 670-1703, tammy.king1@washburn.edu or Karli Davis, Alumni Relations Director, at (785) 670-2013, karli.davis@washburn.edu.

Provide an Externship Placement

Beginning with fall 2019 admittees, Washburn Law students will have the opportunity to complete their final year of law school through the Third Year Anywhere enrollment option. Students who participate in this option increase their practice-readiness by externing in the geographic area where they plan to practice after graduation. If you are interested in supervising a student extern, or can help secure a placement for a student, please contact Shawn Leisinger, Associate Dean for Centers and External Programs, at shawn.leisinger@washburn.edu or (785) 670-2464. Learn more about the enrollment option.

Join your Reunion Committee

Get your classmates excited about attending their reunion and reconnect with the School of Law and old friends at the same time. If you have a reunion coming up, you can have an immediate impact on the events and activities. There are many opportunities to help make a memorable and fun reunion for you and your fellow classmates. Be a class chair, help organize various activities and events or help contact classmates and encourage their attendance.

Contact Karli Davis, Alumni Relations Director, at (785) 670-2013 or karli.davis@washburn.edu to find out how you can make a difference.

Be a Guest Speaker

There are numerous opportunities for you to share you area of expertise with students. Guest speakers provide students with firsthand knowledge about their profession and expertise, getting acclimated to law school, how to prepare for their legal careers and how to manage their time and competing obligations once they've entered the work force.

• Brown Bag Lunches
  Speak to small groups of students over the lunch hour about your area of expertise. The four Centers for Excellence offer many opportunities for these sessions.
• Student Organization Events
  Alumni are invited to speak to many different student groups. If you have a particular group where your interests are the same and you can provide insight for the group, this could be for you.
• Career Panels
  Speak on job search strategies, career paths, alternative legal careers, public interest jobs etc. Real world insight from alumni makes a tremendous impact on students.

Contact Karli Davis, Alumni Relations Director, at (785) 670-2013 or karli.davis@washburn.edu if you are interested in any guest speaker opportunities.

Participate in one of the Centers for Excellence

The centers host a variety of events which include brown bag lunches, guest speakers, lectures, one on one mentoring, internships, and externships. If you are interested in volunteering with one of the Centers please contact:

• Business and Transactional Law Center
  Amy Deen Westbrook, Co-Director
  (785) 670-1541 or amy.westbrook@washburn.edu
  or
  Andrea Boyack, Co-Director
  (785) 670-1664 or andrea.boyack@washburn.edu
• Center for Excellence in Advocacy
  Jeffrey Jackson, Director
  (785) 670-1833 or jeffrey.jackson@washburn.edu
• Center for Law and Government
  David Rubenstein, Director
  (785) 670-1682 or david.rubenstein@washburn.edu
• Children and Family Law Center
  Linda Elrod, Director
  (785) 670-1838 or linda.elrod@washburn.edu
  or
  Gillian Chadwick, Associate Director
  (785) 670-1675 or gillian.chadwick@washburn.edu
• International and Comparative Law Center
  Tonya Kowalski, Co-Director
  (785) 670-1668 or tonya.kowalski@washburn.edu
  or
  Craig Martin, Co-Director
  (785) 670-1196 or craig.martin@washburn.edu
• Oil and Gas Law Center
  Frédéric Sourgens, Director
  (785) 670-1772 or freddy.sourgens@washburn.edu
  or
  Burke Griggs, Associate Director
  (785) 670-1666 or burke.griggs@washburn.edu
• Washburn Law Clinic
  John Francis, Co-Director
  (785) 670-1685 or john.francis@washburn.edu
  or
  Janet Thompson Jackson, Co-Director
  (785) 670-1637 or janet.jackson@washburn.edu

Learn more about the Centers for Excellence.

Host a Reception or Event

The Alumni Association holds events throughout the year all over the United States. We are always looking for firms, companies or individuals to host events. This is a great way to get involved with alumni in your area and also give some fantastic PR to your firm or company. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with other alumni and have fun at the same time. If hosting an event is not for you, helping to find venues and locations and organizing an event being held in your area is just as important.

Contact Karli Davis, Alumni Services Director, at (785) 670-2013 or karli.davis@washburn.edu if you are interested or need further information.