The Kansas Bar Foundation is proud to announce the 2014 foundation grant and scholarship recipients. The KBF has committed itself to the assistance of improving the legal system for all Kansans. One of the key methods of accomplishing this objective is by providing grants to civil legal service programs. In the past, these grants have concentrated on such high-impact clients as victims of domestic violence, the elderly and children. In addition, the foundation awards scholarships to law students and provides funding for law related educational programs.

The KBF receives private donations and funding from the Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) program. The IOLTA program collects the interest from lawyers’ client trust accounts, which, prior to the creation of the IOLTA program in 1984, were held in noninterest‑bearing accounts. When a number of these small- or short-term funds are pooled together, they can produce significant amounts of revenue for law‑related charitable public service projects.

Participation in the IOLTA program is voluntary on the part of both Kansas lawyers and financial institutions. Historically, the foundation has allocated approximately 80 percent or more of IOLTA funds to the provision of civil legal services to low-income citizens.

In 2012, the foundation received funding from a direct grant of residual funds from a class action lawsuit. These funds support activities and programs that promote access to the civil justice system for low-income residents and to programs that relate directly to promoting and facilitating access to the civil justice system through education or other means.

In 2014, the foundation will award more than $100,000 to support six IOLTA grants, five residual fund grants and seven scholarships.

Foundation President Kathy Kirk said, “We are so pleased this year to be able to give significantly more money to Kansas communities than we have for several years. Supporting legal initiatives through the foundation is one of the primary ways Kansas lawyers give back and compound their giving ability.”

2014 IOLTA Grants

Kansas Legal Services Inc. – $43,139
To provide advice and representation for low income persons in Kansas for general legal, family law, consumer and housing issues and for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

CASA of Kansas – $8,000
To fund volunteer supervision staff positions. Staff positions recruit, screen, train and supervise CASA volunteers so that they may serve child in need of care cases.

National Institute for Trial Advocacy – $8,776.50
To fund “Advocacy Skills Training,” a three-day workshop that will focus on the needs of specialized public service attorneys and serve practitioners who cannot travel to larger program destinations due to time and budget constraints.

KBA Young Lawyer Section Mock Trial Program – $5,000
To advance the educational goals of students and the broader understanding of and respect for the law through structured and fairly administered mock-trials.

YWCA Crisis Center-Wichita – $2,084
To fund three free legal clinics for survivors of domestic violence, as well as support for the volunteer training program.

Western Professionals/Immigration Professionals – $5,000
To offer a reduced fee program to indigent migrants who qualify for either Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or a U-visa. The program will cover all of the individual’s attorney fees, assuming they meet all the qualifications.

2014 Class Action Residual Fund Grants

KBA Law-Related Education Committee – $10,000
To coordinate programs that focus on providing Kansas residents with free resources and information about law related matters of interest to educators, students and the public.

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas – $2,000
To provide pro bono services to refugees resettled by the Catholic Charities’ Refugee and Migrant Services Program and individuals from the community at large who are predominantly Hispanic.

Kansas Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence – $3,000
To host two days of training. One day is for Kansas attorneys and the other for advocates. The training will focus on domestic violence and sexual assault and how these issues affect custody decisions.

Douglas County Legal Aid – $10,000
To provide no-cost legal services to residents of Douglas County who are financially disadvantaged.

University of Kansas School of Law-Pro Bono Project – $5,570
To develop a program that will match Kansas citizens seeking pro bono legal aid with licensed Kansas attorneys willing to provide such aid. The program will have separate sections for clients who are military veterans and law enforcement officers.

$1,000 KBF Scholarships

Case, Moses, & Zimmerman P.A. Law Student Scholarship
This scholarship is intended to go to a second-year law student at a Kansas law school or Creighton University School of Law. The 2014 recipient is Richard W. Smith, Washburn University School of Law.

The Justice Alex M. Fromme Memorial Scholarship Award
The award is intended for a law student attending the University of Kansas Law School or Washburn University Law School who is committed to practicing law in Kansas. The 2014 recipient is Katherine E. Marples, University of Kansas School of Law.

Maxine S. Thompson Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship promotes the practice of law in the state of Kansas by awarding a law student, originally from Kansas and attending the University of Kansas School of Law or Washburn University School of Law an annual scholarship. The award recipient must have completed no less than 60 hours toward a law degree and must plan to practice in a rural Kansas area, preferably western Kansas. The 2014 recipient is Christopher A. Rohr, Washburn University School of Law.

The John E. Shamberg Memorial Law Student Scholarship
This scholarship is for a Washburn University School of Law student who has an interest in plaintiff’s work as well as a bona fide intention to practice law in Kansas. The 2014 recipient is Kurtis K. Wiard, Washburn University School of Law.

Hinkle Elkouri Scholarship Award
This scholarship is intended for a law student at the University of Kansas School of Law or Washburn University School of Law. Applicants should demonstrate a bona fide intention to practice law in Kansas. Because community service is extremely important to the Hinkle Elkouri law firm, applicants must also demonstrate a history of community involvement to be considered. The 2014 recipient is Kayla Lynn Roehler, Washburn University School of Law.

Lathrop & Gage Scholarship Award
This scholarship is given to a law student at the University of Kansas School of Law or Washburn University School of Law. Applicants should demonstrate a bona fide intention to practice law in Kansas. Applicants must demonstrate a history of community involvement to be considered. The 2014 recipient is Thomas Hiatt, University of Kansas School of Law.

Frank Norton Scholarship Award
This scholarship is available exclusively to Washburn University School of Law students in their second or third year of study who are not receiving any other scholarship support. The 2014 recipient is Aaron Othmer, Washburn University School of Law.

(AP) — A Kansas Senate Democrat and her allies plan to push next year for policies promoting renewable energy because of concerns about climate change.

A key Republican lawmaker is interested in the same issues, but he worries the policies will lead to higher electric rates.

Lawrence Democrat Marci Francisco had a Statehouse news conference Friday to discuss energy issues. She said Kansas can take steps to promote renewable energy and combat climate change.

She said Kansas should rewrite its laws to encourage more electric customers to take advantage of a law giving breaks on rates for installing solar panels and other renewable energy technology.

But Senate Utilities Chairman and Louisburg Republican Pat Apple said he wants to examine whether such policies merely shift electric rates to other customers.

(AP) — An attempt to thaw a frozen pipe turned into a big problem for a southwest Kansas resident.

An above-ground water pipe beneath a mobile home froze and broke Thursday afternoon.

The resident tried to unfreeze the pipe with a propane burner, but set a fire instead. No one was injured, but firefighters said the flames then spread across the bottom of the home.

Dodge City Fire Captain Mark Elder says that such fires are common when exposed pipes beneath mobile homes freeze in cold weather. Elder advises making sure that siding is in place to provide some insulation.

The temperature was 12 degrees at the time of Thursday’s fire, and southwest Kansas is expected to have wind chills below zero through the weekend.

(AP) — An attorney for former Kansas Attorney General Phil Kline is asking the Kansas Supreme Court to consider modifying a ruling that indefinitely suspended Kline’s law license.

The motion for a rehearing was filed this week by Tom Condit, who argued that investigators in Kline’s case were biased and facts about the former attorney general’s investigations into abortions were misrepresented.

The Supreme Court in October agreed with a state disciplinary panel that Kline repeatedly misled or allowed subordinates to mislead others, including a Kansas City-area grand jury, during his investigations. The unanimous decision came after disputes between the Republican and critics of his tactics.

Kline is now a professor at Liberty University in Virginia.

(AP) — Two days of hearings in Kansas by a national health care oversight panel raised questions about the implementation of the state’s KanCare system and the impact on Medicaid services.

The hearings were conducted Wednesday and Thursday by the National Council on Disability, which advises the president and Congress on health care issues.

Members of the panel on Thursday questioned changes in how services were provided to the disabled under KanCare. The  panel asked Kansas officials to explain why some residents no longer qualified for services.

Shawn Sullivan, secretary for the Department for Aging and Disability Services, says the changes were related to how service levels were approved under a new managed-care model. He says that gave less discretion to deviate from approved standards of care.