2024 Kba Award Recipients

• Publication year: 2024
• Citation: Vol. 93 No. 4 Pg. 53
• Pages: 53

2024 KBA Award Recipients93 J. Kan. Bar Assn 4, 53 (2024)Kansas Bar JournalAugust 2024

2024 KBA Award Recipients

PHIL LEWIS MEDAL OF DISTINCTION

The Phil Lewis Medal of Distinction is reserved for individuals or organizations in Kansas who have performed outstanding and conspicuous service at the state, national, or international level in administration of justice, science, the arts, government, philosophy, law, or any other field offering relief or enrichment to others. The recipient need not be a member of the legal profession nor related to it, but the recipient's service may include responsibility and honor within the legal profession. The award is only given in those years when it is determined that there is a worthy recipient.

Chief Judge Merlin G. Wheeler retired Sept. 3, 2022, after serving 32 years in the 5th Judicial District, which is composed of Chase and Lyon counties. He was appointed to district judge in 1990 and chief judge in 1997. Wheeler is a graduate of Washburn University School of Law and served as city attorney for Emporia and in private practice before joining the bench.

As chief judge, Wheeler implemented a child visitation and exchange center, citizens review board, child advocacy center, and multidisciplinary teams. In 2013, he served as the Kansas judiciary delegate to the National Governors Association three-branch initiative on child welfare. He is a past president of the KBA's Corporate Banking and Business Law Section and former chair of the special committee on local bar associations.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual for continuous long-standing service on behalf of the legal profession or the public, rather than the successful accomplishment of a single task or service. Only one Distinguished Service Award may be given in any one year. However, the award is given only in those years when it is determined that there is a worthy recipient.

William E. "Bill" Quick is the Corporate Transparency Act chair in Polsinelli's Kansas City, Missouri, office and serves as a fractional general counsel for hire. In that role, he focuses on managing the corporate portfolios of business enterprises and handling an array of corporate, finance, transactional, and related legal needs for the clients. Quick coproduced and wrote The Directors' Dilemmas (Part 1 and Part 2), a film illustrating corporate governance issues and best practices through a corporate drama format. He also coproduced and developed the program for The Directors College, an Institutional Shareholder Services accredited program for corporate directors and senior management. Quick recently authored The Kansas Limited Liability Company Handbook (2021), available in the Kansas Bar Association bookstore.

PROFESSIONALISM AWARD

The Professionalism Award recognizes an individual who has practiced law for 10 or more years who, by his or her conduct, honesty, integrity, and courtesy, best exemplifies, represents, and encourages other lawyers to follow the highest standards of the legal profession as identified by the KBA Hallmarks of the Profession.

Kevin F. Mitchelson is an...