Phil Lewis Medal of Distinction, 1020 KSBJ, 89 J. Kan. Bar Assn 7, 14 (2020)

Position89 J. Kan. Bar Assn 7, 14 (2020)

Phil Lewis Medal of Distinction

No. 89 J. Kan. Bar Assn 7, 14 (2020)

Kansas Bar Journal

October, 2020

September, 2020

The KBA's Phil Lewis Medal of Distinction

The KBA's 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 Justice (Ret.) Lawton R. Nuss Following service as a Marine Corps combat engineer and then KU law school, Nuss worked for 20 years as a trial attorney in his hometown of Salina, representing a range of plaintiffs and defendants in all types of cases.

Nuss was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Bill Graves in August 2002, becoming the first justice in nearly 25 years to move directly from the practice of law to the Court. He began serving as Chief Justice in January 2010. For the next 10 years, he presided over the Court while it exercised general administrative authority over all courts in Kansas. This included supervising approximately 300 judges and 1500 employees and administering an annual budget of around $145 million. During his career he also helped decide 17,000 cases and wrote more than 300 decisions.

His leadership was nationally featured in 2016 in both The New Yorker magazine article titled "The Political War Against the Kansas Supreme Court" and in a front page article of The New York Times. The Times noted that "Nuss. . . has emerged as a strong defender of judicial independence." His leadership of the judicial branch during challenging times was additionally highlighted as the cover story of The Journal, the official magazine of the Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita.

At the invitation of their national organization, in 2019 Nuss presented a program to other states' Chief Justices on "The Chief Justice's Leadership and Policy Role." He has also served, at the ABA's request, as a panelist at several of their annual meetings: first regarding attacks on judicial independence, and last year on "Undermining the Courts."

Nuss retired in December 2019.

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.

MarthaCoffman is General Counsel for the Kansas Supreme Court Office of Judicial Administration. She previously served as Chief Advisory Counsel to the Kansas Corporation Commission and Director of the Kansas Court of Appeals Central Research Staff. Other legal experiences include serving as a research attorney for Kansas Supreme Court Justice Donald Allegrucci and as law clerk for United States District Judge Earl E. O'Connor. These distinguished jurists taught her how a decision in one case can impact the law. During the years she practiced in Lawrence, KS, Martha handled primarily criminal defense, family law, and whatever paid the bills.

After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas, Martha studied at the University of Pittsburgh, PA, receiving a master's degree in anthropology. She followed her interest in how cultures resolve conflict and adapt to change back to the University of Kansas for her law degree. While in law school, she participated in the Paul E. Wilson Defender Project (now the Innocence Project) and served on the Kansas Law Review.

Martha loves to travel, but will always return to Kansas. She is a fifth generation Kansan, her ancestors having settled Douglas, Osage, Franklin, and Ford Counties. She lives in Douglas County with her husband, Patrick Curtiss, and their dog Finn.

Having served on the KBA Awards Committee, Martha knows recipients previously receiving the Professionalism Award and is honored to be associated with them. As an attorney, she has always sought to advocate for her clients while treating everyone with respect and courtesy. To the extent she has achieved that goal, she credits the example set by her father, the Honorable Floyd H. Coffman.

KBA Awards

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 Awardrnay 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.

In 44 years of practice, Nick Badgerow has handled a wide variety of lawsuits in state and federal courts, trying more than fifty jury cases to verdict, and representing corporations, governments, lawyers, law firms, and judges. A partner with Spencer Fane LLP, he has served as a special master, mediator and arbitrator, and has testified as an expert witness in more than 25 cases. Known for expertise in the areas of attorney ethics, professional responsibility, and professional liability, Nick has published more than 70 bar journal and law review articles, presented nearly 200 seminars, is the editor and a co-author of the KBA Ethics Handbook, and is one of the authors of the KBA Employment Law Handbook. Nick has served in a number of positions, including: • Kansas Judicial Council (1994 - 2018)

• Co-Chair, Civil Justice Reform Act Committee, United States District Court - District of Kansas (1995 - 1998)

• President, Earl E. O'Connor Inn of Court (1996 - 1997)

• Kansas State Board of Discipline for Attorneys (2000-2016)

• Chairman, Ethics 2000 Commission (2001 - 2002)

• Member, Kansas Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (2010 -2013)

• Chairman, Kansas Ethics 20/20 Commission (2013)

• Chairman, KBA Ethics Advisory Opinion Committee (1997 - 2005)

• Chairman, Johnson County (Kansas) Bar Association Ethics and Grievance Committee 1989-2019).

Nick has received the Kansas CLE Robert L. Gernon Award (2011) and the KBAs Outstanding Service Award (1995 and 2009).

In his non-professional life, Nick is an avid fox hunter, horseman, hiker, runner, reader, and is actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife of 44 years, Teresa, live in Prairie Village.

Pillars of the Community Award

The Pillars of the Community Award recognizes a Kansas lawyer with a minimum of 10 years active non-specialized, general legal practice in a predominately low-density population area of Kansas and substantial practice in small or solo law firms or local government service.

Dennis Depew practiced for almost 32 years in his hometown of Neodesha. Since May of 2015, Dennis has served as the Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation. He and his wife Shirley continue to maintain their primary residence in Neodesha because of his civic and community involvement there. Son Derek is an Army JAG officer and son David is a graduate student at KU Engineering.

Dennis has held leadership positions in the KBA and KBF for 15 years...

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