Public Policy and Gender Committee Takes on New Initiative

Your Kansas Women Attorneys Association is off to another great year! We would like to introduce you to the Public Policy and Gender Committee chairs, Betsey Lasister and Danielle Atchison. This year, the committee will be focusing its attention on a single public policy and gender initiative—retaining and advancing women in the legal profession.  

A Tampa Bay-based bar association recently worked on this issue, identifying major reasons and potential solutions to the devastating numbers of women departing the profession in their program called “Staying in the Game.” The committee chairs plan to connect with the Tampa bar association to identify how the groundwork can be laid to look into the same issues in our own state. We anticipate the project to require efforts of all KWAA members and affiliate bar associations. We are hopeful the initiative will identify some solutions for ensuring our amazing women lawyers “Stay in the Game.” 

• If you would like to join this committee and the initiative, please email one of the committee chairs at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Additionally, our membership may have other public policy and gender issues that they would like to address along the way. This committee will be available to work with members to identify the best resources for action. Our goal, as always, is to serve our members, so please feel free to email them directly.

KWAA Annual Conference Planner Position Announcement

November 16, 2022 - I am pleased to announce that KWAA is seeking submissions for a contract conference planner for the 2023 annual conference, to work with our conference co-chairs. Please see the postion description here. Submissions are due by December 5, 2022 and are to be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

KWAA Statement on November 8, 2022 Judicial Retention Election

We are the leaders of the Kansas Women Attorneys Association, Kansas Women Attorneys for Freedom, Kansas Bar Association, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel which represent over 5,000 practicing lawyers in the State of Kansas.

Six of seven justices on the Kansas Supreme Court and half of the judges on the Kansas Court of Appeals will be on the retention ballot in this year’s general election. These judges were appointed by five Kansas governors, both Republicans and Democrats, over the past 30 years.

We urge Kansas voters to ignore the political and special interest groups targeting our appellate courts.

We believe appellate court judges should be free to perform their duties fairly and impartially. Judges should not be influenced by partisanship or popularity when deciding controversial cases. 

Please join us in the fight to protect our Kansas judicial system. Keep politics and political influence out of our courts.

Vote YES to retain all Kansas Supreme Court Justices and Court of Appeals Judges on November 8.

Kind regards, 

Whitney L. Casement, President

Kansas Women Attorneys Association*

Linda S. Parks, President

Kansas Women Attorneys for Freedom*

Laura Ice, President-Elect

Kansas Bar Association*

Michael J. Fleming, President

Kansas Trial Lawyers Association*

Brooks G. Severson, President-Elect

Kansas Association of Defense Counsel* 

*Members of these organizations with judicial and other governmental positions did not participate in the issuance of this statement.

Click here to view a signed version of the above statement.