Diversity in Law Banquet

31st Annual Diversity in Law Banquet

Friday, January 30, 2026
6 p.m. Cocktails | 7 p.m. Dinner
Jayhawk Club | Lawrence, Kansas

Mark your calendars and make plans to attend the 31st Annual Diversity in Law Banquet. This year's event will be on Friday, January 30, 2026, at The Jayhawk Club in Lawrence. The banquet will be hosted by one of our student organizations, OUTLaws and Accomplices.

This event will raise funds for KU Law's Public Interest Stipend Fund. This fund helps offset the expenses incurred when students take unpaid or low-paid summer internships that serve the public. 

Register by January 16.

Keynote Speaker

Kate Kendell is the CEO of the Gill Foundation. She leads the team in executing the vision of Tim Gill and the board by prioritizing, implementing and measuring the foundation's work and grant-making toward its mission of securing full equality for LGBTQ Americans. 

For 22 years, Kendell led the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of LGBTQ people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy and public education. After stepping down from this role, Kendell served as the interim chief legal officer at the Southern Poverty Law Center from 2019 through 2021. She then became the first-ever chief of staff at The California Endowment, a role she held until she joined the Gill Foundation in spring 2025. 

Growing up Mormon in Utah, Kendell learned about the complexities of religion and politics from an early age. After receiving her J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law in 1988 and a few years practicing corporate law, she pursued her real love — civil rights advocacy — and became the first staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah. There, she directly litigated many high-profile cases focusing on all aspects of civil liberties. 

In 1994, she joined NCLR as legal director and was named executive director two years later. Through her role at the foundation, Kendell continues her work building inclusive organizations and fighting for justice for multiple communities — mixing strategic acumen and pragmatism.

Event Sponsors

As we continue working toward our vision to increase access to legal education for our students and access to justice for the communities we serve, we are seeking support from the KU Law and legal community for the Public Interest Stipend Fund. This fund is used to attract students who are committed to increasing access to justice for all and to expand career opportunities for our students pursuing unpaid or low-paid summer internships in government, nonprofit, legal services and judicial offices. This year’s Diversity in Law Banquet will prove to be the single most important fundraising event for this initiative.

For more information, contact Jamila Jefferson, Associate Dean for Access and Opportunity, at jefferson@ku.edu.

2025 Diversity in Law Banquet

Thank you to everyone who supported the 30th Annual Diversity in Law Banquet, KU Law's annual celebration of diversity in the legal profession! This year's banquet was hosted by the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and KU Law. Cynthia Bryant, L'95, was the keynote speaker.