KBA, KBF Announce 2026 Award Recipients
The Kansas Bar Association and Kansas Bar Foundation are proud to announce the recipients of their 2026 awards. Both organizations will recognize the following award recipients at their respective events held in August in Manhattan.
The Kansas Bar Association will be recognizing 22 award recipients at the KBA Awards Luncheon on Friday, August 28 at 12:00 p.m. in Manhattan.
Judge John W. Lungstrum, United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas, is the recipient of the Phil Lewis Medal of Distinction, the KBA’s highest award. This award 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.
Natalie G. Haag, of Capitol Federal, Topeka, is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes an individual for continuous long-standing service on behalf of the legal profession or the public.
J. Nick Badgerow, of Spencer Fane, Overland Park, is the recipient of the Professionalism Award. The award recognizes an individual who has practiced law for 10 or more years and by their 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.
Peter L. Peterson, of Clark, Mize & Linville, Chartered, Salina, is the recipient of the Pillars of the Community Award. The 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.
Judge Karen M. Arnold-Burger, Kansas Court of Appeals, Topeka, is the recipient of the Christel Marquardt Trailblazer Award. The award is named in honor of the Hon. Christel Marquardt, the first woman to serve as president of the Kansas Bar Association. The award honors exceptional KBA members who break new ground, shatter glass ceilings, or pave new paths for others to follow. The award is bestowed upon a member who has made innovative contributions to improve the legal profession or our communities, exhibiting courage, leadership, professional excellence, and service to the profession in a manner that makes a substantial and positive impact on all those who follow in their footsteps.
Jennifer L. Magana, City of Wichita – Office of the City Attorney, Wichita, is the recipient of the Distinguished Government Service Award. The award recognizes a Kansas judge or attorney who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to government service.
Mark A. Dupree, Sr., Unified Government of Wyandotte County • Kansas City, Kansas – Office of the District Attorney, Kansas City, Kansas, is the recipient of the Courageous Attorney Award. The award is given to an attorney who has displayed exceptional courage in the face of adversity. The award is given only in those years when it is determined that there is a worthy recipient.
Emily D. Depew, Kansas Office of the Governor, Topeka, is the recipient of the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. The award recognizes the efforts of a KBA Young Lawyers Section member who has rendered meritorious service to the legal profession, the community, or the KBA.
Receiving Outstanding Service Awards are: Judge Gwynne H. Birzer, United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Wichita; Judge Amy Fellows Cline, Kansas Court of Appeals, Topeka; Judge Angela D. Coble, Kansas Court of Appeals, Topeka; Judge Teresa J. James, United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas; Title Standards Committee, Kansas Bar Association, Topeka; and Angel R. Zimmerman, of Zimmerman & Zimmerman, P.A., Topeka. These awards recognize service that significantly advances the administration of justice or the goals of the legal profession and the KBA.
Receiving Pro Bono Awards are: Derek S. Bereit, Kansas Legal Services, Inc., Kansas City, Kansas; Laura L. Ice, Kansas Legal Services, Inc., Wichita; and Lane R. Palmateer, Kansas Legal Services, Inc., Wichita. The awards recognize lawyers or law firms that deliver direct legal services free of charge to the poor, or in appropriate instances to charitable organizations who primarily provide other services to the poor.
Receiving Pro Bono Certificates are: Elizabeth A. Carson, of Bruce, Bruce & Lehman L.L.C., Wichita; Denise L. Magathan McNabb, of Stevens & Brand LLP, Topeka; Robin G. Maxon, of Hopkins & Huebner, PC, Des Moines, Iowa; John H. Mitchelson, of Wheeler & Mitchelson Chartered, Pittsburg; and Christine M. Novak, Littler Mendelson PC, Kansas City, Missouri. Pro Bono Certificates recognize lawyers who: are not employed full time by an organization that primarily provides free legal services to the poor; with no expectation of receiving a fee, have provided direct delivery of legal services in civil or criminal matters to a client or client group that has no resources to employ paid counsel; have voluntarily contributed a significant portion of time to provide legal services to the poor without charge; and/or lawyers whose voluntary contributions have resulted in increased access to legal services for low- and moderate-income persons.
The Kansas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees will honor James D. Oliver, Foulston Siefkin LLP, Overland Park, with its highest commendation, the Robert K. Weary Award, at the Fellows dinner held on Thursday, August 27 at 6:00 p.m. The award recognizes lawyers or law firms for their exemplary service and commitment to the mission and goals of the Kansas Bar Foundation.
Founded in 1882, the Kansas Bar Association is a voluntary professional association for dedicated legal professionals and has more than 4,600 members, including lawyers, judges, law students, and paralegals. The KBA is dedicated to advancing the professionalism and legal skills of lawyers, promoting the interests of the legal profession, providing services to its members, advocating positions on law-related issues, encouraging public understanding of the law, and promoting the effective administration of our system of justice.
For more than 60 years, the Kansas Bar Foundation has funded opportunities for the citizens of Kansas for charitable and educational projects that foster the welfare, honor, and integrity of the legal system by improving its accessibility, equality, and uniformity, and by enhancing the public opinion of the role of lawyers in our society. Since 1984, with funding from the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts program, the KBF has awarded more than $5 million in grants to provide legal services to those who cannot afford them and for law related educational programs.
