Richard W. Smith, J.D. Candidate '15, Receives J. Reuben Clark Law Society's Public Service Award

Photograph: Rick  SmithRichard W. "Rick" Smith, Washburn University School of Law J.D. Candidate, '15, received the J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s Shawn Bentley Award from the DC Mid-Atlantic Chapter. The award was presented by Susan M. Davies and honors the late Shawn Bentley.  Bentley was an accomplished and respected attorney in both the private and public service sectors. Davies, former Deputy White House counsel for President Obama, worked closely with Bentley, beginning at the University of Chicago Law School, and throughout several areas of his expansive career, particularly in the area of Intellectual Property. Coincidentally, Rick Smith and Shawn Bentley are both natives of St. George, Utah.

“My involvement in the J. Reuben Clark Law Society taps into the reason I am studying law to promote fairness and virtue in the legal profession,” said Smith. “I am encouraged and inspired by the able and admirable individuals of the society, both in Kansas and across the country.”

The Shawn Bentley Public Service Award provides stipends to law student recipients who have demonstrated a commitment to public service and a willingness to explore legal public service opportunities in the Washington, D.C., area.

Smith added, “Receiving the Shawn Bentley Public Service Award strengthened my resolve to pursue an ambitious career in the public service sector. I was proud to represent Washburn Law in D.C., and I hope to continue to do so this summer.” 

The Rex Lee and Shawn Bentley Awards luncheon was held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on February 5, 2014. Approximately 200 members of the DC/Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society attended. Smith and fellow recipient Christina Champenois from Brigham Young University sat with the keynote speaker, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, at the luncheon.

Additional photographs from the event can be viewed on the DC/Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s blog.