KU News Release

Wine tasting to benefit international law volunteer

Julie Larson in Sudan

LAWRENCE – The International Law Society at the University of Kansas School of Law will host its annual wine tasting from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, at the Lawrence Visitor Information Center, 402 N. Second St.

Local businesses donate wine and cheese for the event, which serves as the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year. All proceeds will go to a law student who plans to volunteer at an international organization this summer.

Last year’s recipient was second-year law student Julie Larson, who volunteered with a legal aid clinic in Sudan that provides assistance to displaced individuals. Larson lived with a host family in Khartoum, close to the center of the city, which allowed her to visit the refugee and internally displaced persons camps and build relationships with the people living there.

Through her work at the clinic, Larson gained a greater understanding of the relationship between Sudanese legal aid lawyers and their communities.

“It was so inspiring to me to have these experiences because it gave me a great idea of what a lawyer should be,” she said. “If we are going to fight for justice, we have to be acquainted with marginalized people. Their philosophy is that if they are going to serve those people, they can’t be distant bystanders. In legal clinics here (the United States), people come to us, and we can find it kind of scary and uncomfortable. I feel so blessed to have come to know people who see people as people.”

Tickets to the wine tasting are $15 per person or $20 per couple and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the law school, 1535 W. 15th St. The event is open to the public.

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