Jordan and I started dating in April 2017. At the time, she was out of law school, practicing at Dentons LLP and I was in my second year at UMKC. We knew of each other during school but didn't socialize. I recall watching her debate a topic of Constitutional Law in the student lounge and being impressed. However, we didn’t start dating until we matched on Bumble, the dating app, and she decided to reach out. Our first date was at Char Bar in Westport. Jordan tells people she scheduled all her first dates there because she lived within walking distance. If the date was a bust, she could quickly get back home. We instantly connected, partly based on our connections at UMKC School of Law. As our relationship grew, so did our circle of UMKC School of Law students and alumni. Pretty quickly, I realized the relationship was meant to last.
In November 2018, I finally proposed after I had secured employment at a Kansas City law firm. As we began planning our wedding, it was clear to us that, for a couple of law nerds, the most appropriate place to get married was a library. We booked the Downtown Public Library for September 2019. In deciding who should marry us, we decided to ask a professor who made such an impressionon both of us. We couldn't imagine anyone other than Dean Nancy Levit serving as our officiant. Initially, said she wouldn't know how to be an officiant. I said, "You stand every day and speak to people, seated in rows. You can do this, and you will be amazing." Dean Levit was gracious enough to donate her time and energy to ensure that we had a memorable ceremony. She spoke with both of us--separately and together--to learn about our relationship. She even contacted our bridal party for stories about us. Dean Levit had everyone laughing, crying, and celebrating.
Two years into our marriage, every day is a new experience, and every day is about the practice of law. Jordan is now at Blake & Uhlig LLP, a law firm who represents labor unions across the Midwest. I am now at Legal Aid of Western Missouri defending low-income tenants facing eviction. We each pushed each other to find jobs which meet our values, values we discovered and honed at UMKC School of Law.