Established in 2005 and presented annually by the Kansas Continuing Legal Education Commission, the Robert L. Gernon Award for Outstanding Service to Continuing Legal Education in Kansas recognizes those individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a unique commitment to legal education for lawyers in Kansas and have provided outstanding service to continuing legal education. The award is named for Kansas Supreme Court Justice Robert L. Gernon (1943 - 2005), whose career included tireless devotion to the training, education and professionalism of attorneys in Kansas and across the nation. J. Nick Badgerow is a trial lawyer who handles cases in the areas of construction, employment and professional responsibility. He is often called upon to serve as a mediator, as an expert witness and as a special master. Nick has developed a specialty in legal ethics and he lectures and writes frequently on ethics and responsibility topics. He is an author and co-editor of the Kansas Ethics Handbook, member of the Kansas Board of Discipline for Attorneys, member of the KansasJudicial Council and Chairman of the Council’s Civil Code Advisory Committee, member of the KBA Joint Commission on Professionalism, and Chairman of the Kansas Bar Ethics Advisory Opinion Committee.
Throughout his years of unselfish service, countless attorneys have benefitted from Nick’s dedication and commitment to ethics and professionalism in the legal profession. He has presented nearly 200 seminars and published more than 30 articles, mainly on the topics of professional responsibility and ethics.
Nick was born in Macon, Missouri and received a B.A. degree (with honors) in English Literature and Business Administration from The Principia College in Elsah, Illinois in 1972. In 1975, Nick received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He is Board Certified in Civil Litigation by the American Board of Trial Advocates, and is a construction arbitrator trained and approved by the American Arbitration Association.
Nick is a partner in Overland Park, Kansas, where he serves as office partner-in-charge, as professional responsibility counsel and on the fee committee.
The Commission presented the award to J. Nick Badgerow at the November meeting of the Johnson County Bar Association.