Ellen Bertels

Ellen joined the Kansas Federal Public Defender in 2023. Before joining the office, she completed a two-year Skadden Fellowship with Kansas Legal Services, where she represented low-income LGBTQ+ Kansans in civil legal matters, particularly name changes and identity document corrections. 

She earned her undergraduate degrees in English and Italian from the University of Kansas and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2021. During her studies, she gained experience through various internships related to public defense, criminal justice reform, and voting rights litigation.  

Ellen received the 2021 Walter Hiersteiner Outstanding Service Award for her contributions to public interest legal work at KU Law and the 2021 PSJD Pro Bono Publico Award for her advocacy for low-income transgender and nonbinary Kansans. She was also a finalist for the American Constitution Society Constance Baker Motley Student Writing Competition and the National LGBTQ Bar’s Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition. 

Outside of work, Ellen is a Kansas history enthusiast and avid reader.