Rick Kohn has taught business law classes at
Southeast Community College for 38 years, but what’s even more impressive is he
was a practicing attorney when he began moonlighting as an adjunct instructor.
“I opened a solo-practice law office when I graduated in 1982,” he
said. “As a sole practitioner, I took almost any case that came through my
door. Because of this I got an early exposure to a variety of legal situations.
This helped immensely in my teaching, giving me numerous ‘war stories’ to relate
to the legal points I was trying to teach.”
The Lincoln native attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
with aspirations to be an architect. He then studied Structural Engineering at
the University of Wyoming, but came back to Nebraska and changed course. He
attended law school at the University of Nebraska College of Law and earned his
law degree in 1982.
Eventually, he wanted to supplement his income and applied for
various teaching opportunities at SCC. However, timing was everything when he
finally was offered a job in 1982, and he’s been a fixture at Southeast
Community College ever since.
“By chance I applied to SCC the day before the current Business
Law teacher quit,” he recalled. “Two weeks into the quarter I took over her
classes.”
Kohn was an adjunct until the mid-1990s when he started working as
a full time instructor. He’s taught numerous business classes at SCC, and has a
lot of experience with his law practice and managing other businesses as well.
“I have run a family liquor store, and a hobby store as well as a
law practice,” he said. “I’ve managed a deli and a delivery pizza business as
well, so I have some experience in business.”
Starting off the fall semester in the midst of COVID has proven to
be a challenge for Kohn and many instructors at SCC and beyond. He said the
students have adjusted well to the situation, and some good can come from it.
“COVID has been a pain, but I think the students have adjusted
better than I,” he said. “Mostly I try to continue on with the restriction and
hope we won’t have to do them next semester. I have learned some new tools. I
like zooming classes and would like to continue it even after things settle
down.”
In his spare time, Kohn has many hobbies, including woodworking,
fencing, Improv, and he even wrote a book. “A Little Magic Goes a Long Way” is
a science fiction fantasy book he self-published and is available on Amazon as
a Kindle read.
“It took two years to write it, but I didn’t get serious about it
until the last year,” he said.
Kohn said retirement is somewhere on the horizon, but is reluctant
because he enjoys his time in the classroom too much to give it up just yet.
“At this point, I know my material,” Kohn said. “What changes from
semester to semester is the students. I like being in the classroom watching my
students learn.
“I think I’ve actually learned more from my students than I have
taught them.”