Matt Cordon serves as the director of legal research, associate director of the law library, and professor of law at Baylor Law School. He has earned several honors, including a national award for outstanding article from the American Association of Law Libraries. In 2004, Baylor University named him Outstanding Professor for Scholarship among all university tenure-track faculty members. He has additionally won young alumnus awards from both Central Methodist University (2006) and the College of Information at the University of North Texas (2009).

As a professor, he teaches courses in Legal Analysis, Research, and Communications (LARC) and Advanced Legal Research.

""These classes are always challenging to teach, which is why I like to teach them," Cordon said. "In the LARC classes, the students begin the course at stage one and really do not know what to expect. During a five-month period, we develop their skills to the point that they should be able to produce quality work product in a practical setting. That requires a great deal of hard work on their part and on our part, but at the end of the course, it is always rewarding to see how far they have progressed.

"The practical approach that Baylor Law School takes with regard to legal education helps when we are teaching skills courses. Students are accustomed to focusing on skills that they need in practice, and so those of us who teach skills classes do not have to focus so much on proving to students that skill development is beneficial."

Cordon's teaching responsibilities have not prevented him from producing a significant quantity of publications. Along with Professor Brandon Quarles, he is the coauthor of Researching Texas Law (3d ed. forthcoming 2012) and Specialized Topics in Texas Legal Research (2005), both published by William S. Hein & Co., Inc. Researching Texas Law serves as the principal research textbook in all of the research classes at Baylor. Cordon and Quarles have also coauthored book chapters on Texas practice materials as well as historical Texas legal information.

Cordon frequently contributes to a variety of other publications. He has published articles in such publications as Law Library Journal and Baylor Law Review. He has served as principal author of more than 1,200 encyclopedic essays for such publications as West's Encyclopedia of American Law, Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law, American Law Yearbook, Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the International Directory of Business Biographies. He also regularly serves on editorial review and advisory boards.

He has been active as a university faculty leader, serving as the chairman of the Faculty Senate in 2007-08, as the chairman of the University Committee on Committees, and as the member of more than a dozen campus-wide committees and work groups. He also serves as the chair of the Law School's Student Relations Committee.

Cordon played tennis and football at Central Methodist College (now University) in Fayette, Missouri and later became a sports writer and sports information director. He and his wife, Jennifer, remain diehard fans of the Dallas Cowboys but typically watch games in separate rooms due to excessive hollering and irrational superstitions. He earned a black belt in taekwondo and has competed in several sparring tournaments, winning the gold medal in point sparring at the 2011 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships in Austin.

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Matt Cordon

Director of Legal Research, Associate Director of the Law Library, and Professor of Law

Courses Taught
LARC I (Legal Analysis, Research & Communications I)
LARC II (Legal Analysis, Research & Communications II)

Email: Matthew_Cordon@baylor.edu
Phone: 254.710.4913