Baylor Law School Hosts Annual Adoption Day Clinic
WACO, Texas (Dec. 2, 2015) – Each year, November is recognized as National Adoption Month, and for the eighth consecutive year, Baylor Law School hosted its pro bono Adoption Day clinic on Nov. 20.
“A pro bono experience at the Baylor Law School is vitally important. We view it as integral to what a Baylor Lawyer is to become,” said Judge Ken Starr, Baylor University President and Chancellor.
The Hon. Gary Coley of the 74th State District Court presided over the adoptions of 32 children who were welcomed into new families.
In conjunction with the Baylor Public Interest Legal Society (BPILS), faculty, students and friends organized the LEGO-themed celebration and dressed as various characters from LEGO Land.
“This is a community event,” said Bridget Fuselier, professor of law and faculty sponsor of BPILS. “The word is getting out about what we are doing and we are overjoyed. These children were dealt a pretty unfair hand in life, but these foster and adoptive parents have shown such love and support for these children and have chosen to make them part of their forever family.”
Currently, there are more than 200 children waiting to be adopted in McLennan County.
Baylor Law School recognizes the need for pro bono support and utilizes its skills to live the highest calling of a lawyer by reaching out to serve others, said Stephen Rispoli, assistant dean of student affairs and pro bono programs.
“We are problem solvers,” he said. “We are here to help people. We believe that it is our duty as professionals to assist our neighbors in their time of need.”
Event sponsors include:
Baylor Law School
Baylor Law Public Interest Legal Society
McLennan County Bar Association
McLennan County Child Welfare Board
McLennan County Department of Family Protective Services
Michael Bates
Canes
Chick-Fil-A
Costco
Dominos
Dr Pepper Museum
ESC Region 12 Blockfest
Paul and Bridget Fuselier
Charles Levy
Mayborn Museum
Michael’s
Potbelly Sandwich Shop
Taco Cabana
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
ABOUT BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL
Established in 1857, Baylor Law School was the first law school in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,200 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law School has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide on a career in public service. The Law School boasts two Texas governors, many members or former members of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court, members of the Texas Legislature, and many Bar leaders, including two former presidents of the American Bar Association among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S.News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as the third best in the nation.