Baylor Law is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Ultimate Writer Competition. The first-place winner is Aaron Horner (‘20), second-place winner is Ryan Owen (‘20), and Patrick Kelly (‘19) took third place. Honorable mentions were received by Anthony Stokes (’19) and Sarah Van Sciver (’20). In addition to cash awards for the top three competitors, each were awarded an opportunity to interview for an internship with the prestigious appellate law firm Kelly, Durham, and Pittard, LLP in Dallas, Texas.

In late October, The American Law Institute (ALI) elected 32 new members including Baylor Lawyer Darren B. Moore (J.D. ‘00), shareholder of Bourland, Wall & Wenzel in Fort Worth, and adjunct professor at Baylor Law where he teaches on Nonprofit Organizations.

Baylor Law hosted its Third Annual Judicial Reception as part of its ‘Clerkship Weekend’ on Friday, November 16, 2018. The event, which is attended each year by judges from the Federal Bench in Texas, is Baylor Law’s way of thanking the judges for the important work they do hiring and mentoring Baylor Law students and graduates as judicial law clerks and interns.

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) recently announced this year's class of Fellows and Wesley L. Bowers, J.D. ‘07, and Celeste C. Lawton, J.D. ‘01, were elected Fellows of the College. They join approximately ten Baylor Lawyers and ACTEC Academic Fellow and Professor of Law Tom Featherston as elected members of this prestigious organization.

Baylor Law students frequently have had the top pass rate on the Texas Bar Exam but, in what is believed to be a first, the top three individual scorers of the July 2018 Bar exam are Baylor Law graduates.

Baylor Law is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 The Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition, the premier legal writing contest in Texas, with $7,000 in cash prizes and state bragging rights up for grabs. According to the judges from the Texas Young Lawyer Association (TYLA), this year’s winner is Kamran Anwar of UNT Dallas College of Law. Second place was awarded to Darrick Monson of the University of Texas, and Aaron Diaz of St. Mary’s University School of Law took third place.

Live streaming of the Baylor Law 2018 Fall Commencement Ceremony begins at 1:20pm, Nov 10, 2018.

Since 2012, Baylor Law has worked to close the access-to-justice gap among those who have served our nation. This Veterans Day, Baylor Law is proud to announce it has assisted over 1,000 veterans and their spouses through its free, monthly Veterans Clinics.

Once again, Baylor Law has the highest state bar exam passage rate in Texas. Results of the July 2018 Texas Bar exam show that 89 out of 96 first-time test takers from Baylor Law passed the bar exam, a 92.71% pass rate. In the State of Texas, the overall passage rate among law school students who took the bar exam in July for the first time was 77.87%.

The Texas Access to Justice Commission has selected recent Baylor Law graduate Tycha Kimbrough as its annual Law Student Pro Bono Award recipient, which honors a student whose pro bono work has made a significant impact on the community and enhanced the delivery of quality legal services to Texas’ underserved communities. Tycha will be recognized for this exemplary honor at the State Bar of Texas’ New Lawyer Induction Ceremony in Austin on Monday, November 19, 2018.

Baylor Law ranked fifth in the nation as a Best Value Private Law School and earned an A- rating in the most recent edition of preLaw magazine, a legal education publication of The National Jurist.

Baylor Law is pleased to announce the roster of schools participating in the 2019 The Closer transactional law competition. Beginning in 2017, this unique competition has become one of the premier transactional law contests in the country. Students from participating schools vie for a total of $10,000 in cash prizes and bragging rights as a top closer. Ten schools were selected for this year’s competition.

Midnight Breakfast will be at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17 in the Student Lounge. Baylor Law faculty will serve an evening breakfast to students before final exams begin.

Baylor Law is pleased to announce The Paper Chase Legal Writing Competition for 2018. Formerly known as The Ultimate Writer, this competition is the premier legal writing contest in Texas. $7,000 in cash prizes are up for grabs along with bragging rights as the best legal writer at a Texas law school.

The Federalist Society and Baylor Law will host the Honorable Judge Priscilla Owen at noon on Tuesday, October 2 in Room 127 at Baylor Law. She will be interviewed by Dean Brad Toben, and will be discussing her experiences on both the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

On Thursday, September 27th at 4pm, Baylor Law will host Judge Thomas M. Reavley, Senior Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, who has spent most of his 70-year legal career in public service. Speaking on “A Life in the Law,” with Baylor Law’s Dean Brad Toben, Judge Reavley will share about his faith, morality, professionalism, and his unwavering dedication to protecting and advancing the rule of law.

Baylor Law Congratulates Vice Admiral John G. Hannink (J.D. '94) on his appointment to the position of Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the U.S. Navy, and for his appointment to the grade of Vice Admiral.

One of America's leading constitutional scholars and former presidential adviser Philip Bobbitt will deliver the featured lecture at the fourth annual John and Marie Chiles 'Starr Federalist Papers Lecture Series,' at 4:00pm September 19, 2018, in room 127 at Baylor Law. Professor Bobbit will speak on “Why We Study the Federalist Papers" and will discuss the essays of Hamilton, Madison and Jay as they apply to contemporary legal questions.

The interscholastic moot court program at Baylor Law has been ranked #3 in the nation for the 2017-2018 moot court competition season by the Blakely Advocacy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center.

The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Professionalism has named Baylor Law a recipient of the 2018 E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award for its “Practice Ready” program. The Gambrel Award honors excellence and innovation in career and professional development programs that enhance professionalism among lawyers.

Baylor Law's Summer Commencement Ceremony took place Saturday July 28th, 2018. Congratulations to the latest Baylor Law graduates who officially became Baylor Lawyers. Watch the full ceremony here.

Murray Watson Jr., (J.D. ’54) former state representative and senator, education champion, and noted philanthropist, passed away on Tuesday, July 24th. He was 86.
Senator Watson graduated from Baylor University in 1952 with a B.B.A. in accounting and economics, and from Baylor Law in 1954 with a juris doctor.

The Honorable James M. Stanton, former judge of the 134th Judicial District Court, founder of Stanton LLP, and prolific author and presenter has been named the 2018 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year. Dean Brad Toben publicly announced Judge Stanton’s honor at the Dallas Baylor Lawyer Network reception on July 10, 2018.

Baylor Lawyer, the Honorable Elizabeth (Peach) Ray, was recently named the 2018 recipient of the Sarah T. Hughes Women Lawyers of Achievement Award by the Women and the Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. The award ''honors the accomplishments of women who have achieved outstanding recognition in their professional area and who, by doing so, have paved the way for success for other women attorneys.''

Baylor Law professor Tom Featherston, renowned attorney, educator and legal expert in trusts, estate and marital property law, has been honored as a recipient of the Texas Bar Foundation’s Terry Lee Grantham Memorial Award. Established to celebrate Grantham's life as a gifted and committed lawyer, the award is given to lawyers who exemplify the qualities of an accomplished, talented, and dedicated practitioner, and who demonstrate a passion for service.