Baylor Law Ranks #21 in Best Law Schools for Securing Federal Clerkships

WACO, Texas –

Baylor Law School is honored to announce that twelve recent graduates are serving in judicial clerkships for the 2016-2017 term.

The Law School gratefully thanks the judges, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Baylor Law who have made these invaluable opportunities possible for our graduates.

The Baylor Law faculty and staff play an integral role in helping our students navigate the judicial clerkship application process. The Career Development Office (CDO) hosts programs each year to educate students about judicial clerkships and to encourage students to apply. Two Baylor Law judges, Judge Christine Nowak and Judge Nicole Mitchell, will speak to students in the fall about the benefits of clerking and share their tips on navigating the application process.

Recent Baylor Law graduate Millie Lierman is clerking for the Hon. David Counts in 2016, and the Hon. Christine Nowak in 2017.

"The CDO works closely with a faculty committee to counsel students about the application process and to review applications," said Angela Cruseturner, Assistant Dean of Career Development. "Our commitment to guiding students through the judicial clerkship application process is paying off as we doubled our clerk class in 2016."

"Without the preparation, skill, and confidence I gained while at Baylor Law, I would not have such incredible opportunities to begin my legal career," said Millie Lierman, JD '15. "I am so thankful for Baylor Law faculty's encouragement to pursue a judicial clerkship."

Faculty members take a genuine interest in helping our students pursue judicial clerkships. "I meet with most clerkship applicants as they start the process," said Professor Rory Ryan. "During that meeting, I hope to remove some of the mystery surrounding the process – from application etiquette to reasonable expectations given the student's credentials."

"Beginning in the fall I will be clerking for Judge Gilstrap in the Eastern District of Texas," said Travis Underwood, JD '15. "I am humbled and grateful to begin my legal career with the opportunity to work for such a talented judge in one of the most robust and fast-paced judicial districts in the country. Dean Toben, the Career Development Office, and a number of my professors were absolutely integral to my success in securing this clerkship. I owe a great debt to Baylor Law School."

Congratulations to our Class of 2016 judicial clerks:

Travis Underwood
clerking for Hon. Rodney Gilstrap
U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Texas

Mitch Garrett
clerking for Hon. Amos L. Mazzant
U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Texas

Sameer Hashmi
clerking for Hon. Andrew Hanen
U.S. District Court – Southern District of Texas

Maria de la Torre
clerking for Hon. Marcia A. Crone
U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Texas

Ashby Davis
clerking for Hon. S. Maurice Hicks, Jr.
U.S. District Court – Western District of Louisiana

Trey Qualls
clerking for Hon. Jane Boyle
U.S. District Court – Northern District of Texas

Monica Litle
clerking for Hon. Michael H. Schneider
U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Texas

Madeleine Hayes
clerking for Hon. Jeffrey C. Manske
U.S. Magistrate Judge – Western District of Texas

Millie Lierman
clerking for Hon. David Counts
U.S. Magistrate Judge – Western District of Texas in 2016 and
Hon. Christine Nowak
U.S. Magistrate Judge – Eastern District of Texas in 2017

Anthony Lucisano
clerking for Justice John Devine
Supreme Court of Texas

Taylor Whitlow
clerking for Justice Phil Johnson
Supreme Court of Texas

Zachary Wortham
clerking for Hon. Louis Guirola, Jr.
U.S. District Court – Southern District of Mississippi

CONTACT: Berkley Knas
Email: berkley_knas@baylor.edu

ABOUT BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL
Established in 1857, Baylor Law School was one of the first law schools 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 upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as #4 in the nation. Baylor Law School is also ranked No. 55 in the magazine's 2017 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law in its top 10 law schools for practical training, and second best value in private legal education in the nation. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation.

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 D1 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big XII Conference. Learn more at baylor.edu