Kathryn Boatman, JD '08, Named ABA Outstanding Young Lawyer

WACO, Texas -

Kathryn Boatman, JD '08, of Andrews Kurth Kenyon's Houston office, has received the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division's Wm. Reece Smith Jr. National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

The Wm. Reece Smith Jr. National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award recognizes a young lawyer who exhibits professional excellence as well as service to the profession, the bar, and the community. The award recipient must also have a reputation for the advancement of legal ethics and professional responsibility. The award is named in honor of former ABA Young Lawyers Division chair, William Reece Smith, Jr., who went on to many leadership positions within the ABA and the profession. Smith passed away in 2013.

Boatman's nomination was reviewed by the 10 members of the Outstanding Young Lawyer Board, which also named two finalists: Timothy Ting of Carbondale, Illinois, and Carl Frazier of Lexington, Kentucky.

"I am so honored to have received this recognition," said Boatman. "I'm grateful to the selection committee, as well as to those who supported my nomination."

Boatman is an Associate in the Litigation section of Andrews Kurth Kenyon's Houston office. Before joining the firm, she served as Law Clerk to both The Honorable J. Dale Wainwright of the Texas Supreme Court and The Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In 2016, she received the Houston Young Lawyers Association's prestigious Woodrow B. Seals Outstanding Young Lawyer Award and the Texas Young Lawyers Association's Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas Award.

Boatman is a 2008 Baylor Law School graduate, where she served as Senior Executive Editor of the Baylor Law Review.

CONTACT: Nick Teixeira, Baylor Law School
EMAIL: Nick_Teixeira@baylor.edu, PHONE: 254.710.4823
Original press release and photo courtesy of Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP

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 7,400 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 #55 in the magazine's 2017 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training," and #4 in the nation in its most recent "Best Law School Facilities" listing. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law School received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984.

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