Prof. Louis Muldrow Named Baylor Lawyer Of The Year

by Alan Hunt

Professor Louis Muldrow, who for nearly 20 years has directed Baylor Law School's nationally acclaimed Practice Court program, has been named Baylor Lawyer of the Year for 2000.
The honor was announced by Law School Dean Brad Toben during a surprise visit Tuesday morning to Muldrow's Practice Court class. Students and faculty colleagues joined Muldrow in celebrating the occasion at a reception in the Law School student lounge.
Toben said, "This is the highest honor given by the Baylor Law Alumni Association and the Law School. The Lawyer of the Year award is given annually to an outstanding alumnus who has brought honor and distinction to Baylor Law School and the legal profession."
He said Muldrow's Practice Court leadership over the past two decades has "challenged and inspired students" to achieve more than they have thought possible.
"Under Professor Muldrow's remarkable leadership, the Practice Court program has succeeded in achieving the program's goals of teaching students the value of preparation and hard work, and training students to be precise in analysis, persuasive in speech, poised under pressure, and effective in the courtroom.
"In building on the Practice Court legacy of our previous Practice Court directors, Judge James P. Alexander, Judge Frank Wilson, and Matt Dawson, Professor Muldrow has himself become a legend in the community of Baylor lawyers, as well as in the broader Texas legal community."
Muldrow, who plans to retire at the end of the spring 2000 quarter, holds the Leon Jaworski Chair of Practice and Procedure. A 1958 Baylor law graduate, he was a highly successful trial lawyer before joining the law faculty in 1981. Muldrow practiced for many years with the law firm of Naman, Howell, Smith, Lee & Muldrow.
Named as his replacement in the Practice Court program is Professor William D. Underwood, a 10-year member of the law faculty and former General Counsel for Baylor
University. Underwood, a leading expert in Civil Procedure, was described by Toben as an
"outstanding teacher, scholar and one of the most accomplished lawyers in Texas." Professor Gerald R. Powell, described by Toben as "the finest Evidence teacher anywhere," also will continue to play a central role in the Practice Court program.
Toben said, "We all should be gratified that the Practice Court program will continue to have outstanding leadership following the retirement of Professor Muldrow."
Muldrow will be honored at the Law School's annual Law Day banquet at the Ferrell Center on April 8.