Dunnam Named Baylor's Young Lawyer Of The Year

by Alan Hunt

Waco attorney Jim Dunnam, a three-term member of the Texas House of Representatives, has been named Baylor's Young Lawyer of the Year.
Dunnam received the award from Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben at the annual meeting of the Baylor Law Alumni Association held during the Texas State Bar Convention in Austin. Toben said Dunnam's "exceptional record" of professional and public service exemplified the criteria for the honor.
"Jim is a real 'up and comer' in the Legislature," he said. "He is a committed professional and we're proud of him as a Baylor lawyer who is making his mark early."
The Young Lawyer of the Year Award was created in 1995 to recognize an outstanding graduate under 40 years of age who has brought honor and distinction to Baylor Law School and to the legal profession. Recipients of the award are selected by the Baylor Law Alumni Association. Dunnam, 37, and a partner at Dunnam & Dunnam law firm in Waco, said he was "very proud and honored" to receive the award.
"My family has been involved in the legal profession for more than 80 years," he said. "Five members of the Dunnam family have gone to Baylor Law School."
A lifelong resident of McLennan County, Dunnam is a graduate of Richfield High School in Waco. He received a business degree from Baylor and his law degree in 1987 from Baylor Law School. First elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1996, he serves on the House Committees on Public Education, Redistricting and Criminal Jurisprudence, where he is currently vice-chairman. Dunnam also has served on the House Committee on Higher Education and chaired an interim study on Texas Charter Schools. He also serves on the Texas Supreme Court Rules Advisory Committee.
Dunnam has received numerous recognitions and awards during his service in the Legislature, including being named "Best in the House" as one of the "top five legislators in the House" by Gallery Watch, the Texas legislative reporting service.
He and his wife, Michelle, have three children, Lauren, Mason and Rachel.