Judge Ed Kinkeade Named Baylor Lawyer of the Year

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The Honorable Ed Kinkeade, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, has been named the 2010 Baylor Lawyer of the Year by Baylor Law School. Judge Kinkeade will be honored at a luncheon at noon Friday, Nov. 19, at the Petroleum Club in Dallas.

"Judge Ed Kinkeade personifies the selection criteria for the Baylor Lawyer of the Year recognition," said Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben. "I have known Judge Kinkeade for more than 25 years. I have, with others, followed his progression from being a respected and admired practitioner, to taking the criminal court trial bench, then to quick elevation to the state district court bench, and thence to appointment on the Texas Court of Appeals for the Fifth Judicial District. From this bench, Judge Kinkeade in 2002 was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush.

"Since that time, in a position of considerable power, prestige and standing, Judge Kinkeade has gained an across-the-board reputation as a jurist of humility and insight. He shows compassion when warranted and a no-nonsense approach when deserved," Toben said.

"The Judge has the intellect, dedication and work ethic that are expected in an outstanding lawyer and jurist. He exudes a warmth and magnetism that make him the antithesis of the stereotypical image of a federal judge - stern, removed, lacking humor. Ed to the contrary is a magnet in any room, makes everyone feel special as a person and has a disarming humor that leaves everyone amused even in difficult circumstances. The Judge never fails to impress - and make an indelible impact upon - all whom he meets, professionally and personally. He has been universally lauded for the very characteristics that are required of a nominee for Baylor Lawyer of the Year."

Judge Kinkeade earned his undergraduate degree in 1973 and his law degree in 1974 at Baylor University. He earned a master of laws degree from the University of Virginia in 1998. He was in private practice as an attorney from 1974 to 1980, first with the firm of Dennis G. Brewer Inc., and then as a partner at the firm of Power and Kinkeade in Irving.

In 1981, he left private practice at the age of 29, when he was elected judge of County Criminal Court No. 10 in Dallas. Eight months later, Texas Gov. William P. Clements appointed him to be judge of the 194th Judicial District Court. After seven years on the district bench, Judge Kinkeade was appointed to the Court of Appeals, Fifth District, in 1988 also by Gov. Clements. He was appointed to the federal bench of the Northern District of Texas in November 2002 by President Bush.

An adjunct professor of law, Judge Kinkeade has taught Professional Responsibility at Baylor Law School. He also teaches legal ethics at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. He has coauthored two books, Kinkeade & McColloch's Texas Penal Code Annotated and A Practical Guide to Texas Evidence: Objections, Responses, Rules and Practice Commentary, and numerous law review articles. In 2004, Texas Wesleyan University awarded Judge Kinkeade an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and that same year Dallas Baptist University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

In addition to his law career, Judge Kinkeade is active in his community, having served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Baylor Medical Health Care System. He also served on the Baylor Medical Center at Irving board of trustees, the Dallas Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Alcoholism, the Baylor University Alumni Association, the Baylor Law Alumni Association, the Dallas Volunteer Center, the board of the Downtown YMCA, and as a charter member of the Board of Irving Schools Foundation.

Judge Kinkeade was named Outstanding Young Alumnus of Baylor University in 1988, and received the W.R. White Meritorious Service Award from the Baylor Alumni Association in 2003. He was named American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Jurist of the Year for the State of Texas for 2010. As a volunteer, Judge Kinkeade trained his yellow lab, Bo, as a pet therapy dog, and he and Bo work with disabled patients at various Baylor Health Care facilities in the area.

Judge Kinkeade is a charter member of the Fellowship Church, which his family and other individuals started in 1989 as a mission of Irving's First Baptist Church. His wife, Melissa, also a Baylor graduate, teaches reading for Irving ISD, and was named Teacher of the Year for the district in 2008-2009. Their children are Mandy Kinkeade Anderson, a Baylor graduate (BBA '01) and a new Regional Director of the Baylor Women's Network; Mandy's husband, Thomas Anderson, a Baylor graduate (BBA '02) and a graduate of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (JD '05); and Brad Kinkeade, a Baylor lawyer (BBA '05, MBA '09, JD '10) who works in Waco as the in-house counsel for Lindsey Contractors.

"Judge Ed Kinkeade embodies the strong character and important qualities of a Baylor Lawyer," said Jerry Clements, chair of Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell and president of the Baylor Law Alumni Association. "In upholding the tradition of those honored before him, he is not only a great attorney and outstanding jurist, he is perhaps most importantly a good and decent human being with a strong sense of fairness and a commitment to service. Judge Kinkeade makes us all proud to be his fellow Baylor lawyers."

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. Past recipients include Watergate Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski, former Texas Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, former F.B.I. director William Sessions, former U.S. Rep. Jack Hightower and Gov. Price Daniel Sr., among others. The award has been presented by Baylor Law School since 1963.
Contact: Julie Carlson, Baylor Law School, (254) 710-6681