Baylor Law School
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1857, Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas and has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1938. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University
and located in Waco, Texas
. The program offers training in all facets of law, including theoretical analysis, practical application, legal writing, advocacy, professional responsibility, and negotiation and counseling skills.
Academics
Baylor Law School operates on a quarter system, with entering classes of approximately 65 students in the spring, 30 in the summer and 65 in the fall. The Law School also has four graduating classes per year. Each matriculate class has a separate application pool, and applicants are required to apply to the quarter in which they would like to begin.
First-year students must take courses in criminal law; civil and criminal procedure; legislation, administrative power and procedure; contracts; torts; property; and legal analysis, research and communication. Additionally, students can concentrate in one of six areas, which include administrative practice, business litigation, business transactions, criminal practice, estate planning and general civil litigation.
History
Baylor originally established the second law school west of the Mississippi in 1857. Law classes continued until 1883. In 1920, the Board of Trustees of Baylor University reestablished the law department under the direction of Dean Allen G. Flowers. Bradley J.B. Toben currently serves as Dean of the Law School.
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
and located in Waco, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The program offers training in all facets of law, including theoretical analysis, practical application, legal writing, advocacy, professional responsibility, and negotiation and counseling skills.
Academics
Baylor Law School operates on a quarter system, with entering classes of approximately 65 students in the spring, 30 in the summer and 65 in the fall. The Law School also has four graduating classes per year. Each matriculate class has a separate application pool, and applicants are required to apply to the quarter in which they would like to begin.
First-year students must take courses in criminal law; civil and criminal procedure; legislation, administrative power and procedure; contracts; torts; property; and legal analysis, research and communication. Additionally, students can concentrate in one of six areas, which include administrative practice, business litigation, business transactions, criminal practice, estate planning and general civil litigation.
History
Baylor originally established the second law school west of the Mississippi in 1857. Law classes continued until 1883. In 1920, the Board of Trustees of Baylor University reestablished the law department under the direction of Dean Allen G. Flowers. Bradley J.B. Toben currently serves as Dean of the Law School.
Notable alumni
- Roy BassRoy BassRoy Byrn Bass, Sr. , was an attorney with the firm Bass and Hobbs who served from 1974 until 1978 as the mayor of Lubbock, Texas...
- Waco native and mayor of LubbockLubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
from 1974-1978 - Bryan HughesBryan Hughes (Texas politician)Douglas Bryan Hughes, known as Bryan Hughes , is an attorney in Mineola, Texas, who has been since 2003 a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 5, which includes Camp, Harrison, Upshur, and Wood counties in the northeastern section of his state.-Background:Hughes...
(1995) - Republican member of the Texas House of RepresentativesTexas House of RepresentativesThe Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from Wood CountyWood County, TexasAs of the census of 2000, there were 36,752 people, 14,583 households, and 10,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile . There were 17,939 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile... - Colonel Leon JaworskiLeon JaworskiLeonidas "Leon" Jaworski was the second Special Prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal...
(1924) - Watergate Special Prosecutor; Senior Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski Houston, Texas; Served on the Warren Commission; President, American Bar Association (1971–1972); Chief of War Crimes detachment of the JAG Corps of the US Army (1944–1946); Treasurer and co-founder, Democrats for Reagan. - Marion Price Daniel (1932) - United States Senator (1953—1957); Governor of Texas (1957—1963); Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives (1943–1945); Justice, Texas Supreme Court (1971–1978).
- Jack English HightowerJack English HightowerJack English Hightower is a former Democratic U.S. representative from Texas. Born in Memphis, the seat of Hall County in west Texas, Hightower received a bachelor of arts degree from Baylor University in Waco in 1949, an LL.B. from Baylor Law School in 1951, and an LL.M. from the University of...
(1951) - U.S. House of Representatives, (1975–1985) - Tryon D. LewisTryon D. LewisTryon D. Lewis is an attorney in Odessa, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 81 . He is also a former state court judge....
, J.D. - Member of the Texas House of Representatives from Odessa; former 161st State Judicial District judge - Priscilla OwenPriscilla OwenPriscilla Richman Owen is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She was previously a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court.-Early life:...
, J.D. (1977) - Judge, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (2005–Present); Former Texas Supreme Court Justice (1994–2005). - Justice Rebecca SimmonsRebecca SimmonsJustice Rebecca Simmons is a fifth generation Texan and a third generation attorney. She has two brothers who are attorneys and one brother who is a District Judge. A respect for the law was ingrained at an early age....
- Justice, Fourth Court of Appeals, Texas - Robert R. (Bob) PoageWilliam R. PoageWilliam Robert Poage was a Texas politician.Poage was born in Waco, Texas and served in the United States Navy during World War I. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1925 to 1929, and in the Texas Senate from 1931 to 1937.In 1936, Poage was elected to the House of Representatives...
(1924) – U.S. House of Representatives, (1937–1978) - Charles Wallace BarrowCharles BarrowCharles Wallace Barrow was a former Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and a Dean of Baylor University Law School.-Early career:...
- Former Justice, Texas Supreme Court - Phillip Benjamin BaldwinPhillip Benjamin BaldwinPhillip Benjamin Baldwin from 1968 to 1991 served as a judge on U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit....
- Justice, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit - Mark Wells WhiteMark WhiteMark Wells White is an American lawyer, who served as the 43rd Governor of Texas from January 18,1983-January 20,1987.-Biography:...
- Governor of Texas (1983–1987) - Kirk WatsonKirk WatsonKirk Watson is a Texas attorney and Democratic politician from Austin. He served as Austin mayor from 1997 to 2001. He ran unsuccessfully for Texas Attorney General in the 2002 election, defeated by the Republican Greg Abbott...
- Former mayor of Austin and current state senator - James B. AdamsJames B. AdamsJames Blackburn Adams is a former attorney, Texas legislator, and acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation....
- Texas legislator, and former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1978–79) - William SessionsWilliam SessionsWilliam Sessions may refer to:*William K. Sessions III, U.S. District Court Judge*William S. Sessions, former director of the FBI...
- Director of the FBI (1987–1993) - Max SandlinMax SandlinMax Sandlin , is a lawyer, lobbyist, American politician, and former Democratic Congressman who served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Texas District 1....
- Judge, U.S. Congressman (1997–2005) - Louie GohmertLouie GohmertLouis Buller Gohmert, Jr. is an American politician and current Republican U.S. Representative from Texas's 1st congressional district.-Life and career:...
- U.S. Congressman (2005–present) - Beau BoulterBeau BoulterEldon Beau Boulter is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist who was a Republican U.S. representative from Texas between 1985 and 1989....
- U.S. Congressman (1985–1989) - Jack M. FieldsJack FieldsJack Milton Fields, Jr. , is a Texas businessman and a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from a Houston-based district....
- U.S. Congressman (1981–1997) - Thomas C. MannThomas C. MannThomas C. Mann was a diplomat who specialized in Latin American affairs while employed by the U.S. Department of State from 1942-1966. During the first administration of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower he served in a variety of posts, including two years as Ambassador to El Salvador...
- U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador (1955–1957) and US Ambassador to Mexico (1961–1963) - Sam Blakely Hall Jr.Sam B. HallSam Blakeley Hall, Jr. , American politician, was a Congressman representing Texas's 1st congressional district from 1976 to 1985 and then a federal judge of the U.S...
– U.S. Congressman (1975–1985) and U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Texas - Graham Boynton Purcell Jr. – U.S. Congressman (1962–1973)
- Frank Wilson – U.S. Congressman (1947–1955)
- Sam R. Cummings –Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (1987–present)
- Sidney Fitzwater – Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (1986–present)
- Andrew Scott Hanen - Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas (2002–present)
- Joe Kendall – Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (1992–2002)
- Ed Kinkeade – Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (2002–present)
- Walter Smith – Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas (1984–present)
- Leonard DavisLeonard Davis (judge)Leonard E. Davis is a district judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2002 and was sworn in on May 15, 2002...
- Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of TexasUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of TexasThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the eastern part of Texas and is a part of the Fifth Circuit. The court's headquarters are in Tyler, Texas and has five subdivision offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Marshall,...
(2002–present) - Chad Everingham - Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas (2006–present)
- Bob BullockBob BullockRobert Douglas Bullock, known as Bob Bullock , was a Democratic politician from Texas, whose career spanned four decades. His service culminated in his term as Lieutenant Governor of Texas from January 15, 1991–January 19, 1999 during the terms of Governors Ann Richards and George W...
- Texas' 38th Lieutenant Governor and considered one of the most outstanding Texas political leaders of the 20th century. - T. John WardT. John WardT. John Ward is a retired United States federal judge for the Eastern District of Texas.He is best known for the large number of patent infringement cases previously brought beforehis court in Marshall, Texas.-Biography:T...
- Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of TexasUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of TexasThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the eastern part of Texas and is a part of the Fifth Circuit. The court's headquarters are in Tyler, Texas and has five subdivision offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Marshall,...
(1999–present) - John Lee HancockJohn Lee HancockJohn Lee Hancock, Jr. is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for directing the sports drama films The Rookie and The Blind Side.-Early life:...
- Screenplay writer and director of The Rookie, The Alamo, and The Blind Side. - Morris Harrell - Former President of the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
and the State Bar of Texas. - Abner McCall - Former Justice, Texas Supreme Court
- Byron Tunnell - Former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
- Abelardo Valdez - Former U.S. Ambassador and Chief of Protocol for the White House
- Walter Umphrey - Counsel, Billion Dollar Tobacco Settlement
- Ed BlizzardEd BlizzardEdward F. Blizzard is a pharmaceutical injury attorney and a founding partner of Blizzard, McCarthy & Nabers, LLC based in Houston, Texas.-Education:...
- Prominent pharmaceutical injury attorney - Kevin Reynolds - Former Texas lawyer and director of Fandango, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Waterworld.
- Jean A. StuntzJean A. StuntzJean Allison Stuntz is a professor at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, where she specializes in women's studies and the history of Texas, the Spanish Borderlands, and the American West. She holds the rank of associate professor...
- Historian