Alumni Spotlight
Sammy Rajaratnam
Attorney at The Ammons Law Firm, LLC
Office: Houston, TX
Practice Areas: Commercial Accidents and Wrongful Death
At Baylor Law:
- Graduated - Spring 2019
- PC Professor: Profs. Powell, Wren, and Fraley
- Summer Starter
- Undergraduate Institution: Baylor University
Sammy Rajaratnam's Advice For Baylor Law Students:
"Find a good group of friends, stick with them, and stay in touch. After law school, people change cities, change jobs, and change practice areas, much more than you think, and it’s great to have a solid network of connections and people who are there for you through the changes and who went through the same stuff you did. Some of my closest friends are from law school, and we talk every single day (way too many group texts)."
Get to Know Sammy Rajaratnam:
Q: Why did you choose to apply to and attend Baylor Law?
A: I was born and raised in Waco and went to Baylor for undergrad, so Baylor Law was already on my radar for that reason. But when it came down to it, I decided to stay in Waco and go to Baylor Law because knew I wanted to do litigation. I had heard about Baylor Law’s reputation for being the “boot camp” for litigators. So, it made sense for me.
Q: Why are you glad that you studied at Baylor Law?
A: I’m glad I studied at Baylor Law because it teaches practice and procedure, while other law schools primarily teach theory. I spent the first four and a half years of my practice with a lot of attorneys who went to other law schools. I was quickly the go-to person for procedure, and everyone was always surprised how ahead of the curve Baylor Lawyers are in terms of “ready to practice.” They tell you that in law school, but I saw it firsthand. At my current firm, Rob Ammons (the founding partner) has us prepare for trial and view advocating for our clients in much of the same way we were taught at Baylor Law, so it’s cool to see the payoff from that as well.
Q: What was your most meaningful experience at Baylor Law?
A: Competing on Robert Little’s mock trial teams. It made me into a much better lawyer. The team members still regularly keep in touch and reminisce about all the memories from the competitions and trips. And being on mock trial actually made PC a lot easier.
Q: What was your favorite class or who was your favorite professor at Baylor Law?
A: Civ Pro with Professor Counseller.
Q: What drew you to the law?
A: I don’t have any lawyers in my family, so I kinda stumbled into it. I was a psychology major in undergrad and took a class called Forensic Psychology, which was basically the intersection of psychology and the law. Some of the topics included the psychology of jury selection and reliability of eyewitness testimony, and I thought that was fascinating. I was terrible at math and science, so law school seemed like it would be a good fit for the things I was better at (reading, writing, thinking critically, public speaking).
Q: What advice do you have for today's Baylor Law students?
A: Find a good group of friends, stick with them, and stay in touch. After law school, people change cities, change jobs, and change practice areas, much more than you think, and it’s great to have a solid network of connections and people who are there for you through the changes and who went through the same stuff you did. Some of my closest friends are from law school, and we talk every single day (way too many group texts).
Q: What are your passions, personal interests, or hobbies outside the law?
A: Attending concerts and music festivals, playing music when I can (really anything music-related), and going to the movies. It’s very important to be a real human being and have a life outside of being a lawyer, so this is a big thing for me!
Honors and Awards
- 2023 Husch Blackwell Pro Bono Impact Award
Professional Affiliations and Activities
- American Association for Justice
- Houston Bar Association
- Houston Trial Lawyers Association
- Houston Young Lawyers Association
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association