Baylor Law and the Texas District and County Attorneys Association Celebrate a 20-Year Partnership
Participants in the Texas District and County Attorneys Association’s (TDCAA) Advanced Appellate Program in the Gibson Gayle Jr. and Uriel Dutton Reading Room at Baylor Law.
WACO -
Since 2002, Baylor Law has hosted the Texas District and County Attorneys Association’s (TDCAA) Advanced Trial Advocacy Course during the ‘intersession’ between the Summer and Fall Quarters. Building on this long partnership, Baylor hosted two of TDCAA’s educational programs this summer: the Advanced Trial Advocacy Course and the Advanced Appellate Course.
The Advanced Trial Advocacy sessions focused on Child Sexual Assault cases. During the multi-day course, dozens of experienced prosecutors from district attorney’s offices across the state attended lectures on various topics, including indictment, confessions, jury selection, opening statement strategies, direct and cross examinations, closing arguments, and more. Participants broke into smaller groups to practice in several of the law center’s many courtrooms and were recorded and critiqued on their strategies and effectiveness. Highly experienced prosecutors served as faculty during the week.
Known statewide for preparing attorneys for the courtroom, Baylor Law is an essential part of the event’s success. None of this would be possible without Baylor’s assistance.”
–Brian Klas
TDCAA’s Training Director
“Starting at the top with Dean Toben, the entire Law School staff have always been gracious hosts. Texas prosecutors are charged with seeing justice done, and with the assistance of Baylor Law, the TDCAA prepares prosecutors to see justice done in the most serious criminal cases. Our time at Baylor Law is always a pleasure.”
Past TDCAA Advanced Trial Advocacy Courses have focused on different aspects of felony trials, including Intoxication Manslaughter, Child Homicide, Sexual Assault, and Assault by Strangulation. Course attendees receive the case packet in advance and spend a week at the law center, splitting their time between lectures, presentations, and practical exercises.
“We are so proud of our decades-long partnership with TDCAA,” stated Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben, “It is a natural fit for us to be able to host these servant prosecutors as they hone their trial skills, given our dedication to advocacy education and training. We are looking forward to a long future of being able to serve our friends at the TDCAA.”
The partnership with TDCAA is just one example of Baylor Law’s dedication to offering unparalleled preparation for criminal practice. Other criminal practice offerings that are unique to Baylor Law include the option to have sequential criminal and civil ‘Big Trials’ during the Practice Court program, the Trial Advocacy Clinic, in which third-year students can volunteer to advocate for real clients in the local Juvenile Court or Municipal Court, field placement and internship opportunities through a network of local prosecutors, and a Criminal Practice Special Distinction for students who achieve academic excellence in criminal law courses, complete a prescribed series of criminal law-focused courses, and complete a capstone project.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ed Nelson, Director of Marketing & Communications
EMAIL: Ed_Nelson@Baylor.edu
PHONE: 254-710-6681
ABOUT BAYLOR LAW
Established in 1857, Baylor University School of Law was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,600 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program as one of the top 5 in the nation. Baylor Law is also ranked in the top 50 in the magazine’s 2019 edition of "America’s Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training," and in the top 15 "Best Law School Facilities" in the country. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more at baylor.edu
