Baylor Lawyer Hon. T. John Ward, JD ‘67 to be Honored by Texas Bar Foundation
WACO -
Judge T. John Ward, JD ’67, the United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Texas who retired from the bench in 2011, will be honored as a recipient of the Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50-Year Lawyer Award. The award, established by the Foundation in 1974, recognizes lawyers whose practice has spanned fifty years or more and who adhere to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession. Judge Ward is now of counsel for Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC in Longview, Texas. His litigation practice focuses on patent and other complex commercial cases as well as mediation and arbitration.
Judge Ward was honored by Baylor Law as the 2004 Baylor Lawyer of the Year. He served on the Board of Governors of the Fifth Circuit Bar Association, is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, where he also served as a Judicial Fellow during his years on the bench, and an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates. In 2013, Judge Ward was inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
“Judge Ward is a wise, skilled, and discerning lawyer whom we can all seek to emulate,” stated Baylor Law’s Dean Brad Toben, adding, “Baylor Law is honored that his distinguished career in the law is being recognized by the Foundation.”
In addition to Judge Ward's many professional honors and his extensive professional career, he has served in numerous community and civic activities in the Longview area and East Texas, including serving on the Board of Trustees of the Good Shepherd Medical Center, the advisory board of the East Texas Literacy Council, and as a board member of the Good Shepherd Foundation.
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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
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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
