Kristine Bridges to Lead Baylor Law’s Career Development Office

WACO

Kristine Bridges (JD ’03), current Director of Development for Baylor Law, will transition to become Baylor Law’s Assistant Dean of Career Development. She will take over the role previously held by now-Senior Assistant Dean Angela Cruseturner on January 18, 2022.

In this role, Bridges will lead all aspects of the Career Development Office’s comprehensive professional development and career services programs for students and alumni. Baylor Law’s CDO works with students from orientation through graduation and beyond to provide personalized career services, job-seeking strategies, and other support to help them secure the positions they seek following graduation.

"Baylor Law consistently enjoys one of the highest law school employment rates in the country,” Bridges stated. “I look forward to building on the amazing foundation our CDO has built through counseling students, developing career services programs, partnering with faculty members, and cultivating employer relationships with to the benefit of Baylor Law students.

Bridges brings a wealth of subject matter experience and institutional knowledge to this role. A native of Waco, she graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication in 1998 and later obtained her J.D. from Baylor Law in 2003. Upon graduation, she practiced as a trial associate at Burford & Ryburn, LLP in Dallas. She later advocated for families in complex child custody cases in solo practice in Dallas. During this time, she was recognized as a Rising Star in Family Law in 2008 by Texas Lawyer and was an active member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL). In 2009, she joined the University of Tulsa (TU) College of Law as Associate Dean and Director of Professional Development, where she created a comprehensive 3-year professional development curricular program which included co-teaching the Dean’s Seminar on the Legal Profession with the dean of TU's law school. Since 2019, she has been actively advocating for Baylor Law’s advancement and development endeavors for endowments, scholarships, and program support.

"Kristine will be a tremendous addition to our already stellar Career Development Office,” said Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben." We feel fortunate to add another Baylor Lawyer to the team who knows what it takes to be successful in the practice of law and is intimately familiar with the uniqueness of the Baylor Law experience. She will powerfully communicate the advantages of the Baylor program to prospective employers while helping students find the career path that best suits them."

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