Angela Cruseturner (JD ’02) Has Been Named the 2020 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year
Angela Cruseturner (JD ’02), Assistant Dean of Career Development at Baylor Law, was honored as the 2020 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year at a private ceremony. Under Angela’s direction, Baylor Law’s Career Development Office has posted record employment statistics for recent graduates, and the Professional Development Program has been recognized as one of the premier professional formation programs in the nation.
“Angela is a tireless advocate for Baylor Lawyers,” stated Dean Brad Toben “She has had a hand in creating opportunities for our young lawyers and helps prepare them to make a remarkable impact in the legal world. Her selfless dedication to helping others see the value in our students and graduates has led to record-high employment numbers for our recent graduates. Being named the 2020 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year is an honor she richly deserves.”
Angela joined Baylor Law’s Career Development Office in 2011 after serving for four years as Director of Admissions and Student Recruitment. Prior to her return to Baylor Law, she worked as a staff attorney for the Tenth Court of Appeals in Waco, Texas, and spent several years as a staff attorney at Pakis, Giotes, Page & Burleson, P.C.
Angela was the driving force behind Baylor Law’s award-winning Professional Development Program. More comprehensive than professional formation programs available at other law schools, students are required to complete 18 seminar hours over their three years of law school in addition to their regular course load. The seminars offer students guidance in areas such as client relations, legal technology, legal ethics, law firm economics, financial management, legal marketing and networking, professional organizations, and leadership opportunities, navigation through common ethical issues, job search strategies, and professional writing. Angela works with a faculty and staff committee to schedule an abundance of seminar options each quarter, which gives Baylor Law students the flexibility to tailor the program to the kind of legal practice they seek to pursue.
The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Professionalism named Baylor Law a recipient of the 2018 E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award for its Professional Development Program. The Gambrell Award honors excellence and innovation in career and professional development programs that enhance professionalism among lawyers.
“It is amazing what Angela quietly accomplishes behind the scenes. Everyone knows that she heads up our phenomenally successful Career Development Office, but most people do not know the depth of her work behind our high job-placement numbers,” stated Professor of Law Jim Wren, “She is also the guiding force for our award-winning Professional Development Program. That program is designed to educate our students on professional and career topics, beyond what they get in classes so that they hit the ground running in their jobs. Our students are the beneficiaries of her dedication. I am a huge Angela Cruseturner fan,” he added.
Angela assists every Baylor Law student with his or her job search by providing counseling on career opportunities, application preparation, interview skills, and professional networking. She also coordinates recruiting efforts with potential employers. Young Baylor Lawyers are often complimented on their professionalism, maturity, and thoughtfulness, which is no doubt thanks to Angela’s impact on Baylor Law’s Career Development services.
Upon hearing the news of Angela’s selection, Professor of Law Elizabeth Miller observed, “We were very fortunate to lure Angela back to Baylor Law a number of years ago. She has endless energy, vision, and creativity, as well as the execution skills necessary to bring her ideas to fruition. Despite having an extremely demanding position at the Law School, Angela makes time to serve the profession and our community in significant ways. She certainly epitomizes the qualities that are recognized by the Young Lawyer of the Year Award.” Miller added enthusiastically, “Congratulations, Angela!” Fellow Professor of Law Tom Featherston added, “Angela is a terrific person and is well deserving of this recognition. She took on the challenging task of Director of the Career Development Office during the economic malaise of post-recession 2011 and has been totally dedicated to assisting her clients, our students, with their career goals and opportunities ever since.”
In addition to her role at Baylor Law, Angela participates in numerous civic and professional organizations. She is an elected Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and she serves on the Executive Committees of the Judge Abner V. McCall American Inn of Court and the McLennan County Dispute Resolution Center, and on the board of directors of the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association. Cruseturner is an active member of the National Association of Legal Placement (NALP), which provides opportunities for her to collaborate with and learn from top legal recruiters and career services professionals across the country. She is a graduate of Leadership Waco and is a past recipient of the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award for McLennan County.
Angela has two sons. Her oldest, Caleb, was an infant when she entered law school, and her youngest, Cade, was born two days after she completed Practice Court. Caleb is now a senior at Baylor University, and Cade is a recent graduate of Midway High School.
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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. Accredited by the American Bar Association and a member of the Association of American Law Schools, Baylor Law has more than 7,600 living alumni and a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts among its notable alumni 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. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranks Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program as among the best in the nation at No. 2, while the Law School is ranked in the Top 50 of the 2021 edition of “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
