Baylor Law Honors Students at the 2023 John Williams and Florence Dean Minton Student Awards Ceremony

Several of the Student Awards to be Presented at the 2023 John Williams and Florence Dean Minton Student Awards Ceremony

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On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, Baylor Law presented over 100 awards and honors to an outstanding cohort of students. The esteemed John Williams and Florence Dean Minton Student Awards Ceremony and Lecture Series was the perfect stage to recognize these future Baylor Lawyers for their diverse impact and remarkable achievements in academics, service, competitions, and other areas.

“The annual Student Awards Ceremony always renews my deep appreciation for our students,” said Dean Brad Toben. “Our students understand the legal profession is a service profession. Their commitment to academic excellence, advocacy skills and competition, Baylor Law Review work, pro bono and public service work, and service to Baylor Law and the Central Texas community is exemplary. It is an honor to recognize students who excel in and out of the classroom.”

Ronnie Turner, Jr., JD ’10, the 2022 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year Addresses Students During the Ceremony

The tradition of hosting an awards ceremony is made possible by the generosity of the late Polly Minton McLeRoy, who endowed the lecture series in 1993 to honor her parents. Baylor Law also appreciates the donors who establish and fund awards, and the school takes great pride in celebrating the exceptional individuals who have earned these distinguished honors. Whether through rigorous academic pursuits, outstanding community service, or exceptional leadership skills, these award recipients exemplify the best of what Baylor Law offers.

With the generous annual support of our donors—including Baylor Lawyers, faculty members, law firms, and friends of Baylor Law—many of the awards include a monetary amount given to the recipient. Baylor Law appreciates the donors who annually fund these awards.

The Ceremony’s distinguished speaker was Ronnie Turner, Jr., JD ’10, the 2022 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year. Turner serves as Senior General Attorney for Union Pacific Railroad. While at Baylor Law, he was a member of successful mock trial teams. Turner led the Black Law Students Association and was president of Diversity in Law. During the program, Turner shared lessons learned post graduation with Baylor Law students.

Before joining Union Pacific, he practiced at Provost Umphrey Law Firm, winning trial verdicts listed on the Top 100 Verdicts in Texas and obtaining the largest wrongful death settlement in the firm’s history. Turner has served as a member of the Baylor Law Alumni Association Executive Committee and is an associate minister at his church. Turner is married to Brianna, and they have one child.

Associate Dean and Professor of Law Pat Wilson Addresses Students at the Ceremony

Baylor Law has had an impressive array of accolades and honors given to students for many years. These range from the Professor George Durham Brown Endowed Memorial Award, given by Ernest L. and Mina Jones O’Bannon to memorialize their friend who was a Baylor Law faculty member; the Irene G. and Jimmy Wisch Award provided by the Wisch Charitable Foundation at the direction of Steve Wisch, JD ’77, to a student who authored a law review article on student speech rights under the First Amendment; to the Albert and Ginger Witcher Award given by Professor Leah Witcher Jackson Teague, JD ’85, in honor of her parents to an outstanding student who has a child.

In addition to the longstanding awards, this year’s Ceremony presented inaugural awards, including:

Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Administrative Practice, Business Litigation, Criminal Law, Estate Planning, Family and Juvenile Law, Fiduciary Litigation, Business Planning, Healthcare Law, Real Estate and Natural Resources, and Writing Program awards.

Other inaugural awards include:

Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion, Baylor Law Spirit, Outstanding Student Leader, Outstanding Student Organization, Outstanding Student Ambassador, Baylor Law Civility Award, and the Sigrid Weidenweber Federalist Society Award.

Click here for the 2023 award recipients and donors

For information on establishing an award, contact Stephanie Mabry, Director of Development.

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 is the oldest law school in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. With one of the lowest student-faculty ratios in the country, Baylor Law has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. Today the school has more than 7,800 living alumni and is proud alma mater to 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 #2 in the nation. The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best Schools for Practical Training," and one of the "Best Law School Facilities.” Committed to service, Baylor Law students consistently maintain one of the highest Pro Bono, public service, and community volunteerism rates in the nation and Baylor Law has received the prestigious Pro Bono Publico Award from the American Bar Association. 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