Honorable J. Rodney Gilstrap Named the 2018 Baylor Lawyer of the Year
The Honorable J. Rodney Gilstrap, J.D. '81, Chief District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, has been selected by the Baylor Law Alumni Association Executive Committee as the 2018 Baylor Lawyer of the Year.
To honor Judge Gilstrap, Baylor Law hosted a luncheon at Pinecrest Country Club in Longview, TX on April 26. Judge Gilstrap's court is one of the highest profile in the nation for intellectual property litigation and, by far, the busiest. In 2017, he oversaw 555 cases, while the next closest judge saw less than half that number, with just under 270. Judge Gilstrap is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and, during his time at Baylor Law, was associate editor of the Baylor Law Review. He previously served as president of the Baylor Law Alumni Association.
"Judge Gilstrap has exemplified the characteristics of a Baylor Lawyer and is richly deserving of this recognition," said Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben. "His impact in the intellectual property domain is profound. Judge Gilstrap has a reputation as a hard-working jurist with a fervent devotion to fairness and justice, along with an unwavering support of the jury system," Toben said.
Judge Gilstrap has contributed unceasingly to advancing practice-ready Baylor Lawyers though his support of Baylor Law. He consistently hires judicial clerks from Baylor Law, his current clerk is a Baylor Lawyer, and he has hired a Baylor Law student as his clerk for 2019. He has participated as a faculty member in Baylor Law's Academy of the Advocate in St Andrews, Scotland, and was instrumental in coordinating Baylor Law's Viewpoints program on patent litigation in Washington D.C.
After graduating from Baylor Law, Judge Gilstrap entered private practice with Abney, Baldwin & Searcy, in Marshall, TX. He later became a founding partner of Smith & Gilstrap in 1984. He served as Harrison County Judge, an elected position, from 1989 to 2002. Judge Gilstrap served 16 years on the Courthouse Preservation Council in Marshall, overseeing the rehab of the historic county courthouse, and served as the Chair of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee of the State Bar of Texas. Judge Gilstrap was nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2011 as United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Texas. During his confirmation hearing, then-Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Dallas, said in a statement, "His public service and strong academic credentials combined to make him a strong choice for this judgeship in East Texas." He has served as Chief Judge of the Eastern District since March 1, 2018.
Judge Gilstrap is a man of faith and a model of integrity. He lives the life of a servant-leader. Our federal judiciary is blessed by his presiding over one of the highest-profile federal district courts in the nation."–Dean Brad Toben, Baylor Law
Speaking of his Baylor Lawyer of the Year award, Judge Gilstrap stated, "Being chosen as the 56th Baylor Lawyer of the Year is a significant event in my life. It places me in a class of distinguished lawyers, judges, and law professors that, as a law student, I would have never dreamed might someday include me. I recognize full well that my relationships and experiences practicing law and on the bench have allowed me to 'stand on the shoulders of giants' from within our profession. Those influences are a large part of why this recognition has come my way. I am reminded now, as I often am, that every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down to us from the Father. I am deeply honored to be named as the 2018 Baylor Lawyer of the Year."
Judge Gilstrap is a proud Eagle Scout and is listed in Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in America, and is an avid beekeeper.
About the Baylor Lawyer of the Year Award
The Baylor Lawyer of the Year Award is given annually to an outstanding alumnus/a who has brought honor and distinction to Baylor Law and to the legal profession. Recipients are selected based on the following criteria:
- 1. The nominee's legal ability and achievements as a lawyer;
- 2. The nominee's contributions to the legal profession;
- 3. The nominee's standing in the profession;
- 4. The nominee's Christian character;
- 5. The nominee's civic, religious, and other attainments; and
- 6. The nominee's active interest in Baylor Law.
Past Baylor Lawyers of the Year
2017 - Murray Watson Jr.
2016 - T. Albert Witcher
2015 - Jerry K. Clements
2014 - Bill Brian
2013 - David M. Guinn
2012 - Leonard E. Davis
2011 - Steve McConnico
2010 - Ed Kinkeade
2009 - George Chandler
2008 - Joe E. Coleman
2007 - Sam R. Cummings
2006 - Noley R. Bice, Jr.
2005 - Wyatt H. Heard
2004 - T. John Ward
2003 - Turner W. Branch
2002 - John Eddie Williams
2001 - Harold Nix
2000 - Louis Muldrow
1999 - Walter Umphrey
1998 - Gordon L. Hollon
1997 - James M. "Jim" Farris
1996 - Jack Hightower
1995 - John T. Boyd
1994 - Bob Bullock
1993 - Bill Logue
1992 - Rex Houston
1991 - Sam B. Hall, Jr.
1990 - Edwin P. Horner
1989 - George M. Cowden
1988 - William S. Sessions
1987 - R. Matt Dawson
1986 - Robert Maurice Campbell
1985 - Bill D. Daniel
1984 - Angus S. McSwain, Jr.
1983 - Wayne Fisher
1982 - Clarence A. Guittard
1981 - John H. Minton, Jr.
1980 - Cullen Smith
1979 - Howard F. Saunders
1978 - Connally McKay
1977 - William J. Boswell
1976 - Claude Williams
1975 - Gibson Gayle, Jr.
1974 - Jim D. Bowner
1973 - Truman E. Roberts
1972 - Charles W. Barrow
1971 - W.R. "Bob" Poage
1970 - Morris Harrell
1969 - Thomas C. Mann
1968 - Frank M. Wilson
1967 - Victor W. Bouldin
1966 - Abner V. McCall
1965 - M. Price Daniel
1964 - Leon Jaworski
1963 - A.J. Folley
Nominations for Baylor Lawyer of the Year
Baylor Law will accept nominations for the 2019 Baylor Lawyer of the Year through December 1, 2018. The Executive Committee of the Baylor Law Alumni Association will review all materials received for each nominee.
To submit a nomination for the 2019 Baylor Lawyer of the Year, please send a nomination letter describing why the nominee meets the above criteria to:
Dean Brad Toben
Baylor University School of Law
One Bear Place #97288
Waco, Texas 76798
MEDIA CONTACT: Ed Nelson, Director of Marketing & Communications
EMAIL: Ed_Nelson@Baylor.edu
PHONE: 254-710-6681
ABOUT BAYLOR LAW
Established in 1857, Baylor 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 7,400 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. Baylor Law 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 School is also ranked #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 #4 in the nation in its most recent "Best Law School Facilities" listing. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law School 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
