Tara Avants, JD ’17, Named 2025 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year
Baylor Law School is proud to announce Tara Avants, JD ’17, as the recipient of the 2025 Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year award. A determined prosecutor, dedicated mentor, and relentless advocate for the most vulnerable members of our community, Avants embodies the excellence, integrity, and service that define what it means to be a Baylor Lawyer.
Avants currently serves as Chief of the Crimes Against Children Division at the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office. In this role, she is consistently recognized for her exceptional skills as a trial attorney and has also cultivated a reputation as a compassionate and dedicated servant leader. She also directs the DA Office’s internship program and teaches as an adjunct professor at Baylor Law School, where she helps prepare future Baylor Lawyers for the demands and rewards of public service.
“Tara Avants exemplifies the very best of Baylor Law,” said Dean Jeremy Counseller. “Her dedication to mentoring future Baylor Lawyers, leadership within the District Attorney’s Office, and excellence in the courtroom reflect a career grounded in integrity, service, and impact. This recognition is well-earned and speaks to the values she consistently upholds.”
Reflecting on the honor, Avants shared, “It is a tremendous honor to receive the Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year award. I have had the privilege to learn from incredible mentors throughout law school and in my career, most of whom are fellow Baylor Lawyers. I am grateful to have the support from my supervisors, District Attorney Josh Tetens, and First Assistant District Attorneys Michel Simer and Ryan Calvert, to mentor both undergraduate and law students in our office through internships and through my involvement with events and courses at Baylor. I feel fortunate to do a job that I love and lead a great team in the Crimes Against Children Division, where we work together to achieve justice and serve our community. Receiving this prestigious award is truly the pinnacle of my career.”
A Relentless Advocate for the Vulnerable
Since 2021, Avants has led the Crimes Against Children Division in McLennan County, prosecuting some of the most complex and emotionally demanding cases in the justice system involving the sexual and physical abuse of children. In the last two years alone, her division has tried 30 jury trials, securing convictions in 29 of them.
She has been entrusted to take on the prosecution of some of the county’s most high-profile and sensitive cases. She secured a successful conviction in 2023 against a daycare operator involved in the tragic death of an infant and achieved a significant 2024 cold-case conviction of a driver in a tragic hit-and-run that claimed the life of a Baylor University student.
Even in the face of deeply emotional and challenging subject matter, Avants approaches every case with composure, empathy, and resolve. Colleagues and victims alike commend her for her meticulous case preparation, clear and compassionate communication, and her ability to secure justice in cases that often rely on the testimony of young or vulnerable victims.
Leading with Service and Integrity
Baylor Lawyers are called to lead, and Avants leads by example. As Internship Program Director for the McLennan County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, she has mentored dozens of undergraduate and law students—many from Baylor—giving them an opportunity to see public service in action. Under her leadership, the program has grown substantially, attracting top students, many of whom return to build lasting careers within the office.
In addition to serving as an adjunct professor for Baylor Law School’s Criminal Law Boot Camp, Avants volunteers her time to support Baylor Law and mentor future Baylor Lawyers by judging client counseling sessions and mock trial competitions, evaluating storytelling exercises in the Introduction to Trial Advocacy class, and serving as a guest speaker for incoming students as well as Baylor Law student organizations. Avants also extends her teaching beyond the law school—serving as a guest lecturer for Baylor undergraduate students in the Philanthropy and Public Service Program, where she teaches about the prosecution of child abuse cases.
Committed to Education and Training
Avants’ passion for legal education extends beyond her teaching at Baylor Law School. She is a frequent speaker and faculty member for the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association (TDCAA), which trains prosecutors and law enforcement officers across the state. In the past year, she has spoken at TDCAA’s Key Personnel Conference, served as a faculty advisor at its Prosecutor Trial Skills Course, and presented at both TDCAA’s Prosecuting Domestic Violence and Child Sexual Assault Conference and at the Every Victim Every Time Conference, which draws nearly 1,000 professionals from across the nation.
She is also active in community education, frequently speaking to local schools and civic organizations about the justice system and child abuse prevention.
A Baylor Lawyer in Every Sense
A Texas native, Avants earned her undergraduate degree from Wofford College, where she double majored in Psychology and Spanish and competed as a Division I volleyball player. She earned her JD from Baylor Law School in 2017, concentrating in criminal law. While at Baylor Law, she competed on national mock trial teams and received the designation of Leadership Fellow, an honor recognizing students who make a substantial commitment to leadership, service, and personal and professional development.
Avants began her legal career as a prosecutor in Limestone County, where she handled misdemeanor and appellate cases and worked closely with law enforcement through the Domestic Violence Task Force to improve responses to family violence. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association, the McLennan County Young Lawyers Association, the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association, the Judge Abner V. McCall American Inn of Court, and American Mensa.
Outside the courtroom, Avants remains deeply rooted in faith, family, and community. She and her family are actively involved at Harris Creek Baptist Church. She also leads various committees in the Junior League of Waco, all while prioritizing time with her family.
About the Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year Award
The Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year Award honors an outstanding alumnus or alumna who has brought distinction to Baylor Law School and the legal profession. Recipients must be under 45 before January 1 of the award year and are selected based on their sustained and meaningful engagement with Baylor Law School, significant contributions to the legal field, and a demonstrated commitment to integrity, legal excellence, Christian values, and civic and social responsibility.
For the complete list of previous honorees, visit https://law.baylor.edu/alumni-giving/alumni-recognition/young-baylor-lawyer-year
Submit a nomination for the 2026 Baylor Lawyer of the Year or Young Baylor Lawyer of the Year HERE.
