The William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law and the Student Bar Association will host the Law School’s third annual ice cream social to celebrate public service and to recognize teacher and student accomplishments on Monday, April 22, 2013, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Susman Godfrey Atrium. The event is open to the entire Law School community and to family and friends of the honorees.
Dean Ward Farnsworth will introduce the 2013 Justice Center Graduating Student Award winners: Abby Anna Batko-Taylor, Maggie Cheu, Amy Friedman, Erin Gaines, Megan Sheffield, and Hannah Vahl. The Justice Center inaugurated the awards program in 2011 to honor students who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment during law school to using the law to serve others. Recipients of the award are selected by a faculty committee. The award winners will receive $500. In addition, Barbri has generously provided the award winners with $500 discounts for bar review courses.
The Student Bar Association will present Professor of the Year Awards to Robert Bone (Tenured Professor and Senior Lecturer Category); Gretchen Sween (Legal Research & Writing/Advocacy Lecturer Category); Lucille Wood (Clinical Faculty Category); and William Stutts (Adjunct Professor Category).
The event will also celebrate the 2013 Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellows—Cassandra McCrae, Mackenzie Meador, Sofia Meissner, Mary Chisolm Rios, Daniel Smith, and Stephanie Trinh—who will be introduced by Bill and Stephanie Whitehurst. The fellows were selected by a faculty committee and will receive stipends to support summer work at nonprofit organizations.
In addition, Tina Fernandez, director of the Law School’s Pro Bono Program, will recognize members of each class for extraordinary pro bono accomplishments. These “Pro Bono Superstars” include 1Ls Kallie Gallagher, Alexandra Harrison, and Andrea Meza; 2Ls 2Ls Alaina Oxford, Brian Quillen, and Yingying Zeng; and 3Ls Maggie Jo Buchanan, Margaret Cheu, and Samuel McDowell. Sixty-five 3Ls have reported over one hundred hours of pro bono service. Those students and nearly 250 students who have met their Pro Bono Pledge benchmarks will also be recognized.
The Justice Center and the Student Bar Association encourage all members of the Law School community to come to celebrate these outstanding teachers and students, and to enjoy Amy’s Ice Cream.
Related Links:
William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law
Whitehurst Public Interest Summer Fellowships
Contacts: Mary Crouter, assistant director of the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, UT Law, 512-232-7855, mcrouter@law.utexas.edu; Tina Fernandez, Director, Pro Bono Program, William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, 512-232-6170, tfernandez@law.utexas.edu