The Law School

The Law School was approved by the American Bar Association in August 1970 and is fully accredited by the Supreme Court of Texas (1968) and by the Association of American Law Schools 1969).

The objective of the faculty is to train men and women for the practice of law anywhere in the United States, whether as advocate, counselor, judge, or law teacher, in accordance with the highest traditions of professional responsibility. At the same time, the use of law as a stepping-stone to a career in government, politics, or business is recognized. The curriculum and the instruction methods are designed to develop in the students their highest potential, whatever their reasons for studying the law.

In addition to classrooms and seminar rooms, the Law School building has an expansive law library, courtroom, computer laboratory, office of career services, lounge area, snack area, locker room, student organization offices, and faculty and administrative offices.

The law library features a 13,000 square foot underground addition and a number of student carrels fitted for computer terminals.

The Law Library

Law libraries figure prominently in legal education, and the facilities of the Texas Tech Law Library provide students wide-ranging access to legal information resources both print and on-line. The substantial addition to the Law Library gave Texas Tech students access to computer equipment and facilities unparalleled in the nation. Traditional study carrels were transformed into computer-based workstations, enabling students to perform computer-assisted legal research, word processing, and a number of other functions in an office-like setting.

The Law Library subscribes to both the LEXIS and WESTLAW computer-assisted legal research databases, providing students access to legal information far beyond the limits of the print collection. These services feature access to primary source materials, such as cases, statutes, and administrative agency regulations and decisions. The databases also include a significant amount of secondary source materialsuch as legal periodical articles, treatises, and newslettersand citators and indexessuch as Shepard's Citations, the Legal Resource Index, the Index to Legal Periodicals, and the Current Index to Legal Periodicals. Training in the use of computer-assisted legal research systems is an essential part of the first-year curriculum.

These superior computer facilities complement the substantial collection of print materials available in the Law Library. The collection contains over 200,000 bibliographic items, including bound volumes, microforms, government documents, and CD-ROMs. The collection includes the reported cases of the Federal and state courts, the statutes of Congress and all state legislatures, and the rules and decisions of Federal and Texas state administrative agencies. The Law Library is also designated as a selective U.S. Government Documents Depository and collects a wide array of government documents relating to the law. Easy access to the Regional Documents Depository collection at the Texas Tech University Library means that the substantial information resources published by the U.S. Government Printing Office are readily available to law students.

The collection of the Law Library contains over 3,000 legal serial titles and a number of extensive research aids such as digests, indices, and loose-leaf services. The catalog of the library collection is kept on-line, rather than in a card catalog, permitting many different access points to the collection in addition to the traditional means of author, title, and subject. The staff of the Law Library can locate resources in other library collections through the use of a national network of libraries sharing bibliographic information used for cataloging and interlibrary loan.

The Law Library staff is comprised of knowledgeable and experienced librarians and paraprofessionals who understand the importance of providing quality service to students and faculty. The staff includes six members with professional library education; the director and associate director also have law degrees.

In addition to the computer facilities, the Law Library physical plant includes a classroom used both for bibliographic instruction and for student meetings, conference rooms for student study groups, and a computer lab.

Law School Computing and Automation

In 1994 the Law School made a giant technological leap by installing one of the largest computer networks in any law school. Our main goal was to provide the students with the computing resources needed to complete their degree requirements and prepare them for using the technologies of the legal industry. Our continuing goal is to upgrade the computer network to keep in line with the technologies shaping the future of the legal community.

The student computer network consists of 220 computers in student study carrels, a 12-station computer lab, and 2 high-speed, high-capacity laser printers. Each computer has access to electronic mail, word processing, legal research databases and utilities, Internet world wide web browsers, on-line library catalogs, and the CALI library which consists of over 90 legal instruction tutorials and exercises. All computers have direct access to the laser printers for quality, high-speed printing.

LEXIS and WESTLAW also maintain on-site computer labs that are separate from the Law School network. These labs provide additional computing resources for training and legal research, and additional printing for research materials.

The Law School computer network is constantly updated to provide students with the computing resources needed to complete their degree requirements and become familiar with the technologies used in the legal industry. Enhancements such as e-mail, direct Internet access, and computer-aided legal instruction have been recently added to the system.

Special hardware and software technologies are used to accommodate physically challenged students. Every effort is made to ensure that all students with disabilities can effectively use the school's computing resources.

Texas Tech Law School Foundation

The Texas Tech Law School Foundation was established in 1967 to assist in expanding Law School programs and in funding activities not supported by state funds. Since its creation, the foundation has provided funds for scholarships, travel expenses for student organizations and student competitive teams, promotion of alumni activities and bar relations, continuing legal education, placement activities for its graduates, and for other purposes directly benefiting the school, its students, and its alumni.

Financial support for the foundation has been provided by alumni, law firms, corporations, foundations, and individuals interested in supporting the Law School.

The foundation conducts an annual giving program through which alumni and friends of the Law School may contribute to the scholarship fund or the general fund by becoming members of the Dean's Inner-Circle.

The Texas Tech Law School Association, which consists of alumni and friends of the school, functions as an important auxiliary of the foundation. District directors located throughout Texas (as well as out-of-state) coordinate the activities of the association in their individual areas. Texas Tech law alumni have formed local chapters in every major city in Texas.

Office of Career Services

The Office of Career Services at the Texas Tech School of Law offers a wide range of services to students and alumni of the Law School. The Office of Career Services provides currently enrolled students with a forum for interviewing with prospective employers from throughout Texas. Law firms seek second-year students for summer clerkship positions which lead to offers for associate positions after graduation. This process, called "On-Campus Interviewing," is one of the services offered by the Office of Career Services. Other interviewing opportunities are provided by the following off-campus recruitment programs: Texas-In-Washington, Sunbelt Minority, Public Interest, Spring Minority, Texas Young Lawyers Association Off-Campus Recruitment Program, and the Texas on Tour program held in five Texas cities in 1996-97.

During the academic year, the Office of Career Services conducts workshops which focus upon resume writing, interviewing skills, and individualized job search strategies. A career information series, presented by attorneys who practice in a number of settings, introduces students to the many ways in which a law degree may be used. The resource library of the Office of Career Services contains law firm and corporate resumes, employer directories, computer employer databases, and other materials useful in a personalized job search.

As a member of the National Association of Law Placement, the Law School is involved with other schools, bar associations, and firms in a national forum for exchanging information on law placement and recruitment.

Graduates of the Texas Tech Law School have a variety of areas in which to practice law. Traditionally, a majority of our graduates have entered private practice in Texas as associates of established law firms or as solo practitioners. Graduates may also choose to practice as government attorneys at the local, state, or national level. Corporate positions are the choice of some graduates and all branches of the military employ attorneys in their Judge Advocate General Corps.

The Office of Career Services is committed to an equal opportunity program on behalf of the students.

Legal Practice Skills

Law students have significant opportunities to develop lawyering skills that play an important role in the making of a competent practitioner and advocate. Courses are offered covering skills such as client interviewing and counseling, trial and appellate advocacy, negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. These courses are designed to bridge the gap between the law student's theoretical education and the practice of the law. They usually have small enrollments, permitting participation by all students and "hands-on" training. Use of videotape equipment, along with the videotape library, gives students an opportunity for self-analysis and for learning from the techniques of skilled practitioners.

Students may also participate in intraschool competitions in moot court, mock trial, client counseling, and negotiation. These competitions, administered by the Board of Barristers, allow students to polish their skills in simulated practice settings.

The School of Law's active participation in interscholastic competitions gives students the opportunity to compete in a wide variety of state and national competitions. Texas Tech boasts one of the best records in the nation for outstanding performance in regional and national competitions. In 1996-97, Law School teams placed as follows: National Trial TeamRegional Champions and National Quarter Finalists; ATLA Trial TeamRegional Champions and National Quarter Finalists; Tournament of Champions Trial TeamNational Finalists; John Marshall Moot Court TeamNational Finalists; State Moot Court TeamSemi-finalists; A.B.A. National Moot Court TeamNational Best Brief, National Quarter Finalists, and Regional Champions; A.B.A. National Negotiations TeamsRegional Champions and Regional Runner Up; National Champions.

Internships

Students may take an internship for credit in which they work under the supervision of a lawyer or a judge. The internship course includes a classroom component, and students meet together with faculty members to discuss their work experiences in their internship placement.

Honors and Awards

The Order of the Coif

The Law School was elected to The Order of the Coif (the only national legal honor society in the United States) in 1974. Only one-third of the nation's law schools have qualified for a chapter of the honorary. Members are elected annually from students ranking in the highest ten percent of the graduating class whose character and activities in legal education indicate their worthiness for membership in the order.

The Order of Barristers

Students selected as members of the national Order of Barristers have exhibited excellence and attained high honors through the art of courtroom advocacy.

Awards
ABA Book Award (Land Use)
ABA Book Award (Government)
1979-80 Board of Editors Award
Charles P. Bubany Outstanding Service to the Board of Barristers Award (given by Foundation Press)
Nathan Burkan Memorial Prize
CALI Excellence for the Future Award. CALI, the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, presents an award to the student in each law school course achieving the top grade in the course. The award is a certificate suitable for framing. CALI is a consortium of the nation's law schools that provides research and development and a distribution network for computer-assisted instruction in the law. Its library of instructional materials contains over 90 lessons in 21 areas of the law. CALI's commitment to innovation and achievement in teaching and learning in the law schools prompted it to sponsor this awards program.
Civil Rights Award (given by Lori Bailey '83, Dallas)
Clifford, Field, Krier, Manning, Greak & Stone Taxation Award (Lubbock)
Corpus Juris Secundum Award (given by West Publishing Company)
Cotton, Bledsoe, Tighe & Dawson Advocacy Award (Midland)
Geo. W. and Sarah H. Dupree Award
J. Hadley Edgar Trial Excellence Award (given by Samuel Boyd, '77, Dallas)
Estate Planning Award (given by Maddox Law Firm, Hobbs, N.M.)
Excellence in Service Award (given by Donna Courville, '94, Lubbock, and Lee Ann Reno, '94, Amarillo)
Judge Meade F. Griffin Award (given by former briefing attorneys)
Murray Hensley Award (given by Ted A. Liggett, '94, Lubbock)
Hinkle, Cox, Eaton, Coffield & Hensley (Midland) Oil and Gas Award
Donald M. Hunt Outstanding Barrister Award (given by Samuel Boyd '77, Dallas)
International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award
Jackson & Walker Law Review Award (Dallas)
Jurisprudence Award for Superior Academic Achievement
Martin Luther King, Jr., Award
John E. Krahmer Award (given by Wallace "Al'' Watkins, '86, Dallas and Karl Wayne Vancil, '87, San Angelo)
M. Penn L. Law Review Award
McWhorter, Cobb & Johnson Board of Barristers Outstanding Member Award (Lubbock)
McWhorter, Cobb & Johnson Law Review Award (Lubbock)
Mock Trial Scholarship Award
Moot Court Scholarship Award
William R. Moss Trial Advocacy Award (Lubbock)
Frank R. Murray Award (Excellence in Creditors' Rights) sponsored by West Texas Bankruptcy Bar Association.
The Order of Barristers (Carr, Fouts, Hunt & Wolfe, Lubbock)
Orgain, Bell & Tucker Award (Beaumont)
Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Book Award (given by West Publishing Company)
Outstanding Student in Tax Award (given by Maxwell MacMillan Pergamon Publishing Company)
Scribes Award
Sherrill, Crosnoe & Goff Law Review Candidate Award (Wichita Falls)
Judge Ken G. Spencer Award
U.S. Law Week Award
Beckmann Dunlap Woody Law Review Service Award (given by Darren '85 and Maria Woody, El Paso)
Wright & Greenhill Award (Austin)

Endowed Professorships

The Alvin R. Allison Professorship of Law

The Alvin R. Allison Professorship of Law was endowed in April 1991. This endowed professorship is particularly gratifying since it honors the "Father of the Law School." Professor Thomas E. Baker is the first Alvin R. Allison Professor of Law.

The Robert H. Bean Professorship in Law

The Robert H. Bean Professorship was established in November 1987 with donations from local attorneys and a settlement obtained from an anti-trust suit against the manufacturers of corrugated containers. The professorship's primary objective is to provide excellence in teaching civil procedure and advocacy. The first holder of the Robert H. Bean Professorship was Professor J. Hadley Edgar, a member of the faculty for nineteen years and Professor Emeritus. Professor Marilyn Phelan currently holds this professorship.

The Commercial and Banking Law Professorships

The Texas Association of Bank Counsel (TABC) has contributed a substantial amount toward the endowment of the Commercial Law and Banking Law Professorships. Two members of the Law School faculty, Professor John Krahmer and former professor Robert Wood were instrumental in the creation of TABC. The Bank Lawyer is published by TABC, and Professor Krahmer is the faculty editor and Director of the annual Texas Banking Law Institute. Professor Krahmer has also been named the Professor of Commercial Law.

The J. Hadley Edgar Professorship of Law

This professorship honors Professor Emeritus J. Hadley Edgar who retired in 1991 after twenty years of service on the faculty as a teacher of torts, procedure, and trial advocacy. Professor Emeritus Edgar, himself the first holder of the Robert H. Bean Professorship, is a major contributor to Texas tort law and procedure in Texas courts.

This endowed professorship was made possible by generous contributions from former students and friends within and without the state in response to a major challenge grant provided by Richard C. Hile of Austin and Martin W. Dies of Orange.

The first holder of the J. Hadley Edgar Professorship of Law is Professor Robert William Piatt, Jr.

The Maddox Professorship of Law

The Maddox Professorship of Law is made possible by a $200,000 endowment announced by the J. F. Maddox Foundation of Hobbs, New Mexico, in 1982. The endowment is named for the late Jack Maddox, a 1929 Texas Tech graduate in textile engineering. Professor Bruce Kramer is the current Maddox Professor of Law.

The George Herman Mahon Professorship in Law

In March 1981 an endowed professorship in law honoring the late George H. Mahon was established with a gift from Charles Bates Thornton and Flora Laney Thornton.

The primary objectives of the professorship are to provide excellence in teaching concepts of the legal profession and to expand students' knowledge in areas influenced by the law.

The first holder of the George Herman Mahon Professorship in Law was Corwin W. Johnson, the Baker and Botts Professor of Law at the University of Texas Law School, who was a visiting professor during 1984-85. The first member of the permanent faculty to hold the Mahon Professorship is W. Reed Quilliam, Jr., who was named in 1989. In 1995, Charles Bubany was named as holder of the Mahon Professorship.

The Charles B. Thornton Professorship in Law

In November 1993 an endowed professorship in law honoring the late Charles B. Thornton was established with a gift from the estate of Charles B. Thornton and his son, Charles B. Thornton, Jr.

A firm believer in civic and charitable work, Thornton served as a director of many leading corporations and devoted himself to public service. Among his honors were the Horatio Alger Award in 1964, the National Industry Leader of B'Nai B'rith in 1967, and Big Brother of the Year in 1975. On October 9, 1981, President Reagan conferred on him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest decoration for civilians. The citation for that award concluded that "Tex Thornton has never failed to give generously of his boundless energy, his unfailing courage, and his deep love of country."

The first holder of the Charles B. Thornton Professorship of Law is Rodric B. Schoen.

Housing

Law students may select from a variety of on-campus or off-campus housing. Residence hall and apartment facilities primarily for graduate students are available in Gordon Hall and Gaston Hall Apartments. Inquiries and correspondence regarding room reservations in the residence halls on campus should be addressed to the Housing Office, Texas Tech University, Box 4629, Lubbock, TX 79409 (806) 742-2661.

Because the campus is bounded on three sides by residential areas, off-campus living quarters of all types, including private dormitories, are conveniently available. A housing guide may be obtained in person from the University Student Association office.

Affirmative Action

The faculty and administration of the Law School recognize the need for increasing the number of minority group members in the legal profession. The school therefore encourages applications from minority students.

The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) sponsor programs designed to increase the number of minority law students. Those interested in information on these programs should write to CLEO, 1800 M Street, N. W., Suite 290, Washington, DC 20036.

The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) provides financial assistance to Hispanic students applying to law school. Applications may be obtained by writing to MALDEF, 634 South Spring Street, 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014.

Statement on Nondiscrimination

It is the policy of Texas Tech University School of Law not to discriminate on the basis of sex, age, disability, race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin in its educational programs, admissions policies, employment policies, financial aid, and other school-administered programs. This policy is enforced by federal law under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Inquiries regarding compliance with these statutes may be directed to Dr. Robert H. Ewalt, Office of Student Affairs, 213 Administration Building, telephone (806) 742-2131.

It is the policy and practice of the Law School to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and state and local requirements regarding students and applicants with disabilities. Under these laws, a qualified individual with a disability shall not be denied access to or participation in services, programs, and activities of the Law School and the University campus programming.

We recognize that disabilities include mobility, sensory, health, psychological, and learning. We will provide reasonable accommodations to these disabilities but we cannot make accommodations that are unduly burdensome or that fundamentally alter the nature of the program. While our legal obligation relates to disabilities of a substantial and long-term nature, we also provide accommodations when possible to temporary disabilities.

All floors are accessible by elevator and accessible rest rooms are distributed throughout the building, including the library. Classrooms on the second floor are accessible by elevator. The main entrance to the building and the entrance to the library are equipped with automatic openers.

Any disabled students needing special services or accommodations should advise the law school after acceptance.