June 2022

The Mustang Minute

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Dear Alumni,

On May 13, 2022, we celebrated the extraordinary accomplishments of the Class of 2022 with a beautiful graduation ceremony in Moody Coliseum. This class was one of the largest graduation classes ever, and we are incredibly proud of the perseverance, patience, and grace they demonstrated throughout several challenging years of the pandemic.

Here are a few of the impressive statistics for the Class of 2022:

Our 275 J.D. graduates performed 19,780 hours of public service for an average of 74 hours per student.
Thirty-one students were recognized on our Pro Bono Honor Roll, each of whom performed a minimum of 200 hours of public service.
Eight students performed more than 300 hours of legal assistance.
Twenty-six students have secured 30 federal and state judicial clerkships, our highest number of clerkship placements ever.

We are so proud of this special class and welcome them to the Mustang Bar Law Alumni Association!

As we celebrate this amazing class, we also say goodbye to several renowned and irreplaceable faculty members as they retire: Beth Thornburg, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor and Richard R. Lee Endowed Professor of Law, and Jonni Walls, Clinical Professor of Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy. These extraordinary teachers and scholars will be deeply missed, but they will always be part of the SMU Law family.

On May 27, 2022, we were thrilled to announce the appointment of Jason P. Nance as the new Judge James Noel Dean of the Dedman School of Law effective August 10, 2022. I am honored to serve as the "in between Dean" until then. Look for emails and social media later this summer and early fall for several opportunities to meet Dean Nance at alumni events.

Thank you for continuing to be such loyal alumni of SMU Dedman School of Law. We look forward to seeing you at the Mustang Bar events this summer and in the fall, especially the 2s and 7s class reunion, tailgates, and cocktail receptions across the state of Texas, Washington, DC, and New York City.

Best wishes,

Thomas Wm. Mayo
Dean Ad Interim, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs,
Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Professor of Law

LAW SCHOOL NEWS

2L Amy Nguyen receives CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student Award

2L Tax Clinic student, Amy Nguyen, was recently awarded the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Outstanding Clinic Student Award. The CLEA Outstanding Student Award was created to honor one law student at each law school who has excelled in a clinical course. Read more...

Clinic assists small business owners in faith-forward Business Cohort program

Under the leadership of Kandace Walter, Director of SMU Law's Small Business & Trademark Clinic, small business owners and members of the DFW community benefited from a lively, helpful discussion, hosted by Watermark Church, centered on the ins and outs of navigating the legal aspects of a small business. Read more...

There's still time! 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards nominations

The Distinguished Alumni Awards are the highest and most prestigious awards the law school bestows upon its alumni. Any alum may be nominated who demonstrates a record of distinguished service and extraordinary achievement that brings distinction to the law school. M ake your nomination...

FACULTY NEWS

June 2022: Faculty Activities

SMU Law Faculty are recognized nationally and internationally for their research and scholarship, and sought after by local and national media outlets. Professors Dale Carpenter, Nathan Cortez, Chris Jenks, Orly Mazur, Pamela Metzger, Anna Offit, Carla Reyes, Eric Ruben, Marc Steinberg, and Leo Yu are featured. Read more...

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

John Rimann
Class of 2022

Alicia Iwema
Class of 2022

LAW SCHOOL EVENTS

Texas Tour: Law Alumni Cocktail Receptions

Houston Alumni Cocktail Reception
Thursday, June 9, 2022
In conjunction with the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting – all SMU Law alumni and guests welcome

San Antonio Alumni Cocktail Reception
Thursday, June 30, 2022

Austin Alumni Cocktail Reception
Thursday, July 28, 2022

Save the Dates

SMU Family Weekend Tailgate
Saturday, September 24, 2022

SMU Law Reunion – Graduation years ending in 2s and 7s
Friday, October 21, 2022
Sign up to be on the Host Committee!

SMU Homecoming and Tailgate
Saturday, October 22, 2022

CAREER SERVICES CORNER

Recruiting season is right around the corner!

Register to join us at one of our recruiting programs offered in-person or virtually. All programs are held in Dallas unless indicated otherwise.

August Interview Program: August 1-12
Houston Interview Program: August 5
(Houston, TX)
Application materials for our Resume Collection Program will be available on July 15.
October Interview Program: October 3-11

Full timelines for these programs can be found here. Sign up via Symplicity today!

Cannot join us this fall?

Save the Date for one of our spring specialty interview programs!

Corporate Interview Days: February 13-17
Fort Worth Friday: March 3 (Fort Worth, TX)
Small Firm Interview Week: March 6-10

Email lawcareer@smu.edu with questions about any of our recruiting programs.

Mustangs on the Move: Get Hired!

Calling all Mustangs searching for a career move! Check out the incredible new alumni opportunities posted in Symplicity this month (*more than 91 new jobs*)! If you have questions, please reach out to Mackenzie Salenger, a Career Advisor in the Office of Career Services. For any employers searching for the right candidate, look no further.

POST A JOB

ALUMNI RECORDS UPDATE

Send us news on babies, weddings, promotions, awards, moves, and anything newsworthy. We want to celebrate you and keep you up to date on all your classmates. Submit a Class Note...