FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas A&M University School of Law welcomed the class of 2017 during a two day orientation session for new students Aug. 20-21.
The incoming 1Ls represent 83 different universities. These 199 new students range in age from 20 to 55, and applicants hailed from 13 different states and countries including Cameroon, Canada, China, Kenya, Nigeria and Vietnam.
Honorable Sarah R. Saldana, U.S. Attorney - Northern District of Texas was the convocation speaker, and led the students in the oath for the Texas Lawyer’s Creed. The creed provides aspirational guidance to lawyers.
Saldana was the U.S. attorney nominated by President Barack Obama and is currently serving on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee as one of 17 U.S. attorneys to advise the president on policy management and operational issues affecting the Department of Justice. She prosecuted a variety of criminal cases on behalf of the U.S., including bank and mortgage fraud, civil rights, immigration, human trafficking and public corruption. She expressed that achieving a Juris Doctor allows for a broad range of professional possibilities upon achieving it and gave her best wishes to the incoming 1L class.
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Rosalind Jeffers welcomed the new 1Ls at the start of the ceremony speaking to the students on many resources available at the law school.
Students also heard remarks from Dean Andrew P. Morriss who explained the changing dynamics of the legal industry today.
“Your first year of law school will be a challenge…although you face an exciting opportunity,” he said, indicating the school has a full faculty and staff advocating for its students.
After comments from President-elect of the State Bar of Texas Allan Dubois and John Shaw, a representative from the Texas Young Lawyers Association addressed the students and shared perspectives on practicing the law and working in the legal sector in the state of Texas.
The two days of new student orientation also included presentations, services offered to students, tours of the Dee J. Kelly Law Library, small breakout sessions with legal writing groups as well as a professional luncheon.
For more photos from new student orientation, visit our Facebook album.
Keynote speaker Vice Dean Aric Short presents "Building Bridges to the Practice of Law: Texas A&M Law School's New Professionalism Program" to the new class at the Professionalism Luncheon during the first day of Orientation
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New Texas A&M School of Law students look over their many opportunities during Fall 2014 Orientation
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