Gabriel Eckstein, professor of law at Texas A&M University School of Law and director of the Natural Resources Systems Program, has been elected president of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA).

The Association is an international, professional organization focused on improving and expanding the understanding of water issues through education, research and information exchange among countries and across disciplines.

“This is really a wonderful honor,” said Eckstein. “IWRA is one of the most respected, water-focused organizations globally, and I look forward to building on the association’s excellent policy work, which seeks to ensure sustainable water resources for people and the environment.”

In the months since my appointment as dean of Texas A&M School of Law, exciting news has come across my desk in a flurry: A colleague received a $371,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.  Faculty scholarship has been published in the California, Georgetown, NYU, UCLA and other top law reviews. A tenth state adopted the Uniform Law Commission model law developed by another colleague.  We admitted our most academically qualified and most diverse class ever. And both our bar passage and employment rates jumped significantly.

In real time, I have been able to witness the type of accomplishments that underlie the Law School’s broader advance in recent years.  I am especially proud of three clusters of achievement:

Faculty Excellence

• 11 members of the American Law Institute
• 28 new faculty since 2014 (many of whom gave up endowed chairs to join us)
• Top 50 schools in recent SSRN downloads
• Distinctive Strengths in Intellectual Property & Technology (#7 ranking in S. News), Dispute Resolution (#12 ranking), and Natural Resources/Environment

Interdisciplinary Engagement

• $1.1M in external grants since 2017
• 10%+ of tenure-stream faculty have joined in cross-departmental grant proposals
• 20%+ of tenure-stream faculty have joint appointments/affiliations

Diversity

• 28^th in the nation in faculty diversity
• 50% increase in ethnic diversity of the 1L class since 2016
• 62% of the 1L class are women

Texas A&M University School of Law anticipates the arrival of Joseph William Singer of Harvard School of Law in mid-February. He was selected as one of Texas A&M University’s Distinguished Lecturers of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.

The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study recognizes world-class educators who are acclaimed in their areas of study. According to the Hagler Institute’s website, its goal is to provide a stellar environment for research and scholarship with the Faculty Fellows, having freedom to pursue their own research interests.

Texas A&M University School of Law received the Tarrant County Adoption Day proclamation for its unceasing support 

of National Adoption Day.

Tarrant County’s Adoption Day is an annual event, established eight years ago. The event brings families together with the help of volunteers, including 12 Texas A&M University School of Law students who worked closely with licensed attorneys to complete the adoption process.

Texas A&M University School of Law Professor Felix Mormann spoke at the celebration of Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) @ 40: Renewable Energy Law and Policy in the United States. The conference was hosted by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Texas A&M University School of Law has a diverse faculty that includes preeminent scholars, seasoned law and business professors and professional experts. Our professors are pioneering authors, speakers, and financial advisers. This past year, the law school had 35 top 50 law journal placements such as the NYU Law Review, California Law Review and Georgetown Law Journal.

Texas A&M University School of Law Professor William Byrnes published a lead article entitled, “Transfer Pricing and State Aid: The Unintended Consequences of Advance Pricing Agreements (Volume 25, 2018),” in the United Nations’ UNCTAD Journal. Byrnes and co-author Lorraine Eden, of the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, were selected by the United Nations’ World Investment Forum (WIF) committee to present the research of the article at the biennial WIF in mid-October. The WIF gathers 3,500 political leaders and diplomats, policy makers and large corporations.

Jason Tiplitz, a third-year Texas A&M University School of Law student and participant in the school's Criminal Defense Clinic, successfully represented his client on misdemeanor charges in municipal court. The case involved Senate Bill 393, which has since been revised. The bill relates to criminal procedures involving children who commit certain Class C misdemeanors while in school. However, people like Tiplitz’s client still have tickets remaining from their high school years, interfering with their ability to gain licenses.

Texas A&M Energy Institute members met with Texas A&M University School of Law's Program in Natural Resources Systems Director Gabriel Eckstein, TAMU Law Dean Bobby Ahdieh and other faculty members this week. The group discussed collaboration opportunities.

Texas A&M University School of Law Professor Lisa Alexander is among the 21 recipients honored for the second annual Presidential Impact Fellows award presented in late October. The award is given to faculty members within the Texas A&M system who embrace grand challenges, commit to core values and embody the unique “can-do” spirit that distinguishes Texas Aggies in service through education.