Students and faculty at the Texas A&M School of Law tackle real-world cases in the pursuits of justice.
"Hey Amber, are you excited?"
Luz Herrera, associate dean for experiential education at the Texas A&M School of Law, shouted to her colleague from her office. Amber Baylor stuck her head in and said, beaming, “We’re all shaking.”
“This is big,” Herrera agreed, erupting into a matching smile. “This is big.”
The law school’s clinic offices are on the lower level of downtown Fort Worth’s Star-Telegram Building, a half-mile from the school’s campus. With no windows, it can some times feel separated from the outside world. But nothing could be further from reality. The clinics, staff and students are making an impact at the highest levels in the U.S.
What excited Herrera and Baylor, director of the school’s Criminal Defense Clinic, on a mid-February morning was the announcement that a clemency case undertaken by Texas A&M law students had been approved by President Trump. It was one of 11 granted out of more than 6,000 pending applications. The woman, Crystal Muñoz, had spent 12 years incarcerated on marijuana charges and would now be free. The case and Texas A&M’s School of Law were appearing in media across the country.
“The Muñoz case and others like it show how our law school and students are having an impact at the highest level,” said Robert B. Ahdieh, the law school’s dean and holder of the Anthony G. Buzbee Endowed Dean’s Chair. “From Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., our school is making visible contributions to the advancement of justice.” Read more.