Aggie Law Celebrates Highly Accomplished Graduating Class

163 Students to be Honored

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May 13, 2016, 02:03 ET

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Texas A&M University School of Law will hold its spring commencement exercise, celebrating the graduation of 163 Aggie Law students.

The event will take place at 1 p.m. at the Omni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, and will feature a keynote address from Texas A&M University System Board Regent Anthony G. Buzbee.

The May 2016 graduating class is one of the most accomplished in the law school's history. Highlights include:

A collective 10,378 hours of pro bono legal service.
- 28 graduates completed more than 100 hours of pro bono service.
- May 2016 graduates Oscar Escoto and Awilda Rodriguez Henriquez received commendation from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for their work providing free legal services to young immigrants through Catholic Charities of Fort Worth.
Five externally published law review articles.
- Justin Davis, Texas Tech Administrative Law Journal, "The Unarmed Army: Evolving Second Amendment Rights and Today's Military Member";
- Brett Miller, University of Denver Water Law Review, "Embracing the Water-Energy Contradiction: Regulatory Implications Associated with Renewable Energy's Dependence on Non-Renewable Copper", and from UCLA's Journal of Environmental Law & Policy, "Come and 'Take' It: Whooping Cranes, Texas Water Rights, Endangered Species Act Liability, and Reconciling Ecological Scientific Testimony Within the Context of Proximate Causation."
- Jimmy "Dwight" Tom, UC Davis Environmental Law Journal, "Easement Come, Easement Go – The Cemetery Access Easement: The Exception to the Right to Exclude Whose Time Has Come to Facilitate the Preservation of Nineteenth-Century Texas Family Cemeteries";
- Charles Lincoln, IV, University of Dayton Law Review, "Hegelian Dialectical Analysis of United States Election Laws."
A national championship advocacy win.
- Two of our students, including May 2016 graduate Justin Davis, won the 2016 National Championship for Representation in Mediation Competition, sponsored by the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association.
A Top 10 finish during the National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
- Aggie Law's team, including May 2016 graduates Blake Buether and Tyler Gregston, finished as National Octofinalists.
Buck Weirus Spirit Award Winner.
- May 2016 graduate Danielle Bonnano received the Buck Weirus Spirit Award. Named in honor of Richard "Buck" Weirus (Aggie Class of 1942, this award recognizes 55 students each year from the entire Texas A&M system. Bonnano's selection reflects her contributions through her presidency of the Student Bar Association and her contributions as a Public Law Interest Fellow.
Washington, D.C. Public Policy Externship Program.
- This spring, Aggie Law began a residency externship program in Washington, D.C., which included three May 2016 graduates – Zack Brown, Mitchell Monthie, and Joseph Vrechek.
Excellence in Academic Concentration Honorees.
- The School of Law has established concentration programs in Business Law, Dispute Resolution, Estate Planning, Family Law, and Intellectual Property.
- These students will graduate from law school with significant expertise and experience in these specialized areas:
  - Family Law Concentration: Rachel Taft;
  - Intellectual Property Concentration: Mary Garner, Whitney Morgan and Daniel Van Slyke;
  - Dispute Resolution Concentration: Kristinia Anderson and Jimmy Tom;
  - Business Law Concentration: Rebecca English, Michael Gill, Amber Hluchan, Andres Martinez and James Ryffel;
  - Estate Planning Concentration: Kendra Calhoun.