UHLC Celebrates Faculty, Staff and Student Excellence at the 2025 Dean's Awards Ceremony

The University of Houston Law Center honored the outstanding accomplishments of its community during the annual Dean’s Awards Ceremony, held recently at the John M. O’Quinn Law Building.

Hosted by Dean Leonard M. Baynes and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Monica Mensah, the event recognized the hard work and dedication of students, faculty, and staff.

“The Dean’s Award Ceremony is our chance to spotlight the incredible success of our students. We are very proud of them,” Baynes said. “This is also a great way to celebrate our exceptional faculty and staff.”

In total, more than 100 scholarships and awards were announced, including over 50 scholarships for academic excellence, legal writing, and other indicia of accomplishments and merit.  Mensah noted that more than 80% of UH Law Center students are first-generation students — a point of pride for the institution.

LEX Awards were presented to students who received the highest grades in first-year courses such as Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Procedure, Property, Statutory Interpretation, Torts, Introduction to American Law, and Lawyering Skills and Strategies.

The 2025 distinguished faculty and staff awards included:

• Ethel M. Baker Faculty Award: Katherine B. Brem, Clinical Professor of Lawyering Skills and Strategies
• Staff Awards: Brena Baumann-Gonzalez, Executive Director of Development, Abby Trahan, Director of Development
• Order of the Barons Professor of the Year: Douglas K. Moll, A.A. White Professor of Law
• Student Bar Association Professor of the Year – Full-Time: Gina S. Warren, Professor of Law, A. L. O’Quinn Chair in Environmental Studies and co-director of UHLC’s Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Center
• Student Bar Association Professor of the Year – Part-Time: Lauren Jansen Simpson, Clinical Associate Professor with Lawyering Skills and Strategies

The ceremony also celebrated the Law Center’s recent national achievements.

“Our part-time program is No. 5 in the nation and No. 1 in the state of Texas,” Baynes said. “Our health law program is ranked No. 9 in the nation and No. 1 in Texas; our legal writing program is ranked No. 15 in the nation — the highest it’s ever been — and also No. 1 in Texas.”

Original source can be found here.