The Texas legal community lost one of its most distinguished and respected leaders on June 22, 2008 with the passing of Justice James A. Baker, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. During his 50 year legal career Justice Baker touched and changed the lives of an extraordinary number of people across the state of Texas and beyond. Justice Baker was serving as our 2008 Dallas Bar Foundation Fellows Chair. We were so honored to have him and his wife, Clauda, attend the luncheon that year and for him to introduce the Class of 2008 Fellows.

To honor Justice Baker’s many achievements during a life well-lived and to perpetuate his memory and lifelong mentoring of so many, the Dallas Bar Foundation started the Justice James A. Baker Scholarship Campaign with the goal of establishing a perpetual Scholarship fund in his name.

This memorial scholarship celebrates Justice Baker’s life of dedication to the legal profession and his example of embracing the highest ethical standards in his daily life. The scholarship is a living tribute to a beloved colleague.

The first award, presented at the Annual Fellows Luncheon in 2009, was a six week clerkship with Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson at the Supreme Court of Texas.

Current Scholarship Recipient

The 2020 / 2021 Baker Clerkship was paused due to COVID-19. 

Scholarship Donors

The following donors are recognized for their gifts in leading this effort to establish an endowed scholarship:

• Dallas Bar Foundation
• K&L Gates

• DBA Appellate Law Section
• Waters & Kraus

♦

• R. Jack Ayres
• Frank Branson
• Deborah Hankinson
• Joe B. Hinton
• Thomas Louis James
• June & Trevor Reees-Jones
• Thompson & Knight Foundation

♦

• Danny Ashby
• Kim Askew
• Jeff & Mickie Bragalone
• Craig W. Budner
• R.W. Calloway
• James E. Coleman
• Edward Coultas
• Robert Davis
• John M. Erkskine
• Dr. Charles Galvin
• J.E. Garda
• Paul Genender
• Hon. David and Beverly Godbey
• John Howell
• Vester T. Hughes, Jr.
• Clifton Hutchinson
• Paul Koning
• Hon. Douglas S.Lang
• David G. Luther, Jr.
• Jay Madrid
• John McDowell
• Brian D. Melton
• R. Matthew Molash
• Robert H. Mow, Jr.
• Hon. Mary L. Murphy
• Cyhnthia Ohlenforst
• Debra and Joseph Pevsner
• Bobby Rubarts
• Mark K. Sales
• Mark A. Shank
• Nancy A. Thomas

♦

• James & Rosalie Alexander
• Jim Burnham
• Russ & Marty Coleman
• Christina Melton Crain
• Lauren and Darin Darby
• David. W. Elrod
• Ruth Goldberg
• Hon. Mark Greenberg
• Darrell Jordan
• Charles W. Matthews, jr.
• Ken and Judy Mighell
• Rey Rodriguez
• Paul Stafford
• G. Dennis Sullivan
• Ben Taylor
• H. Ron White
• Anne Ashby & Michael Durer
• Norma Lee Beasley
• E. Thomas Bishop
• Kirsten M. Castaneda
• David Dyer
• Theresa M. Gegen
• Jim Hartnett, Jr.
• Ivan Irwin, Jr.
• Michael Jung
• Hon. Barbara Lynn
• John and Betty Martin
• Hon. Amos Mazzant
• Charles McGarry
• Robert L. Meyers, III
• Linda Moore
• Timothy Mountz
• Jay & Jan Patterson
• Thomas Paxton
• Elizabeth Philipp
• Hon. Lorraine Raggio
• John Rain
• Rust Reid
• R. Scott Schieffer • Phillip Slinkard
• Bart Sloan
• Marc Stanley
• Peter Vogel
• Louis J. Weber, Jr.
• Beverly Whitley
• J. Ralph Wood, jr.
• Timothy Zeiger

♦

• Frank Andrews
• Ken Carroll
• Robert A. Fanning
• Elizabeth & Eric Gambrell
• Grace Gowan
• Ann B. Hambleton
• Martha Hardwick Hofmeister
• Carolyn Hurt
• Robert Payne
• Sarah Smith