Steen Reynolds & Dalehite National Trial Competition

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerry Davis (center) of Tupelo helped judge the annual fall trial competition sponsored by the Jackson law firm Steen Reynolds & Dalehite. The team of Ben Watson (from right) of Jackson and Alison Ryan of Birmingham won the competition, with Scott Singley (from left) of Oxford and Michelle Smith of Pascagoula coming in second. Steen Reynolds & Dalehite are long-time supporters of the Law School's trial competition.

Student Awarded for Excellence in Casenote Writing

Billy Berryhill (left) of Magnolia receives the Ott & Purdy Casenote Award from Chris Solop, who represented the sponsoring Jackson law firm in a visit to the Oxford campus this fall. The annual award recognizes the student who writes the outstanding casenote.

Rhoden Honors Father-in-law with $150,000 Scholarship Pledge

Thomas H. Rhoden ('70) of Jackson has pledged $150,000 to the Law School to establish the Tom B. Scott Jr. Scholarship in Law Endowment. The gift honors Rhoden's father-in-law, Tom B. Scott Jr. ('48).

Recipients of the scholarship will be full-time, entering law students, with preference given to graduates of Millsaps College. The awards will be for three years, provided the recipient maintains a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.

Rhoden is a member of the Jackson firm Rhoden, Lacy, Downey & Colbert. Scott's firm is Scott & Scott, also in Jackson.

"We appreciate graduates like Tom Rhoden who are willing to step forward in an exemplary fashion to help deserving men and women who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue a legal education," said Dean Samuel M. Davis. "That he honors his father-in-law, who also graduated from this Law School, makes the gift even more special."

ANLIR Assures Support with Scholarship Endowment

The American National Lawyers Insurance Reciprocal (ANLIR) has established the ANLIR/Fox Everett Scholarship in Law Endowment with a $15,000 pledge to the Law School.

Providers of malpractice insurance coverage exclusively to lawyers, ANLIR is endorsed by the Law Alumni Chapter of The University of Mississippi Alumni Association. The endowment has been established "to express our appreciation to the Law School and to the Mississippi Bar and assure our commitment to promoting excellence in the legal profession," said Donna D. Lange, vice president of ANLIR.

Recipients of the award will be chosen by an ANLIR representative. They will be entering law students, with preference given to children of practicing attorneys in the state.

Waring Cox Law Firm Members Visit Campus, Award Scholarship

Members of the Waring Cox law firm in Memphis (from left) Robert C. Starnes ('87), Tara Bazzone ('96) and Louis F. Allen ('64) hosted a fall campus luncheon to award the annual Waring Cox Scholarship to Daniel Anderson (third from right) of Chevy Chase, Md. Also in attendance were Dean Samuel M. Davis and Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs Tim Walsh (far right). The annual scholarship of $2,000 was established by the firm in 1987. Anderson, who is a Native American, is a second-year law student. He is a graduate of Franciscan University, where he studied philosophy.

Butler Snow O'Mara Stevens & Cannada Pledges $150,000 to Establish Scholarship

Since the early 1970s, the Jackson law firm Butler Snow O'Mara Stevens & Cannada has gone out of the way to meet needs at the School of Law. Continuing that tradition of support, firm members have pledged $150,000 to establish the Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens &Cannada Scholarship in Law Endowment.

This latest effort, said firm member Jay Travis ('65), is meant not only to help deserving law students but also to enhance the Law School's quest for a chapter of the prestigious Order of the Coif. "We've tried to work with the Law School over the years to help it fulfill its objectives, taking the lead in areas where there was greatest need," said Travis. "We understand that endowed scholarships are critical to attracting the best and brightest students, as well as meeting the requirements for a chapter of the Order of the Coif."

The agreement calls for endowing the scholarship fund over a period of several years. The scholarship stipend will be $3,000 per year, with one additional recipient added each year. The first scholarship was awarded this fall semester.

"We are grateful to the Butler Snow O'Mara Stevens & Cannada law firm for their generosity and vision in making this wonderful gift to assist in the area of scholarships for outstanding students," said Dean Samuel M. Davis. "The firm has a history of outstanding support to the Law School, and its members have taken the lead in several critical areas over the years."

More than two decades ago, Butler Snow funded the Law School's first memorial lecture series and later endowed its first faculty lectureship.

Craig Honors Grandparents with $50,000 Pledge for Scholarships

C. York Craig Jr. ('73) and his wife, Helen, have pledged $50,000 to the Law School to establish the Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Whitaker Memorial Scholarship in Law Endowment. The gift honors Craig's maternal grandparents.

"I wanted to honor my maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Whitaker, who helped support me in getting an education," said Craig. "My wife and I hope this gift will help deserving law students who might not otherwise have the opportunity for such an education."

According to the terms of the agreement, recipients of the scholarship must be Mississippi residents, who "demonstrate financial need as well as a strong work ethic to fully contribute to the enhancement of the legal profession."

A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Craig is a member of the Jackson firm Watkins, Ludlam & Stennis.

"It's heartwarming to see family ties that move people to look back and acknowledge that someone made a difference in their lives, as this is the case with York Craig," said Dean Samuel M. Davis. "We appreciate the trust that York and Helen have placed in the Law School in allowing us the privilege of offering these scholarships to deserving law students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to succeed."