Twenty graduates in the LSU Law Class of 2022 have been selected for induction into The Order of the Coif, the highest honor a law student can receive.
Membership into the honorary law fraternity is strictly limited to the top 10% of each graduating class of law students. Of the more than 200 American Bar Association accredited law schools in the country, LSU Law is one of just 86 with a chapter in The Order of the Coif.
“We are extremely proud of each and every one of the 200 graduates in the LSU Law Class of 2022 because all of them worked incredibly hard and made great sacrifices to earn a law degree, which is the most difficult postgraduate degree that one can attain,” said LSU Law Interim Dean Lee Ann Wheelis Lockridge. “Our graduates who have earned membership into The Order of the Coif in addition to their law degrees are most deserving of special recognition. This high honor reflects their unparalleled commitment to academic excellence, and we take immense pride in honoring their great achievement.”
The LSU Law chapter of The Order of the Coif was established in 1942, with a purpose of stimulating scholarly work of the highest order and fostering a high standard of professional conduct. Outside of ordinary membership for law school graduates, honorary membership into The Order of the Coif may be granted in special cases to lawyers, judges, and teachers who have attained high distinction for their scholarly or professional accomplishments.
Bradley G. Oster | Memphis, Tennessee
What are your immediate career plans?
After taking the bar exam, I will begin my career at the Houston office of Vinson & Elkins.
What are your long-term career aspirations?
My long-term career aspirations are still to be determined. However, I hope to continue my career working on energy or environmental matters.
Please tell us about the organizations and activities you participated in at LSU Law, including any awards or honors you received.
I was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and a participant in the Tullis Moot Court and Jaffe National Transactional Law competitions.
Please tell us about any LSU Law faculty, classes, or other experiences that were particularly impactful on your legal education.
Professor Lockridge’s Contracts course played a foundational role in the interests I chose to pursue throughout law school. Contracts was my least favorite class until about the last month of the semester; that’s when the material finally clicked and made sense to me (she warned us that that would be the case). Once I finally understood the material, it quickly became my favorite class. This inspired me to take a deeper dive into contracts, such as taking an M&A course and simulation workshop and participating in LSU’s external M&A team. This, in turn, led me to begin my career doing transactional work.
What are your fondest memories from your time at LSU Law?
My fondest memories of LSU Law revolve around the everyday interactions with staff, faculty, and my classmates. LSU Law has done many things for me, but the people have always been the most special part.
What advice would you give to students entering law school who aspire to become an Order of the Coif member when they graduate?
To any student wanting to do well in law school, I’d suggest doing and submitting practice problems. Practice problems will help you to learn and apply the law to a variety of fact patterns, and they will likely humble your perceived understanding of the law before it’s too late to adjust. Additionally, practice problems help you to learn your audience. I can assure you, there’s a certain way your professor (or boss or judge) wants an answer written, and submitting practice problems will help you to learn this.
