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.
Camille Arceneaux Wharton | Lafayette, Louisiana
What are your immediate career plans?
I am going work at Jones Walker’s Baton Rouge office in their litigation division.
What are your long-term career aspirations?
I want to continue to learn and enhance my legal skills in order to serve my clients and the community in the best possible way.
Please tell us about the organizations and activities you participated in at LSU Law, including any awards or honors you received.
During my 2L and 3L year, I was a Junior Associate and Senior Associate on Louisiana Law Review. I also received the following awards, honors, and scholarships:
- CALI Awards: U.S. Foreign Affairs (Spring 2021), Legal Professions (Fall 2020)
- Paul M. Hebert Scholar Award: Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021
- Dean’s Scholar: Spring 2022
- John P. Laborde Scholarship Recipient 2019-2020
- Sidney M. & Carol Anne Blitzer Scholarship Recipient 2021-2022
- Aubrey Bacon Memorial Scholarship Recipient 2021-2022
Please tell us about any LSU Law faculty, classes, or other experiences that were particularly impactful on your legal education.
I really enjoyed my Constitutional Law classes because of the deep level of thinking that was required in studying the way the law has been interpreted throughout history to get to where we are now. In addition, I really loved participating in the law center’s Trial Advocacy Program because of the way it challenged students to put together a case in a few short days, and the vast amount of oral advocacy skills that we were required to learn quickly in order to succeed in the program.
What are your fondest memories from your time at LSU Law?
The camaraderie that came with being a 1L and being placed into different sections. Taking each class with the same group of people really helped everyone bond, and that closeness we gained in that first year helped carry us throughout our time at the Law Center.
What advice would you give to students entering law school who aspire to become an Order of the Coif member when they graduate?
Set that goal from day one, attend all of your classes, do the assigned readings, and work old questions and practice exams that the professors provide to you; I always found this the most helpful in learning the material and preparing for exams.
