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.
Kennedy Olson Beal | Nacogdoches, Texas
What are your immediate career plans?
I will be clerking in the Eastern District of Louisiana and then moving to Dallas to join Sidley Austin’s Intellectual Property Litigation group!
Please tell us about the organizations and activities you participated in at LSU Law, including any awards or honors you received.
I was the Managing Editor of Volume 82 of the Louisiana Law Review and I had the privilege of managing production alongside our spectacular board of editors. Our board of editors was incredible and we had such a fun year.
Please tell us about any LSU Law faculty, classes, or other experiences that were particularly impactful on your legal education.
Professor Margaret Thomas has been my mentor since 1L year when I began going to her office hours for her civil procedure class. Since then, I have been able to work as her research assistant and civil procedure tutor and to spend three years learning from her. Every class I was able to take with Professor Thomas prepared me to be a better lawyer and made me a better person. Professor Pedro Gerson was my immigration clinic supervisor and guided me through the most impactful experience I had at LSU Law. He taught me how to be endlessly empathetic and how to zealously advocate for those who need it most. Both Professor Thomas and Professor Gerson shaped me into the lawyer I have become, and I am endlessly grateful for the time they spent teaching me and advising me.
What are your fondest memories from your time at LSU Law?
The friends I made at LSU Law will stick with me forever and I’m so lucky to have met them. Law school is one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I could not have done it without them.
What advice would you give to students entering law school who aspire to become an Order of the Coif member when they graduate?
I think the key to success in law school is to prioritize your health and happiness. Stay connected to your friends who are not in law school, as they can anchor you to the real world and remind you of what is truly important. And never sacrifice sleep to study.
