The Pre-Law Center draws on several faculty and staff who are trained in law and other academic disciplines. We have many years of experience in advising students who are interested in law-related careers. We are anxious not just to help UT-Arlington students avoid as much fear as possible, but also to strategize about how to make law study pleasant and affordable!

Dr. Oliver Bateman

Dr. Oliver Bateman is the faculty advisor for the UT Arlington Moot Court team. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law (J.D.), the University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D. and M.A.), and the University of North Carolina (B.A.) Dr. Bateman is a member of the Bar of Pennsylvania. His areas of expertise are law and education, comparative law, and legal history. In writing his dissertation, Dr. Bateman researched the landmark case of San Antonio v. Rodriguez (1973) as well as subsequent school finance decisions at the state supreme court level. Dr. Bateman has been an instructor for LSAT review courses, contributes regularly to online and campus print media, and has published in academic journals. He teaches the U.S. legal history survey course, parts 1 and 2, and specialized courses in legal history. He is particularly interested in 20th century United States policy and law.

 

Dr. Brent Boyea

Dr. Brent D. Boyea is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at UT Arlington. He advises many political science majors who are focusing on pre-law. He has an M.A. and Ph.D. from Rice University (2002, 2006) and a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Boyea is a member of the Society for Empirical Legal Studies, as well as several other professional organizations. He has done research and writing recently on judicial campaigns, state supreme courts, and the United States Solicitor General. With Dr. Victoria Farrar-Myers, he co-authored a book chapter on campaign finance for women political candidates. Dr. Boyea offers graduate courses, for example on state court systems, and regularly teaches the undergraduate political science survey course POLS 2312. He often is asked to give public lectures on judicial appointees.

 

Dr. Keith Burgess-Jackson

Dr. Keith Burgess-Jackson is Associate Professor of Philosophy at UT Arlington. He specializes in moral, social, political, and legal philosophy. Dr. Burgess-Jackson holds a BA in political science from the University of Michigan-Flint, an MA in history from Wayne State University, a JD from Wayne State University, an MA in philosophy from the University of Arizona, and a PhD in philosophy from the University of Arizona. Dr. Burgess-Jackson writes on a variety of philosophical, legal, and historical topics. Among the courses he offers that will be of interest to pre-law students are PHIL 2311 (Logic), PHIL 2312 (Ethics), and PHIL 3320 (Philosophy of Law). Dr. Burgess-Jackson has been at UT Arlington since 1989 and has been a pre-law advisor since 1992.

 

Karel Carpenter

Ms. Karel Carpenter received her Bachelor Degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and her Master of Arts Degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at Arlington. She worked for the Public Health Department for the State of Texas under the Department of Homeland Security where she worked as a Bioterrorism Trainer and was a member of the Bioterrorism Response Team. Ms. Carpenter teaches in the Department of Criminology and and Criminal Justice and serves in the capacity of an Undergraduate Academic Advisor and Recruiter, as well as an online instructor. Ms. Carpenter recommends that pre-law students in any discipline consider taking certain Criminal Justice courses: CRCJ 2334 (Introduction to Criminal Justice); CRCJ 4301 (The Judicial System); CRCJ 3337 (Advanced Criminal procedure); and CRCJ (Comparative Criminal Justice).

 

Dr. Elisabeth A. Cawthon

Dr. Elisabeth Cawthon has taught at UT Arlington for 25 years. She received her graduate degrees in legal history from the University of Virginia’s joint law and history Ph.D. program. Her concentration was English constitutional and legal history (Beowulf to Virginia Woolf), with sub-fields in early modern Europe, modern England, and U.S. legal history. Her dissertation was on medico-legal history, and she continues to publish on both medical and legal topics. Her most recent book is Famous Trials in History (2011). Dr. Cawthon helped found the Pre-Law Center. She has been the history department’s undergraduate advisor and an advisor for the university Honors program. Currently she serves as associate chair of the history department. She is proud of the many students that she has watched succeed in law-related workplaces.

 

Myke Holt

Myke Holt is the Director of Development for the College of Liberal Arts. Ms. Holt came to UT Arlington after serving as the Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House in Fort Worth, where she coordinated fundraising and special events. Ms. Holt is a graduate of TCU and a member of Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society. She is a liaison with UT Arlington at law firms in the Metroplex, throughout Texas, and beyond. She has been instrumental in the operation of the UT-Arlington Moot Court team, and she keeps in touch faithfully with UT Arlington Pre-Law alumni.

 

Denise Longgrear

Ms. M. Denise Longgrear joined the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department (CRCJ) in 2010 as an academic advisor. She previously served as an advisor in the Interdisciplinary Studies program at UT Arlington. Before moving her career to higher education, she was a certified public school teacher for thirteen years. Mrs. Longgrear holds a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration. Following her teaching experience, Ms. Longgrear served as an academic advisor and worked with the teacher certification program at Dallas Baptist University. In her position in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, Ms. Longgrear advises undergraduate students, works with faculty, other advisors, and coordinates between departments on campus and with Community Colleges around the Metroplex. She participates in many recruiting activities including Information Forums, Preview Days and Orientations.

 

Rafia Mirza

Rafia Mirza is a reference librarian who is the UTA library contact person for Pre-Law students. Rafia can assist students in searching databases, doing legal research via online resources such as Lexis-Nexis, and even accessing LSAT practice tests through the UTA Library website. Rafia pursued American Studies in graduate school at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, in addition to earning a library science graduate degree from the University of Michigan. She is accessible via socia media as well as through email: rafia@uta.edu.

 

Royce B. West, Jr.

Mr. Royce B. West, Jr. is a visiting assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice (CRCJ) at UT Arlington. Mr. West has five years of teaching experience and has worked in the public and higher education sector for more than ten years. Mr. West completed his Undergraduate studies at Louisiana-based Southern University where he received a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. He went on to Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law where he received a Juris Doctorate in 2008. Mr. West’s legal experience includes sports and entertainment, public law and public finance. Mr. West notes that students may complete a Certificate in Legal Studies through the Department of CRCJ; they are encouraged to select CRCJ electives in consultation with a CRCJ advisor.

 

Dr. Kenneth Williford

Dr. Kenneth Williford earned his Ph.D. and an M.A. in Philosophy from University of Iowa in 2003 and 2000. He is a 1995 graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington. He serves as the Chair of UT Arlington’s Philosophy Department, where he helps to advise students who are pursuing the pre-law track within the philosophy major. Students find that philosophy is an excellent background for law study, because it emphasizes logical thinking as well as intensive reading and clear writing. Dr. Williford offers courses as part of the UTeach program at UT Arlington. He recently has published articles and book chapters, as well as a co-translation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s The Imagination.

 

Dr. Beth S. Wright

Dr. Beth S. Wright is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. She was instrumental in founding the Pre-Law Center, serving as a connection between donors to the university, the academic administration, and UT-Arlington students, staff, and faculty. Dean Wright is a Professor of Art History. Her interdisciplinary research, teaching, and community outreach focus on the connections between history, historiography, literature, and French art in the 18th and 19th centuries. She is a graduate of Brandeis University (B.A.), and the University of California at Berkeley (M.A. and Ph.D.). Dr. Wright envisions the Pre Law Center as serving the needs of students throughout the university, not simply those who are majors in the College of Liberal Arts.