W&L Law Announces Honors and Awards for Class of 2020
On Friday, May 8, Washington and Lee University School of Law celebrated the Class of 2020 with a virtual Conferral of Degrees ceremony, during which 154 students were awarded their Juris Doctor degrees.
The online event occurred the same day and time as the original date for the School’s Commencement ceremony, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. University officials have announced that the in-person, traditional Commencement exercises for the Class of 2020 will take place on Saturday, April 3, 2021.
The Conferral of Degrees ceremony is available to watch online.
In addition, the School has announced the winners of awards recognizing academic excellence and service to the Law School and University communities. The John W. Davis Prize for Law, given to the graduate with the highest cumulative grade point average, was awarded to Caroline Louise Crosbie of Manassas, Virginia.
Six students graduated summa cum laude, 24 graduated magna cum laude, and 23 graduated cum laude. 15 students were named to Order of the Coif, an honorary scholastic society that encourages excellence in legal education. A list of honors and awards appears below.
The Student Bar Association Teacher of the Year and Staff Member of the Year award were also announced during the virtual ceremony. Dean Brant Hellwig was named Teacher of the Year, and Wendy Rains, student affairs administrative assistant, won the staff award.
Special honors went to the following students:
- Caroline Louise Crosbie won the John W. Davis Prize for Law, given to the student with the highest cumulative grade point average.
- Kasia Jahnae Wiggins won the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Award for effective trial advocacy.
- Matthew R. Dare and Natalia Nacheff Homchick shared in the Roy L. Steinheimer, Jr. Commercial Law Award for excellence in commercial law.
- Roy Alexander Abernathy and Evelyn Aiken Clark shared in the Calhoun Bond University Service Award for significant contributions to the University community.
- William Josef Barton IV and Sarah Nicole Brettin shared in the Frederic L. Kirgis, Jr., International Law Award for excellence in international law.
- Natalia Nacheff Homchick won the National Association of Women Lawyers Award given to an outstanding woman law student.
- Whitney Alanna Davis won the Charles V. Laughlin Award for outstanding contributions to the moot court program.
- Mahalia Shanee Hall and Danielle Justine Scott shared in the Randall P. Bezanson Award for outstanding contributions to diversity in the life of the Law School community.
- Lauren Elizabeth Sayers won the Virginia Bar Family Law Section Award for excellence in the area of family law.
- Christopher Reed Rogan won the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal for excellence in the study of bankruptcy law.
- Andrew Robert Klimek and Muhammad Umar shared in the Barry Sullivan Constitutional Law Award for excellence in constitutional law.
- George Liang and Mary Kate Nicholson shared in the James W. H. Stewart Tax Law Award for excellence in tax law.
- Henry Preston Glasscock and Elizabeth Harrington McLellan shared in the Thomas Carl Damewood Evidence Award for excellence in the area of evidence.
- Junior Joshua Sicelo Ndlovu won the A. H. McLeod-Ross Malone Oral Advocacy Award for distinction in oral advocacy.
- Roy Alexander Abernathy won the Student Bar Association President Award for services as the President of the Student Bar Association.
- Marissa Lizann Baer and Erick Resek shared in the Clinical Legal Education Association Award for excellence in clinical work.
- Kimberly Ann Blasey and Emily Erb Kelley shared in the Criminal Law Award for excellence in the study of criminal law
- Henry Preston Glasscock won the Administrative Law Award for excellence in the study of administrative law.
- Hannah Olivia Cloh and Giancarlos Rodriguez shared in the Business Law Award for excellence in the study of business law.
- Alexandria Rose Taylor won the Washington and Lee School of Law Women’s Law Award.
Summa Cum Laude
- Caroline Louise Crosbie
- Bonnie Susan Gill
- Henry Preston Glasscock
- Ryan Edward Johnson
- Andrew Robert Klimek
- Manning T. Russell Jr.
Magna Cum Laude
- Roy Alexander Abernathy
- Kimberly Ann Blasey
- Shelby Morgan Brooks
- Luke Stephen Charette
- Hannah Olivia Cloh
- Thomas Seldon Peter Geeker
- Isabella H. Gray
- Kyle Brandon Hess
- Natalia Nacheff Homchick
- William Chadwick Howard
- Jessiah Steven Hulle
- Courtney T. Iverson
- Cameron Christopher Johnson
- Emily Erb Kelley
- Melissa Ann Lagoumis
- George Liang
- Carrie Lee Macon
- Elizabeth Harrington McLellan
- Courtney Joy McMullan
- Mary Kate Nicholson
- Lee A. Sands
- Brandon Michael Schneider
- Austin William Scieszinski
- Max Anthony So
Cum Laude
- Leilani Tinashe Bartell
- Brian Jeffrey Becraft
- Sarah Nicole Brettin
- Brock Carlton Bucher
- Grant Hayden Cokeley
- Matthew R. Dare
- Christopher Starr Etheredge
- Loren Maelle Findlay
- Robert Luke Graham
- Emily Kathryn Hoover
- Collier Taylor Kelley
- Maria Nicole Liberopoulos
- Charles Parker McCarty
- Christine Suzanne McLinn
- Lara Michelle McMahon
- Lauren Alexandra Morina
- Kimia Olivia Movahed
- Katherine Virginia Phillips
- Brianna M. Pine
- Meghan Frances Prieto
- Christopher Reed Rogan
- Amanda M. Triplett
- Muhammad Umar
Order of the Coif
- Hannah Olivia Cloh
- Caroline Louise Crosbie
- Bonnie Susan Gill
- Henry Preston Glasscock
- Kyle Brandon Hess
- Natalia Nacheff Homchick
- William Chadwick Howard
- Courtney T. Iverson
- Ryan Edward Johnson
- Andrew Robert Klimek
- Melissa Ann Lagoumis
- Carrie Lee Macon
- Manning T. Russell Jr.
- Lee A. Sands
- Austin William Scieszinski
If you know a W&L student who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.
