SMU Law Student Awarded Donald C. McCleary Gardere Leadership Scholarship
Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP presented the 2016 Donald C. McCleary Gardere Leadership Scholarship to law student Brett Moore at the Dallas Bar Foundation Fellows Luncheon on March 30. Moore is a second-year law student at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
“Mr. Moore exemplifies the qualities we look for in a scholarship recipient,” says Gardere Chair Holland N. O’Neil. “His drive and initiative embody the spirit of Don McCleary, and it is an honor to present him with the 2016 Donald C. McCleary Gardere Leadership Scholarship.”
Moore, who has consistently been named to the dean’s list, is heavily involved in law school organizations and activities at SMU. He is one of 15 law students elected to Barristers, an exclusive service organization that selects members based on scholarship, leadership, service and character. He serves as the public event co-director for the Board of Advocates and competes on the group’s Negotiations Team. He also is a member of the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honors Fraternity.
Moore also was the recipient of the Carl W. Summers Jr. Endowed Scholarship, and he is heavily involved in community service projects, including the preparation of an apartment for an underprivileged family as part of the InterFaith Housing Coalition.
Moore graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. While at Vanderbilt, he ranked as the best debater on the school’s Moot Court Team and served as co-president of the Vanderbilt Habitat for Humanity.
The Donald C. McCleary Gardere Leadership Scholarship is awarded annually to a second-year SMU law student in memory of former Gardere Managing Partner Don McCleary. Recipients are evaluated and chosen based on excellence in academics, leadership, character and involvement in both law school and the community, core values embraced by McCleary.
McCleary served as Gardere’s managing partner from 1991 through 1995, before he passed away in 1996. His vision for Gardere included participation in local, state and national public affairs, humanitarian activities and pro bono work. He established many of the community outreach programs that have become the hallmark of the firm, including the Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, which this year celebrated its 24th anniversary in Dallas and its 20th anniversary in Houston.
