TEXAS SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Hortense Sparks Ward’s Spirit Shines on Through theUniversity of Texas Center for Women in LawBy Linda Bray ChanowTHE CENTER FOR WOMEN IN LAW at the University of Texas School of Law is thepremier legal education institution dedicated to the success of women in law from first-yearlaw students to the most accomplished attorneys. CWIL was founded by women who wantedto make a meaningful difference in the lives of the women lawyers who followed them—bothby providing tools to navigate individual careers and by achieving permanent and significantchange in the profession itself. Initially the idea of seven women, CWIL now has fifty FoundingMembers and a growing Circle of Leaders. 1Center for Women in Law Founders and Leaders with keynote speaker Cokie Robertsat the 2015 Women’s Power Summit on Law and Leadership.The Hortense Ward Courageous Leader Award honors an outstanding lawyer.Chief Justice Hortense Sparks Ward is a Founder in memoriam of the Center for Women in Law, whereshe continues to serve as a beacon for the advancement of women in law. In 2014, CWIL presented its firstHortense Ward Courageous Leader Award. The award recognizes, on a biennial basis, one outstanding womanlawyer who exemplifies Hortense’s tenacity, courage, and commitment in her efforts to advance women in thelegal profession. CWIL honored the first recipient, Mary Cranston, at its Fifth Anniversary and Award Luncheonon April 11, 2014, where Arianna Huffington gave the keynote address.1See “Founding Members,” University of Texas Center for Women for Women in Law, http://www.utexas.edu/law/centers/cwil/founders/97