2015 Fellowships Awarded
Organizing more than 50 events annually, and providing professional and law-related education to more than 4,000 public officials and employees, the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center (TMCEC) is one of the largest publically funded judicial branch education organizations in the United States.
Texas Municipal Courts Fellowships are awarded by TMCEC in legislative years to law students and recent law school graduates who demonstrate academic and extracurricular excellence, a commitment to public service, and an interest in learning about the Texas judicial system, criminal law, and the role of local trial courts of limited jurisdiction.
Under the supervision of the TMCEC General Counsel and Director of Education, Fellows conduct legal research, interpret recent legislation, and draft summaries of new procedural and substantive laws of interest to municipal judges, court personnel, city attorneys, and peace officers. In addition to being awarded a stipend, recipients are encouraged to explore new and challenging legal issues stemming from recent legislation and to make contributions to TMCEC’s journal and other publications.
TMCEC is happy to announce that Benjamin Gibbs and Breann Hunter have been selected as Texas Municipal Courts Fellows.
Mr. Gibbs is a second-year Juris Doctor candidate at Baylor University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, he served as a deputy clerk and juvenile case manager at the City of Huntsville Municipal Court. He previously served as a juvenile case manager at the City of Austin Municipal Court. During that time, he was also the teen court coordinator for the City of Austin. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting Mass Communications from Texas State University.
Ms. Hunter is a second-year Juris Doctor candidate at Texas Tech University School of Law, with an interest in transactional and corporate law. She moved from the Pittsburgh area to Round Rock in 2010. She graduated from St. Edward’s University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing and Rhetoric, and a Pre-Law minor. She previously served as a risk management intern with Capital Metropolitan Transportation.
TMCEC was founded in 1984 by the Texas Municipal Courts Association. TMCEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation primarily funded by a grant administered by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals from public funds appropriated by the Legislature to the Judicial and Court Personnel Training Fund. Serving more than 36 percent of the Texas judicial system, TMCEC provides: (1) judicial education, technical assistance, and the necessary resource material to assist municipal judges, court support personnel (i.e., court clerks, court administrators, bailiffs, city marshals, juvenile case managers, interpreters), and city attorneys in obtaining and maintaining professional competence in the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice; and (2) information to the public about the Texas judicial system and laws relating to public safety and quality of life in Texas communities.