Trustee Tom Leatherbury Named SMU Clinic Director

Vinson & Elkins appellate partner Thomas Leatherbury has been named director of the new First Amendment Clinic at SMU Dedman School of Law.

Focused on First Amendment issues including free speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly and petition, the clinic is funded by a grant from the Stanton Foundation, created by Dr. Frank Stanton, long-time former president of CBS from 1946 to 1971.

“This clinic will make its mark across the state and the nation, using best practices of clinical legal education to strengthen First Amendment values and to improve access to justice,” Leatherbury said. Leatherbury also serves as Adjunct Clinical Professor of Law at SMU.

Leatherbury has served on the NALP Foundation Board of Trustees since 2007, including a term as Chair from 2016-18