University of Tennessee Winston College of Law

Today, on Juneteenth, we honor those who fought tirelessly to end slavery and renew our commitment to ensuring freedom and equality for all.

The ceremony may be behind us, but the work ahead matters. Congratulations to our recent Winston College of Law graduates! 🎉 May you lead with integrity, serve your communities, and carry Winston Law with you into the next adventure.

During Pride Month, we celebrate the ideals of love, equality, and justice, and emphasize our enduring resolve to make these ideals a reality for all people.

Winston Law celebrated its first-generation graduates this spring with an inaugural Cording Ceremony, honoring members of the Class of 2026 as they received their first-generation graduation cords and certificates.

The event brought together students, families, faculty, staff, mentors, and supporters to recognize the courage, determination, and accomplishments of Winston Law’s first-generation graduates. Congratulations, 2026 first-gen graduates! Read more: tiny.utk.edu/HcTq5

Rural communities across Tennessee face a growing access-to-justice crisis. The 2026 Orr Symposium, sponsored by the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, the Winston Law Legal Clinic, and the Tennessee Law Review, brought scholars and the Tennessee legal community to Winston Law to examine rural legal deserts and explore practical reforms for expanding access to legal services.

Read more: tiny.utk.edu/lwGRo

Winston Law is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of Frank Winston Public Interest and Business Law Fellows. Made possible through a transformational gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, this signature fellowship program provides exceptional future leaders in the public interest and business law fields with extensive financial support, academic and professional development opportunities, and career mentorship and guidance. Congratulations to these remarkable students as they begin this exciting new chapter at Winston Law. Read more: tiny.utk.edu/txGSK

Join us in congratulating Patrick Ragozzine, rising 3L at Winston Law, on winning first-place at the 2026 Boyd Venture Challenge! Read about the competition: tiny.utk.edu/dBQa8

Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Boyd Venture Challenge! 🎉

This year’s competition brought together student entrepreneurs from across the UT System to pitch innovative business ideas for a share of the expanded $50,000 prize pool.

🏆 First place was awarded to Arbor AI, an AI-powered legal technology platform.

A huge congratulations to all of the student founders who participated and shared their ideas on stage. 👏

Read more about the competition and winning ventures: https://haslam.utk.edu/news/ai-law-tool-wins-ut-boyd-venture-challenge-as-competition-expands-systemwide-with-50000-prize-pool/

Please join us in congratulating George T. “Buck” Lewis (’80) on being selected for the 2026 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. The award will be presented at the Tennessee Bar Association Annual Convention in Knoxville on June 12.

Across a nearly 45-year legal career and through his continued service to legal education as the Larry Wilks Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Winston College of Law and co-founder of the Reeves Institute for Professional Leadership, Lewis has demonstrated outstanding service to the profession, the legal system, and the community. His impact includes longtime leadership in access to justice efforts, including helping launch Tennessee Free Legal Answers (and expanding the model nationally through ABA Free Legal Answers) and founding support for the Justice Frank F. Drowota Trust, which provides supplemental funding to legal services organizations serving low-income Tennesseans. Read more: tiny.utk.edu/yzok9

The class of 2026 is ready to light the way as lawyer leaders, profoundly committed to serving the public good. Meet a few of this year’s Winston Law graduates as they reflect on the people, experiences, and opportunities that shaped their time on Rocky Top. Congratulations, class of 2026! tiny.utk.edu/hGUA3

University of Tennessee, Knoxville