South Texas Alumnae and New JAG Officers Administered Oaths by Former Law Professor

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Jo-Carolyn Goode | 12/22/2015, 6:39 p.m.

HOUSTON (Dec. 22, 2015) – Two female graduates of South Texas College of Law/Houston recently took professional oaths – administered by their law professor Geoffrey S. Corn, a former U.S. Army JAG officer who retired in 2004 as a lieutenant colonel – that marked important entry points into their respective legal careers.

Stacy Saxon, who was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps in June of this year, was sworn into the State Bar of Texas by Corn, upon her request. Barkley Bryant took that same oath, and also asked Corn to administer the military oath to her to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic… and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office,” she entered, thereby commissioning her as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army.South Texas College of Law/Houston alumna Stacy Saxon – the first student in the Law School’s 92-year history to earn acceptance to the JAG Corps programs of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force – will continue her Navy JAG training in Rhode Island next month.

South Texas President and Dean Donald J. Guter – former judge advocate general of the U.S. Navy and a retired rear admiral – attended the graduates’ swearing-in ceremonies and lauded the new officers’ commitment to service, integrity, and helping others.

Saxon and Bryant – May 2015 graduates of the Law School – credit both Guter and Corn as instrumental mentors during law school, as well as throughout their journeys to apply for the highly competitive military JAG Corps.

“Professor Corn played a large role in my desire to become a U.S. Navy judge advocate,” said Saxon. “He told us that everything we did as students directly impacted our ability to advocate for future clients. I work to keep that mindset as I complete my military training. Giving 100 percent now will enable me to be the best advocate I can be for sailors and Marines down the road.”

Saxon is the first student in the history of the 92-year-old Law School to earn acceptance to the JAG Corps programs of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force – an exceptional achievement, as only approximately 7 percent of all applicants are selected to become JAG officers.

She graduated from the Navy’s Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in October, and will enter JAG training at the Naval Justice School in January on the same base. Following this 10-week training, she will be certified to practice law as a judge advocate in the Navy and will be stationed in San Diego for two years.

In January, Bryant will attend the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course, beginning with the six-week Basic Officer Leadership Course, at the U.S. Army Maneuver Center at Fort Benning, Georgia. She will complete the second 10-week phase of her JAG education at The Judge Advocate Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia (where another of her former law school professors, Matthew Festa, also teaches as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve). Bryant then will embark on her legal military career while stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas, home of the storied “Big Red One” 1st Infantry Division.

“To have a career based on the selfless service of others is more fulfilling than I could have imagined when I first began law school,” said Bryant. “Professor Corn encouraged me to apply for the Army JAG Corps, an idea that had been formulating in my mind for some time. I now know it was what I was meant to do. Today, nothing excites me more than using my legal skills to help people in the numerous ways members of the U.S. Army JAG Corps do every day.”Barkley Bryant (left) stands with South Texas College of Law/Houston Professor Geoffrey S. Corn at the Law School’s May 2015 graduation ceremony. Corn, a former U.S. Army JAG officer who retired in 2004 as a lieutenant colonel, recently swore Bryant into the State Bar of Texas and administered the oath of office to her to enter the U.S. Army JAG Corps as an officer.

Both graduates describe the opportunity to serve in the JAG Corps as “a dream come true.”

“Barkley and Stacy epitomize the intelligence and tenacity characteristic of a judge advocate,” said Corn, whose 22-year military career included serving as the U.S. Army’s senior law of war expert advisor and tactical intelligence officer for a parachute infantry unit in Panama. “They bring honor and pride to South Texas College of Law/Houston, their families, and their country. It was my great privilege to administer oaths to these outstanding alumnae and future legal and military leaders.”

About South Texas College of Law:

South Texas College of Law operates under the mission to provide a diverse body of students with the opportunity to obtain an exceptional legal education, preparing graduates to serve their community and the profession with distinction. The law school was founded in 1923 and is Houston’s oldest law school. After 92 years, South Texas remains the only law school in Downtown Houston, and boasts one of the most diverse and driven student bodies among the nation’s law schools.

The School’s long-standing commitment to excellence and affordability has earned the honor of being named one of the nation’s Best Value Private Law Schools by National Jurist magazine. National Jurist also ranks the school among the Top 28 Best Law Schools for Diversity and one of the Best Law Schools for Bar Exam Preparation. In the 2015-2016 academic year, South Texas enrolled more than 1,000 students, with more than one-third minority students. Graduates hold high bar-passage rates and employment rates. Throughout Texas and beyond, the School’s 14,000+ alumni hold leadership positions in the judiciary, small business, industry, and all areas of practice.