Texas A&M Law’s rise turns Fort Worth into unlikely legal education boomtown

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FORT WORTH, Texas — Just outside the cascading pools of the Fort Worth Water Gardens, a different kind of transformation is underway.

Construction crews move between rising buildings. Law students hurry between classes. Texas Business Court judges work inside facilities, literally inside the law school. Across several downtown blocks, Texas A&M University is building what its leaders hope will become one of the nation’s premier hubs for legal education, business innovation, and public service.

The construction and development follow the trajectory of Texas A&M University School of Law itself.

In 2022, the school ranked No. 46 among 192 law schools. Four years later, it sits at No. 22, closing the gap with the University of Texas School of Law, which ranks No. 16, and placing itself ahead of longer-established institutions such as George Washington University, Boston University, Villanova University, and George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

“No law school has risen in the rankings and in the eyes of the profession as far and as fast as Texas A&M has,” said Lawrence Solum, a nationally recognized constitutional law scholar who is leaving the University of Virginia School of Law to join Texas A&M this fall.

The school’s ascent has also attracted the attention of influential figures beyond academia and closer to Washington.

Tax records reviewed by the Washington Examiner show that Leonard Leo, the conservative legal activist who played a major role in helping President Donald Trump select three Supreme Court justices during his first term, donated $5 million to Texas A&M in 2024.

A source familiar with the matter said Leo’s total support is believed to be upwards of $15 million, though the Washington Examiner was only able to confirm the amount reflected in tax filings.

Together, the rankings surge, faculty recruitment, major donations, and a sprawling Fort Worth expansion have helped position Texas A&M as one of the fastest-rising institutions in legal education.

Few people have witnessed the school’s climb more directly than recent graduate Benjamin “Tate” Fehr.

“When I applied to the law school, we were 46 ranked,” said Fehr, a recent graduate who will begin a federal clerkship before joining the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. “Now I’m glad I just graduated from the 22nd ranked law school.”

Fehr, 23, considered several schools before choosing Texas A&M. He said the school’s reputation was growing even then, but what ultimately convinced him was the culture.

Law schools are often known for fierce competition, where students compete against one another on a grading curve and chase a limited number of prestigious opportunities. Fehr said Texas A&M felt different.

“There was definitely that culture of giving back to other students,” he said.

He recalled receiving an unexpected call from a recent Texas A&M Law graduate who alerted him to a federal clerkship opening and helped him through the application process.

“I didn’t really think the federal clerkship route was for me,” Fehr said. “I didn’t think I had the qualifications for it.”

The graduate helped him prepare his application materials, offered advice throughout the process, and connected him with the judge. Fehr eventually secured the position.

That experience, he said, reflected a broader sense among students that they were helping build something bigger than themselves.

“There’s definitely that sense of shared responsibility that each of us students have a part to play in helping the school grow and succeed,” he said.

Much of Texas A&M’s rise has been driven by outcomes.

In 2024, the school recorded the highest July Texas Bar Exam pass rate among Texas law schools for the second consecutive year. Graduates taking the exam for the first time passed at a rate of 97.42%, the highest July pass rate in school history.

More recently, Texas A&M achieved a 100% pass rate among first-time test takers who sat for the February 2026 Texas bar exam.

The emphasis on bar preparation begins early. Fehr recalled taking practice portions of the bar exam during his first semester of law school.

“I remember thinking in my first semester, why are we taking an MPT right now?” he said, referring to the Multistate Performance Test portion of the bar exam. “This isn’t for another three years.”

Only later did he understand the strategy.

“There’s no hiding the ball,” Fehr said. “It’s very much, ‘hey, this is why we’re teaching what we’re teaching. This is going to be very practical.'”

That practical focus has become a defining feature of the school’s approach.

According to Solum, rankings today are increasingly driven by measurable outcomes such as bar passage rates, graduation rates, and employment results rather than purely reputational factors.

“A&M has just invested heavily in recruiting top students and in its educational program,” Solum said. “They have put together a program that has led to really strong outcomes.”

The school’s rapid ascent has helped it attract students and faculty from far beyond Texas. The school is expanding its capacity year over year, and currently remains ultra-competitive. For example, out of 5,240 recent applicants, the school only accepted 634.

Solum, one of the country’s leading scholars of constitutional law and originalism, spent decades building a national reputation at institutions including the University of Illinois and the University of Virginia.

One reason, he said, is the ambition he sees at Texas A&M.

“[It’s] the most dynamic law school in the country right now,” Solum said.

He credited much of that growth to Dean Robert “Bobby” Ahdieh and to the willingness of the university system to invest heavily in the law school.

“It’s not just Bobby, of course,” Solum said. “It’s the university deciding that it wants to invest in the law school, because without that investment, this kind of change is impossible.”

The school plans to continue expanding its faculty over the coming years as it seeks to increase the size of its Juris Doctor program and strengthen its academic profile.

The faculty growth comes as Texas A&M increasingly competes for students who might otherwise consider more established institutions in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic.

Fehr said he has watched classmates arrive from states across the country because they saw a school on the rise.

“I’ve met so many of my classmates that are from New York, from California, from Florida,” he said. “They’ve seen the trajectory, they’ve seen the investments the school is willing to put into its students.”

The law school’s growth is closely tied to a larger vision for downtown Fort Worth.

Following the pandemic, city and business leaders began exploring ways to accelerate economic development in the city center. One proposal involved creating an industry-focused campus capable of attracting research activity, businesses, and talent.

Ahdieh said the law school has tried to align itself with those broader ambitions rather than simply build a bigger campus.

“We’re not an agency of the state of Texas… but we do look at what is important for Texas right now and how we can be part of elevating those priorities.”

Texas A&M already owned several downtown blocks, including the law school site it acquired from Texas Wesleyan University in 2013. The result is a campus expansion that will eventually include five buildings.

The first major component, an eight-story Law and Education Building, is scheduled to open this fall. Additional plans include research and innovation facilities as well as a performance, visualization, and fine arts building.

The broader investment extends beyond Fort Worth. Earlier this year, the Texas A&M University System approved a five-year, $6.8 billion capital plan covering fiscal years 2027 through 2031. The plan includes academic facilities, research projects, infrastructure improvements, student housing, and workforce development initiatives across Texas.

Ahdieh said the law school’s role as a public institution has shaped many of its priorities.

The school has invested heavily in areas such as intellectual property, business law, and health law while also partnering with state leaders on initiatives designed to strengthen Texas’s legal and economic infrastructure.

The specialized court system was created to handle complex business disputes. Texas A&M has become deeply involved in supporting that effort, even hosting business court judges and courtroom facilities connected to the law school.

The arrangement gives students unusual exposure to the legal system while helping Texas pursue its goal of becoming a stronger competitor to Delaware in corporate law.

Texas A&M’s growth has not been limited to future attorneys.

The school has also expanded programs for working professionals through its Master of Legal Studies degree.

Carolyn Hoffmann and her son, Matthew Hoffmann, both completed versions of the program while living in Texas.

For Carolyn Hoffmann, a Texas A&M graduate living in San Antonio, the ability to complete coursework remotely while balancing professional obligations made the program especially appealing.

“It was really in place for working professionals,” she said.

Matthew Hoffmann said the degree can be particularly valuable for professionals working in compliance, law enforcement, business operations, contracts, and regulatory fields, even outside of the state.

“It’s completely remote,” he said, adding that the school prioritizes efficiency and that some students “can get it done in three years.”

The MLS program reflects the school’s broader effort to expand legal education beyond traditional law students while creating additional pathways into careers that intersect with the legal profession.

The cranes towering over downtown Fort Worth represent more than a construction project. For Texas A&M Law, they symbolize an institution that is determined to keep climbing, much in the same way the college has always been driven by uplifting its fellow students and embracing its “Aggie values,” which Ahdieh joked has often caused outsiders to see the school as a bit of a cult of personalities.

A decade ago, few would have predicted that the school would challenge nationally recognized programs, attract prominent scholars from elite institutions, draw support from influential legal figures, and build a major urban campus in one of America’s fastest-growing cities.

“We’re never going to fully be content with second place,” Fehr said during his post-graduate interview with the Washington Examiner. “We have a strong drive toward excellence and our Aggie core values, and not just getting backed up into the Ivy League elitism that can kind of leave a bad taste in your mouth.”