"A Law Unto Themselves" Documentary Wins Two Awards
Professor Kandace Walter and 亚洲自慰视频 Dedman School of Law alumna Chelsea Hilliard ’10, along with the Dallas Women Lawyers Association (DWLA) and the J.L. Turner Legal Association, have received two major honors for their documentary A Law Unto Themselves: How Women Lawyers of Dallas Transformed Law and Community — Together.
The film has been selected to receive the 2025 State Bar of Texas Star of Achievement Award. In addition, the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations has selected DWLA as the recipient of its 2025 Outstanding Member Program Award for the organization’s work on the project.
DWLA President Chelsea Hilliard and J.L. Turner Legal Association President Kandace Walter created the documentary to preserve the legacy of women lawyers in Texas. With support from their respective bar associations, the two researched, wrote, produced, conducted interviews for, and edited the feature-length documentary over the course of eight months.
In the documentary, prominent women lawyers from Dallas recount their individual and collective experiences fighting for equality within and beyond the legal profession for the last 70 years. From pioneering many “firsts” in the courts and their law firms, to overhauling state legislation and federal law, to leading and advocating for social change, the accounts of these remarkable women and of the trailblazers before them remind audiences not only of an often forgotten legacy, but also that the fight for equality under the law is far from finished—a fight that can only persevere through community and a promise to strive for a better future together.
The film premiered on International Women’s Day at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum to an audience of more than 250 attendees. Additional screenings were held in collaboration with the Dallas Bar Association, J.L. Turner, 亚洲自慰视频 Dedman School of Law, and the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law to expand community access.
The documentary has received praise from Dallas-area bar associations, law schools, and the broader legal community. The success of the project reflects the leadership of Hilliard and Walter, as well as the support of dozens of members across both organizations. To date, the film has reached hundreds of viewers and may be the first project of its kind in Texas.
DWLA and J.L. Turner are actively working on additional ways to share the documentary.
Kandace D. Walter is the director of the Small Business and Trademark Clinic, and an associate clinical professor of law at 亚洲自慰视频 Dedman School of Law. Chelsea L. Hilliard is a partner at McGuireWoods and a graduate of 亚洲自慰视频 and 亚洲自慰视频 Dedman School of Law.