Robert Lawson

Emeritus 2015

Robert G. Lawson, Professor of Law, has a B.S. Degree from Berea College and a J.D. Degree from the University of Kentucky. He has been a faculty member of the College of Law since 1966, with two periods of service as Dean: 1971-73 and 1982-88. He received the University of Kentucky Great Teacher Award in 1971 and again in 2001 in addition, he received in 2001 the Outstanding Professor Award that is granted each year to one professor from the state’s several public universities by the Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education. On March 11, 2015, the Kentucky Senate honored Professor Lawson with a resolution in recognition of his retirement from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Professor Lawson has been extensively involved in law reform efforts in Kentucky, acting as principal drafter of both the Kentucky Penal Code and the Kentucky Rules of Evidence. Recently, he has focused on problems in the state’s prisons and jails. For his work in this area, he has received a Special Recognition Award from the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, and The Judge Charles Mengle Allen Advocate for Fair Criminal Justice Award from the Prodigal Ministries, a prisoner advocacy organization.

Prof. Lawson is the author of a number of articles and books, including Handbook on Kentucky Evidence Law (4th ed. 2003) and Beverly Hills—The Anatomy of a Nightclub Fire (1984).   

View Professor Lawson's UKnowledge Selected Works: http://works.bepress.com/robert_lawson/