Texas Tech School of Law opens $13.6 million addition

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mark and Becky Lanier Professional Development, the newest addition to the Texas Tech School of Law, took place this morning. Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Texas Supreme Court heard two cases in the new building. The new building adds over 34,000 square feet of space to the law school, including a 150 seat courtroom which is one of the most technologically advanced courtrooms in the nation.

The building was made possible by a $6 million gift from Mark and Becky Lanier which was matched by the state. Mark Lanier is the school’s best known alumnus who gained national acclaim following the nation’s first VIOXX trial. As anyone who knows Mark and Becky Lanier will tell you, their generosity is matched only by their humility and care for those around them.

In a touching opening ceremony, Mark Lanier said “I have offices in New York, Houston, Palo Alto, and Los Angeles, so I meet attorneys everywhere, from the east coast to the west coast, down to the gulf coast. I am proud to say that graduates of the Texas Tech School of Law are as good litigators as any that graduate from the most prestigious schools in our nation. I often tell people, ‘I am not making Texas Tech a great school; Texas Tech is already a great school, I am just helping get the word out.’”