Young Alumna of the Year – Elizabeth “BB” Sanford, B.A. ’11, M.Div./J.D. ’17

BB Sanford is guided by a commitment to make the world a better place with her unique and specific skills and experiences. As a partner and owner at the Sanford Firm in Dallas, she does this by protecting the civil rights of individuals and representing workers who are wrongfully terminated.

Sanford is a three-time Baylor grad. After a year off following the completion of a Bachelor of Arts in international studies with a minor in Spanish, she began seminary at the George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

“I remember a year or two into my Truett career, thinking, ‘I love the church. I feel called to the church, but I think I feel called to work more outside of the church.’ And so how do I make the world a better place? How do I bring God’s kingdom here on earth with the skillset that I have?” Sanford said.

The answer was to enroll in Baylor’s Law School. Sanford holds the distinction of being the first person to graduate from Baylor’s joint M.Div./J.D. program.

“I didn’t feel like a trailblazer,” she said. “Those were just two things I really wanted to do, and Baylor had a great avenue for it. Very few schools have a joint degree with an M.Div. and J.D., so it felt like the perfect avenue for me to combine all my skills and all the things that I wanted to accomplish.”

This unique dual degree combination prepared Sanford for ministry outside of the church in some unpredictable ways.

“Some of the best oral advocacy classes I ever had were Truett preaching classes. I think I’m a better trial lawyer because of the preaching classes I had at Truett.”

Sanford remains a part of Baylor and makes visits to Waco to meet with friends and former professors and meets current law students when she is on campus as a guest speaker and mentor. In addition, she participates as a judge in Baylor Law School mock trial competitions. Sanford continues to learn from her former Baylor professors through Baylor Law School’s continuing legal education and litigation mastery opportunities.

Sanford uses her own unique skills as an employee rights trial lawyer.

“I make sure that companies treat everyone equally, that you’re not judged based on a superficial factor, that you’re judged for the quality of the work and the content of your character,” Sanford said of her role. “I do feel really called to my job and I think it’s an important one. This is how I make the world a better place with the skills that I’ve been given.”

After gaining experience in the courtroom as a personal injury lawyer and in commercial law, Sanford joined her dad at Sanford Firm. She has since been recognized by the profession as an outstanding lawyer, including D Magazine’s Best Lawyers Under 40, a Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers and The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40.

“I think being a leader in this community involves courage and bravery. I think it involves integrity,” Sanford said. “I think if you can maintain your integrity and be brave and do good work, that’s what it means to be a leader.”