Helping further civil rights and criminal defense.
The George Roland Memorial Scholarship is given to help further the study of civil rights and criminal defense. Presented by the Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association and the Roland Family.
The Legacy of
George Cariker Roland, Jr.
George was born and raised in Dallas, TX, and from an early age knew that he wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer. He graduated from SMU and soon began his practice in Collin County, where he was respected and acknowledged by both colleagues and adversaries as the best criminal defense lawyer around.
George was known for his total commitment to his clients and their cases, having represented over three-thousand individual clients during his twenty-seven years of practice. He was passionate about the law and defending the individual from the powers of the State. George was instrumental in the establishment of the Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association, where he served as the charter president. In addition, George was a long time Fellow and board member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association. Two of George’s children, George Roland III and Sarah Roland, practice criminal defense law in Denton, TX.
Nothing taught me as much about the law and about people as George did one Saturday while getting ready for trial. I stopped in to say hello…and after hearing the horrible facts he had to face in trial the next week and the rather weak defense his client had to offer, it seemed a sure thing slam dunk for the state.” I asked George why he was working so hard on what was obviously a loser case. Simple, Roland said, ‘I’m his lawyer…’
Almost every lawyer walking by had a question for George, and he had an answer - he was the criminal defense guru of the Collin County Courthouse. If he didn’t know what to do, you were asking the wrong question.
He liked writing poems, sending faxes about his kids, Vegas, and every Willie Nelson tune….He was George Roland, Lawyer. And he was more….If he had been an Indian, he would have been the bravest warrior in the tribe. If he had been a woman, he would have been Joan of Arc. If he had been born earlier, he would have sailed the seas as a Viking. If he had been born later, he would have tried to save all of us he could from Armageddon…When he walked into the courtroom, we knew he was there—with purpose, with knowledge, with determination…he offered the finest representation that one charged with a crime could obtain…
Scholarship Requirements
- Currently a Texas law school student (or applicant) with the intent to practice criminal law, civil liberties litigation or public defense
- Complete the application form in its entirety
- Submit at least one letter of recommendation from a law school professor or practicing lawyer with whom you have a significant history
- Submit a position paper to the question provided on the application