Born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, Baylor Wortham is a graduate of Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School. He continued his education at Baylor University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in information technology. After graduation, he attended Baylor Law School where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree in General Civil Litigation. While in law school, Baylor was a member of the Baylor Law Review, where he served as Senior Technology Editor.
Beginning a Legal Career
Afterward, Baylor returned to Beaumont where he started his law career in April 2006 as an Assistant District Attorney with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. Over the course of his tenure with the DA’s office, Baylor served as the chief prosecutor for Judge John Paul Davis in County Court at Law #3 as well as Judge Lupe Flores in County Court at Law #2. In 2009, Baylor was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas where he was tasked with combating violent crime in Port Arthur, Texas. In 2011, Baylor successfully prosecuted several ranking members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas prison gang for their involvement in a 2009 shooting of a Nederland man. In December 2012, Baylor was elevated to the position of Assistant United States Attorney, where he prosecuted organized crime and complex drug trafficking cases involving the Mexican Drug Cartels. In 2015, Baylor assisted in the prosecution and conviction of Juan Francisco Saenz-Tamez, the former head of the Mexican Gulf Cartel.
Service to the Texas State Bar
Over the course of his legal career, Baylor has been extremely active in his service to the State Bar. Baylor has continuously served on board of directors for the Texas Young Lawyer’s association since 2010 and also the Jefferson County Young Lawyer’s Association since 2008. While on the TYLA board, Baylor co-chaired the TYLA project “Slavery out of the Shadows: A Spotlight on Human Trafficking” and is currently co-chairing the 2015 TYLA project “And Justice for All – Preventing Wrongful Convictions Through Education.” Baylor has also authored over half a dozen bar publications, including, “Criminal Law 101: An Overview of the Federal Criminal Process,” “Answering the Call: Responding to a Texas Criminal Subpoena,” “Employer’s Guide to Hiring an Employee with a Record,” “Hiring a Non-Citizen Household Staff,” “Understanding Employment Contracts in Texas,” and co-authored “Breathe Free – A Guide to Immigration.” In June 2015, he received the President’s Award of Merit from the Texas Young Lawyer’s Association. Currently, Baylor serves as the District 25 Representative to the American Bar Association Young Lawyer’s Division, as the ABA YLD lesion to the Texas Young Lawyer’s Association, and is the Vice President of the Jefferson County Young Lawyer’s Association.
Family
Baylor is the son of former United States Attorney, former Judge, and current Jefferson County District Attorney, Bob Wortham. Baylor has been married to his wife Lindsay Salter Wortham for over 10 years, and they have two children, Baylor II and Elizabeth.
