The award originally was named the Chair’s Award. It was renamed the Barbara Culver Clack Award in honor of a judge who was a member of the State Bar of Texas at a time when the wives of male attorneys often outnumbered female attorneys at annual bar meetings. Justice Clack petitioned the State Bar of Texas for some kind of distinction so that women members of the bar could identify each other for support and gain recognition from their peers as participants in an increasingly diverse legal community. Shortly thereafter, in 1980, the Women and the Law Section was formed, with Justice Clack as its first chair.
This award was established in 2013 to honor a section member who substantially supports the chair in accomplishing section objectives.