Emeritus Professor of Law Robert G. Lawson. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo. LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 17, 2020) University of Kentucky Libraries has awarded the 2020 UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement to Emeritus Professor of Law Robert G. Lawson, a nationally recognized scholar on criminal law and the individual responsible for drafting the state’s laws on crime and punishment. Created in 1990 and considered one of UK s most prestigious awards, the medallion honors a Kentucky resident whose accomplishments represent the pinnacle of education and creative thought in the fields of science, literature, art and philanthropy. Medallion recipients are determined by the UK Libraries National Advisory Board after receiving nominations from the public. Past recipients include John Anthony, Wendell Berry, James Still, Bobbie Ann Mason, Thomas D. Clark, Dr. Laman A. Gray Jr., Guy Davenport, George C. Herring, Adalin Wichman, John Egerton, Karl Raitz, George Wright, James C. Klotter, Dr. F. Douglas Scutchfield, Everett McCorvey and Robert K. Wallace.