South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL or South Texas) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

law school in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Founded in 1923, it is accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

. South Texas College of Law Houston is the oldest law school in the city of Houston. In 1923, the YMCA made the decision to establish a law school with a focus on offering night classes for working professionals. In 1998, the College was admitted as a member school into the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) by a unanimous vote of the AALS House of Representatives; the AALS is considered the learned society for legal education. The College also joined with four other independent law schools – California Western School of Law, New England School of Law,

Stetson University College of Law Stetson University College of Law (Stetson Law), founded in 1900 and part of Stetson University, is Florida's first law school. Originally located near the university's main campus in DeLand, Florida, the law school moved in 1954 to Gulfport, Fl ...

, and William Mitchell College of Law – to create a unique academic partnership, the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education. The consortium represents a cooperative effort designed to enhance and strengthen the educational mission of each school separately and all of them collectively, providing expanded opportunities for educational programs on a national and international basis.

Rankings

'' U.S. News & World Report'''s ''Rankings of Best Law Schools'' ranked South Texas College of Law's Part-time program as 49th in the country (tied with the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

) for 2023. The school overall ranked 147-192.

Programs

South Texas College of Law Houston was named the #1 law school of the decade in

moot court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

competitions, holding the most national championships of any

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

or private law school in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, by PreLaw Magazine.

Trial advocacy program

The South Texas College of Law trial advocacy program consistently ranks in the top 10 of the nation. South Texas College of Law Houston's moot court program was ranked 1st in the nation according to data compiled by the University of Houston Law Center’s Blakely Advocacy Institute in 2018 and has consistently ranked in the top 4 ever since. The trial advocacy program at South Texas College of Law Houston was ranked 3rd in the country (tied with

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

and American University) for 2023 by ''U.S. News & World Report''. The South Texas College of Law Houston Alternate Dispute Resolution Program (ADR), where students compete in competitive mediations, negotiations, and as mediators, is also highly ranked. In 2020, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the South Texas College of Law Houston's dispute resolution program 31st in the nation. Additionally, PreLaw Magazine named South Texas College of Law Houston as "Top Law School for ADR". South Texas College of Law Houston has won 133 national championships in advocacy.

Bar passage and employment

Of the South Texas College of Law Houston graduates who took the Texas bar exam for the first time in July 2021, 71.6% passed, vs the overall passage rate of 82.2% for all other law schools of the State of Texas. According to South Texas College of Law Houston's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 66% of the class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.

Academics

South Texas College of Law Houston is also part of a consortium of four independent ABA- and

AALS The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) n ...

-accredited American law schools—

California Western School of Law California Western School of Law is a private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from th ...

New England School of Law New England Law , Boston (formerly New England School of Law) is a private law school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded as Portia School of Law in 1908 and is located in downtown Boston near the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Fina ...

, and

William Mitchell College of Law William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...

. The Consortium for Innovative Legal Education, combines resources designed to enhance and strengthen the educational mission of each school separately and all of them collectively. This partnership provides access to educational programs on a national and international basis. Students at South Texas can study abroad in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. In 2017, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg taught a course for South Texas College of Law Houston in Malta. In previous years, Justice Antonin G. Scalia and Chief Justice John Roberts both taught in international study abroad programs.

Publications

South Texas College of Law Houston publishes several student-edited journals of legal scholarship, including ''Corporate Counsel Review'', ''Currents: Journal of International Economic Law'', ''South Texas Law Review, Texas Journal of Business Law,'' and ''Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy'' * South Texas Law Review is a student-edited quarterly

legal journal A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also pro ...

published at the South Texas College of Law Houston. It was established in 1954. The review publishes scholarly works as well as comments and case notes. ''South Texas Law Review'' has published articles written by five Justices from the Supreme Court of the United States:

Arthur Goldberg Arthur Joseph Goldberg (August 8, 1908January 19, 1990) was an American statesman and jurist who served as the 9th U.S. Secretary of Labor, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the 6th United States Ambassador to ...

, William J. Brennan, Jr.,

William Rehnquist William Hubbs Rehnquist ( ; October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney and jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years, first as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986 and then as the 16th chief justice from ...

, John Paul Stevens, and

Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 1 ...

. ''South Texas Law Review'' has published over 40 symposium issues on a wide range of topics. Since 1994, the review and the law school have hosted an annual

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

symposium during the fall semester. The symposia include a conference where scholars present papers on the year's topic. The papers are published by the review in a subsequent volume. * ''Currents'' () is the official journal of international economic law at South Texas College of Law Houston. Debuting in the winter of 1991 and featuring an article by Senator Lloyd Bentsen, ''Currents'' is published twice annually by the law student members and editors, who receive academic credit for writing projects and staff participation. ''Currents'' focuses on international trade law in its broadest sense, addressing the legal effects and structure of international trade agreements as well as the legal aspects of international business transactions, including the sale of goods and services, licensing, investment, and dispute resolutions. Individual past editions have focused on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) marketplace, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, maritime law,

emerging markets An emerging market (or an emerging country or an emerging economy) is a market that has some characteristics of a developed market, but does not fully meet its standards. This includes markets that may become developed markets in the future or wer ...

and international finance, and oil and gas transactions in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

Costs

Total cost of tuition is $35,550 for 2020, for both in-state and out-of-state students. South Texas College of Law continues to be the 6th least expensive law school in Texas out of a total of 10. The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at South Texas for the 2017–2018 academic year was $56,000.

Community resources

South Texas sponsors the "Direct Representation Clinics", which provide legal representation to low-income residents of

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, ...

, in the areas of family law, probate, estate planning, and guardianship cases. South Texas is also the first Texas law school to provide $400 each month toward student-loan indebtedness for its alumni working for nonprofit legal-aid organizations that provide services to the poor.

Attempt to merge with Texas A&M University

In 1998, South Texas College of Law Houston (at that time, called South Texas College of Law) tried to merge with

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

under a private/public partnership. Under the proposal, the law school would have remained a private school, but would have been branded as the Texas A&M Law Center and would have awarded law degrees under the A&M seal. The deal went sour after a lengthy legal fight with the

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is an agency of the U.S. state of Texas's government that oversees all public post-secondary education in the state. It is headquartered at 1801 North Congress Avenue in Austin. THECB det ...

, the governing body of the state's public institutions. The courts ruled that the schools had failed to obtain the board's approval before entering into the agreement. The University of Houston and other institutions voiced concern about the partnership. In 2013, Texas A&M University entered into a similar arrangement with the Texas Wesleyan School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas, thereby creating the Texas A&M University School of Law.

Litigation over name change

Until mid-2016, the law school was called "South Texas College of Law". On June 22, 2016, the day on which South Texas College of Law announced a name change to "Houston College of Law", the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

(which has its College of Law within the

University of Houston Law Center The University of Houston Law Center is the law school of the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 colleges of the University of Houston, a state university. It is accredited by the American Bar A ...

) announced that the University was "concerned about the significant confusion this creates in the marketplace and will take any and all appropriate legal actions to protect the interests of our institution, our brand, and our standing in the communities we serve." The University of Houston System filed a lawsuit on June 27, 2016, in the

United States District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district co ...

in Houston. On October 14, 2016, the U.S. District Court issued a preliminary injunction requiring that South Texas College of law stop using the name "Houston College of Law," pending further developments in the case. On November 7, 2016, the dean of the law school announced that the name would be changed to "South Texas College of Law Houston".

Notable alumni

* Chris Bell, former Congressman * Briscoe Cain, member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

* Robert R. Casey, former Congressman *

John Culberson John Abney Culberson (born August 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019. A Republican, he served in in large portions of western Houston and surrounding Har ...

, former Congressman * John P. Devine,

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court of ...

Justice *

Joseph Gutheinz Joseph Richard Gutheinz (born August 13, 1955) is an American attorney, college instructor, commissioner, writer, and former Army intelligence officer, Army aviator, and Federal law enforcement officer. He is known as the founder of the "Moon Ro ...

, attorney who has investigated stolen and missing moon rocks * Eva Guzman, Texas Supreme Court Justice *

Brad Hart Bradley G. Hart is an American attorney and politician who served as the mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa from 2018 to 2022. As the role of mayor is a part-time position, Hart continued to work as a business lawyer at Bradley & Riley during his term. ...

, mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa *

Charles Holcomb Charles Ruford Holcomb (born 1933) is a retired Texas judge who served on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals from 2001 to 2010. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. He attended Lee College in Baytown and Lamar University in Beaumont, T ...

, judge of the

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in Texas. The Court, which is based in the Supreme Court Building in Downtown Austin, is composed of a Presiding Judge and eight judges. Article V of ...

, 2001 to 2010 *

Paul John Hilbert Paul John Hilbert (March 24, 1949 – October 29, 2001) was an American politician who served in the Texas House of Representatives for District 150 from 1983 until his death in 2001. Born in St. Louis, he graduated from Xavier University and So ...

, member of the Texas House of Representatives * Joan Huffman, member of the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per con ...

; former state district court judge * Patrica R. "Pat" Lykos, former Harris County District Attorney * David M. Medina, former Texas Supreme Court Justice *

Sam Nuchia Sam Nuchia is a professor at the University of Houston–Downtown. He previously served as an appellate judge and served 17 years with the Houston Police Department (HPD) beginning in 1967. Leaving HPD as Deputy Chief to become a prosecutor as a ...

, former Chief of the

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fifth-largest ...

* Reed O'Connor,

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

for the Northern District of Texas * Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Founder of American Atheists, did not pass the bar exam and never practiced law *

Dan Rather Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. (; born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. Rather began his career in Texas, becoming a national name after his reporting saved thousands of lives during Hur ...

, former CBS News anchor (did not graduate) *

Leighton Schubert Leighton may refer to: Places In Australia: * Leighton, Western Australia, a beachside locality In the United Kingdom: * Leighton, Cambridgeshire * Leighton, Cheshire * Leighton, North Yorkshire ** Leighton Reservoir * Leighton, Shropshire * Le ...

, member of the Texas House of Representatives * Jim Sharp, state court judge in Houston, 2009–2014 *

Robert Talton Robert Edwin Talton (born June 27, 1945) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member for the 144th district of the Texas House of Representatives. Life and career Born in Pasadena, Texas, Talton attended Pasadena High School. ...

, member of the Texas House of Representatives * Austin Walton, certified NBA agent and owner of Walton Sports Management Group

References

External links

*
South Texas Law ReviewCurrents: Journal of International Economic Law
{{authority control Law schools in Texas Universities and colleges in Houston Educational institutions established in 1923 Universities and colleges founded by the YMCA * Downtown Houston 1923 establishments in Texas