Legal Writing Center
The Legal Writing Center supports South Texas students in becoming powerful, practice-ready writers. The Legal Writing Center recognizes that writing is the foundation of every legal practice.
The Legal Writing Center enriches these resources by providing a series of seminars on fundamental legal writing skills. The center offers diagnostic and proficiency testing, allowing students and professors to determine when a student needs additional help in mastering legal writing skills.
Students also receive individualized assistance with legal writing, learning skills involving organization, style, grammar, punctuation, and usage. Upper-level students benefit from help with writing legal briefs, seminar papers, and writing samples. And students who visit the writing center learn to edit their own work, preparing them for success in class, on the bar exam, and in practice.
To learn more, please review Legal Writing Center Introduction and FAQ
Meet the Legal Writing Center Team
The Legal Writing Center recognizes that writing is the foundation of every legal practice and supports South Texas students in becoming powerful, practice-ready writers.
Our team brings significant and diverse writing experience to that mission. Each member is a current or former legal practitioner and a graduate of South Texas College of Law – Houston.
Meet Mac Higbee
Director of the Legal Writing Center
Mac Higbee serves as Director of the Legal Writing Center and is an alumnus of South Texas College of Law Houston. His legal background includes federal administrative litigation and appellate judicial experience, including a clerkship at the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals and a judicial internship for Chief Justice Dori Contreras at the Texas Thirteenth Court of Appeals.
Mac’s writing experience includes receiving the Houston Bar Association’s Best Appellate Brief Award, serving on the South Texas Law Review, and publishing a master’s thesis. Before entering the legal profession, he taught high school English and history for six years, an experience that continues to inform his approach to teaching legal writing with clarity, structure, and audience awareness.
As Director, Mac works with students across all stages of legal writing, with a particular focus on helping them develop effective analytical frameworks, a professional voice, and confidence in their written advocacy.
To contact the Legal Writing Center, please email mhigbee@stcl.edu.
Meet Meredith Clark
Legal Writing Specialist
Meredith Clark serves as a Legal Writing Specialist in the Legal Writing Center. She graduated from Texas A&M University and South Texas College of Law Houston, where she was a member of the Advocacy Program and the South Texas Law Review.
After law school, Meredith clerked for United States Magistrate Judge Sam Sheldon in the Southern District of Texas. She later practiced general business litigation at a mid-size firm before returning to the Legal Writing Center. Meredith currently serves as the career clerk for United States Magistrate Judge Richard Bennett and continues to work part-time with the Legal Writing Center.
In the Legal Writing Center, Meredith works with students on developing effective legal analysis and polished written advocacy. She is available for evening and weekend appointments via Zoom.
Meet Pressley Franclemont
Legal Writing Specialist
Pressley Franclemont serves as a Legal Writing Specialist in the Legal Writing Center and is an alumna of South Texas College of Law Houston. She also serves as Assistant Director for the Bar Readiness Department, a role that informs her work with students on the skills and habits that support long-term professional success.
Pressley’s legal background includes practice in family law, probate, guardianship, and estate planning. During law school, she served as a student attorney in the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, working in the Trademark, Probate, and Guardianship Clinics. She graduated cum laude from South Texas College of Law Houston and holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Stephen F. Austin State University, from which she graduated magna cum laude.
In the Legal Writing Center, Pressley works with students across all stages of legal writing, with a focus on practical drafting, clarity, and professional communication.
Schedule an Appointment
The Legal Writing Center is dedicated to helping you improve your legal writing, no matter your current skill level. The Legal Writing Center is a friendly and welcoming environment, and we encourage you to sign up for an appointment, especially if you are in LRW I, LRW II, or a writing focused course.
To schedule an appointment (Zoom or in-person) with the Legal Writing Center, visit calendly.com/LegalWritingCenter.
Location: Room 2017 (In the library, past the service desk)
Email: mhigbee@stcl.edu Phone: 713.646.1727
Availability:
Please see the appointments link for availability. The “First Appointment” link will show all time slots available for either Zoom or in-person appointments. Please use that link if it is your first appointment with the Legal Writing Center.
We aim to maximize availability, including appointment times in the evenings and on the weekend. For any questions regarding availability, please reach out by email.
For evening and weekend appointments please select Meredith under on the appointment signup page.
Students may not sign up for an appointment in the twenty-four hours before their project is due. Space is limited before due dates, and students are encouraged to sign up well in advance.
