Transactional Practice Center

A Distinctly Transactional Way of Thinking

South Texas College of Law Houston has long emphasized practical legal education. The Transactional Practice Center builds on that tradition by supporting students interested in transactional practice and related professional pathways. Founded in 2004, the Center is home to the Transactional Law Practice Certificate and serves as a point of connection for students seeking applied preparation in drafting, negotiation, deal structure, and related forms of transactional work. At its core, the Center helps students shape a course of study that fits those interests while developing a distinctly transactional way of thinking, one attuned to how lawyers structure deals, allocate and share risk, reduce transaction costs, expand the gains from exchange, and leverage new technologies to maximize deal value and streamline transactional processes.

Preparing Students for Transactional Practice

Transactional lawyers help clients structure, document, negotiate, and manage commercial relationships and activity. The Transactional Practice Center helps students prepare for that work through foundational coursework, transactional skills training, capstone experiences, and electives. Students interested in the Center may come from a range of professional interests, including corporate and business practice, oil and gas, real estate, tax, commercial law, and related fields. The Center helps students shape a course of study that fits those interests while building practical exposure to transactional work through the Transactional Law Practice Certificate.

Transactional Practice Center Highlights

Transactional Law Practice Certificate

The Center offers a Transactional Law Practice Certificate designed to give students a strong grounding in core transactional concepts, deeper exposure to advanced legal doctrine, and practical training in the skills central to transactional work. The certificate supports students with interests in corporate practice, oil and gas, tax, real estate, and related transactional fields.

Transactional Practice Center Curriculum

The curriculum of the Transactional Practice Center helps students turn an interest in business law into a more focused course of study in transactional practice. Through selected courses and practical training, students build stronger exposure to drafting, negotiation, business planning, and the legal work that supports commercial activity.

J.D./MBA Joint Degree Programs

South Texas College of Law Houston offers two J.D./MBA dual-degree programs that enable students to obtain two advanced degrees in less time than it would normally take to earn both degrees separately. One program is offered in cooperation with the University of St. Thomas Cameron School of Business, the other with the Texas A&M University Mays Business School.

Events

The Transactional Practice Center sponsors student-facing programming on careers, opportunities, and emerging patterns in practice. Its events are designed to help students think more concretely about deal work, practical professional development, leadership, and the changing demands of transactional practice.

TPC / Information Session

Join the Transactional Practice Center for an information session on the Transactional Law Practice Certificate, course planning, and opportunities through the Center. Students will have the chance to learn more about the certificate, ask questions, and meet Professor Frank Fagan.

Wednesday, August 26, 2026
12:30 p.m.
TPC Office, Room 727

TPC / Careers Conversation / Student Perspectives

Join recent graduates of the Transactional Law Practice Certificate for a candid conversation about how the Center helped shape their entry into transactional practice, including work focused on mergers and acquisitions, tax and corporate finance, oil and gas, and related careers.

TBD
Spring 2027

Contact Us

Students interested in the Transactional Law Practice Certificate, the Transactional Practice Center, or related programming and course planning are encouraged to contact Professor Frank Fagan at transactionalpractice@stcl.edu.