Three Houston attorneys will be recognized Oct. 1 at South Texas College of Law Houston’s Annual Alumni Awards Luncheon for their outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and service.
The 2026 recipients of these prestigious honors are:
- Nicholas J. “Nick” Lanza ’89, Distinguished Alumni Award, founding partner of Lanza Law Firm and member of the South Texas Law board of directors;
- The Honorable Christine Weems ’00, Public Service Award, judge of the 281st Civil District Court and director of mock trial at the University of Houston Law Center; and
- Ryan Cunningham ’17, Young Alumni Award, associate at Troutman Pepper Locke and an adjunct professor at STCL Houston.
This signature luncheon, which is part of Alumni Weekend, is set for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Houston Public Library Julia Ideson Building. Please join us to celebrate this year’s honorees and connect with fellow alumni. This event is complimentary, but advance registration is required. Reserve My Tickets.
Hosted by the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement in partnership with the South Texas Law Alumni Association Board, the Alumni Awards Luncheon brings together alumni, faculty, students, and friends to celebrate the strength of the South Texas community.
Here is more information about this year’s recipients:
Distinguished Alumni Award: Nick Lanza ’89
This is the highest honor presented by the Alumni Association. It recognizes a graduate whose work has made a lasting civic impact, demonstrated professional leadership, and reflected a strong commitment to South Texas College of Law Houston.
Nick Lanza has successfully taken more than 170 complex cases to verdict by judge and jury throughout the State of Texas. He represents parties in complex claims involving wrongful death, torts, business disputes, breach of contract, commercial trucking, automobiles, construction defect, negligence, the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Texas Insurance Code, products liability, property, and premises liability. He also represents various professionals in professional errors and omissions liability claims.
His clients include hotels, bars, apartment complexes, families, individuals, insurance agencies, trucking companies, insurance companies, and businesses, small and large. Lanza is proud that many clients become long-term friends, long after litigation is concluded.
Lanza is board certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (less than 2% of Texas attorneys are board certified). He received the President’s Award from the Houston Young Lawyers Association in 1996 and was selected as a Texas Super Lawyer from 2011-21. Lanza has been selected as a Texas Top Rated Lawyer and honored by America’s Best Lawyers 2014-21. His hobbies include collecting sports memorabilia, traveling, and golfing.
Public Service Award: The Honorable Christine Weems ’00
This award recognizes an alumnus who has devoted their legal career to public service and made a sustained impact on the community.
Judge Christine Weems is a double board-certified trial attorney in both personal injury trial law and civil trial law, with a wide range of experience representing individuals as well as multinational corporations in litigation. In 2018, Weems was elected to be only the sixth judge of the 281st Civil Judicial District Court bench. Since taking the bench, she has presided over 50 jury trials in the face of courtroom shortages due to Hurricane Harvey damage to the criminal courthouse as well as COVID-19.
After graduating from South Texas Law, she represented injured plaintiffs in everything from medical malpractice to automobile accidents to mass tort litigation. She has tried several cases to jury verdict, obtaining favorable results for her clients.
Weems returned to Harris County after spending almost five years in Manhattan working on large-scale anti-trust litigation as well as corporate tort cases. She is licensed to practice in the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas as well as in state court in Texas and California.
She recently was named a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization. Weems was awarded the Honorary Alum award by the University of Houston Law Center’s Alumni Association for her work with the mock trial team. In 2023, she was recognized as the Outstanding Mentor by the Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas.
Young Alumni Award: Ryan Cunningham ’17
This award recognizes a graduate of the past 10 years who has made an early mark on the profession and stayed connected to the South Texas Law community through service and leadership.
Ryan Cunningham has dedicated the last 11 years to STCL Houston’s advocacy program: first as a stand-out moot court advocate who competed in nine tournaments across the country, winning a national championship and the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s award for most outstanding advocate in Texas.
Since graduating, he has coached more than 20 moot court tournaments, including bringing home three national championships and multiple Barrister’s and American Bar Association regional championships.
Cunningham’s love for South Texas Law advocacy is broader than his competitive nature. He finds true meaning in bringing out the best in every advocate by helping them find and hone their own style. He brings his STCL Houston-honed advocacy style to his practice as a commercial and construction litigator at Troutman Pepper Locke’s Houston office.
Learn more about the luncheon and Alumni Weekend: https://my.stcl.edu/awardsluncheon
Learn more about the Alumni Awards: https://my.stcl.edu/alumniawards
