The Hon. Drew B. Tipton ’94, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, spoke to students at South Texas College of Law Houston on Veterans Day about the value of his military service and how it has informed his career as a law student, practicing attorney, and judge.
He participated in a Q&A with Rey Valencia, president and dean of STCL Houston. The event was co-sponsored by the Veteran Law Students Association and the Federalist Society.
Tipton, an Angleton native, talked candidly about his freshman year at Texas A&M University. His lack of focus on academics resulted in a very low grade point average. “I knew I needed to try something different,” he said. He joined the Marine Corps, and that completely changed the trajectory of his life.
“I grew up when I joined the Marine Corps,” said Tipton, who is a judge for the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas. “My takeaways were structure, discipline, and maturity.” When he returned to college, he worked hard and made excellent grades.
He also credits his experience in the Marine Corps with teaching him to be methodical and relational — qualities he found essential to his success in law school and in a legal career that spanned 25 years in practice and more than five years on the bench.
An advocate of judicial clerkships, Tipton highlighted the benefits of being behind the scenes as a young attorney. “You learn how to make arguments more persuasive, and it changes the way you write,” he said. “‘Clerk’ is a very positive label that follows you for the rest of your career.”
Tipton encouraged students to keep on going, and “to grind it out” when necessary. “Don’t be overwhelmed,” he said. “You will make it.” He also shared the importance of developing personal connections with opposing counsel and not becoming overly adversarial in the practice of law.
“Being a good lawyer is not about going to war,” he said. “It’s about getting the best possible result for your client.”
