South Texas Law Builds Connections, Prepares Practice-Ready Attorneys
South Texas College of Law Houston offers its students a wide variety of opportunities to make lifelong connections and to build the skills they need to succeed as future attorneys. Students can engage in welcoming campus organizations, participate in advocacy competitions, connect with peer study groups, and find mentors and coaches among the powerful network of more than 17,000 alumni.
Rigorous classes taught by exceptional, supportive faculty are the foundation of the South Texas Law experience, but Houston’s oldest law school offers so much more. Students are encouraged to immerse themselves in programs and activities that equip them to practice law on day one — to connect with classmates who become lifelong friends and take advantage of opportunities to serve real clients while still in law school.
Opportunities at South Texas Law to Make Lasting Connections
South Texas College of Law Houston is often described as a welcoming, inclusive community, and students feel that sense of connection from day one. From the orientation that starts the journey through the early opportunity to join a student organization, student life on the South Texas Law campus — and through the online community — is engaging, supportive, and filled with opportunities to connect, learn, and explore their interests.
Find Your Peer Community Through Student Organizations
The law school is home to more than 40 student organizations that offer students opportunities to connect with others with similar cultural, ideological, or career interests. The doors of all organizations are open to all students looking for community.
At South Texas Law, students are encouraged to engage beyond the classroom — to participate as club officers, volunteer for organizational service projects, and bring all their past leadership experiences to bear while in law school.
To learn about all the student organizations available at South Texas Law, read more here.
Connect by Serving the Community Together
A dedication to service at South Texas Law adds to the special sense of community and offers another way students connect with one another.
Community service starts at orientation, where first-year (1L) students join together to serve at the Houston Food Bank before classes begin. The Student Bar Association has an annual drive to raise funds for the Houston Food Bank, and student organizations host donation drives for books, clothing, food, and more.
The Black Law Students Association has assisted in the preservation and restoration of one of Houston’s three remaining Black cemeteries established in the era of racial segregation. “It was such a meaningful experience because, as an organization, that’s where our history is,” said former BLSA President Marchion Wynne. “To help put that history back together was the most rewarding part.”
Leverage the Powerful STCL Houston Alumni Network
Upon graduation, South Texas Law students join a network of more than 17,000 proud South Texas College of Law Houston alumni. With graduates working in law firms of every size including BigLaw, corporations, the judiciary, public service law, and more, our alumni are connected to the legal community across the globe.
Many of these alumni give back to South Texas Law in a variety of ways each year, making an impact through their dedicated leadership and service.
They participate in on-campus recruiting activities and hire our graduates, act as mentors to law students, coach competition teams, volunteer for panel discussions, connect students to alumni in their field, and participate in events and activities that encourage and inspire the next generation of STCL Houston graduates.
Make Important Career Connections Through the CRC
The Career Resource Center (CRC) at South Texas College of Law Houston is dedicated to supporting students, alumni, and employers in all aspects of the employment process.
The CRC equips both current students and graduates with tools to:
- Explore and clarify career goals
- Build essential professional skills
- Navigate the job search with confidence
- Connect with a diverse range of legal employers
Students can engage in CRC activities including career development programs and panels, individualized career counseling, resume and cover letter review, on-campus recruitment opportunities, job fairs, networking events and mentoring programs, mock interviews, and more.
South Texas College of Law Houston is proud to report a 95% employment rate for the Class of 2024. Our graduates enter the profession prepared, confident, and practice-ready.
Unique Collaboration Between Alumni and CRC: Dine with a J.D.
As just one example of the ways alumni connect with campus offices and with students, South Texas Law created D.I.N.E. with a J.D. — an event series created to connect law students with alumni who share their expertise, allowing them to gain personal insight from established professionals in the legal field.
This past year, alumna and board member Sharon Schweitzer ‘89 hosted a special D.I.N.E. with a J.D. event focused on “Modern Table Manners & Dining Etiquette for Legal Scholars” where students were taught subtle etiquette skills to empower them to succeed as future attorneys.
Enjoy Special Celebrations with the Community
At STCL Houston, student organizations and campus offices create events to commemorate the holidays and traditions, and the entire campus is invited to join the celebrations.
For example, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) hosts a lively and engaging Lunar New Year celebration. In March, the Women’s Law Society often hosts a Women’s History Month Panel. The Hispanic Law Students Association hosts an annual dinner during Hispanic Heritage Month with special entertainment and colorful décor. Activities for Pride Month, Black History Month, Constitution Day, and Veterans Day — among others — also draw together faculty, staff, and students.
South Texas Law Offers Experiences That Grow Your Legal Skills
At STCL Houston, students are empowered with the legal and professional skills they need to become successful attorneys. From externships to courtroom competitions and service to real-world clients through the legal clinics, South Texas law provides students with experiences and experiential education that enhance their legal skills before they graduate.
Build Legal Writing Skills Through Scholarly Journals
STCL Houston is home to more than six scholarly journals, the most well-known of which is the South Texas Law Review. The Law Review is a student-run scholarly periodical published by second-and third-year law students, all of whom are selected for membership based on outstanding scholarship and writing abilities. The Law Review provides the chance for hardworking students to boost their research skills and cultivate hands-on experience with scholarly writing in a legal setting.
Prepare for the Courtroom Through the Nationally Ranked Advocacy Program
The highly regarded Advocacy Program trains trial and appellate lawyers through structured coursework, competition, and direct critique. Students graduate having already mastered what most lawyers do not experience until their first years in practice: standing, speaking, responding under pressure, and defending their position in real time.
The commitment to excellence has earned South Texas Law students 148 national advocacy competition championships and a place at or near the top of every national ranking of law school advocacy programs.
Experience the Legal Profession Through Externships
The Externship Program provides students with opportunities to apply their legal education in real-world settings while serving the community and the profession with distinction. Through placements in courts, government agencies, corporate legal departments, hospitals, and public interest organizations, students earn academic credit while gaining practical experience, developing core lawyering skills, and building professional networks. Learn more here.
Gain Real-world Skills Through the Transactional Practice Center
South Texas College of Law Houston’s Transactional Practice 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.
The center helps students prepare for that work through foundational coursework, transactional skills training, capstone experiences, and electives.
Learn Leadership Skills Through the Agosto Justice Center
The Agosto Justice Center for Leadership and Empowerment hosts workshops and events throughout the year open to all students that build their professional skills and connections. The center also introduces them to national experts on key topics related to justice, access, leadership, and empowerment (JALE).
Every year, the center selects a handful of students for participation in the Agosto Student Fellows Program. Participants in this program conduct research and serve as ambassadors.
Serve Real Clients Through the Law School’s Legal Clinics Program
South Texas Law offers one of the nation’s most comprehensive pro bono legal clinic programs in which licensed staff attorneys teach and supervise students as they serve real clients with real legal challenges.
Through the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, the law school teaches more than 20 unique clinics each year, with nearly one of five students participating. The clinics focus on a wide range of specialties, including Domestic Violence, Probate, Immigration, Patent, Tax, Asylum/Human Trafficking, Guardianship, and Mediation.
Gain Exceptional Preparation for the Bar Exam
Students’ success on the bar exam is a top priority at South Texas College of Law Houston. South Texas Law offers a comprehensive Bar Readiness Program that has proven successful in preparing students for the challenging bar exam.
Seasoned attorneys and alumni volunteers lead students in skills-based workshops, practice exams, and frequent simulations in the weeks leading up to the exam. Together, the law school’s expansive curriculum and bar-readiness services work together to help students achieve this critical milestone.
We Invite You to Check Out the South Texas Law Community
The South Texas Law Experience combines a highly connected, supportive community with experiences that grow your knowledge of the law, leadership abilities, and practice-ready legal skills. Over the past century, many South Texas Law alumni have shared that the friendships they have maintained for life were formed as they successfully navigated the journey of law school together.
We encourage you to check out the very special and distinctive community that is South Texas College of Law Houston.
For more general information about the law school, click here.
To learn more about student involvement on campus, click here.
