South Texas College of Law Law School

South Texas College of Law, South Texas College of Law Law School History

South Texas College of Law was established in 1923 and is independent. The campus is in an urban area in downtown Houston. The primary mission of the law school is to provide an accessible legal education, distinguished by its excellence, to a diverse body of students committed to serving their communities and the profession. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Houston area. South Texas is only one of two American law schools housing two appellate courts on a permanent basis. Facilities of special interest to law students include its 4 Centers of Excellence and its skills and clinical programs: Advocacy Program, the Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution, the Corporate Compliance Center, and the Transactional Practice Center. Housing for students is not available on campus. However, high-rise apartments are within walking distance of the campus. Apartment locators are available, usually at no cost. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

South Texas College of Law, South Texas College of Law Law School Academics

The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).

The South Texas College of Law offers concentrations in environmental law, international law, advocacy, alternative dispute resolution, and transactional law. In addition, upper-level students can earn a maximum of 6 semester hours of credit in clinics including the Criminal Process Clinic, Judicial Process Clinic and the Public Interest Clinic. Seminars are offered for 2 hours of credit. Internships are normally offered during the fall, spring, and summer and are limited to a maximum of 6 credit hours. Each year, the College hosts the Fred Parks Distinguished Lecture Series and the Turner Lecture Series in Professionalism. South Texas co-sponsors a number of ABA-approved summer abroad programs, in addition to 2 cooperative semester abroad programs. South Texas also administers an academic assistance program that includes individual counseling and study skills seminars on the outlining process, as well as preparing for and taking exams. The most widely taken electives are Corporations, Criminal Procedure, and Wills, Trusts, and Estates.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 46 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Property I, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of 2 hours of Professional Skills, Evidence, Federal Income Tax, Professional Responsibility, Property II, and Substantial research paper. Students can satisfy this requirement through participation in academic internships, on-site clinics, and upper division skills training courses. The required orientation program for first-year students is 3- or 4-days and is generally scheduled the week prior to the beginning of classes, formatted to accommodate both full- and part-time students.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

South Texas College of Law, South Texas College of Law Law School Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 246,568 hard-copy volumes and 276,704 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 4345 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, and Wilsonline Indexes are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a U.S. government selective depository and a rare books collection, college archives, and various manuscript collections. Recently, the library completed construction on the Fred Parks Law Library. Floors 1 to 5 of the building are comprised of classrooms, seminar and conference rooms with additional carrel space, 2-person study rooms, faculty study rooms, and soft seating. The 6th floor is a flexible combination of classroom and ceremonial space with an adjoining outdoor terrace. In addition, each seat within the library is wired for a laptop computer connection and the entire library is also installed with wireless connectivity. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 4109 to 1 and to students is 197 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 2.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by offering application fee waivers for those with documented need. South Texas considers ethnicity and disadvantaged backgrounds in the admissions process and offers scholarships to those who qualify. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and be ranked in the upper 10% of the current law school class, and be able to provide a letter of good standing.

South Texas College of Law, South Texas College of Law Law School Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2330 applied, 1169 were accepted, and 454 enrolled. Three transfers enrolled. The median GPA of the most recent first-year class was 3.21.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include LSAT results, GPA, and life experience. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is February 15. Applicants should submit an application form, a nonrefundable application fee of $50, 2 letters of recommendation, personal statement, and a resume. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

South Texas College of Law, South Texas College of Law Law School Financial Aid

About 88% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $30,315; maximum, $49,393. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is May 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include Enhancement Scholarships for continuing students. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at the time of application.

South Texas College of Law, South Texas College of Law Law School Students

About 45% of the student body are women; 24%, minorities; 4%, African American; 11%, Asian American; 9%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 75%, White. The majority of students come from Texas (90%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 19 to 60. About 33% of students enter directly from undergraduate school. About 6% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons.

Students edit the South Texas Law Review, Corporate Counsel Review, Currents: International Trade Law Journal, Corporate Counsel Review, and the newspaper, Annotations. Students enrolled in the Moot Court Competition course are selected to participate in numerous national moot court and mock trial competitions held annually. South Texas has more than 25 registered organizations in which students can participate. Students at South Texas have the opportunity to become members of numerous active student organizations representing a wide range of interests. There are local chapters of Phi Delta Phi, Phi Alpha Delta, and Delta Theta Phi.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time and part-time students are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 7 years. New full-time students are admitted in the fall and spring; part-time, fall. There is an 8-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.