AALS has launched a series that will highlight a different member school and focus on a recent program or accomplishment in order to showcase the rich variety of approaches to legal education that makes up the American legal academy. A list of past highlights is available below.

Member School Highlight – South Texas College of Law Houston

Location: Houston, Texas
Founded: 1923
Joined AALS: 1998
Dean: Jeffrey Rensberger

South Texas College of Law Houston is a private, independent institution offering an ABA-accredited J.D. degree through both full-time and part-time schedules. Houston’s first law school, founded in 1923, is located in the vibrant downtown of the nation’s fourth largest city, and it attracts diverse students from across the country.

STCL Houston provides its 350 first-year JD students with an exceptional legal education that ensures graduates are ready to lead, win, and practice law.

South Texas College of Law Houston’s Transactional Practice Center turns 20 years old.

Long at the forefront of legal education, building on the strength of established programs that produce practice-ready attorneys, such as advocacy, dispute resolution, and legal clinics, STCL Houston introduced the Transactional Practice Center (TPC) in 2004. Designed to help STCL Houston graduates achieve early success in transactional practice, this pioneering program recently celebrated a milestone anniversary: 20 years of success for itself and its alumni.

Transactional attorneys seldom see the inside of the courtroom as they practice. In response to the need for this kind of legal skills training, STCL Houston began the center and, two years later, added a certificate program that can be earned by third-year students who fulfill all the requirements.

Students wishing to obtain the certification must complete a rigorous course of study that includes doctrinal and skills courses. In addition to the certificate option, transactional law students at STCL Houston may opt to participate in the dual JD/MBA program. Texas A&M’s Mays School of Business and the University of St. Thomas’ Cameron School of Business have partnered with the TPC, offering an opportunity for students who have completed two years at STCL Houston to obtain their MBA in one year, then return to the law school to complete their third year of legal education. The business schools operate similar program models, but each has its own requirements for admission and degree completion. The TPC graduates and certificate holders list includes chief legal officers, associates and partners at Big Law firms, corporate vice presidents, and general counsels.

“As we enter our second century, we are ready to continue fulfilling our mission — offering a diverse body of students the opportunity to receive an exceptional legal education that prepares them to serve the profession and the community with distinction. The Transactional Practice Center’s continued success is one marker of our dedication to that mission.” – Jeffrey Rensberger, Interim Dean and President of South Texas College of Law Houston