South Texas College of Law, Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 8, April, 1980 Page: 4 of 8
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P&ge 4 — ANNOTATIONS — April 1900
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South Texas
An Educational Giant
II
If
(The following article is taken
from "American Pioneer," pub-
lished bi-monthly by American
Title Company.)
South Texas College of Law is
an educational giant whose sta-
ture fits nicely into Houston's way
of doing things. Curiously, few
Houstonians identify the College
as an independent entity, which it
is.
Yet, South Texas College of
Law is one of the finest schools of
its kind in the country. In fact, it
has become a rarity-a privately
endowed law school in a field
dominated by state-owned and
state-supported institutions.
Garland R. Walker, dean of
STCL, considers this indepen-
dence significant. Since most law
schools operate under state-
allocated budgets, and since the
governmental sector increasingly
involves itself in the affairs of the
private sector, Dean Walker asks
thoughtfully whether or not it is
reasonable to expect a public law
school to demonstrate in the
classroom the same enthusiasm
for an adversary position against
the state as might be demon-
strated in a private school.
"If we have any purpose at all
in a free society," Dean Walker
continues, "it is to maintain a
free nation under the law. The
work ethic has been eroded in this
country by the protective attitude
of government on various levels.
To preserve the system, it is
essential that our legislative
bodies include the voices of
freedom and that those who
might diminish our freedom be
confronted by competent adver-
saries in any forum, including our
courtrooms."
The college even conducts a
continuing-education program
which incloves advocacy, among
other topics-what Dean Walker
describes as "a curriculum within
a curriculum "-to strengthen
practicing attorneys' ability to
deal with adversaries.
STCL grew up with Houston.
Founded in 1923 as one of the
United YMCA Schools, South
Texas Law School was accredited
by the Supreme Court of Texas in
1928. The name was changed in
the 1940's. In 1967, the College
ended its connection with the
YMCA and became an indepen-
dent educational institution. Un-
like other law schools in Texas
and elsewhere, South Texas does
not operate predominately
through the day. Classes begin at
2:00 p.m. and run into the
evening hours for both full-time
and part-time students. Unlike
most other colleges and univer-
sities, STCL treats full-time and
part-time students the same,
rather than single out the part-
timers as second-class citizens.
(Dean Walker defines part-time
students as those who work more
than 15 hours per week and go to
school at the same time.)
This respect for the student
who must work to support himself
and his education is traditional
with the college.
The move to daytime classes
reflects a shift in the proportion of
full-time and part-time students.
While part-timers predominated
in the past, Dean Walker says
about 60% of enrollment now is
full-time. He attributes the
change to a combination of
factors, the most important of
which is the reputation of the
College.
Also, Dean Walker observes,
the cost of tuition at STCL is
relatively low for a private law
school, since buildings have been
paid for by interested individuals
and by philanthropic organiza-
tions such as Houston Endow-
ment, the Cullen Foundation, and
the Rockwell Fund. Students are
not buying bricks and mortar
with their tuition.
Another reason for scheduling
classes later in the day involves
faculty. STCL relies heavily on
practicing attorneys and seasoned
veterans of the courtroom for its
faculty. However, there are 20
full-time faculty members who
teach more than half the courses.
A lawyer may make an appear-
ance in court, visit with several
clients, write some letters and a
legal document or two, then go
to STCL to teach advocacy to
the cream of law students in
Patent
Law
Winners
by Al Orenberg
Staff Writer
South Texas College of Law this
year for the first time was
extended one of eight invitations
to participate in the American
Patent Law Association's seventh
annual Giles Sutherland Rich
Moot Court Competition National
Finals.
STCL advocates Gregg W.
McClosky and Richard D. West
were in Washington, D.C., to
compete April 16-18 against
teams from Hastings College of
Law, the University of Washing-
ton, Suffolk University, Emory
University, the University of
Cincinnati, the University of
Miami, and George Washington
University.
Elimination rounds were held
in the United States Court of
Gaims, and the final round, to
determine the winner of the Dean
Lawrence Award, took place in
the impresseve courtroom of the
U.S. Court of Customs and
Patent Appeals.
Outstanding panels of judges
assembled for the national finals
of the competition, including
among others Associate Judge
Giles S. Rich of the United States
Court of Customs and Patent
Appeals; Judge Gerhard A. Ges-
sell of the United States District
Court for the District of Colum-
bia; and Sidney H. Diamond, the
Commissioner of Patents and
Trademarks.
Texas. Although the College
builds depth of understanding of
the law among its students
through strong indoctrination in
legal theory, the administration's
view is that a well-rounded lawyer
must be aware of the practical
aspects of legal practice-espe-
cially advocacy.
This well-rounded approach to
a legal education works. During
the last five years, 13 of every 14
South Texas graduates who at-
tempted the Texas Bar Examina-
tion passed it on the first try—an
exceptional record.
South Texas College of Law
began as part of the YMCA
system and operated in the
YMCA building on Louisiana for
many years. In 1964, however,
the law school moved into the J.
Robert Neal Building at 1220 Polk
Avenue. Originally occupying
only the first floor, the College
eventually took over the entire
structure, then expanded into the
sparkling new Jesse H. Jones
Building adjoining the older
structure.
The new building allowed the
law school to remodel the old and
make the combined facility a
first-rate, modern educational
plant.
One point of pride is the
school's library, close to the
largest in Houston and possibly
the best. "When we moved into
the J. Robert Neal Building,"
Dean Walker recalls, "we had
around 12 to 13 thousand vol-
umes, and the entire school—
including offices, classrooms, and
library—occupied only 15,000
square feet. Today we have
160,000 volumes and 110,000
square feet. A planned addition
to the College will allow further
expansion of the library, as well
as provide more faculty offices, a
250-seat auditorium, and an
additional courtroom."
The Jesse H. Jones Building
already houses a 762-seat auditor-
ium-courtroom, which is the
physical focal point of the Joe M.
Green, Jr. Advocacy Center. The
facility is used by the Houston
Bar Association and the State Bar
of Texas for continuing education
on such diverse topics as taxation,
criminal law, personal injury,
products liability and medical
malpractice.
South Texas College of Law
joined forces with the Texas Trial
Lawyers Association to form the
Texas College of Trial Advocacy
which presents programs in trial
advocacy to practicing attorneys.
Dean Walker notes that TTLA
contains "a vast reservoir of
outstanding trial lawyers," who
are as well equipped as lawyers
anywhere to teach this vital
component in the practice of law.
The 57-year-Old institution has
come of age. It exudes the
confidence that comes with suc-
cess, and indeed that confidence
appears to be well placed, when
we consider the quality of STCL's
graduates. The College has
earned widespread respect which
comes only from performance.
That, after all, is Houston's
way of doing things.
Judith Ravdin is the reci-
pient of the second annual
Director of Advocacy's Stu-
dent Award for Outstanding
Service. She was selected
for her contribution to the
overall functioning of the
advocacy program at South
Texas.
After three years of enter-
taining Annotations readers
with his cartoons on life at
law school, Larry Landry,
above, is retiring his pen
with this issue. Larry has
contributed his view of the
agonies of aspiring attorneys
since his first semester at
South Texas.
Marcus Hill is rounding out
his term as president of the
Student Bar Association.
Among accomplishments of
the SBA during his regime
were the rewriting of the
SBA constitution, the first
blood drive at STCL, and the
first coordinated program of
intramural sports at South
Texas.
Judiciary
Luncheon
Planned
The annual Judiciary Luncheon
of the South Texas College of Law
Alumni Association will be held
Thursday, May 15, at the Inns of
Court.
George Stevenson will be the
guest speaker. His topic, "Acres
of Garlic," concerns the free
enterprise systen and how to
restore it.
This special luncheon is hosted
each year by the Alumni Associa-
tion and is a time to honor the
STCL graduates who are serving
on the bench. Judge Spurgeon E.
Bell, an honorary member of the
association, will be a special
guest.
STCL recently lost two of its
alumni who were among those
serving as judges. John R.
Micheska, 1932 graduate and
former County Judge of Austin
County, and William A. Miller,
Jr., a 1936 graduate and former
judge of County Civil Court at
Law #2, died in the past few
months.
Environmental
Law Book
Available
The decisions being made now
on energy, the environment and
finite natural resources will affect
lifestyles and progress in the not
too distant future. Those deci-
sions are being made by legisla-
tive bodies, administrative agen-
cies and the courts. As a result,
the demand for lawyers informed
about environmental and natural
resources law has increased
dramatically in recent years.
A new book, Resource Careers,
published by the Natural Re-
sources Law Section of the
American Bar Association, dis-
cusses the challenges, positions
and growth potential of a career
in environmental law.
Resource Careers contains
articles by top practitioners of
natural resources law, who de-
scribe the nature of their practice,
the type of work and clients
involved. The book also outlines
methods for law students to enter
the field, recommends courses,
and offers suggestions for sum-
mer internship.
According to the book's editor,
Robert Kutter, this area of the
law demands a new breed of
lawyer, "An environmental
lawyer must be able to grasp the
environmental economic and
social interrelationship involved
in a resource decision, for an
action regarding the use of one
resource in a certain way invari-
ably impacts many other areas."
Copies of Resource Careers are
available from the Circulation
Department of the American Bar
Association, 1155 E. 60th Street,
Chicago, Illinois, 60637, at $3.00
each plus $1.00 handling charge
on all orders.
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Rice, Elaine. South Texas College of Law, Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 8, April, 1980, newspaper, April 1980; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth144390/m1/4/: accessed July 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting South Texas College of Law.