The School
of Law is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and is approved by
the American Bar Association.
The primary function of a law school is to educate students for the
practice of law. Consequently, it is the first aim of the administration to
provide full-time legal educators as inspiring classroom teachers who are
capable of training students in the process of legal analysis and clear and
persuasive oral and written advocacy. The School of Law is also concerned with
two other functions: the advancement of knowledge about the law as a social
institution and about the way the rule of law may most effectively serve social
ends--a research function; and keeping the busy judge and practitioner abreast
of new developments--a continuing legal education function. In carrying out the
research and continuing legal education functions, the modern law school has
become a legal center with multiple activities and purposes, so that the
training received by law students is superior to that available in the past.
With an enrollment of about fifteen hundred students, the School of Law at the
University of Texas at Austin is one of the nation's largest law schools with
day students only. The students are predominantly Texas residents; nonresident
admission has been limited by the state Legislature to 20 percent of each
entering class. The academic credentials of enrolled nonresidents are about the
same as those of residents, but nonresident tuition is higher. The school is a
national school in that the training received and the courses offered provide
the necessary legal education for practice in any part of the United States
where the legal heritage is the common law system of England. Hundreds of
out-of-state law firms, corporations, and agencies actively recruit the school's
graduates each year. There are more than seventeen thousand living alumni of the
School of Law.
To the extent provided by applicable law, no person shall
be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to
discrimination under, any program or activity sponsored or conducted by The
University of Texas System or any of its component institutions on the basis of
race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or handicap.
The School of Law, then the
Department of Law, opened along with the Department of Literature, Science, and
Arts in 1883. The two departments occupied one building until the session of
1908-1909, when the Law Building was completed. This building served the needs
of the School of Law until the completion in 1953 of Townes Hall, named for
Judge John Charles Townes, dean of the school from 1907 through 1923. The
enrollment, about six hundred in 1953, increased each year thereafter,
necessitating additions to Townes Hall in 1964 and 1980. The 1980 addition is
named Jesse H. Jones Hall in honor of the Houston philanthropist. These two
connected buildings house the Joseph D. Jamail Center for Legal Research and
classrooms, offices, and support facilities for the faculty, staff, and students
of the School of Law. The School of Law occupies some of the best physical
facilities among American law schools.
The Joseph D. Jamail Center for Legal
Research houses the Tarlton Law Library and other research facilities at the
School of Law. The center supports the research and academic needs of the
faculty and students, as well as the research needs of the University community
and the public. Members of the public, including attorneys, may purchase a
courtesy borrower card that allows them to use circulating materials outside the
library. Students, faculty members, and staff members at participating
state-supported university libraries have access to the law library's resources
through the TexShare library resource sharing program. With more than
875,000 volumes, the Tarlton library is the fifth largest academic law library
in the country. In addition to a comprehensive collection of primary and
secondary legal materials, the library has a broad interdisciplinary collection
in the social sciences and humanities as well as a number of special
collections. Special collections include extensive foreign and international
legal resources, more than 750,000 microform items in the media collection, the
papers of former Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark of Texas, and a collection
of recent winners of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award. The
library has been a selective depository for United States government documents
since 1965 and a full depository for the European Union since 1963.
In
addition to printed matter, the library offers law students access to LEXIS and
WESTLAW, the major online legal research services, and a variety of other legal
and nonlegal electronic databases and information services. The library's Center
for Computer-based Legal Research and Instruction provides a network of
fifty-two Macintosh and IBM-compatible personal computers for word processing
and research. The library also maintains the law school and law library World
Wide Web site at http://www.law.utexas.edu/. Through this site,
students, faculty members, the University community, the public, and alumni have
access to a wide range of Internet legal resources, including The Legal Automation and Internet
Review and the complete text of US Fifth Circuit Court
opinions from 1992 to the present.
As a member of the Research Libraries
Group, the library participates in the SHaRes Program, a consortium facilitating
resource sharing among member libraries, and contributes cataloging data to the
Research Libraries Information network, a national computer system for shared
cataloging. Through this network, the library has immediate access to the
collections of other major research libraries throughout the country. The
library's online public access catalog and bibliographic system, TALLONS,
provides immediate access to much of the library's own collection. TALLONS can
be used in conjunction with UTCAT, the online catalog of the University's
General Libraries.
The Elton M. Hyder, Jr., and Martha Rowan Hyder
Collection consists of nearly four thousand prints, paintings, manuscript
documents, pieces of furniture, quilts, rugs, and other materials. It
illustrates the history of law and creates a unique and culturally enriching
study and work environment for library users and staff members.
Because
legal research can be technically demanding, members of the library's public
services staff provide individual and classroom instruction in the use of the
library's materials.
Students in the School of Law also have access to the resources of the
University's General Libraries and Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center;
these and the Tarlton Law Library constitute one of the largest academic
libraries in the United States. The University library serves as a depository
for publications of the United Nations and of the British government. Located
across the street from the law school are the Center for American History, the
Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, and the Edie and Lew Wasserman
Public Affairs Library. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum is also
located on the University campus. The Texas State Library, the State Law
Library, and the Legislative Reference Library, all located in the state capitol
complex, are open to law students.
The University of Texas Law School Foundation was
established in 1952 by Charles I. Francis, Sylvan Lang, Angus G. Wynne, Hines
Baker, Dan Moody, Robert E. Hardwicke, and Hugh Lamar Stone. They foresaw that
private support would be needed to supplement state funding if the law school
were to achieve its potential. Over the years, the foundation's role and
significance have grown as its assets have increased. Today, the foundation
maintains half of the endowments and privately-sponsored funds that support the
law school. The law school's endowment is one of the largest in the nation. The
foundation has recently established the goal of raising a substantial sum for
Endowed Presidential Scholarships. Officers and trustees of the foundation
are
Morris Atlas,
President
Juan Zabala, Acting Executive Director
Linda L. Addison
E.
William Barnett, Life Member
David J. Beck, Life Member
Ruben R.
Cardenas
George C. Chapman
J. Chrys Dougherty
John L. Estes
Kay
Bailey Hutchison
Joseph D. Jamail
| Franklin Jones,
Jr.
Dee J. Kelly
Gilbert F. Low
J. Mark McLaughlin, Life Member
Tom B. Ramey, Jr.
Harry M. Reasoner, Vice President
C. Kenneth
Roberts
Larry E. Temple
B. D. Orgain, Trustee Emeritus
J. Burleson
Smith, Trustee Emeritus |
Founded in 1939, The University of
Texas Law Alumni Association operates under the nonprofit status of the Law
School Foundation. The primary purposes of the association are to raise funds
for the law school, to strengthen the relationship between the law school and
its alumni, and to assist the dean, the faculty, and the staff in their efforts
to make the School of Law the best public law school in the nation.
The
University and the Law School Foundation have adopted as one of their major
objectives the development of endowment funds to be used to attract and retain
eminent scholars and teachers for the law school. The income from these funds is
used to supplement the salaries of distinguished professors and to provide
research assistance and other logistical support. Faculty members who hold
endowed chairs, professorships, and research professorships are identified in
chapter 6.
The Office of Student
Financial Services offers various forms of assistance to all University
students; these are described in General Information. With the help of
alumni and friends, a number of financial aid programs have also been
established for law students. The School of Law provides financial assistance in
the form of scholarships, grants, and loans.
The law school has limited loan funds available
to law students. Loans are made only in cases of emergency and only to
degree-seeking students; visiting students are not eligible. Application for
these loans may be made in person at the School of Law Scholarships and Loans
Office or by calling the Texas Enrollment Exchange (TEX) at (512) 475-9950.
All students accepted
to the School of Law are eligible to receive any available scholarship for which
they meet the requirements. Continuing students must complete the law school
electronic scholarship application. Required forms are available in the
Scholarships and Loans Office. For additional information, write to the Scholarship
Director, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, 727 East 26th
Street, Austin, Texas 78705-3299.
Many
lawyers, law firms, and associations contribute annually to the awards and
scholarships program of the law school. Information about these contributions is
available from the school. In addition, these permanent loan and scholarship
funds have been established in accordance with the requests of their donors.
The School of Law's Career Services
Office (CSO) provides career counseling for students and alumni. The office
maintains contact with a wide range of employers, including law firms of all
sizes, judges, federal and state agencies, corporations, and public interest and
legal service organizations around the nation. The CSO disseminates information
on current job openings, offers individual career counseling, schedules
on-campus interviews, and coordinates a variety of job fairs, recruitment
programs, and career workshops. The office also refers students to employers who
do not interview on campus and posts notices of available positions, both
part-time and permanent. The Career Services Library contains information about
employers around the nation, interview techniques, and the development of
general job-hunting skills. The Pro Bono Students America/Southwest program
places second- and third-year students in government and public interest
organizations during the academic year and summer. PBSA/Southwest volunteers are
unpaid and receive no academic credit.
The University makes no promise to
secure employment for each graduate.
The
Texas Law Review, established in 1922, is devoted to scholarly writings
on general legal subjects of national and local interest. The student editorial
board prepares for publication articles by outstanding legal authorities and law
notes written by the student staff. Students become eligible to join the staff
of the Review on the basis of high academic achievement and demonstrated
writing proficiency. The editorial board annually selects its successors from
the members of the staff.
The Texas International Law Journal, established in
1965, is one of the oldest, most respected student-edited scholarly journals on
international and comparative law and international business transactions. The
Journal, published three times a year, features articles by scholars,
officials, and practitioners from the United States and abroad, as well as
casenotes and comments by students. The Journal strives to keep its
readers abreast of new developments in transnational law and has received state,
national, and international recognition; it has subscribers in more than thirty
countries. Membership is open to all second-year students who successfully
complete the joint write-on candidacy program or who submit a note of
publishable quality.
The American Journal of Criminal Law is one of the few
nationally recognized publications devoted exclusively to matters of criminal
law. Since its inception in 1972, the Journal has provided a forum for
the scholarly articles and notes of professors, practitioners, and students. The
three issues published annually cover a wide range of topics in criminal law and
address constitutional, political, and practical concerns.
The Review of Litigation
is a national law review published three times a year. Through articles by
scholars and scholar-practitioners as well as student-authored law notes, The
Review synthesizes substantive scholarly analysis into suggestions for
practical application in litigation. The seventy-member staff is chosen for
excellence in writing and legal analysis.
Since the summer of 1990, law students have
published the Texas Environmental Law Journal in association with the
Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.
Published quarterly, the journal gives timely and practical information about
developments in environmental law. It includes articles by practitioners and
academicians, information about recent developments involving cases, statutes,
and rules relevant to environmental law, and notes submitted by law students
throughout Texas.
The Texas Journal of Women and the Law explores the
relationship between women and the law through law review publication and
sponsorship of an annual symposium. The staff seeks to inspire a dialogue about
gender-related issues that will lead to greater awareness of the ways the law
affects women and to innovative reforms in the lives of all people. The
Journal takes an interdisciplinary approach to many issues, striving to
deepen the relationship between theoretical and practical perspectives on gender
and the law. Editorial membership is open to both male and female students.
The
Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal is dedicated to all aspects of
intellectual property law on the national and the state level. The
Journal focuses on issues of interest to academics and practitioners on
topics such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, entertainment law, and unfair
competition. Articles and notes are written by scholars, practitioners, and
students. The Journal is managed and edited by students and is published
three times a year. The Journal selects members based on their writing
and analytical skills.
The Hispanic Law Journal is one of five journals in the nation devoted to
legal issues affecting the Hispanic community. The Journal provides an
academic forum in which practitioners and scholars engage in a thorough
discussion of recent court decisions, state and federal statutes, administrative
regulations, and other issues with particular salience for Hispanics. By
maintaining a neutral position on all issues, the Journal encourages an
exchange of diverse ideas and opinions. The Journal is published
annually. Membership is open to all second- and third-year students who
demonstrate excellence in legal writing and analysis.
The
Texas Forum on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights bridges the gap between
theoretical and practical issues in the fields of civil liberties and civil
rights. Published in conjunction with the Section on Individual Rights and
Responsibilities of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Forum synthesizes
and analyzes current thinking on issues in these areas in Texas through articles
by legal scholars, practicing attorneys, state and federal judges, and students.
Membership is open to second- and third-year students who participate in the
write-on competition or who submit a paper on a civil rights - related topic.
The student body of the law school is organized as a
Student Bar Association, the membership of which includes all students in the
school. The officers of the association are president, vice president,
secretary, treasurer, and Board of Governors. The organization coordinates the
intellectual, cultural, social, and community service activities of the student
body. Its goals are to unify the students and direct them toward worthy ends; to
enhance cooperation and understanding among students, the faculty, and
practitioners; and to foster respect for the legal profession and pride in the
School of Law.
The Asian Law Students Association (ALSA) is dedicated to
addressing the interests and concerns of the Asian American community at the law
school. Open to all members of the law school community, ALSA sponsors a variety
of activities to meet students' social and academic needs. In addition to social
activities, the organization has sponsored workshops on a variety of topics,
including tips for studying and outlining for final exams and registration
advice. Members of ALSA attended the first annual statewide meeting of Asian
American attorneys in the spring of 1995 and sponsored the Thomas Tang Regional
Moot Court Competition at the law school the following fall. ALSA participates
in the National Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (NAPALSA).
Assault and Flattery
(A&F) is one of the largest student organizations at the law school. Each
spring A&F presents the school's annual musical comedy revue as part of Law
Week. Usually based on a popular film or Broadway musical, the show embraces and
satirizes all aspects of the legal profession--students, faculty members, and
the law itself. The production is written, directed, designed, and choreographed
by law students and features live performances by student and faculty actors,
singers, dancers, and musicians.
The Board of Advocates (BOA) promotes development of
practical skills in oral and written legal advocacy and sponsors a wide range of
activities designed to give participants realistic experience in trial and
appellate advocacy, negotiation, and client contact. The Niemann Cup,
established by Stanley P. and Claudie P. Wilson in 1984, is awarded to the top
advocate in each graduating class. Teams compete in a wide range of
interscholastic moot court, mock trial, client counseling, alternative dispute
resolution, and negotiation contests. Students annually enter the Association of
the Bar of the City of New York National Moot Court Competition (the nation's
oldest) and several other moot court competitions. In 1995, BOA teams won
national championships in the Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court
Competition and the Robert F. Wagner, Sr., Labor Law Moot Court Competition. The
interscholastic mock trial teams are active with National Trial Lawyers,
American Trial Lawyers Association, and Tournament of Champions. The Board of
Advocates hosted the initial Texas Invitational Mock Trial Competition in 1992
and will host the initial Whittier National Juvenile Law Moot Court Competition
in 1996.
In preparation for interscholastic competition, the board sponsors
five mock trial and two moot court intramural competitions. Client counseling,
alternative dispute resolution, negotiation, and voir dire competitions are
offered. These competitions, with the critiques and coaching provided by the
legal community, promote the development of advocacy skills and provide
important experience for prospective practitioners.
The
Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association (CHLSA) was formed to articulate and
promote the interests of Hispanic law students and to recruit and encourage
Hispanics in the School of Law. Members participate in a mentor program with
Austin lawyers, many of whom are School of Law graduates. CHLSA holds outlining
and exam preparation sessions for freshlaw members and organizes social
activities. Members also provide free assistance to organizations serving
clients who cannot afford representation.
The Christian Legal Society (CLS) is a nondenominational
association of law students seeking friendship and encouragement and a refuge
from the challenges of law school. Activities include weekly meetings followed
by informal fellowships, Bible study groups, retreats, and special service
projects. Meetings involve presentations by area attorneys, religious leaders,
and CLS members, as well as other programs designed to meet the needs of
members.
The
Corporate Counsel Society recognizes that the traditional private law firm is
not suited to everyone and is dedicated to exploring other paths open to new
attorneys. One such path, in-house counseling for corporations, offers an
opportunity to combine legal skill with business acumen. The Society seeks to
educate law students about the alternatives available to them, and to notify
corporations about the wealth of legal talent available to them. Each year,
the Corporate Counsel Society sponsors several speakers on such issues as the
ways an in-house counsel position differs from that of an associate in a private
firm; the places in the corporate structure that a legal degree can fit; and
ways to select and approach a potential corporate employer.
The Corporate
Counsel Society also keeps in touch with the legal departments of corporations
through its mentor program, visiting speakers, events cosponsored with the
Austin In-House Counsel Group, and the annual Corporate Counsel Day sponsored by
the Career Services Office.
The Environmental Law Society provides career counseling,
networking opportunities, and internships to students with an interest in
environmental law. It also works on improving the environmental curricula at the
law school and promoting speakers, symposia, and scholarships. Projects include
recycling, attending the National Association of Environmental Law Societies
conferences, and hosting the Environmental Moot Court Competition, which chooses
the team to represent the law school at the Pace National Environmental Moot
Court Competition.
For twenty-five years, University law students have
participated in a spring break exchange program with law students at the
University of Guanajuato in Mexico. For one week, students visit the city of
Guanajuato to learn about the culture and legal system there. In turn, the law
school hosts students from Guanajuato on their spring vacation and introduces
them to US law and Texas tradition.
Organized in 1992, the Health Law Society was founded by
students with a background in health and medicine and others interested in
learning more about emerging areas in the field of health law. Members have the
opportunity to gain legal experience through paid and volunteer internships in
the public and private sectors and through the submission of notes to the
Health Law Journal of the Texas Bar Association. Members are invited to
attend a series of professional conferences examining contemporary issues for
attorneys, health care professionals, and health care administrators. Experts in
health law are also brought to campus as part of the society's speakers program.
In 1993 the society assisted the Texas Journal of Women and the Law with
the Spring Symposium on Women's Health Issues and the Law. The Health Law
Society is open to all law students.
Intellectual property law, the law of patents,
copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, is currently the area with the
greatest market demand. The Intellectual Property Law Society exists to inform
and assist students interested in the practice of intellectual property law. The
society offers regular guest speakers, opportunities to visit with local
intellectual property lawyers, and broad ranging information about the area,
including the Patent and Trademark Office examination and career options. The
first Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal was published in 1992.
Law students
interested in the formation and impact of international and comparative law make
up the International Law Society. In addition to sponsoring lectures by
distinguished academics and practicing attorneys, the society operates a program
of field visits and is involved with the Guanajuato Exchange Program. It also
sponsors the Jessup Moot Court Competition at the University with the Board of
Advocates.
The Jewish Law Students Association strives to give members an opportunity to
learn about topics of interest to the Jewish legal community, primarily through
lectures, seminars, and informal discussions. Social activities include happy
hours, parties with other Jewish graduate students on campus, a Passover Seder,
and a break fast after Yom Kippur.
The Legal Research Board, open to second- and third-year law
students by invitation only, offers a unique opportunity for interaction between
students of the law school and practicing attorneys. Operating under a
charter from the State Bar of Texas, the board offers legal research and
memorandum preparation services to members of the bar across the country.
Invitations to membership are extended to interested law students who have
demonstrated their ability to do superior legal research and writing, either
through their performance in the first-year legal research and writing program
or through participation in a write-on competition. Members receive modest
compensation for the memorandums they produce.
The National Lawyers Guild is a
national network of more than five thousand lawyers, legal workers, law
students, and jailhouse lawyers that has provided legal support to virtually
every campaign for economic, social, and political justice in this country since
1937. The programs of the University chapter of the guild reflect the diverse
interests of progressive students at the law school and provide a forum for
action on a variety of issues. Activities include guest speakers, meetings with
alumni, symposia, workshops, and volunteer legal aid projects. Students may take
part in guild activities beginning in their first semester.
Project Info is made up of three to five
second- and third-year minority students, selected by the assistant dean for
admissions and the director of admissions, who assist the law school to recruit
outstanding minority students. Project Info students travel throughout Texas and
the United States to talk to students about the study of law at the University.
They also attempt to contact all minority students who have been admitted to
answer their questions and encourage them to enroll in the law school.
The Roundtable creates a forum for
learning and interaction between a select group of female law students and
alumnae of Leadership Texas. The purpose of the program, like that of Leadership
Texas, is to help develop the potential of future female leaders and to
contribute to their empowerment. The casual dinner format of the roundtable
meetings is an opportunity for students to meet and talk with judges, lawyers,
and community leaders from both the public and the private sectors.
The
Student Recruitment and Orientation Committee (SROC) is open to students
interested in meeting new and potential law students. SROC introduces potential
students and entering freshlaw students to the law school through a number of
projects; these include freshlaw orientation, fall open house, UT Undergraduate
Day, spring phonathon, Prospective Students Day, law school tours, and new
student contact buddies.
The Texas Federalist Society of Law and Public
Policy provides a forum for discussion about constitutional and economic issues
and about the impact of judicial activism on the American courts. The society
sponsors presentations on a wide variety of topics by speakers from the local,
state, and national communities; many of these presentations are open to all law
students. The group also sponsors meetings with conservative leaders in the
Austin legal community. Members may contribute articles and editorial
services to the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy and may attend
the National Federalist Symposium, an annual conference that was held at the
University in 1992.
The Thurgood Marshall Legal Society (TMLS) is the law school
affiliate of the Black Law Students Association. The purpose of TMLS is to
foster legal, cultural, and social awareness among black law students. To
achieve this goal, TMLS maintains a variety of subcommittees that address such
areas as academics, public relations, community service, placement, alumni
relations, and fundraising. TMLS actively recruits African Americans into the
law school community and promotes an atmosphere at the law school that is
conducive to their success. 
26 January 1996.
Registrar's Web Team
Comments to rgcat@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu
