For the third time in the past eight years, the Texas Access to Justice Commission (ATJ) has honored South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL Houston) with its annual ATJ Law School Commitment to Service Award. This recognition “honors a law school that has carried forward one of the finest traditions of the legal profession by actively educating its students about access to justice issues, ” according to a press release. Trish McAllister, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, said in the release, “The commission recognizes the commitment to the provision of legal services to the poor by South Texas College of Law Houston as truly exceptional.” Texas Supreme Court Justices Eva Guzman (STLC ’89, an STCL Houston alumna) and Brett Busby presented STCL Houston president and Dean Michael F. Barry with the award in front of an audience of approximately 10,000 at the 2019 New Lawyer Induction ceremony held Nov. 18 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. South Texas College of Law Houston received the award in large part because of the innovative consolidation of its academic clinical program and pro bono initiatives. After renovating an entire floor of the school in 2013, STCL Houston opened the state-of-the-art Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, which pair law school faculty and staff with students who gain firsthand experience while learning about the challenges marginalized Texans face in obtaining access to justice.

Two Join Firm as Shareholders

Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli has continued to grow the firm’s Texas presence with the additions of shareholder Elizabeth N. Boydston, with joint offices in Dallas and Houston, and shareholder Edward T. Laborde Jr., who is based in Houston.