houck2040/law huggingface dataset:
Texas A&M Law Professor Huyen Pham, newly elected member of the American Law Institute
Professor Huyen Pham is Texas A&M University School of Law's newest member of the American Law Institute (ALI). ALI is the "leading independent organization" in the U.S. producing scholarly work to improve the law. Pham is one of 59 members elected by her peers to ALI in 2019.

Celebrating 90 years of existence, ALI is made up of 3,000 judges, lawyers and law professors from the United States and abroad. ALI drafts, discusses, revises and publishes Restatements of the Law, Model Codes and Principles of Law that are influential in the courts and legislatures and in legal scholarship and education.

ALI is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and improve the law. By participating in the Institute’s work, its distinguished members have the opportunity to influence the development of the law in both existing and emerging areas, to work with other eminent lawyers, judges, and academics, to give back to a profession to which they are deeply dedicated, and to contribute to the public good.

​Pham joins 10 current Texas A&M Law faculty ALI members: 
Dean Robert Ahdieh
Irene Calboli
Susan Fortney
Paul George
Randy Gordon
Michael Z. Green
Bill Henning
Glynn Lunney
Andrew Morriss
Meg Penrose

According to ALI, the integrity of the people in the organization ensure quality. Careful analysis vs. personal preference is the common practice of members when discussing uncertainties.

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said at an ALI annual meeting in 2002, "This is the most prestigious legal group in the United States. The American Law Institute is the leading institution in forming written expression of legal principles that have evolved in many areas of the law."

Learn more about ALI.

Pham's scholarship focuses on immigration law and the changing enforcement roles for the federal government, local governments and private parties. Recently, Pham and her co-principal investigator, Professor Pham Hoang Van (an economist at Baylor University), received a $35,000 grant from the Russell Sage Foundation to fund their research project, “The Spillover Effects of 287(g) Agreements on State Trooper Policing.” In 2018, ​Pham was awarded the Eminent Scholar Award by Texas A&M University and the Women Former Students' Network.

Learn more about Professor Huyen Pham.
Professor Milan Markovic, 2019 Texas A&M University Presidential Impact Fellow
Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young and Provost and Executive Vice President Carol Fierke have selected Professor Milan Markovic as a 2019 Presidential Impact Fellow. This honor recognizes “continued development and excellence” in faculty and assists honorees to enhance their “transformational learning, discovery, innovation and impact.” Presidential Impact Fellows are identified by their college and dean and confirmed by the academic leadership. Each is considered to be a candidate for continued, or new, national and international acclaim.

Markovic will receive use of the title Presidential Impact Fellow for life, an annual stipend and recognition at a reception in November. Markovic, co-convener of the Texas A&M Program in Law and Social Science, is a legal ethics and profession scholar who is currently studying lawyers’ career trajectories and artificial intelligence's impact on the legal market.

"I have very supportive colleagues and am fortunate to be a part of a University that invests in its faculty,” says Markovic.
Timothy Mulvaney, professor of law and associate dean for faculty research and development, named inaugural Cambridge Centre for Property Law Fellow
Texas A&M University School of Law's Timothy Mulvaney, professor of law and associate dean for faculty research and development, has been appointed as one of four inaugural fellows of the Centre for Property Law (CCPL) at the University of Cambridge.

The Centre furthers research and scholarship in the field of the law of real property – land law, landlord and tenant law, aspects of trusts law and related matters connected with real property such as planning and environmental regulation. The Centre convenes academic conferences and works with governmental and non-governmental agencies on "both the policy and technical detail of the law relating to property."

Mulvaney, lauded as "a leading light in the progressive property theory school" by the Centre, is particularly concerned with the law of takings and regulatory enforcement. His recent article, ​"Property-as-Society" [2018, Wisconsin Law Review], presents a compelling case for moving away from a liberty-focused account of property.
Texas A&M University School of Law's Innocence Project clinic welcomes Amanda Knox and Anna Vasquez Tuesday, October 8 at 12 noon. Both Knox and Vasquez were wrongfully convicted and exonerated after serving time behind bars and would like to share their stories with students, faculty, staff and the community. 


Knox is an exoneree, journalist, public speaker and author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Waiting to Be Heard (HarperCollins, April 2013). Between 2007 and 2015, she spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit.

She hosted The Scarlet Letter Reports, a VICE/Facebook series about the public vilification of women and currently hosts The Truth About True Crime, a podcast series for Sundance/AMC that she produces and writes.


Vasquez served nearly 13 years for a crime she did not commit and that never occurred. She and her three friends that spent 22 years fighting for their innocence are known as the San Antonio Four. All four were exonerated in 2016. Now, as the director of outreach and education for the Innocence Project of Texas, Vasquez is dedicated to sharing her experience in the hopes of "improving the justice system and preventing similar occurrences."

The Innocence Project of Texas (IPTX) is an organization dedicated to the mission of securing the release of people who are wrongly convicted in the state of Texas and educating the public about the causes and effects of wrongful convictions.

Kristie Mayhugh, Anna Vasquez, Cassandra Rivera and Elizabeth Ramirez and their attorney, Mike Ware, Texas A&M Law adjunct professor, at the Fort Worth screening of the documentary "Southwest of Salem" hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law.
Knox and Vasquez will be joined by Mike Ware, Vasquez's attorney and Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Texas. He is also Texas A&M University School of Law Innocence ​Project clinic director and adjunct professor. 

Texas A&M School of Law clinic students, in collaboration with The Innocence Project of Texas, can earn course credit by investigating the cases of defendants who claim actual innocence, even after all appeals have failed. 

Coincidentally, October 2 was designated Wrongful Conviction Day by the Innocence Project of Texas and the Innocence Network. It is an annual observance "dedicated to ending wrongful convictions and highlighting the plight of those convicted of crimes they did not commit." This year, the day highlighted the role that human factors play in criminal investigations and the efforts to prevent wrongful convictions through 40 events.

Have a question you would like Amanda and/or Anna to answer? Click here to submit.
Texas A&M University School of Law ​incoming students participated in a "Poverty Simulation" during Orientation last week. Conducted by the Texas Access to Justice Commission, the simulation's purpose, according to the Commission, was to give students a "small taste of what life is like on a limited income." Participants faced challenges that frequently plague families with limited resources, and they were asked to note thoughts and emotions for a discussion following the simulation. 
First-year Aggie Law students participate in the Texas Access to Justice "Poverty Simulation"
In the simulation, one hour represented one month's time, and students had to survive by:

Keeping their housing secure
Buying the required amount of food each week
Keeping utilities on
Making all payments
Responding appropriately to unexpected factors
Keeping infants in daycare and school-age children in school

"This is not a game," said Shawna Smith-Thornton of ​Texas A&M Law's student affairs office. "Millions face these challenges every day."

Family profiles were distributed, and participants were asked to assess if their housing was too small for their families or if their neighborhoods were overcrowded. Some households received government assistance and had checks enclosed in their family packets. Picture cards represented belongings; and in some instances, families had to pawn or sell items to pay bills.

Those individuals with jobs had to go to work to receive a paycheck, while arranging for daycare and transportation. Finally, expenses had to be paid at the beginning of the month with delinquency becoming a reality after the third week, if not earlier. Community resources for transportation, food, banking, legal aid, housing, health care and utilities were also available for families. 

Yet, as in real life, vendors were impatient and resources scarce--all things that budding law students needed to experience.

"I participated and then facilitated a debrief of a small group of students the next day. They gained some great insights. Glad we were able to do this as part of 1L orientation." said Bob Probasco, senior lecturer and director of Texas A&M's Low Income Tax Clinic.

In addition to the poverty simulation, the week-long incoming-student Orientation included:

Convocation and Oath with the Law School Dean, Robert B. Ahdieh, as well as leaders from the judiciary, State Bar of Texas, Texas Young Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Bar Association and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
Declaration of Intent to Study Law led by directors from Texas Lawyers Assistance Program and Texas Board of Law Examiners
Panel on "Discovering your Professional Identity"
Discussion on "Breaking Bias"
"2019 Aggie Law Project" -- community service projects around Fort Worth
Academic Support Program presentation
Instructional tour of the Dee J. Kelly Law Library
Jump start on their first-year classes
Texas A&M University School of Law Global Programs wrapped up a busy spring and summer with the completion of the field work portions of the 2019 Global Lawyering Field Courses to Cambodia and the British Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. Supported by a Global Engagement Grant, students also traveled to Mexico as part of the Mexican Reintegration Project.

The field course to Cambodia focused on "Art, Fashion, Food & Culture: Trade and Sustainable Development in Cambodia" and was led by Professors Irene Calboli and Jeff Slattery. During their two-week stay in Cambodia, the ​students visited with law firms, government offices and silk weavers. They also traveled to Kampot to learn about production and marketing of the prized and geographically protected Kampot pepper.

The field course to Jersey and Guernsey studied the effects of Brexit on these Crown Dependencies and their role as financial centers in the world economy. The course was led by Professor Charlotte Ku and Dean of the Texas A&M School of Innovation, Andy Morriss. ​Students had the opportunity to engage with bankers, lawyers, financial regulators and senior government officials, including the Attorney General of Jersey.

Aggie law students also traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, as part of the Mexican Reintegration Project Global Engagement Grant. Directed by Professors Luz Herrera, Huyen Pham, Angela Morrison and Guillermo Garcia Sanchez, the three-year project is a collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts, represented by Professor Sonia Hernandez, Department of History, and Professor Nancy Plankey-Videla, Department of Sociology. 

The project’s objective is to help students understand the complexity of deportation through experiential learning, research inquiries and service projects. The students visit reintegration centers in Mexico, interview deportees and ​intern with centers that assist deportees. The research will be shared ​with services providers and attorneys who work with Mexican deportees. 

In addition to the field courses, students also participated in the Texas A&M Borderlands Law Program in Laredo which includes a joint Texas A&M Law-Texas A&M International University immersive course followed by summer externships/internships in the Laredo area for the law students. The intensive Borderlands Law class exposes students to current legal issues affecting the U.S.-Mexico border region, such as immigration, trade and business, and natural resources, water and the environment. 

Learn more about Global Lawyering Field Courses:

Texas A&M University School of Law Global Lawyering Field Courses are faculty-led courses designed to provide students opportunities to develop both the skills and the mindset to engage effectively with different legal systems on particular topics. Course components include an initial introduction to the area and topic under study, a field work component and completion of a project incorporating field work findings.

For information about the above or interest in developing a field course, please contact Charlotte Ku, Associate Dean for Global Programs, at cku@law.tamu.edu.
Reposted with permission. Article originally appeared in the Corsicana Daily Sun as "Local Attorney Earns Scholarship."

Kathleen Hodge Cameron '16
Local criminal defense attorney, Kathleen Hodge Cameron was recently awarded the Future Indigent Defense Leaders Project Scholarship in Criminal Defense. She was selected to be a part of this innovative program. Selected through a competitive process, FIDL Project members become part of an exclusive statewide team dedicated to real-world positive change.
Cameron is a graduate of Texas A&M University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Texas. She is a lifelong Navarro County resident and practices criminal defense here in Navarro County at Keathley & Keathley Law Firm.
The three years of support included in the program provide the skills to become outstanding advocates for indigent people accused of crimes. Project members are guaranteed enrollment in Gideon’s Promise, a nationally renowned teaching institution for indigent defense, led by the “Genius Grant” recipient Jon Rapping.
The Future Indigent Defense Leaders Project is an unique opportunity for new and aspiring criminal defense attorneys to receive the most innovative and comprehensive training in indigent defense.
The Texas Indigent Defense Commission, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and the Harris County Public Defender’s Office have partnered to launch this selective, three-year indigent defense training, mentoring, and leadership program. The goal is to create the next generation of highly skilled, client-centered attorneys to represent poor people charged with crimes.
As seen on the HBO documentary “Gideon’s Army,” the institute uses cutting-edge techniques to train defense attorneys across the country to challenge and reform systemic injustice within their communities.
Texas A&M University School of Law alumnus Aaron Mitchell was awarded the Dean's Graduate Award Scholarship to attend New York University's Graduate Tax Program. Mitchell received his bachelor's degree in economics from Texas A&M University in 2016 and completed his J.D. this May. Mitchell will be the first Texas A&M law student to attend the top-ranked LL.M. program.
 
Mitchell has taken courses from and served as a research assistant for William H. Byrnes, a highly-published Texas A&M Law tax professor. Byrnes is considered an authority in his field.
 
“Aaron excelled both as a student in his Federal Income Tax course and as a research assistant by assisting with my LexisNexis tax treatises,” said Byrnes. 

“His excellent analysis and writing skills, coupled with his knack for creative problem solving suggest he is going to have a very successful tax career after the completion of his LL.M.” 
 
Mitchell said, “I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to attend NYU's program, and I am also thankful for the guidance Professor Byrnes gave me along the way. Without his inspiration, network and expertise, this would not have been possible. I am also incredibly thankful to [tax law professor and Low Income Tax Clinic director] Robert D. Probasco for his guidance and [Texas A&M University] President Michael Young for encouraging me to pursue the study of law.”
 
Mitchell also attributes his success in tax courses to Texas A&M Law's ​first-year Legislation and Regulation course, where he says he learned valuable skills for interpreting the Internal Revenue Code and other statutes under Professor Fatma Marouf. 
 
Mitchell will sit for the July 2019 Texas Bar Exam before reporting to NYU in mid-August.
Texas A&M University School of Law has placed in the top 10 in the American Bar Association's 2018-19 “ABA Competitions Championship.”
This is the second year in a row Texas A&M has finished in the ABA top 10.
Per the ABA, "The award was created to recognize law schools that go above and beyond to help prepare their students for practice. Success in these competitions illustrate your school’s commitment to providing a well-rounded curriculum and preparing students to become highly skilled lawyers. We are proud that the ABA competitions are an important part of the hands-on learning experiences available to your students.”
Texas A&M Law School Dean Bobby Ahdieh lauded the success of the Advocacy Program, adding, "Let me particularly thank [Advocacy Program Director] Jen Ellis, as well as Kay Elliott, Susan Fortney, Michael Green, Jim Hambleton, Neal Newman, Lynne Rambo, Peter Reilly and Joe Spence for their support of the teams that got us this happy result."
Aggie Law's two regional championship teams finished the 2018-19 competition year as national semifinalists:

Moot court team of third-year students John Robinson, Heather Nichols and second-year student Grant Schauer, ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) team of third-year students Derek McKee and Kaitlyn Pound, ABA Representation in Mediation Competition

The championships rank law schools based on the points the school earns through their teams’ performance and participation in the ABA Law Student Division’s four practical skills competitions:  arbitration, negotiation, client counseling and national appellate advocacy competition (NAAC Moot Court).
Learn more about the Texas A&M School of Law Advocacy Program:
The Advocacy Program at Texas A&M School of Law is a key component of Texas A&M School of Law’s Experiential Education program, making Aggie law students practice-ready. Directed by Jennifer Ellis, the Advocacy Program consists of three disciplines: appellate advocacy (moot court), trial advocacy (mock trial) and dispute resolution (mediation, negotiation and client counseling).
Our Moot Court, Mock Trial and Aggie Dispute Resolution teams are nationally recognized. Since the law school’s inception, the program has received:

3 international championships
12 national championships
25 regional championships
1 state championship
1​6 best advocate awards
13 best brief awards
Texas A&M University School of Law former student, Najmu Mohseen J.D. '19, has been awarded a 2019 Equal Justice Works Fellowship, one of the most prestigious and competitive post-graduate legal fellowships in the country.

Each year, Equal Justice Works selects a class of passionate public service leaders who have designed two-year projects in partnership with legal services organizations that help build sustainable solutions in the communities where they serve. The selected aspiring public interest lawyers will ​​work on projects of their own design to increase equal access to justice for communities in need. The projects are funded by the generous support of law firms, corporations, foundations, and individuals. ​Mohseen was one of the 76 new lawyers selected from over 450 applicants​.

Mohseen will be hosted by the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, where she will uphold the First Amendment rights of incarcerated Muslims to practice their faith by creating know-your-rights materials for detention centers and prisons. Mohseen will create a comprehensive manual that identifies the constitutionally-protected religious rights of Muslim prisoners and detainees as well as cost-effective methods for implementation by institutions. She will also supplement these efforts by know-your-rights presentations to the Muslim community, so that they will be able to identify when their rights are being violated. She is sponsored by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

"The Equal Justice Works Fellowship program offers aspiring public interest lawyers an opportunity to do so much more than provide legal representation—it's an opportunity to become a force for change," said David Stern, executive director at Equal Justice Works. "We are excited to welcome these new Fellows and look forward to seeing how they will help balance the scales of justice in our country."

► Learn more.

Current law students can learn more about designing their own fellowship project.
This May, Texas A&M University will surpass 500,000 former students and record more than 500,000 degrees granted since its opening in the fall of 1876, according to Texas A&M Today. Texas A&M University will award a record 10,767 degrees at 15 commencement ceremonies across multiple campuses. 

“These milestones are reflective of our commitment to our land-grant mission to bring higher education to all who seek it, to develop leaders of character and to pursue excellence in teaching, research and service,” Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young said. “Congratulations to the Class of 2019 for being part of this historic moment, and thank you to each and every Aggie who came before for providing the foundation upon which we will continue to build.”

“This milestone is a testament to the unique and unparalleled education and experience provided by Texas A&M. As we also celebrate our 140th year of service and support to Texas A&M, I know the 11 Aggies who created our organization in 1879 would be proud to see the difference 500,000 former students have made on Texas A&M and our world,” The Association of Former Students President and CEO Porter S. Garner III said.

This spring's ceremonies will again feature the highest number of degrees for any one semester in Texas A&M's and the State of Texas' history. 
Law School Commencement
Commencement ceremonies will be held May 3 in Fort Worth for Texas A&M University School of Law for 17​4 graduates. The day will include a Law School Aggie Ring ceremony and a Military Cord ceremony prior to the hooding ceremony. 

Both Juris Doctor (J.D.) and graduate degrees will be conferred at the Law School commencement ceremony. The school's first Masters of Jurisprudence (M.Jur.) ​diplomas will be awarded along with Masters of Law (LL.M.) honors. Graduates include in-resident J.D. and graduate students from the Fort Worth campus as well as students from the San Antonio-based M.Jur. business curriculum program. Also walking across the stage are students who earned their ​graduate degrees in ​risk ​management or ​wealth management via Texas A&M Law's innovative online program.

The law school graduation ceremony will include presentations for the Equal Justice Award for legal pro bono ​service, National Order of Scribes induction, the Excellence in Appellate Advocacy Award and the Bar Exam Achievement Award. Texas A&M Law Clinics will present awards for Selfless Service and Excellence in Professionalism. Students who earned a concentration by completing a focused curriculum in a specific area of law will also be recognized.
Texas A&M University School of Law ​Advocacy Program moot court and mediation competition teams finish as ABA national semifinalists.
Texas A&M University School of Law Advocacy Program ABA national semifinalist team members John Robinson, Heather Nichols and Grant Schauer (​moot ​court) ​with Derek McKee and Kaitlyn Pound (​mediation)
Both Texas A&M University School of Law ​Advocacy Program teams competing in the American Bar Association (ABA) national finals this month finished as national semifinalists--top four in the nation. 

The moot court team of third-year students Heather Nichols, John Robinson and second-year student Grant Schauer were national semifinalists at the ABA National Appellate Advocacy ​Competition in Chicago. ​Texas A&M Law Advocacy Program Director Jennifer Ellis coached the team.

According to Ellis, this event is the most prestigious moot court competition in the nation, starting with 198 teams competing at the regional level. Then, 24 regional champions compete for the national title. It is also "extremely difficult" to get to the national semifinal level. It has only been achieved once before at the law school, 14 years ago.

Three out of the top four teams in the national competition were from Texas, highlighting the strength and competitiveness of Texas schools. 

The alternative dispute resolution (ADR) team of third-year students Kaitlyn Pound and Derek McKee were national semifinalists at the ABA Representation in Mediation ​Competition in Minneapolis in early April. They were coached by Kay Elliott, Texas A&M Law adjunct professor. This marks Pound's second national semifinalist achievement, having also been a national semifinalist at the ABA Client Counseling national finals last spring. 

"It’s very difficult to achieve such a high level of success twice in different competitions." said Ellis of Pound's accomplishment. "This was Mr. McKee’s first advocacy competition, which is impressive," added Ellis.
Learn more about the Texas A&M School of Law Advocacy Program:

The Advocacy Program at Texas A&M School of Law is a key component of Texas A&M School of Law’s Experiential Education program, making Aggie law students practice-ready. Directed by Jennifer Ellis, the Advocacy Program consists of three disciplines: appellate advocacy (moot court), trial advocacy (mock trial) and dispute resolution (mediation, negotiation and client counseling).
Our Moot Court, Mock Trial and Aggie Dispute Resolution teams are nationally recognized. Since the law school’s inception, the program has received:

3 international championships
12 national championships
25 regional championships
1 state championship
1​6 best advocate awards
13 best brief awards
Prof. John Murphy, 2019 Texas A&M University Distinguished Achievement Award recipient
Texas A&M University School of Law Instructional Associate Professor John Murphy has been selected to receive a Texas A&M University Distinguished Achievement Award in the category of teaching. 

Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young says that this award is “among the most prestigious awards that can be presented to faculty or staff at Texas A&M University. The selection is rigorous, and the recipients are chosen by a campus-wide committee composed of faculty, students, former students, and staff.” The award is funded by the Association of Former Students.

Twenty-four outstanding members of the university’s faculty and staff will be honored at the awards ceremony later this month in College Station, and each recipient will receive a cash gift, an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque.

The university-level Distinguished Achievement Awards were first presented in 1955 and have since been awarded to more than 1,000 professionals who have exhibited the highest standards of excellence at Texas A&M.
Prof. John Murphy and students ​sprucing up Morningside Elementary in Fort Worth with collegiate colors during the 2018 ​Law ​School Big Event

It's not only the leadership at College Station that has recognized Professor Murphy's outstanding skill in the classroom -- he has been elected five times as "Legal Analysis, Research and Writing Program Professor of the Year" by students at the law school. His research focuses on legal pedagogy, logic, and legal writing, utilizing his expertise in Texas appellate practice and teaching lawyering skills. He joins law school professors Meg Penrose (2017 for teaching) and Megan Carpenter (2016 for graduate mentoring) as recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award.
Students participating in the the Texas A&M University School of Law Immigrant Rights Clinic won protection under the Convention Against Torture for a client from Somalia last week. The court found a greater than 50 percent chance of future torture with government acquiescence. This is an extremely difficult type of case to win, according to Texas A&M University Law Professor and Director of the Immigrants Rights Clinic Fatma Marouf. Nationwide, only 1.8 percent of applications under the Convention Against Torture were granted in 2017.

When the Texas A&M Law clinic students took on the case last spring, the client was detained in Texas with a deportation order and on the brink of being sent back to Somalia. He had also been badly abused in immigration detention. Students and advisers obtained an emergency stay of removal, reopened his case and won it. The client will now be able to live and work safely in the United States.

Texas A&M Immigrant Rights Clinic students Tom Watson, Loren Elkins and Craig Hargrove celebrate their client's win at the immigration court in Aurora, Colorado on March 28, 2019
Six students in the Immigrant Rights Clinic worked very hard on the case this semester: Claire Brown, Loren Elkins, Craig Hargrove, Karina Rios, Matt Smith and Tom Watson. Three of them, Hargrove, Elkins, and Watson, handled the trial before the Immigration Court in Aurora, Colorado, last week. The trial involved not only lengthy testimony by the client but also two expert witnesses (a medical expert and a country conditions expert) plus a lay witness. Additionally, the students submitted hundreds of pages of supporting documents and wrote two complex briefs.

The Immigrant Rights Clinic at Texas A&M School of Law engages law students in direct representation of immigrants before the Immigration Courts, Board of Immigration Appeals and U.S. Courts of Appeals. Representation focuses on deportation defense, particularly for individuals in immigration detention, as well as affirmative filings for survivors of crimes and abuse.

Anyone with limited financial resources in need of legal counsel related to immigration may contact the Immigrant Rights Clinic at https://law.tamu.edu/legal-assistance/immigrant-rights-clinic. Clients are selected based on a variety of factors, including educational value to the law students, potential impact on society or communities and timing.
Texas A&M University School of Law Professor Neil Sobol
Texas A&M University School of Law Professor Neil Sobol testified in support of Texas House Bill 996 before the Texas House Committee on ​Pensions, ​Investments and ​Financial ​Services on March 26, 2019, in Austin.

According to Sobol, the bill is aimed at reducing the abuses associated with the collection of time-barred debts by debt buyers. Under current law, a payment or acknowledgement of a time-barred debt can re-start the limitations clock creating an enforceable “zombie debt.” House Bill 996 would prevent the creation of zombie debts and would require debt buyers to provide notice when collecting on time-barred debts. 

One of the bill’s sponsors is state Representative Nicole Collier, House District 95, from Fort Worth. She is a graduate of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, now known as Texas A&M University School of Law. Professor Sobol spent several hours with Rep​. Collier and her staff responding to objections, drafting language for a substitute bill and working on her presentation of the bill.

See Professor Sobol's testimony at 1:42:50 in the Committee broadcast.

Professor Sobol's current research focuses on issues involving abuses by debt collectors in both the civil and criminal justice arenas, building upon his practice experience in consumer-protection issues. He has also testified ​about debt collection abuses before the United States Commission on Civil Rights in March 2017. At ​the briefing on “Targeted Fines and Fees against Low-Income Minorities: Civil Rights and Constitutional Implications,” his testimony focused on issues discussed in his article “Fighting Fines & Fees: Borrowing from Consumer Law to Combat Criminal Justice Debt Abuses” published in the Colorado Law Review.

Professor Sobol is the Director of the Legal Analysis, Research & Writing Program at Texas A&M School of Law.
Kevin Hernandez
Kevin Hernandez, editor-in-chief of the Texas A&M Journal of Property Law, considers his greatest accomplishment to date being offered an invitation to publish his article, "The Implications of Environmental Law and Latino Property Rights on Modern-Age Border Security: Rejecting a Physical Border and Embracing a Virtual Wall," with the Harvard Latinx Law Review.

He thanks Professors Timothy Mulvaney, Aric Short, Luz Herrera and Fatma Marouf for the "tremendous" role they play in his legal education and professional development during law school. Hernandez attributes his intellectual curiosity, perspective and writing style to their guidance.
Texas A&M University School of Law students, faculty, staff and partners traveled to the Rio Grande Valley late February to develop a better understanding of the border region. 

The Rio Grande Valley is one of the fastest growing regions in Texas, according to Professor Luz Herrera, Associate Dean for Experiential Education. Herrera leads the law school's clinical legal education efforts and works to expose students to real-world application of the law.
 
Aggie Law students, many from the Texas A&M Legal Clinics, including the Family and Veterans Advocacy Clinic, the Immigrant Rights Clinic, and the Probate & Estate Planning Clinic, conducted a pro bono workshop on ​Transfer on ​​Death Deeds and Power of Attorney at LUPE, La Unión del Pueblo Entero, a community organization founded by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta in 1989. The Rio Grande Valley LUPE office was established in 2003. 
 
In concert with College Station undergraduate and graduate students from the history and civil engineering departments, Texas A&M ​law students addressed disaster preparedness, housing, community development, border-crossing infrastructure, transportation and trade.

Following the trip, all of the students will work together to develop an interdisciplinary brochure, podcast, video and research report chronicling their experiences.

Aggie law students have the opportunity to delve deeper into contemporary legal issues involving the U.S.- Mexico border in the "Borderlands Law" collaborative summer program. Began in 2016, the program ​includes a two-week immersive, experience-driven course with Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students in Laredo. ​Many of the law students will then continue on in five-to-six-week-long legal externships or internships in the Laredo area.  



Photos courtesy of Texas A&M Family and Veterans Advocacy Clinic. ​View the photo album.
Two Texas A&M University School of Law Advocacy Program competition teams won their regional championships and advanced to the national finals.

ADR regional champions Kaitlyn Pound and Derek McKee
The alternative dispute resolution (ADR) team of 3Ls Kaitlyn Pound and Derek McKee won the St. Louis Regional of the 20th Annual ABA Representation in Mediation Regional Competition held at Washington University School of Law on February 24. They are coached by Kay Elliott. The national finals will be held at the annual spring conference of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution in Minneapolis in April.

Moot court regional champions John Robinson, Grant Schauer and Heather Nichols
The moot court team of 3Ls Heather Nichols and John Robinson and 2L Grant Schauer won the San Francisco Regional of the American Bar Association (ABA) National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) in late February. Robinson also won the fifth place Best Advocate award. They are coached by Jennifer Ellis, Director of Advocacy Programs at the law school. The team will head to national finals in Chicago in April.

In addition, 3L Brady Odom and 2L Gianna Redeemer placed second at the Houston Regional of the ABA Client Counseling Competition, narrowly missing advancement to the national finals. They also were coached by Kay Elliott. And 3L Hannah Hansen and 2L Garrett Cleveland placed fifth out of 22 teams at the Lubbock Regional of the National Trial Competition. They were coached by Justice Lee Gabriel.

"All of these students put in significant time and effort to achieve these successes at these extremely prestigious and highly competitive competitions. Please join me in congratulating them and wishing our regional champions good luck at the national finals!" said Ellis.

These aren't the only Texas A&M advocacy teams to advance to national finals this year. The Black Law Students Association's (BLSA) mock trial team of 3Ls Enrica Martey, Sara Vargas, Regina Palmer-Coleman and Shawn Pullum placed second at the southwest region's Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition (CBMMTC) held in New Orleans ​in early January. The team, coached by Doug Greene, will compete in the NBLSA national finals in Little Rock in March. Learn more.
Learn more about the Texas A&M School of Law Advocacy Program:

The Advocacy Program at Texas A&M School of Law is a key component of Texas A&M School of Law’s Experiential Education program, making Aggie law students practice-ready. Directed by Jennifer Ellis, the Advocacy Program consists of three disciplines: appellate advocacy (moot court), trial advocacy (mock trial) and dispute resolution (mediation, negotiation and client counseling).
Our Moot Court, Mock Trial and Aggie Dispute Resolution teams are nationally recognized. Since the law school’s inception, the program has received:

3 international championships
12 national championships
25 regional championships
1 state championship
1​6 best advocate awards
13 best brief awards
Former Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández, will serve as the keynote speaker at NAFTA 2.0: The Puzzle of North America as a Region, hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law Program in Global and Comparative Law in Fort Worth, Texas, February 28 – March 1. Ambassador Gutierrez Fernandez will join 24 other thought-leaders and experts from a range of disciplines representing three countries.
The conference will consider the NAFTA 2.0 era, not only through the specific trade provisions of the USMCA, but also from the larger puzzle of North America as a region. Panelists will examine the North American puzzle in the context of emerging trends in international trade, shifts in geo-political and economic interests and the growing skepticism toward globalization and international dispute settlement.
The conference is open to the public, and registration is free. ​View the conference agenda.
About Ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández
Ambassador of Mexico to the U.S. (2017-2018); Managing Director of the North American Development Bank (NADB) (2010-2017); Deputy Secretary for Governance and Homeland Security in the Interior Ministry of Mexico (2009-2010); Undersecretary for North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico (2003-2006); currently Managing Partner at Beel Infrastructure Partners
Photo credit: AALS
The Section on Alternative Dispute Resolution, represented by section Chair-Elect Peter Reilly  (Texas A&M Law), receives the AALS Section of the Year Award from Committee on Sections Chair Anita Krug (University of Washington Law) at the AALS Annual Meeting.
Texas A&M School of Law Professor Peter Reilly, Chair-Elect of the AALS Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) section, was presented the Section of the Year Award at the 2019 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting.

The ADR section was recognized for mentorship, professional development programming and other activities that promote AALS Core Values. The section's wide variety of activities, including encouraging excellence in scholarship and teaching through its annual Works-in-Progress conferences, Legal Educators’ Colloquium, and Best ADR Article of the Year competition were highlighted.  

Reilly and current chair Ellen E. Deason, Ohio State University Micheal E. Moritz College of Law, and the ADR section were spotlighted in a recent interview. Reilly discussed legal educations' approach to dispute resolution and the future of the discipline. "It is sometimes said that conflict is a growth industry. We are in a good field," said Reilly.

Texas A&M University School of Law's Aggie Dispute Resolution Program faculty have been heavily involved with the section over the years. Professor Reilly will become Chair in January 2020, and Professors Nancy Welsh and Cynthia Alkon have both served as Chair of the ​section in past years. Texas A&M also hosted the AALS ADR Works-in-Progress Conference in 2015.

The 2019 AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans was host to more than 2,400 law faculty, deans, professional staff, and exhibitors. The 2019 meeting theme was “Building Bridges” exploring the important role lawyers and law schools play in helping to resolve the most pressing conflicts facing society today, including the #MeToo movement.






 
 


Nancy Welsh,
Texas A&M Law
 Aggie Dispute Resolution
 Program Director,
 Past AALS ADR Section Chair

Cynthia Alkon
Texas A&M Law
 Professor,
 Past AALS ADR Section Chair
  

Peter Reilly
Texas A&M Law
 Associate Professor,
 AALS ADR Section Chair-Elect
Texas A&M University will host the 6th Annual Water Lecture Speaker Series March 25-26.
The event will focus on cross-border water disputes and options for resolutions. Registration is now open at law.tamu.edu/waterlecture.
Amb. (ret.) Ram Aviram and Dr. Francesco Sindico, Texas A&M Water Lecture Series presenters, will discuss transboundary water governance.
The lecture series features the esteemed Ambassador (retired) Ram Aviram and Dr. Francesco Sindico. 
Aviram served as Israel's chief of staff, ambassador to Greece, director of the multilateral water negotiation team and Water & Environment Department director. Sindico co-directs the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Monday, March 25, lecture will be held at the law school in Fort Worth and is presented by the Texas A&M Program in Natural Resources Systems. The second lecture will take place in College Station at the Texas A&M University campus on the following day. Both lectures are open to the public.
The program is paired with Texas A&M's annual Water Daze conference, a university-wide event that allows faculty and students to showcase their water-related research. The conference is co-hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law, Texas Water Resources Institute, and Texas A&M Water Management and Hydrological Science program, with support from the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest.
Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández
Former Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández, will serve as ​a keynote speaker at NAFTA 2.0: The Puzzle of North America as a Region, hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas, February 28 – March 1. Ambassador Gutierrez Fernandez will join 24 other thought-leaders and experts from a range of disciplines representing three countries.
The conference will consider the NAFTA 2.0 era, not only through the specific trade provisions of the USMCA, but also from the larger puzzle of North America as a region. Panelists will examine the North American puzzle in the context of emerging trends in international trade, shifts in geo-political and economic interests and the growing skepticism toward globalization and international dispute settlement. The conference is presented by the Texas A&M Global and Comparative Law Program.
The conference is open to the public, and registration is free at law.tamu.edu/nafta. Click here to view the agenda.
About Ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández

Ambassador of Mexico to the U.S. (2017-2018)
Managing Director of the North American Development Bank (NADB) (2010-2017)
Deputy Secretary for Governance and Homeland Security in the Interior Ministry of Mexico (2009-2010)
Undersecretary for North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico (2003-2006)
Currently Managing Partner at Beel Infrastructure Partners

About Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M School of Law is an American Bar Association-accredited institution located in downtown Fort Worth. In 2013, the law school acquired Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. Since integrating with Texas A&M five years ago, the law school has sustained a remarkable upward trajectory by dramatically increasing entering class credentials, adding nine clinics and six global field study destinations, increasing the depth and breadth of its career services, student services, academic support and admissions functions and hiring twenty-six new faculty members.
 For more information, visit law.tamu.edu.
About Texas A&M University
Texas A&M, established in 1876 as the first public university in Texas, is one of the nation’s largest universities with more than 66,000 students and more than 440,000 living alumni residing in over 150 countries around the world. A tier-one university, Texas A&M holds the rare triple land-, sea- and space-grant designation. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of more than $905.4 million in fiscal year 2017. Texas A&M’s research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting, in many cases, in economic benefits to the state, nation and world.


 Media Contact: Tyler Gately, tgately@law.tamu.edu, 817-212-3863
2019 Bellow Scholar, Luz Herrera, Texas A&M School of Law professor and associate dean for experiential education
Luz Herrera, Texas A&M University School of Law professor and associate dean for experiential education, was named a Bellow Scholar during the annual meeting of the American Association of Law School (AALS) in New Orleans in January.

Every two years, scholars engaged in innovative research to "improve the quality of justice in communities, enhance the delivery of legal services and promote economic and social justice" become the focus of information sharing, discussion and critique at the annual AALS Clinical Conference and at annual workshops. The Bellow Scholar Program is particularly interested in "recognizing and supporting projects that employ empirical analysis as an advocacy tool and involve substantial collaboration between law and other academic disciplines."

Herrera's project, "Law Firm Incubator Study," surveys lawyers who participate in law firm incubator programs and work for nonprofit law firms that serve modest-income individuals by charging low bono rates. The principal objective is to learn more about the types of lawyers who are drawn to these programs and law firms so law schools can better support them. This project will be the first quantitative data set published on these lawyers.  

Herrera said "It is a study of community or ​Main Street lawyers who people, not corporations, use as a resource when dealing with a legal issue." Studying these lawyers, she said, helps legal professionals think of ways to support and provide more accessible legal services to communities that are underserved.

The Bellow Scholar Program reflects the ideals of Professor Gary Bellow, considered by many the founder of modern clinical legal education. The program is led by the Committee on Lawyering in the Public Interest, part of ​AALS's Clinical Section.

When asked why the Bellow Program is needed in the legal community, Herrera replied that lawyers are not generally trained in research methods; therefore, there are few groups within legal academia that support empirical research.

"I was thrilled to be joining a great network of scholar-clinicians who understand the importance of empirical work and the obstacles to overcome in doing it as a lawyer," said Herrera. "I look forward to learning a great deal from all of my peers who are already Bellow Scholars."