Points of Pride

World-Class Faculty and Facilities


Many faculty are nationally known subject-area experts, scholars and practitioners, including Fulbright Scholars as well as former U. S. Supreme Court and White House Clerks and Fellows.

School of Law Dean Charles E. Cantú is the longest-tenured Hispanic law professor in the country.

St. Mary's University School of Law has one of the most technologically advanced courtrooms in the nation. The courtroom serves as a state-of-the-art practice facility for the school’s advocacy programs as well as housing visiting courts that occasionally hear oral arguments on campus.

The Sarita Kenedy East Law Library is the largest legal information center in San Antonio and the surrounding area with a knowledgeable staff equipped to help students with their legal research needs.

The Center for Terrorism Law is a nationally recognized legal research center dedicated to the study of legal issues associated with antiterrorism and counterterrorism.

Named a 2012 Best Value Law School by The National Jurist, one of two private schools on the list.

Award-Winning Clinical Program


The Center for Legal and Social Justice is home to a nationally recognized clinical program offering students hands-on legal experience representing San Antonio’s indigent and disadvantaged citizens.

The clinical programs are the Civil Justice Clinic, the Criminal Justice Clinic and the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. Students partner with licensed attorneys to work with clients in need.

Law students serve the under-represented throughout the year in activities including spring break service trips, indentity dentity recovery and immigration outreach at San Antonio’s Haven for Hope, pro bono projects and monthly trips to underserved areas along the U.S. - Mexico border.

A recent clinical student was selected as a 2012 Equal Justice Works Fellow.



Top Advocacy Competitors


Year after year, St. Mary’s law students excel in regional and national moot court and mock trial competitions. In 2012, St. Mary's won the third national championship in program history.

2011-2012 highlights:

• National Championship at the 2012 Federal Bar Association Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition. A St. Mary's team also placed third.
• After winning the 2011 mediation round, St. Mary's participated in the Warsaw Negotiation Round 2012, one of two U.S. law schools invited to compete.
• First Runner-up at the Rocky Mountain Black Law Students Association Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition.

Innovative International Programs


The Institute on World Legal Programs in Innsbruck, Austria, offers world-renowned instructors, often including U.S. Supreme Court justices or prominent international jurists, during the intensive summer program.

The Institute on Chinese Law and Business in Beijing, China, prepares students for the challenges of practicing in the expanding global marketplace and offers participants internship opportunities with Chinese law firms and industry.



Distinctive Law Journals


The St. Mary’s Law Journal is in the top two percent of law reviews most cited by state and federal courts, according to a survey compiled by Washington and Lee University.

St. Mary’s Journal on Legal Malpractice and Ethics is the only law review on the topic in the nation.

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice strives to give all minorities a voice through the publication of a legal journal on issues affecting minorities.



Heritage and Tradition


The School of Law nurtures the Catholic and Marianist heritage through courses on canon law and the death penalty and an ongoing dialogue on Catholic Social Teachings in the law school experience.

With more than 30 active student organizations, law students can delve into their interests in a range of law specialty groups including the Federalist Society, the Restorative Justice Initiative, and the St. Thomas More Society.



Strong Alumni Network


Graduates of St. Mary's University School of Law have become members of the United States Congress, governors and lieutenant governors nationwide, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, state legislators, members of the federal judiciary and leaders of some of the nation’s most prestigious law firms.

Recognized by the Wall Street Journal as among the nation's best for post-law scchool, full-time employment data reported to the ABA.