A court of legacy
by Catherine Deyarmond
Joe A. Gamez grew up on the West Side of San Antonio. His father died when he was 3 years old, and he was raised in a modest home with his mother, stepfather and seven siblings.
Although he was salutatorian of his class at Lanier High School, the principal advised him to pursue vocational training after graduation because a college education would be a burden on his family, Gamez remembered.
Ignoring the principal, Gamez began at San Antonio College and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin to earn his bachelor’s degree. His experience growing up in an economically disadvantaged area influenced his decision to attend law school.
“Growing up on the West Side of San Antonio, I witnessed many injustices that inspired my lifelong desire to give back and help others who simply need an opportunity,” he said.
Gamez attended the St. Mary’s University School of Law, where he earned his J.D. in 1973. He began his career at the Brooks County Attorney’s Office in the Rio Grande Valley before moving into private practice in San Antonio.
As an attorney, Gamez said he saw that little had changed from his childhood — Texas lagged nationally in health care and education. He ran for the Texas House of Representatives and was elected for one term, serving from 1983 through 1985, representing Bexar County.
“I wanted to make laws that would help people who needed help,” Gamez said. “I thought I could make a difference.”
After his time as a legislator, Gamez dedicated his career to the growing Joe A. Gamez Law Firm, which now has seven offices across Texas. With its personal injury focus, Gamez said his team is concerned with helping clients, especially those from modest backgrounds.
Giving back
At the 2025 Distinguished Law Graduate Dinner hosted by the St. Mary’s Law Alumni Association, Gamez was honored as a Distinguished Law Graduate by his fellow alumni.
Deborah Cordova (J.D. ’02), President-Elect of the Law Alumni Association, presented the 2025 Distinguished Law Graduate Award to Gamez.
“When he began his studies at the St. Mary’s University School of Law in the early 1970s, there were very few Hispanic law students in Texas,” Cordova said. “Yet he walked through the halls of St. Mary’s with purpose and pride, helping open doors for future generations of Latino lawyers. Today, more than half of law students at St. Mary’s are Hispanic — a reflection of how far the profession has come, thanks to trailblazers like Mr. Gamez.”
Gamez is a proud alumnus who supports his community through philanthropic gifts with an emphasis on higher education scholarships, she said.
“For more than 50 years, Mr. Gamez has embodied perseverance, compassion and service to others,” said Cordova, adding he is being recognized for a “lifetime dedicated to justice, faith, culture and community.”
Following the award presentation, Gamez’s family surprised their patriarch with the naming of the School of Law’s courtroom as the Joe A. Gamez Courtroom.
“Under the loving direction of Joe’s wife Carmen Gamez, and their children, Natalie, Melissa and Joseph, the Gamez Law Firm has graciously made a generous gift to honor Joe,” said University President Winston Erevelles, Ph.D.
The $1 million gift from the Gamez Law Firm to St. Mary’s supports upgrades to the Joe A. Gamez Courtroom and the Law Classrooms Building in which it is located. The Gamez Courtroom is where the law school’s nationally ranked advocacy teams prepare for competition and where the highest courts in Texas have heard oral arguments.
The other half of the gift will allocate funds to the already established Joe and Carmen Gamez Endowed Law Scholarship and the Joe A. Gamez Promise Scholarship, which provides two three-year, half-tuition scholarships for J.D. students.
“This gift of $1 million will forever strengthen Joe’s legacy at the St. Mary’s School of Law,” Erevelles said. “It will provide scholarships for students with financial need and invest in the future of our law facilities, advancing the excellence of our programs and the success of our students.”
Patricia Roberts, J.D., Dean and the Charles E. Cantú Distinguished Professor of Law, said the Gamez family’s generosity will impact many future generations of law students.
“As a Catholic law school that enrolls and graduates a majority of Hispanic students — many of them first-generation college graduates — seeing Mr. Gamez’s name on the wall of our courtroom will inspire them and remind them that they belong here at
St. Mary’s Law and in the profession,” Roberts said.
Inspiring moment
While at the Distinguished Law Graduate Dinner last fall, Albert Gutierrez (J.D. ’94) said he was moved listening to Gamez recalling his time as a law student and then his appreciation for his education at St. Mary’s Law.
“When I heard Joe speaking about his appreciation of St. Mary’s, I thought, ‘I am with you,’” Gutierrez said. “Joe wasn’t saying, ‘I did great. I’m amazing.’ Joe said it was
St. Mary’s that put him here. You could see the real emotion and the sincerity on his face.”
Gutierrez said he had already been thinking of giving another gift to his alma mater, but Gamez’s comments inspired him to talk to the School of Law about contributing a new gift.
“We all have to step back and consider how we got where we are today,” Gutierrez said. “I wouldn’t have that license on my wall and enjoy my livelihood without attending the St. Mary’s School of Law.”
Gutierrez, who had already given $50,000 for scholarships and $100,000 for the naming of a classroom, decided that night to provide an additional $50,000 to fund law school physical improvements.
“There are 1,000 lawyers like me who got their start at St. Mary’s Law,” he said. “If each of them matched me or Joe, think of the change that could happen at the law school. Give to a scholarship fund. Help build a new building. Give $100 now as a great start.”
For Gamez, supporting the law school ties back to his original reason for becoming a lawyer, which he related to the institution’s Marianist roots.
“St. Mary’s Law strengthened that calling through its Marianist values of service, justice and community,” Gamez said. “I am proud to support the law school that taught me not only how to practice law but how to serve others with compassion and purpose.”
The Gamez family’s connection to St. Mary’s Law continues with daughter, Natalie Gamez (B.A. ’09), who is following in her father’s footsteps. She will earn her J.D. in May.
