93-Year-Old Law School to Build on Deep Roots: Board Elects to Proceed as South Texas College of Law Houston

HOUSTON, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of the recently renamed Houston College of Law voted this week to proceed under the name South Texas College of Law Houston, appending the word "Houston" to the school's former name.

The decision comes on the heels of a trademark lawsuit brought by University of Houston. The suit alleged that the law school created market confusion when it changed its name to "Houston College of Law" in June. The rebranding effort followed years of considerable study and data collection, which supported a name change linking the school to the nation's fourth-largest city.

"We believed we were acting in the best interest of our law school and its students when we made only one change to our name: we replaced 'South Texas' with 'Houston' to acknowledge our birthplace in the heart of downtown," said J. Ken Johnson, chairman of the South Texas College of Law Houston board of directors.

However, out of respect for a federal court opinion following a request for preliminary injunction by the University of Houston, the board of directors has decided to proceed with the South Texas College of Law Houston name.

"Given that time was of the essence, by promptly changing our name to South Texas College of Law Houston, the board of directors made the only responsible and prudent decision for the law school," said Johnson.

The law school also plans to feature the color navy in its future marketing efforts. While the school's official colors have been – and will remain – crimson and gold since the board approved them in the 1960s, this change will further differentiate South Texas College of Law Houston from other colleges.

"We have a 93-year heritage of educating some of the nation's top litigators and transactional attorneys, and we confidently stand on our own award-winning reputation," said Donald J. Guter, president and dean of South Texas College of Law Houston. "Our name change stemmed from a desire to make certain that people knew we were in Houston and not South Texas. We have great pride in our law school and what we have accomplished as a unique educational institution."

Adding to its long history of achievements, South Texas College of Law Houston students won two national alternative dispute resolution championships in the last month alone. Student Amanda Gordon claimed first place in the Abrams National Mediator Competition at the University of Houston, and a team of students from the law school's Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution claimed the top prize at the St. John's Securities Dispute Resolution Competition in New York City.

Also last month, preLaw Magazine – using data compiled by the University of Houston Law Center – named South Texas College of Law Houston "Best Moot Court of the Decade" in the U.S. for its nationally superior advocacy team. Other notable accomplishments of the law school include:

• South Texas College of Law Houston is one of only three national law schools consistently ranked in the top 10 for trial advocacy by US News & World Report. The law school has won 122 national advocacy championships. No other law school in the United States has won half as many.
• South Texas College of Law Houston has won the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition 15 times, more than any other law school in the country.
• South Texas College of Law Houston has won five "Best Brief" awards in the American Society of Legal Writers' Scribes competition – the most prestigious legal writing competition in the country. No other law school has claimed this honor more than once.

"Regardless of the law school's name, the successes of our students and alumni speak for themselves – both across the city and across the country," said Guter.

About South Texas College of Law Houston:
Founded in 1923, South Texas College of Law Houston provides a diverse body of students with the opportunity to obtain an exceptional legal education, preparing graduates to serve their community and the profession with distinction and to be a positive force for change. The law school develops some of the country's best litigators, advocates, negotiators, and transactional lawyers, but also empowers every student with something equally valuable: The unshakable notion that a legal education is a tool for making the world a better place. For more information, please visit www.stcl.edu. 

For more information, contact:
Claire Caton
South Texas College of Law Houston
713.646.1799 | 713.591.3912 (cell) | [email protected]

SOURCE South Texas College of Law Houston

Related Links

http://www.stcl.edu