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UH and UH Law Center alumna Fermeen Fazal contributes student organization space

Fermeen Fazal ‘00 visits the UH Law Center and the newly named Fermeen Fazal Student Organization Flex Room.

Fermeen Fazal ‘00 visits the UH Law Center and the newly named Fermeen Fazal Student Organization Flex Room.

Dec. 19, 2022 — The Fermeen Fazal Student Organization Flex Room in the University of Houston Law Center’s new John M. O’Quinn Law Building is named for respected attorney and community advocate Fermeen Fazal ‘00.

The Flex Room is part of the student organization suite serving more than 30 Law Center student organizations. The space is located on the third floor of the new ultramodern John M. O’Quinn Law Building, which opened in August 2022.

A board member of the UH Law Alumni Association, Fazal is a passionate supporter of the University of Houston.

The University of Houston Alumni Association recognized her service and dedication to the legal community with the Corporate Sector Achievement Award in April 2022 and the Distinguished Service Award in October 2021.

For Fazal, a UHLC scholarship recipient, giving back to the University of Houston is personal.

“Any small amount of success that I have achieved in my life has stemmed from the education I received at the University of Houston,” she said in a phone interview. “I feel like it’s an obligation to give back to the school that gave me my start.”

Currently General Counsel at PMC Capital Partners, Fazal was previously Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer at UniversalPegasus International (UPI). Before that, she worked for a decade at Gibbs & Bruns LLP as Litigation Counsel.

“Because of the first-class legal education I got at the Law Center, I have been able to clerk for appellate court judges and practice law at prestigious firms. Because the Human Situation course at the Honors College taught me how to connect with and relate to people, I’m an approachable, trusted advisor and General Counsel at the companies I’ve worked for,” Fazal said in her October acceptance speech.

Throughout her career, Fazal has and continues to maintain an active connection to the University of Houston, the place where she not only earned her law degree but also her bachelor’s degree in biology and English literature in 1997.

“The critical thinking skills I learned as a biology major have helped me to navigate the challenges that life in 2021 has brought, including the COVID-19 pandemic. In short, the University taught me how to be a better human being. And if a school can do that, then I think it’s an obligation to give something of yourself back as a thank you for these gifts.”