Happy New Year!

We approach the year 2022 with much anticipation and excitement. In 2022, the Law Center officially turns 75. It gives us the chance to reminisce about the past as we prepare to fuel the future.  

As an institution, we have made remarkable strides. Our first graduating class consisted of 28 white men. We did not graduate the first woman until 1952, the first Latino until 1960, the first Asian American until 1969, and first African American until 1970. Now a majority of the Law Center’s students are women and almost 40% are students of color-African American, Latino, and Asian American. The most recent entering class also had the highest median entering GPA in the Law Center’s history as well as the highest median LSAT in over ten years.

Our faculty remain caring and skillful teachers who are outstanding scholars. They are well credentialed, well published and over twenty are members of the prestigious American Law Institute.  

In Fall 2022, the new state-of-the art John M. O'Quinn building will open. It will be the newest law school building in the State of Texas and one of the newest in the nation. It will open a new chapter in the Law Center’s history. It will present us with a change to our collective consciousness as we fulfill our decades-long dream of providing a world class legal education in a world class city in a world class building. Construction remains on track, on time, and on budget.

The John M. O’Quinn Law Building will create more opportunities for the Law Center. But many of our goals remain the same. Top among them is to continue providing a practical legal education that transforms our students into ethical and versatile legal professionals and the leaders of tomorrow. The Law Center will continue to serve as a hub of intellectual activity with 11 centers and institutes, and an excellent faculty.

It is my honor to serve as the ninth dean of this important institution. The Law Center has made a substantial impact in the legal profession in Houston, in Texas and around the world. The next 75 years provides the Law Center with a diversity of excellent possibilities, and I look forward to seeing our beloved institution reach new heights.

As part of the celebration, the Law Center will be documenting its 75th anniversary at www.law.uh.edu/75 in a variety of ways, including interviews with longtime professors and notable graduates, who will narrate the Law Center’s story.

I also encourage your continued participation in our social media campaign by sharing photos and recorded videos of your Law Center memories. Email content to uhlawcom@uh.edu with the name that you would like used and class year/Law Center affiliation.

Sincerely,

Leonard M. Baynes
Dean & Professor of Law
University of Houston Law Center

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The University of Houston Law Center
100 Law Center
Houston, TX 77204-6060
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