UH Law Recognizes Professors Craig Joyce and Sandra Guerra Thompson with Office Dedications

From left to right, Jim Thompson and Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson, UHLC Dean Leonard M. Baynes, alumnus Michael M. Gallagher, and Professor Emeritus Craig Joyce at the Faculty Offices’ Naming Ceremony at UH Law. — Faculty Office Naming Ceremony 1: From L to R: Jim Thompson (husband) and Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson, UHLC Dean Leonard M. Baynes (in the middle) with alumnus Michael M. Gallagher (J.D. ’03) and Professor Emeritus Craig Joyce at the Faculty Offices’ Naming Ceremony at UH Law.

April 23, 2026 - The University of Houston Law Center recently celebrated the contributions of two longtime professors by naming faculty offices in recognition of their careers, scholarship and impact.

UH Law faculty, alumni, staff, and students gathered for the ceremony honoring Professor Craig Joyce and Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson at the John M. O’Quinn Law Building. Dean Leonard M. Baynes emphasized the importance of recognizing faculty members whose work shapes the institution and its students.

“The faculty members are the lifeblood of the institution,” Baynes said. “They make the institution work. And the most important thing they do is they educate our students.”

He noted that both named spaces recognized past contributions, while investing in future generations.

“You’re looking backwards, but you’re paving it forward to the future,” Baynes said, adding that since the law building is fully paid for, the gifts associated with the naming of the two offices will go towards initiatives and scholarships for students, support that can make a difference as federal student loan limits tighten and law school costs continue to rise.

Alumnus Michael M. Gallagher with Professor Emeritus Craig Joyce and UHLC Associate Dean Greg Vetter by the poster honoring Joyce. — Alumnus Michael M. Gallagher (J.D. ’03) with Professor Emeritus Craig Joyce, whom he described as ‘a transformative presence,’ and UHLC Associate Dean Greg Vetter by the poster honoring Joyce.

One of the newly named offices honors Professor Joyce, professor of law emeritus and founding faculty director of the Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law. The naming was made possible through a gift from alumnus Michael M. Gallagher (J.D. ’03), who described Joyce as a transformative presence in the classroom and beyond.

“Professor Joyce combined and infused a piercing intellect with a wicked sense of humor,” Gallagher said, crediting Joyce’s teaching style, balancing rigor with approachability, for helping prepare students for legal practice.

“In teaching law students, the intricacies of the American tort system, and in doing so with acumen and humor in equal measure, Professor Joyce has helped thousands of law students, myself among them, become better lawyers,” said Gallagher, who is now is a member of the Mass Torts and Briefing Group at Morgan and Morgan with 20 years of litigation experience, including 12 trials that he's taken to verdict.

Joyce is an award-winning teacher who's an honorary alumnus in 2023 by the Houston Law Review. He has received the UH Law Alumni Faculty Distinction Award as well as the Ethel M. Baker Award for Community Service twice. He also received the Student Bar Association Professor of the Year Award.

Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson speaking at the faculty office naming ceremony. — Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson, the Newell H. Blakely Chair and former director of UH Law’s Criminal Justice Institute.

The second named office honored Professor Thompson, the Newell H. Blakely Chair and former director of UH Law’s Criminal Justice Institute. Thompson and her husband, Jim Thompson, supported the naming as part of their broader commitment to students and legal education.

Thompson is currently a deputy monitor for bail reform in Houston, Texas. She's the first Latina tenured faculty member in Texas and the first Latina to hold a chaired professorship in Texas. She's been a recipient of many awards including the UH Law Alumni Award, the U.S. Distinguished Leadership and Teaching Excellence Award, along with the UH Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Bar.

Thompson said the naming, for her, is ultimately about supporting students.

“The reason we’re here today is because this was an opportunity to try to provide some financial assistance for students,” Thompson said, noting the significant financial burdens many law students face. She expressed gratitude for the chance to help students harness the power of legal education to uplift themselves, their families, and their communities.

The ceremony concluded with shared laughs, stories told and gratitude expressed to the donors, faculty, alumni, and students in attendance. Now two more named spaces at UH Law stand as reminders of careers built through relationships and support – past, present and future.

To learn about similar opportunities and other ways to give back to UHLC, click here.