Joseph Holloway, a 2L at the University of Houston Law Center.
April 8, 2021 - As president of the Space Law Society, second-year University of Houston Law Center student Joe Holloway is able to combine multiple facets of the law in an evolving field.
“Humans have only been able to go to space for about the past 60 years, and, for most of that time, only international superpowers like the United States and Russia had the resources to get there,” Holloway said. “We’re at a really exciting point in time because that is increasingly not the case. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are opening space up to private interests more than ever before, and so the law is having to develop right alongside that expansion of the industry.”
His duties as president include organizing board meetings, highlighting opportunities for students within the practice area and setting up events that promote awareness of space law.
“In addition to the typical organization president responsibilities, I just try to share my enthusiasm with folks who are interested,” Holloway said. “The law there is developing as we speak, and it is exciting. It’s the final frontier. Who wouldn’t want to be involved with that?”
Holloway has been able to work in a variety of sectors in summer internships. During his 1L year, he worked as a summer associate at Hunton Andrews Kurth, and will return in the same capacity this summer.
“Last summer was different from most because of the pandemic, but I think Hunton Andrews Kurth did a really good job of navigating that situation and making sure the summer associates still had a good experience,” he said. “The firm did everything it could to make sure we still had chances to get to know people, and we still got really substantive legal work.
“Hunton Andrews Kurth let me work with several practice groups over the summer. I got to do some litigation, some corporate and transactional work, some bankruptcy, and a little bit of trademark work. Everything I worked on was actual legal work, so that was great. I feel like the work they gave me was very similar to what a first-year associate might get.
“Even though it was virtual, it was still a great place to work. Hopefully, as vaccines become more available, we get to do a little more in-person stuff this summer, and I’m sure it will be even better.”
Holloway was also able to earn experience in multiple subject matters as a judicial intern in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
“I cannot overstate how fortunate I feel to have had the opportunity to intern for Judge Jennifer Elrod at the Fifth Circuit,” he said. “Judge Elrod is an amazing mentor and interning in her chambers was an incredible privilege. It sharpened my writing. It made me more
knowledgeable of the judicial system and the law. It is not easy work, but it is fascinating, satisfying work.
“It was just a really great learning experience in every regard. I would tell anyone considering doing a judicial internship to do it, especially if they can intern for someone like Judge Elrod.”
