MASON MALONE

2016 Scholar I alum | Practicing Lawyer

3+3 Program Helps UH Students Fast-Track Their Way to Law Degrees — and Careers

When Mason Malone, an associate trial attorney at Reynolds Frizzell LLP, was in high school, he knew he wanted a career built on critical thinking, research, and writing — and believed becoming an attorney would be a good fit.

Fortunately, during his senior year in high school Malone learned about a new University of Houston program: The 3+3 Undergraduate/Law Dual-Degree Program, a partnership between the UH Law Center and Honors College. Malone was one of the first three students accepted into the program in 2015.

The program offers students a chance to complete both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree in six years — shaving a year off the traditional timeline — while guaranteeing a spot at the University of Houston Law Center.

For Malone, the program provided more than flexibility. It offered access to practicing lawyers, federal judges, and UH Law Center faculty — connections that helped confirm his decision to pursue a legal career.

By his third year at UH, Malone committed to attending the Law Center, drawn not only by the relationships he had formed at UH but also by the fact that Houston is home to one of the top legal markets in the country.

Malone graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics and liberal studies from UH in 2019 and graduated summa cum laude with his J.D. from the UH Law Center in 2021.

Today Malone is part of the Houston-based litigation boutique Reynolds Frizzell LLP, where he assists in litigation strategy and manages matters across the energy, construction, and healthcare industries.

Looking back, Malone says he would recommend the 3+3 Program to any student considering a legal career.

“There’s no downside. Even if you decide not to go to law school, you gain exposure to the profession and develop valuable connections,” he said.

DANIELA GOMEZ

2023 Program alum and a rising 3L at UHLC | Bridge Intern & Scholarship Recipient | Jackson Walker LLP

The Bridge Internship

The Bridge Internship Program places rising stars in 10-week internships at law firms, in-house corporate legal departments or nonprofit agencies during the summer before they begin law school. The benefits of participating include establishing a relationship between the students and the firm; increasing the firm’s exposure to ambitious law school-bound students who are strong recruitment prospects; providing the students with valuable legal experience before beginning law school; and providing the students with an opportunity to help finance their law school education.

Daniela’s Journey

Hello, I am Daniela Gomez. I attended the University of Houston where I participated in the 3+3 Dual Bachelor’s and J.D. degree program at the UH Honors College. I am an alum of the UHLC Pre-Law Pipeline Program’s Scholar 2 track.

The Pipeline Program provided me with amazing mentors who assisted me with drafting my personal and optional statements, along with my resume. Without the guidance of Director Keys and other staff, students like myself would face additional difficulty in sending quality law school applications.

Further, the Pipeline Program goes beyond helping students with the application process but also provides us with invaluable legal exposure to a variety of practice areas.

I had the pleasure of being the 2024 Bridge Intern and scholarship recipient. I had the amazing opportunity to work at Jackson Walker’s Houston office during the Summer.

During my time at Jackson Walker, I was able to gain work experience prior to starting law school. For example, I drafted a request for admission for a partner in labor and employment, wrote a memorandum for a partner, and sat in on meetings with clients. Additionally, I was able to witness a deposition for the very first time.

The internship allowed me to see the versatility of a law degree and explore practice areas I was unfamiliar with. I sampled several different practice groups such as real estate, immigration, white-collar defense, labor and employment, and litigation.

My journey to law school was greatly impacted by the Pre-Law Pipeline Programs. I am now a full-time law student at UHLC. Moreover, my admission into UHLC was supported by the generous scholarship I obtained through the Bridge Internship, which provided my family and me with economic relief.

I would encourage anyone who is an aspiring law student to take advantage of the incredible resources that the Pipeline Programs provide.

ANTHONY COLLIER

Public Policy Director | Houston City Council

Anthony Collier didn’t grow up dreaming of being a lawyer — he didn’t even know any. A first-generation college student who graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University and then studied law in the U.S. and abroad, Collier’s path to law school only came after a chance encounter at a panel discussion hosted by the University of Houston.

It was there he met Dr. Elwyn Lee, vice president for neighborhood and strategic initiatives at UH, who was serving as a panelist.

“One of the first lawyers I ever met was Dr. Elwyn Lee,” Collier shared.

That moment, and Lee’s encouragement, led Collier to the UH Law Center’s Pre-Law Pipeline Programs.

“That conversation changed everything,” he said. “Dr. Lee encouraged me to consider law school and told me about the University of Houston’s new Pre-Law Pipeline Program. I applied, got in, and did well — and that’s when I started to see law school as a real, achievable path.”

The Pre-Law Pipeline Programs helped shift Collier’s mindset from merely pursuing law school to thriving in it. As a Scholar II participant, he earned top honors in a mock trial competition and recorded the highest LSAT diagnostic score in the cohort.

Returning for Scholar II, his LSAT score increased by about 10 points — an improvement that helped him earn a scholarship to the University of Texas Law School.

After graduating from law school in 2022, he went on to study law and economics at Cairo University in Egypt.

Collier built a career at the intersection of policy and justice. He served as a policy analyst in the Texas Senate and worked with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice advocating for expanded educational and health services for incarcerated individuals.

“It’s been an incredible journey — meeting people, expanding my network, and getting to help those in need,” Collier said.