FILEMON B. VELA PRE - LAW ACADEMY

Named in honor of the late Senior U.S. District Judge Filemon B. Vela, the UTB/TSC Pre-law Academy is a law school preparatory program for UTB/TSC students and graduates interested in pursuing a career in law offered as a college credit course during Summer Session I.

Academic Preparation at UTB/TSC for Law School

All accredited law schools in the state (i.e., Baylor University Law School, Southern Methodist University Deadman School of Law, South Texas College of Law, St. Mary’s University School of Law, Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law, The University of Houston Law Center, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and The University of Texas at Austin School of Law) require the following from applicants prior to admission: (1) a bachelor’s degree, (2) superior grades, and (3) a satisfactory score on the Law School Admission Test. The Newsletter of the Pre-law Advisors National Council has stated that, while no one major is preferred by law schools, “there is a common consensus that a broad-based academic experience, well grounded in the liberal arts, provides the best preparation for law school.” Pre-law students should approach their curriculum as developing a set of useful skills, transferable to the law school setting. One should keep in mind that the spoken and written words are the principal tools of the legal profession. Those who intend to study law must develop an excellent knowledge and grasp of the English language, as well as a clear and concise style of expression. Students should seek out courses that require substantial research and writing assignments, and provide critiques of those skills.

UTB/TSC strongly recommends that courses be taken from the following academic departments during their junior and senior years as their major curriculum permits: Criminal Justice; Business (specifically, Business Law); History; Philosophy (the Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, and Logic courses); Government courses such as Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties, Constitutional Law: Federalism, and Judicial Process; Speech (especially Fundamentals of Speech); and Behavioral Sciences courses. Pre-law students are urged to join the Pre-law Club at UTB/TSC and to consult with the various faculty members on the UTB/TSC campus who are lawyers (Charles Chapman, J.D., Ph.D, Professor in Government; Karen Betancourt, J.D., Assistant Master Technical Instructor in Applied Business Technology; Mark Blakemore, J.D., Lecturer in Business Administration; Serena Putegnat, J.D., Planned Giving Specialist, Institutional Advancement; and Patti R. Salinas, J.D., Ph.D., Professor in Criminal Justice). The Filemon B. Vela Pre-law Academy is a preparatory program for current UTB/TSC undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in pursuing a career as an attorney. This course is offered during the first summer session (GOVT 4368.60). A student may obtain more information regarding the academy by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs at (956) 882-6551.