(Seguin) – The pathway to being a lawyer can now begin at Texas Lutheran University. TLU students interested in becoming attorneys now have a new, more direct path to law school thanks to a formal partnership with St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Tracy Donley, TLU director of communications and content says tThe two universities recently signed an agreement establishing a program designed to help qualified TLU students move from undergraduate studies into St. Mary’s Juris Doctor program in San Antonio.
“This is a very exciting day for TLU because today on September 4th, we signed an articulation agreement with St. Mary’s University School of Law,” said Donley. “What that means to us is that students at TLU who dream of going to law school and who qualify for the program actually will have a path to get into St. Mary’s and start studying law there.”
Under the agreement, current TLU students working toward a bachelor’s degree, as well as graduates who earned their degree within three years of applying to law school, may be eligible for the program.
Donley say students must go through a vetting process that includes advising sessions, character and fitness reviews, faculty consultations and an endorsement from TLU’s designated pre-law adviser, Dr. William O’Brochta, assistant professor and chair of political science.
She says tudents accepted into the program who maintain the required cumulative GPA and achieve an acceptable LSAT score will be guaranteed admission to St. Mary’s Law as full-time, in-person students in the university’s J.D. program.
Donley says the new program does not mean students will attend two campuses simultaneously. Instead, she sasy students will complete their undergraduate education at TLU before moving on to St. Mary’s for law school.
“Undergraduate, they get their undergraduate education done at TLU, and there’s a vetting process,” said Donley. “They’ll meet with Dr. William O’Brochta, who is our faculty adviser here at TLU, and they will apply for the program. Then, as long as they make the right grades and meet all the qualifications, they’ll be able to go to St. Mary’s straight from here, straight after they graduate TLU, they’ll go straight into law school at St. Mary’s.”
The program also provides a financial incentive. Students admitted through the articulation program will receive a scholarship that continues throughout their years at St. Mary’s as long as they remain in good standing.
Donley says for TLU, the agreement adds another graduate-school pathway for students who want to continue their education beyond their bachelor’s degree.
“We have so many students who are so exceptional and who are looking for not just an undergraduate education, but they want to go on to graduate school,” said Donley. “This is just another pathway for them to do that. And St. Mary’s is — their law school is celebrating 100 years next year. St. Mary’s is 175 years old next year, and we just feel like our two universities can work really well together and we’re so glad to have another bridge between us.”
University officials say the agreement is the “third articulation partnership established by St. Mary’s Law and is intended to create a pipeline of highly qualified students while giving TLU students greater clarity about the academic and professional steps needed to pursue a legal career.”
TLU President Dr. Debbie Cottrell said the partnership represents both an opportunity for students and a relationship between two nearby institutions with longstanding commitments to education.
“Our new agreement with St. Mary’s Law provides a significant opportunity for our students as they consider their post-graduate options,” Cottrell said. “It also signals the kind of partnership that TLU values and appreciates, as we join with a nearby institution with a long history of offering high-quality law education.”
St. Mary’s University President Winston Erevelles, Ph.D., said the agreement continues the university’s commitment to providing access to legal education.
“This partnership showcases the access to legal education that St. Mary’s University’s School of Law has remained committed to providing since its founding 100 years ago,” Erevelles said. “We look forward to building and growing this partnership between two historic faith-based universities that are deeply committed to excellence, justice and the common good.”
St. Mary’s Law Dean Patricia Roberts, J.D., said the agreement will help create a pipeline of academically strong students who want to continue their faith-based education into the legal profession.
“Embedded in both universities is a vision to create a more just world,” Roberts said. “At St. Mary’s, we are grateful for this unique partnership with TLU that allows highly qualified students to continue their journey toward servant leadership in the legal profession.”