We are excited to introduce the CDO Career Chronicles, a newsletter from the University of Houston Law Center's Career Development Office. Our goal is to highlight efforts in fulfilling the CDO’s primary mission: equipping students and graduates with the resources and skills needed to make the most of professional opportunities. Additionally, we help employers recruit talented students and alumni. CLICK HERE to learn more about the people who power our office. Read on to learn more about our work.
Tiffany Tucker, J.D., M.Ed.
Assistant Dean for Career Development
University of Houston Law Center
Welcome to the inaugural issue of CDO Career Chronicles, distributed by the Career Development Office (CDO) at the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC). This publication is designed to give employers an inside look at the CDO’s recent programs and showcase student recruitment and engagement opportunities at UHLC. We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to building on existing collaborations and creating new partnerships in the future!
Chandria T. Jackson, J.D.
Director for Employer Relations & Development
University of Houston Law Center
We are delighted to share the employer outreach newsletter, CDO Career Chronicles. As the Director for Employer Outreach and Relations, I am dedicated to helping employers discover top-tier legal talent while facilitating meaningful engagement opportunities with our UHLC students and graduates. The CDO offers these services free of charge, effectively serving as an extension of your organization’s talent acquisition efforts.
To support your recruiting goals and introduce you to the best and brightest law students and graduates Houston has to offer, this newsletter highlights current events, key recruiting programs, and success stories. Our initiatives are tailored to connect employers with UHLC talent ready to make an immediate impact in the legal profession. If you are interested in discussing strategic recruiting assistance or student engagement, please contact me at ctjacks5@central.uh.edu.
Posting a job in Symplicity is an effective way to identify top candidates; but, if you have a brief hiring timeline, want to engage a specific skill set, or your existing posting is not getting the traction that you would like the CDO’s tailored services can have an accelerating impact on your hiring timeline. Activate the CDO’s tailored services by scheduling a meeting with our office’s employer outreach team to allow us to gain insight into your immediate hiring need. We use this information to develop a targeted outreach plan to educate candidates about your organization and the opportunity. This outreach helps to accelerate the speed at which candidates apply for positions and can increase the number of highly qualified applicants that apply.
When you need a boost to reach the candidates you truly desire, contact Director of Employer Relations & Development Chandria Jackson at 713-743-7535 or ctjacks5@central.uh.edu for assistance. We are eager to showcase what makes your organization stand out and increase your connection with our candidates!
Does your practice have a need for an entry-level attorney or law clerk? If your organization is not currently registered in Symplicity - Register Here to post a position or connect with our office for strategic recruiting advisement.
Employment Statistics
95.8% of our 2023 grads were employed 10 months after graduation. We appreciate your support in helping our students reach this achievement!
Employer Engagement
UHLC graduates secure employment across these primary sectors each year. If your organization hires J.D. graduates in attorney or JD Advantage roles in one of these sectors, we would love to help you recruit from our talented student body. Please complete the interest form here to receive registration information for our programs and recruiting events.
Bar Statistics
90.83% bar passage rate for the Texas July 2024 Bar Exam.
UHLC deeply values judicial clerkships and internships and aims to continue increasing our rate of law graduates who land judicial clerkship opportunities. We are proud to announce that seven of our recent law graduates are currently clerking for judges in the State of Texas. We encourage law firms to consider our recent graduates with judicial clerkship experience when evaluating candidates for associate positions. Judicial clerks bring a unique and valuable perspective to legal practice, having gained firsthand insight into the judicial process, legal reasoning, and case management. These skills combined with their exposure to a wide variety of legal issues, make them exceptionally well-prepared to contribute to a firm’s success from day one.
Congratulations to the Judicial Clerkship Class of 2024!
John Carbonari
Judge Michelle Slaughter, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (2024); Judge Lee Finley, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (2025); Chief Judge Alia Moses, Western Dist. Of Texas (2025-26)
Frank Chambers
Judge Jeff Brown, Southern Dist. of Texas
(2024-25)
Garrett Gray
Magistrate Judge Lee Anne Reno, Northern Dist. of Texas
(2024-25)
Rachel Howard
Judge Edith Jones, 5th Cir. Court of Appeals
(2025-26)
Cianne Jimenez
Texas 14th Court of Appeals
(2024-25)
David Segal
Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho, Southern Dist. of Texas
(2024-25)
Alexander Wilson
Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Norman, Southern Dist. of Texas
(2024-26)
If you have any questions about Judicial Clerkships or internships or want to serve on a future judicial panel, please reach out to Bill Powers, Director of Judicial Clerkships & Externship Programs at wapowers@central.uh.edu.
Employers seeking exceptional candidates in tax law should consider J.D. students with strong academic backgrounds in tax courses, particularly those taught by UHLC distinguished faculty like Professors Brett Wells, Johnny R. Buckles, and Denny Wright. Such candidates have a comprehensive understanding of complex tax concepts, regulations, and their practical applications across various legal contexts and thus, are well-equipped to address the intricate challenges of tax practice and provide value to clients. The CDO will compile a resume book featuring the capabilities of UHLC’s tax-focused candidates in Spring 2025. We encourage organizations to engage with the upcoming taxation resume book, which offers a unique opportunity to connect with JD candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to this critical area of law. Please contact the CDO at lawcareer@uh.edu to ensure that you receive this publication.
In the past year, we have been honored to host more than 300 employers and numerous attorneys for our recruiting, professional development, and engagement events. Overviews of those programs are provided below. News features about some of our marquee events are available at https://www.law.uh.edu/career/news.asp.
Jurist-in-Residence
Throughout October, the Honorable Gray Miller served as a jurist-in-residence. During his time with us, Judge Miller participated in multiple events, giving students the invaluable opportunity for one-on-one sessions to ask questions and receive guidance from a distinguished jurist and alumnus. We extend our sincere gratitude to Judge Miller for sharing his time and insights with our students.
Small & Midsize Firm Open House
In March and September, law firms with fewer than 50 attorneys recruited UHLC students and recent graduates while showcasing their firms and practice areas.
Transactional Law Learning Event
This annual event hosted in October provided students with the chance to explore the field of transactional law and network with transactional attorneys while enjoying happy hour refreshments. The event included a panel of attorneys who shared their experiences in transactional law. Following the panel, students participated in small group discussions with additional networking attorneys in attendance.
1L Recruiting Showcase
In October, 1L students introduced themselves to representatives from over 35 leading law firms in Houston. We are grateful to all the employers who participated and extend a special thank you to White & Case LLP for sponsoring professional headshots during the event.
International Careers Roundtable
In October, in collaboration with Reed Smith LLP, the Houston Bar Association International Law Section, and the Houston Journal of International Law, the CDO hosted a panel of attorneys with extensive global legal experience. Students gained valuable insights into the skills, challenges, and opportunities involved in building an international legal practice.
Government and Public Interest Table Talk (GPITT)
The UHLC Government and Public Interest Table Talk (GPITT) is our largest recruiting event for public interest and government employers. Held in-person, this event allows government and public interest employers to meet UHLC students and recent graduates and discuss summer internship and post-graduate legal employment opportunities.
OCI: Session III
Primarily multi-national employers recruit and interview 1L students for summer employment.
Success is the Best Revenge
In October, highly accomplished UHLC alumni shared how they successfully navigated the job search with less than competitive grades, built meaningful relationships, and, ultimately, distinguished themselves in their careers.
Disputes Over Dinner/Discourse Over Disputes
February featured the CDO’s annual Litigation Learning Event. This program highlighted attorneys who use written and oral advocacy to resolve disputes through hearings, trials, appeals, or negotiated resolutions. A panel of attorneys and networking attorneys joined us for the event. They gave students valuable insights into how attorneys resolve disputes both in and out of court and shared tips on managing the inherently adversarial nature of a dispute resolution practice.
We invite you to help us prepare UHLC students and graduates for impactful legal careers by participating in our events. Mark your calendars for these upcoming recruiting and engagement programs.
Upcoming Spring /Summer 2025 Programs
Corporate and In-House OCI
Date: March 7, 2025
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
This virtual on-campus interview session is designed to connect companies with law students eager to gain hands-on experience in corporate legal departments and in JD Advantage roles, such as compliance, regulatory, and contract management roles. This tailored interview session will enable organizations to efficiently identify and pre-select top talent for internships and permanent positions within their in-house legal and JD Advantage teams.
Small & Midsize Firm Open House (Spring Open House)
Date: March 28, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Geared specifically towards law firms with 50 or fewer attorneys, the Spring Open House provides small and midsize law firms the opportunity to speak to UHLC students and recent graduates about their firms, showcase their firms’ practices, and discuss law clerk and attorney employment opportunities.
Mock Interview Program
Dates: June 10-11, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
At the beginning of each recruiting season, CDO JD staff and local attorneys facilitate mock interviews to assist students in preparing for upcoming legal interviews. This is a great opportunity for local practitioners who are talented interviewers or who participate in their firm’s recruiting processes to coach students on further developing their interview skills.
OCI: First Look
Dates: June 14, 2025 (In-Person)
and June 21, 2025 (Virtual)
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm
OCI: First Look is a targeted on-campus interview program designed to connect employers with UHLC's top talent early in the summer. This June session allows employers to engage UHLCs highly qualified rising 2Ls for summer associate positions before traditional recruiting programs begin.
OCI: Session I
Dates: July 28, 2025 - July 30, 2025 (In-Person) and
July 31, 2025 - August 1, 2025 (Virtual)
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
This is our largest OCI session with over 80 employers participating. This session is a great avenue for multi-national employers to recruit 2L and 3L students for summer and permanent employment.
If you would like to participate in any upcoming events, please fill out the interest form here. You will be contacted once registration opens if you express your interest on the form.
Are you connected with us on LinkedIn? Our office is excited to enhance our social media presence, and we invite you to connect with us!
Stay informed about ways to engage with our students.
Tag our office in your posts about our students and we will repost to amplify your stories.
Contact Information:
Career Development Office
4170 Martin Luther King Blvd
John O’Quinn Law Building, Suite 250
Houston, Texas 77204-6060
Phone: 713-743-2090
Email: lawcareer@uh.edu
