Page 21 - Briefcase V35 Number 1

Law Review. Following graduation, he practiced in New York City with complicated laws on the books when he first started teaching.
the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. With all his expertise, he was asked, did he do his own taxes? “I do it the
As he neared retirement, Shepard described teaching tax law as old fashioned way,” he said with a smile. “I hire a CPA.”
something of a moving target as Congress enacts an “appalling” Shepard is survived by his wife, Rosemary, his son, Mark, and daughter,
number of changes, special rules, and exemptions. “It’s incredibly Hannah.
more complicated,” he said of tax laws than compared to the already

STEPHEN T. ZAMORA
June 26, 1944 – July 8, 2016
University of Houston Law Center Professor Emeritus Stephen “Steve was the consummate gentleman,” Bradley J. Richards, a partner
Zamora, an authority on International and Mexican law, died in the firm of Haynes and Boone where Zamora served as of counsel
July 8 in Mexico City at the age of 72. for more than 15 years, wrote in a message to the firm. “He was kind,
Zamora joined the Law Center faculty in 1978, and served as thoughtful, and even-tempered. He was a great professor. He was
the Law Center's dean from 1995 to 2000. He founded and always prepared, shared his knowledge with enthusiasm, listened to his
continued to direct the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law at students and offered them a helping hand whenever he could.
the law school, served as director of the North American Consortium “He was a great scholar. He co-wrote (with a Mexican professor) the
on Legal Education, and as an adviser to the Houston Journal of single best book in English on the Mexican legal system, published
International Law. He retired in November 2014 from the classroom broadly, and founded the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law at the
where he taught courses on International Business Transactions, UH. He was a great lawyer. He advised on international law issues
International Trade, NAFTA and others. (particularly involving cross-border arbitrations) and was sought as an
Law Center colleagues, stunned by his passing, remarked about expert on NAFTA and Mexican law, and he was diligent in every project
Zamora’s intelligence, determination to build relations between the U.S. undertaken by him. He was a great friend to this law firm, the Houston
and Mexico, and kindness to all. and Mexican legal communities and to me personally.”
“Steve Zamora was an incredibly accomplished member of the Law Zamora earned a B.A. degree from Stanford University in 1966 and a
Center faculty,” said Dean Leonard M. Baynes. “He was best known for law degree from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) in
his in-depth analysis of international economic issues, especially as they 1972, where he graduated first in his class and served as chief articles
related to the U.S., Mexico, and the whole North American continent. editor of the California Law Review.
“His tenure as dean was notable for two reasons: First, he was the Prior to joining the Law Center faculty, he practiced international law
University of Houston and the Law Center's first dean of Hispanic in Washington, D.C., first as an associate in the law firm of Clearly,
origin; and second, at the same time, his wife, Lois, was dean at the Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton, and then as an attorney with The World
University's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, making them Bank. He had been a Senior Fulbright Lecturer in Mexico, and a visiting
quite unique in academia. professor at Yale Law School and Fordham Law School. An expert on
NAFTA, in 1996, Zamora served as a member of a dispute resolution
“After his retirement,” Baynes noted, “he continued to lead the Center panel that decided the first government-to-government dispute under
for U.S. and Mexican Law, which is the premier institute in the country NAFTA (U.S. v. Canada -- Dairy, Poultry and Eggs from the United
studying these issues. Steve possessed a dogged determination to States).
advocate for stronger economic and legal relations between the U.S. and
Mexico and better understanding between the lawyers of both nations. Zamora was a member of the American Law Institute, the American
His unique voice brought clarity and understanding to these issues. He Society of International Law, and of the American Society of
will be sorely missed.” Comparative Law. In 2006, he received the highest distinction awarded
by the Mexican government to a foreign national, the Order of the
“I am in disbelief and profoundly sad,” said Professor Sandra Guerra Aztec Eagle, in recognition of his work in promoting U.S. - Mexican
Thompson. “He was such a dear friend, colleague, and dean. He didn’t understanding. He was the lead author of the book Mexican Law,
even know how to be unkind.” published in 2004 by Oxford University Press, and has authored
“I am in shock at the loss of a good friend who was critical in building numerous articles and book chapters on international economic
our international law program,” said Professor Jordan Paust. law, international banking law, international trade law (NAFTA),
“When somebody is so essentially decent, whatever you (say) can sound international monetary law, and Mexican law. His areas of expertise
included contracts, international trade law, conflicts of law, Mexican
trite,” said Professor Peter Linzer. “But decency isn't trite. Add Steve's Law, and NAFTA.
piercing intelligence and culture and his devotion to his family and you
have quite a man. Un hombre.” He is survived by his widow, Dr. Lois Zamora, a UH English professor,
a son, Peter Zamora, and daughter, Camille Zamora.

law.uh.edu 19