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NOVEMBER

said. “I don’t care how extreme your situation is, and it might not
always be easy, but with a plan, with priorities, with publicizing and
persisting, if you keep on, you will achieve your goals.”
Assistant Dean for Admissions Pilar Mensah introduced students to
the benefits of DiscoverLaw.org, a website hosted by the Law School
Admission Council that encourages racially and ethnically diverse
students to discover career opportunities in law and choose a path in
undergraduate school to help them succeed.
An alumni panel discussed the versatility of a law degree and featured
Monica Mensah ’14, director of student advisement at the Law
Center, Abby Kotun ’13, an associate at Haynes and Boone, LLP,
immigration attorney Luis Ruiz ’14 and Alissa Gipson ’16, an associate
at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.
Dean Leonard M. Baynes
Students also heard from Tiffany Tucker, assistant dean for
UHLC DEAN BAYNES DISCUSSES PLANS FOR NEW Career Development, who stressed the significance of maintaining
BUILDING, FACILITY UPGRADES WITH STUDENTS professionalism. Tucker encouraged students to display civility in
University of Houston Law Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes provided email and other online communications as well as during telephone
an update on plans for a new law school building and mentioned calls and on-campus visits.
upcoming facility upgrades at his biannual, “Discussion with the Students also participated in a mock Constitutional Law class taught
Dean.” by Professor Ron Turner and a question-and-answer session with
“We are moving forward with a new building,” Baynes said. “It will current students.
be a major objective for the next legislative session. We have made The high school students came from Atascocita High School, Carl
progress, with the Cornerstone Club donations serving almost as a Wunsche Sr. High School, Coldspring-Oakhurst High School, Elsik
‘down payment’ when we ask the state legislature for money in the High School, Harmony School of Discovery, Memorial High School,
2019 legislative session.” Northbrook High School, The Pro-Vision Academy, Ridge Point High
Baynes also mentioned the opening of a C-Store in the space that School, Spring Woods High School, Stratford High School, and YES
was formerly a Subway. The store is similar to the location in the UH Prep High School.
Student Center and offers a variety of menu items, snacks and other Discover Law Day concluded with current college students learning
provisions. about law school admission and the Law Center’s Pre-Law Pipeline
“We want our students to be as comfortable as possible,” Baynes said. Program.
“The C-Store will be very interesting and revolutionary in that it will
be partially automated. There will be someone there during the day, FRANKEL LECTURE FOCUSES ON INCOMPETENT
but it will be automated at night for our evening students who want to DEFENSE IN DEATH PENALTY CASES
grab a cookie, coffee or whatever they want.”
A capital punishment
scholar blames
DISCOVER LAW DAY 2017 OPENS WINDOW TO LEGAL inattentive defense
EDUCATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE STUDENTS attorneys and hard-
High school and college students from Houston and the surrounding charging prosecutors for
area visited the University of Houston Law Center for Discover Law widespread inequities
Day. in the criminal justice
system, especially capital
Associate Dean for Student Affairs Sondra Tennessee welcomed the cases.
students and shared her four Ps to success: plan, prioritize, publicize
and persist. Stephen B. Bright, a
professor of practice
“The type of job you really want to think about is what you’re good at, at the Georgia State
what you like to do and what somebody will pay you to do,” Tennessee Stephen B. Bright College of Law who also

32 Briefcase 2018