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UH LAW CENTER LAUNCHES ASPIRING LAWYER MAGAZINE

          he University of Houston                                                               personal statement, all of which
        TLaw Center in October                                                                   are parts of the application
        debuted a new online publication                                                         process. They sometimes
        dedicated to undergraduate                                                               make uninformed choices that
        students nationwide interested                                                           disadvantage their law school
        in attending law school. Aspiring                                                        application,” he said.
        Lawyer magazine features                                                                 The magazine is a complement
        insights, tips, success stories,                                                         to UH Law Center’s award-
        and guidance for pre-law                                                                 winning Pre-Law Pipeline
        students, especially those from                                                          Program. Now in its seventh
        underrepresented backgrounds.                                                            year, the Pipeline Program has
        “I am delighted that we have                                                             four tracks and a track record of
        established the Aspiring Lawyer                                                          excellence. Eighty-two scholars
        magazine which will provide                                                              have been accepted to law school
        helpful hints and advice for                                                             and have received $5,434,229 in
        students who plan to be lawyers,”                                                        scholarship funds. A total of 69
        said University of Houston Law                                                           undergraduate schools have also
        Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes.                                                           been represented throughout
        “UH Law Center has always                                                                the lifespan of the program.
        provided a pathway to the profession for law school students of all   Students who participate in the LSAT prep curriculum have also
        backgrounds. It’s only rational for us to produce this magazine so that   seen an average LSAT score increase of 11-14 points with the highest
        as many people as possible know that a legal education is within their   individual LSAT score increase of 27 points.
        reach and to help them achieve their dreams.”               Professor Meredith J. Duncan, Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity,
        Baynes noted that it is often a lack of information about the career   Inclusion, and Metropolitan Programs oversees the pipeline program.
        trajectory necessary to become a practicing lawyer that can keep   She says that men and women of color appear in disproportionally
        someone from pursing a law degree. He says the magazine will be a   low numbers among lawyers and judges today.
        resource that students can learn from as they navigate the law school   “The legal profession is not nearly as diverse as it needs to be to best
        application process and beyond.                             serve our communities, and here at UHLC we are proud of how our
        “During my career, I’ve seen too many young people give up on   Pre-Law Pipeline Programs have been successful in increasing the
        their dream to become a lawyer because they think that the LSAT is   numbers of qualified, diverse law school applicants from populations
        too hard, or they prioritize working full time while in college and   currently underrepresented in the legal community. First-generation
        don’t focus on keeping the GPA high or don’t develop relationships   students and students from ethnic or racial groups often just need the
        with faculty who can write important letters of recommendation or   information, tools, and guidance to learn how to become lawyers. ^
        don’t line anyone up who can critically review their very important



        HIPLA APPLAUDS INCLUSION EFFORTS OF UH LAW CENTER’S

        INSTITUTE FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & INFORMATION LAW

          he University of Houston Law Center’s Institute for Intellectual   “The University of Houston Law Center has been a national leader
        TProperty & Information Law (IPIL) was the recipient of the   in diversity of student body and promotion of IP legal studies,” said
        inaugural 2021 Houston Intellectual Property Law Association’s   HIPLA president and senior counsel at LyondellBasell Jason Sander
        Excellence in Diversity Award. HIPLA created two inaugural awards,   ’04, in his congratulatory remarks. “It has produced many diverse and
        one for institutional efforts towards diversity and inclusion, and   minority leaders in the IP community, including Mr. Mason himself.
        another to recognize an individual for their efforts in these areas.  The IPIL program continues that tradition and its steadfast focus on
        The institutional award was presented virtually to Associate   equity and inclusion.
        Dean Greg Vetter, the HIPLA College Professor of Law, as the   “The diverse student body is no accident. It is the result of the tireless
        representative of the Law Center and IPIL at a HIPLA event.  work of Dean Baynes and Associate Dean Vetter, who relentlessly
        Receiving the individual award was alumnus Dwayne Mason ’93, a   seek out and encourage diverse prospective students to join our
        shareholder at Greenberg Traurig.                           intellectual property practice area ^



        law.uh.edu                                                                                                        35
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