A Note from the Office of
Dean Leonard M. Baynes
I am delighted to share the University of Houston Law Center began the 2026-27 academic year with great forward momentum and a lot of exciting news.
First, we welcomed a record-setting incoming J.D. class of 212 students, selected from 3,895 applicants. With a median LSAT of 165, and median undergraduate GPA of 3.79, the class enters with the highest combined academic credentials recorded by UHLC in more than four decades.
Nearly 81% are first-generation law school students, and 22.2% are the first in their families to attend both college and law school, evidencing remarkable social mobility. We awarded $622,500 in scholarships to 45% of our new 1Ls.
These numbers reflect something deeply important: excellence and opportunity go hand in hand at the UH Law Center.
UH Law also welcomed 50 new LL.M. students, representing 23 countries and a myriad of backgrounds: including active-duty Judge Advocates (JAG), senior business executives, educators and a chef. They bring perspectives that will continue to enrich the classroom, add to our global presence and strengthen our network.
Read about how we welcomed our incoming class.
Celebrating our faculty
Great faculty make a great law school. This year, we have much to celebrate as several of our faculty members earned prestigious endowed appointments and promotions and several new colleagues joined our community.
Joseph Sanders was named the inaugural holder of the Professor Joseph Sanders Endowed Professorship in Torts, established through a recent gift of $1.2 million from alumni Scott Armstrong and Jessica Armstrong, both from the Class of 2014 who wanted to honor Professor Sanders.
Also, Johnny Rex Buckles was named the John H. Freeman Chair, an endowed gift that helps retain outstanding faculty members and support their research; Darren Bush was appointed the Bobby Wayne Young Law Chair, which supports consumer law scholarship; Seth J. Chandler was awarded the Beirne, Maynard & Parsons LLP Professorship, that supports faculty who can broaden course offerings, spearhead new research or scholarship and enhance community outreach; and Jim Hawkins received the Leonard B. Rosenberg Professorship, which supports established faculty members who continue to demonstrate excellence in the areas of research, teaching and service.
Professors Jessica Bregant and Aman Gebru were named George Butler Research Professors. These professorships were created to promote legal scholarship to help improve society.
Peter N. Salib was promoted to associate professor of law with tenure and named the inaugural holder of the W. Ronald Robins Endowed Professorship of Law, established to attract and retain distinguished faculty, advance scholarship and enhance UH Law’s reputation. Daniel I. Morales and Kellen Zale were also promoted to full professors.
Welcoming New Talent
Anna Archer (J.D. ’06), Catherine Campbell, Jessica Feinstein, and Harve Truskett (J.D. ’08) joined the Lawyering Skills and Strategies Program as clinical assistant professors. Archer has more than 20 years of legal experience, including 16 years as a federal law clerk. Campbell, who joined UHLC in 2023 as a lecturer in the Academic Initiatives/Bar Prep Program, has previous experience as corporate counsel and a judicial law clerk. Feinstein brings 11 years of experience as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan and Houston. Truskett, who previously served as an adjunct professor, has 14 years of corporate energy law experience, including serving as a partner and co-head of Hunton Andrew Kurth’s oil and gas section.
Gabriel Weil, assistant professor of law, is a UH Presidential Frontier Faculty in Artificial Intelligence. His work adds to the Law Center’s growing strength in a field that is transforming our profession and the world around us.
The Law Center’s Clinical Programs also added three new legal experts to expand experiential learning opportunities for students.
These appointments, which became effective Sept. 1, reflect the Law Center's commitment to teaching and research across multiple disciplines while giving students’ access to a well-rounded legal education. Together, our faculty and students create meaningful impact on the legal profession and the communities we serve.
As we begin the new school year, I keep returning to one thought: A great law school is ultimately about people.
I’m filled with gratitude for how far we have come, the community we have built and the progress we’re making with your support. The future of the UH Law Center is being written every day by our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.
Leonard M. Baynes
Dean, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Chair, and Professor of Law
University of Houston Law Center
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The University of Houston Law Center
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