Alumnus Bob Sohns (J.D. ’72) and UH Law Dean Leonard M. Baynes (center) flanked by UHLC's 2025 Public Interest Fellows who attended the luncheon celebrating their public service-related work in Texas and beyond.
Nov. 4, 2025 — The University of Houston Law Center recently celebrated its 2025 Summer Public Interest Fellows with a fall semester luncheon. These 31 fellows gained hands-on training and made meaningful impact at nonprofit and government agencies across Texas and Beyond.
“It’s really important for the law school students to give back to, and learn about, our community,” said Dean Leonard M. Baynes at a luncheon that brought together students, faculty, and alumni during the fall semester. “We do this every year so law schools students get excellent practical experience while working for government and public organizations; the availability of stipends make this special opportunity more available to a larger swath of students.”
The fellowship provides stipends that let students spend five to ten weeks working full-time with organizations that serve the public. Expanded in 1999 with a generous grant from the Houston Endowment, the program has since funded hundreds of UHLC students in roles involving service and community engagement.
William Powers (J.D. ’05), director of judicial clerkships and externship programs at UH Law, works closely with students and alumni to ensure placements are accessible to all students and provide professional training, meaningful experience, and community impact.
“The Summer Public Interest Fellowship supports students as they develop their legal skills while serving the community each summer,” he said. “Because most of these opportunities are unpaid, the fellowship helps ease the financial burden on students.”
Several students shared their experiences from summer assignments at the luncheon, offering a glimpse into the wide variety of legal work supported by the fellowship.
Amy Abbott, a 3L, worked with the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project under the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. As their fellow, she worked directly with members of the community and dealt with issues such as human trafficking, homelessness and more.
“I got to run the intake hotline,” she said. “When these kids would first call us, I would be the one they would talk to when they poured their heart and soul out. It was an amazing experience.”
Abbott said her experience has inspired her to do more. “This is the only agency that does this in all of Texas,” she said. “They have nobody in Houston. I’m going to see what I can do about that; I would love to continue this work.”
The program allows students to take placements outside of Houston, even outside of Texas. Abigail Matthew, also a 3L, worked at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.
“It was really interesting to compare and contrast how things work in Texas and [California],” she said. “The [fellowship] helped a lot in terms of relocation and expenses. I genuinely wouldn’t have been able to do it without that, so thank you.”
The program also connects students with alumni in other law-related professional settings. Three fellows worked with Carlotta Ramirez (J.D. ’99), counsel for the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, assisting with intellectual property research and compliance work involving cultural artifacts.
Alumnus Bob Sohns (J.D. ’72), a long-time advocate for public interest opportunities, has consistently and philanthropically supported the fellowship program. “I was given so much by this law school, I had to do something to give back,” said Sohns at the luncheon. “It’s a pleasure … knowing that this country has hope with these bright young minds growing up to take over.”
To learn more about the Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program, go to https://law.uh.edu/pil/summer.asp or visit the Career Development Office.
