The Law Firm Challenge: The South Texas Law Firm Challenge was created in 2007 to bring South Texas graduates at firms together for a common purpose: maintaining excellence in legal education at the law school. The goal of the Law Firm Challenge is to achieve 100 percent participation in giving to the law school by South Texas alumni at each law firm, corporate legal department, and law office throughout the United States that employs three or more alums.

Hays, McConn, Rice & Pickering was the first firm to meet the challenge. Managing partner and South Texas Board chair Mike Hays ’74, who initiated the program, encouraged each South Texas graduate at the firm to make a gift to the law school in any amount during the 2007–2008 academic year, so his firm could be the first to achieve 100 percent participation in giving to the College.

Among the groups having an impact on law schools – including their accrediting body, the ABA, and foundations and corporations that make grants to them – alumni giving is viewed as a measure of graduates’ satisfaction with their alma maters. The Law Firm Challenge offers an excellent way for alumni at firms to provide unrestricted support to the law school.

Will Your Firm Meet the Challenge in 2013?

Over the past five years, South Texas College of Law has doubled its alumni-giving rate from 4 percent to 8 percent, thanks in large part to the success of the College’s Law Firm Challenge program. Since its inception, in 2007, thirty-four organizations have met the Challenge by achieving 100 percent participation in alumni giving to the College. Is your firm ready to take on the Challenge in 2013?

The program is open not only to law firms, but also to law offices, in-house legal departments, and government offices with three or more South Texas alumni. The rewards for meeting the Challenge are many. They include a group photo of your organization’s alumni, which will appear in In Re; the display of your organization’s name in a special section of both the Partners in Excellence donor wall and the Annual Report to Donors; and an annual reception for all groups who have met the Challenge.

And there’s more! Organizations meeting the Challenge for the first time, as well as groups achieving 100 percent giving for five consecutive years, will each have a special lunch and photo shoot with Dean Donald J. Guter.

The Challenge has been issued—now it’s time to enroll your organization for 2013. Just contact Veronica Cantu at
713-646-1796 or vcantu@stcl.edu. Good luck!

Firms whose South Texas alumni achieved 100 percent in giving to the College in Fiscal Year 2011-2012
(September 1 to August 31)

Firm/Company 1st District Court of Appeals Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend Adair & Myers, P.L.L.C. Baker Hughes Incorporated Bale Law Firm Bettison, Doyle, Apffel & Guarino, P.C. Counts & Bonacci, LLP Hays, McConn, Rice & Pickering, P.C. Jackson Walker L.L.P. Jenkins & Kamin, L.L.P. Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP The Ogg Law Firm  Olson & Olson Patterson & Sheridan Porter Hedges LLP Ramey, Chandler, McKinney & Zito, P.C Simon Herbert McClelland & Stiles LLP .