UTRGV Legal Education Hub Aims to Expand Access, Build Pathway to Law Careers for RGV

A partnership with St. Mary’s School of law expects to keep more graduates rooted in South Texas.

Vice President for University Marketing and Communications Patrick Gonzalez said the partnership with St. Mary’s School of Law expands access to legal education in the Rio Grande Valley.

Gonzales said the partnership will bring online JD and MLS programs into a local learning environment at UTRGV with dedicated classrooms, study space, technology and onsite report.

He said the goal goes beyond academics.

“We want to create more opportunity for valley residents, for UTRGV students to help stay rooted in this region and strengthen the local workforce over time,” Gonzales said.

Students who are accepted into St. Mary’s online law program may be guaranteed spots in designated Rio Grande Valley Cohorts, a move Gonzales said helps address long standing barriers in education.

Gonzales explained that while students must still meet all academic requirements, the pathway is designed to make entry into law school more obtainable for students.

He added the idea was proposed by State Representative Armando Martinez, who himself completed St. Mary’s fully online JD program while living in the Valley.

Gonzales said the impact could be significant for the region’s legal workforce.

“The region has talented students who’ve wanted to pursue careers in law,” Gonzales said. “But the access is always a barrier, often students have had to leave the Rio Grande Valley for legal education and then when they leave, many of them don’t return.”

He added that both JD and MLS programs can open doors to positions in law firms, district attorney offices and other legal settings across South Texas.

School of Political Science, Public Affairs, Legal and Security Studies Director Dongkyu Kim said the new legal education hub opens a critical opportunity for students who might not be able to leave the valley.

“It is a door, very narrow door, just opened up for RGV students,” Kim said.

Kim said that while many students leave South Texas to pursue law degrees, this new legal education hub will be great opportunity for students who cannot leave

He added people who go to other cities to pursue legal education often don’t come back which contributes to what he called a “legal desert” in the RGV, where the demand for attorneys exceeds the supply.