St. Mary’s University, located in San Antonio, is the only Catholic private law school in Texas, with a Marianist heritage that focuses on academic excellence and social justice.
Before graduation, incoming law students complete 30 hours of community service as part of the University’s commitment to social justice. They can continue to give back to their community through the school’s pro bono program, externship program, or clinical programs in immigration, criminal and civil law.
Other opportunities for practical experience include the national-championship-winning
St. Mary’s Law National Team’s moot court, mock trial and advocacy programs. The St. Mary’s Law advocacy program was ranked fourth in the nation by the American Bar Association and top 20 by U.S. News and World Report in 2020.
Students may also decide to expand their boundaries through study-abroad opportunities in Austria, China and Mexico.
First-year students in our Law Success program are introduced to briefing cases, outlining and exam preparation, and participating in an intensive legal research and writing experience in small cohorts. Students approaching the bar exam receive individualized coaching, and substantive and skills instruction. The St. Mary’s Law faculty includes nationally known subject-area experts, scholars and practitioners, some of whom have served as Fulbright Scholars as well as former United States Supreme Court and White House Clerks and Fellows.
Graduates of St. Mary’s have become members of the U.S. Congress, governors and lieutenant governors nationwide, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, state legislators, members of the federal judiciary and leaders of some of the nation’s most prestigious law firms.
The Catholic faith is not a requirement for admission but helps to inform the training of advocates of justice. The school also has a full-time minister who counsels students and engages them in volunteer work and community service.