Financial Assistance
The Office of Student Financial Services offers various forms of financial assistance to all University students; these are described in General Information. With the help of alumni and friends, a number of financial aid programs have also been established for law students. The School of Law provides financial assistance to students pursuing the JD in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans. Financial assistance is available to candidates for the LLM if they are United States citizens or eligible noncitizens. These students may be eligible for federal and private loans for one year only.
Law School Emergency Loans
The law school has limited loan funds available to law students. Loans are made only in cases of emergency and only to degree-seeking students. Application for these loans may be made in person or online at the School of Law Financial Aid Office.
Law School Scholarships
All students accepted to the School of Law are considered for any recruiting scholarships for which they meet the requirements. Continuing students must complete the law school online scholarship application. For additional information, write to the Financial Aid Office, Scholarship Committee, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, 727 East Dean Keeton Street, Austin TX 78705-3299 or send e-mail to lawfinaid@law.utexas.edu.
Loan Funds and Endowed Scholarships
Many lawyers, law firms, and associations contribute annually to the awards and scholarships program of the law school. Information about these contributions is available from the school. In addition, many permanent loan and scholarship funds have been established.
Career Services
The School of Law's Career Services Office (CSO) provides career counseling for students and alumni. The office maintains contact with a wide range of employers, including law firms of all sizes, judges, federal and state agencies, corporations, and public interest and legal service organizations around the nation. The CSO disseminates information on current job openings, offers individual career counseling, schedules on-campus interviews, and coordinates a variety of nationwide job fairs, recruitment programs, and career workshops. The office also refers students to employers who do not interview on campus and posts notices of available positions, both part-time and permanent. The Career Services Library houses computers for student use and provides information about employers around the nation, interview techniques, and the development of general job-hunting skills.
The Career Services Office makes every effort to assist students and alumni in their job search and career development, but the law school makes no promise to secure employment for each graduate. Historically, 95 percent or more of graduates report employment within nine months of graduation.
Law School Publications
American Journal of Criminal Law
The American Journal of Criminal Law strives to promote and encourage improvement in the administration of criminal justice. The Journal is one of the top student-edited legal journals in the nation devoted to exploring current issues in criminal law. The Journal is published three times a year and is one of the largest circulating journals at the School of Law. Each issue contains articles by law school faculty members, members of the judiciary, and practicing attorneys, as well as a significant number of items written by journal members.
The Review of Litigation
Established in 1980, The Review of Litigation is a student-managed publication devoted to the process of litigation. The Review balances the interests of academia with pragmatic issues important to practicing attorneys and judges, covering topics related to procedure, evidence, trial and appellate advocacy, alternative dispute resolution, and often-litigated substantive law. Articles not only address issues pertinent to litigation practice, but also comment on substantive and theoretical aspects of the law.
Texas Environmental Law Journal
Since the summer of 1990, law students have published the Texas Environmental Law Journal in association with the Environmental and Natural Resources Section of the State Bar of Texas. Published quarterly, the Journal gives timely and practical information about developments in environmental law. It includes articles by practitioners and academicians; information about recent developments involving cases, statutes, and rules relevant to environmental law; and notes submitted by law students throughout Texas.
Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy
The Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy is devoted to legal issues affecting the Hispanic community. The Journal provides an academic forum in which practitioners and scholars engage in a thorough discussion of recent court decisions, state and federal statutes, administrative regulations, policy questions, and other issues with particular salience for Hispanics. By maintaining a neutral position on all issues, the Journal encourages an exchange of diverse ideas and opinions. The Journal is published annually. Membership is open to all students who demonstrate excellence in legal writing and analysis.
Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal
The Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal is dedicated to all aspects of intellectual property law at all levels. Articles in the Journal are written by scholars, practitioners, and students, and address a variety of legal issues, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. The Journal also hosts an annual intellectual property law symposium featuring topics that are timely and important to practitioners. Members of the Journal are selected based on their writing and analytical skills.
Texas International Law Journal
The Texas International Law Journal is one of the oldest international law journals in the country. The Journal has been publishing important scholarly articles and conducting symposia on international issues since 1965. With more than one hundred members and thousands of alumni worldwide, the Journal is one of the largest at the School of Law.
Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law
The Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law focuses on legal issues at the intersection of energy law and business law. The Journal was founded because a group of law school students saw the need for a forum for legal scholarship that discussed the ever-changing and growing world of energy business law. Each issue of the Journal contains outstanding submissions from legal scholars, law students, government officials, and attorneys practicing in the field.
Texas Journal of Women and the Law
The Texas Journal of Women and the Law explores the relationship between women and the law through law review publication and sponsorship of an annual symposium. The staff seeks to inspire a dialogue about gender-related issues that will lead to greater awareness of the ways the law affects women and to innovative reforms in the lives of all people. The Journal takes an interdisciplinary approach to many issues, striving to deepen the relationship between theoretical and practical perspectives on gender and the law. Editorial membership is open to both male and female students.
Texas Journal on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
The Texas Journal on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights bridges the gap between theoretical and practical issues in the fields of civil liberties and civil rights. Published in conjunction with the Section on Individual Rights and Responsibilities of the State Bar of Texas, the Journal synthesizes and analyzes current thinking on issues in these areas in Texas through articles by legal scholars, practicing attorneys, state and federal judges, and students.
Texas Law Review
The Texas Law Review, established in 1922, is devoted to scholarly writings on general legal subjects of national and local interest. The student editorial board prepares for publication articles by outstanding legal authorities and law notes written by the student staff. Students become eligible to join the staff of the Review on the basis of high academic achievement and demonstrated writing proficiency. The editorial board annually selects its successors from the members of the staff.
Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law
The Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law (TRESL) discusses the fields of entertainment and sports related to the intersection of law and society. TRESL publishes articles written by judges, lawyers, faculty members, and students that report and comment on existing law and suggest new avenues of growth for the law.
Texas Review of Law and Politics
The Texas Review of Law and Politics seeks to publish thoughtful and intellectually rigorous conservative articles that can serve as blueprints for constructive legal reform. Published twice a year, the Texas Review serves as a forum for the discussion of contemporary social issues, such as constitutional history, affirmative action, crime, federalism, and religious issues. Members also hold an annual banquet at which they honor a Jurist of the Year. Past honorees include Greg Abbott, Kenneth W. Starr, Edwin Meese III, and Edith H. Jones.