South Texas College of Law Houston nominated three individuals to the 2023 AALS Pro Bono Service Honor Roll, which celebrates the exceptional work of individuals engaging in, expanding, and/or supporting their law school community in providing pro bono legal services.
The annual honor roll is hosted by the American Association of Law Schools’ Pro Bono and Access to Justice Section. The South Texas Law individuals recognized for 2023 are:
 STUDENT: Rebecca Garcia, who will earn her J.D. in May 2024, has made a significant impact by helping underserved families work through the guardianship process. She offers substantial legal pro bono service, under the supervision of a licensed attorney, and is involved in public service-oriented student law groups. One former client in the Guardianship Clinic shared this note after Garcia’s successful effort to help the mom secure guardianship of her daughter with special needs. “Rebecca is a perfect candidate for an award about dedication to clients. She was helpful, kind, and patient with me and my daughter as we worked through the guardianship process.”
Garcia also was commended by the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Access to Justice Commission for her outstanding contributions to the provision of legal services to the poor. |
 STAFF: Vinh Ho co-teaches four clinics: medical-Legal partnership, opioid use disorder, immigration, and asylum/human trafficking. Previously, as executive director and legal services manager of BPSOS-Houston and as a pro bono-turned-staff attorney at YMCA International Services, he represented survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, asylum seekers, immigration petitions, and family law matters. Ho received a JD/MBA from Texas Tech School of Law. He has served on the Texas Bar’s Committees on Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters and Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality. He launched or helped found numerous legal services community initiatives.
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 FACULTY: Professor James Musselman has contributed 50-100 hours per year to the Community Christian Legal Aid Clinic for five years — meeting with clients, representing some of them on a pro bono basis, and meeting with the clinic administrator. He and his wife Martha ’00, also an attorney, have helped clients by coaching them and helping them with pleadings in small claims cases (and the clients have won those cases) and even have assisted clients with other needs along the way. The clinic administrator said, “They are truly the backbone of our legal aid organization, and we are incredibly grateful for them.” |
South Texas College of Law Houston has garnered frequent recognition from the Texas Access to Justice Commission for its extensive pro bono service. During the past year (fall, spring, and summer semesters), STCL Houston students collectively provided 15,086 hours of pro bono clinic service. These students work with real clients under the supervision of licensed attorneys within the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, a law firm embedded within the law school that offers free legal services to the community.
STCL Houston offers approximately 20 clinics addressing a wide range of civil legal needs for low-income Texans. These clinics cover areas such as landlord/tenant disputes, expungements/nondisclosure, animal law, asylum/human trafficking, domestic violence, estate planning, immigration, low-income taxpayer issues, medical-legal partnerships, patent, probate, trademark, and veterans’ services. Additionally, 22 students volunteered their time through the Pro Bono Honors Program, contributing 579 legal pro bono hours of service.
“The law school’s commitment to pro bono service is significant and longstanding,” said Catherine Greene Burnett, vice president, associate dean for experiential learning, professor of law, and director of the Pro Bono Honors Program.“Faculty members dedicate their time and expertise to pro bono efforts, providing valuable legal advice and research in various cases. Professors like Charles W. “Rocky” Rhodes, Ryan Nelson, and Jim Musselman, along with alumna Martha Musselman, have made substantial contributions to advocacy groups and legal aid clinics.”
