Events
Volunteer
How You Can Get Involved
As the only law school in the city, St. Mary’s Law takes seriously the obligation to serve the city, the bench and bar, and acts as a legal resource for the greater legal community. If you want to get involved with assisting St. Mary’s Law students or the community, read about more ways in which you can help down below, or fill out a volunteer form.
Get Involved with the Office of Career Strategy
In partnership with Alumni Relations, the Office of Career Strategy has rolled out a number of initiatives to ensure our students receive enriching experiences year-round. You can play a role in transforming our students into the strong leaders and professionals for which St. Mary’s Law is known.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH OCS
Project and Remote Opportunities Program (PROP)
Through the Project and Remote Opportunities Program (PROP), St. Mary’s Law students are available to provide temporary assistance to meet an employers’ short-term needs. Our students can help with research, writing, document review, trial prep, website updates, blogging and social media presence, among other tasks, all without needing to be in the office.
To hire a student, post your position in CORE.
Remote Roundtables
The Office of Career Strategy was quick to adapt to Zoom conferences, and as a result, conversations between our alumni and students continue at our Remote Roundtables. The Roundtables are virtual mentorship circles for St. Mary’s Law students. This is a convenient way for alumni to connect with our students to share wisdom and advice in an informal setting.
Lawyer Link
One of the quickest ways our students learn is by hearing the experiences of someone who’s done it before. When a student has a career-related question, we have a lawyer with an answer.
Lawyer Link is a list of lawyers willing to answer students’ questions. There is no long-term commitment beyond serving as a one-time resource.
If you would like to offer your time and experience by joining Lawyer Link, complete the Lawyer Link form.
Get Involved with the Pro Bono Program
St. Mary’s Law offers a number of volunteer opportunities for alumni who wish to help our students and the greater San Antonio community. Here are a few ways you can get involved.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE PRO BONO PROGRAM
Lone Star Legal Aid
Lone Star Legal Aid, which covers Waco to Beaumont, including Houston, helps provide the rural community with access to legal assistance through our St. Mary’s attorneys and law students. Volunteers will prepare wills and medical directives for these clients, many of whom are veterans or elderly.
Support our Community Partners
The St. Mary’s University School of Law has partnered with the San Antonio Legal Services Association (SALSA) for a new initiative. The Tenants’ Rights Program is looking for volunteer attorneys who can help address the expected increase in evictions, displacement and homelessness in the aftermath of COVID-19. SALSA is also looking for attorneys who can participate in bi-weekly remote clinics at Audie Murphy VA Hospital.
Volunteer with the SALSA FEMA Appeals Project
Bexar County residents impacted by the February snowstorm have the right to appeal FEMA’s denial of their application for assistance or seek additional monetary assistance. The appeal must made in writing – not by email – within 60 days of the date on their FEMA decision letter. The average volunteer time commitment per appeal is 5 hours. SALSA will provide training resources, including training videos and appeal templates, and support from mentors, to assist lawyers who may not traditionally practice in this area.
Sign up here by March 15, 2021.
Host a reception for students attending Alternative Spring Break
Every year, students of St. Mary’s Law will travel across the state and country to spend their Spring Break serving the local community through pro bono work. During this week of service, area alumni are invited to a small reception to get to know our students.
Get Involved with the Advocacy Program
The St. Mary’s Law Advocacy Program hosts competitions throughout the academic year, the largest of which is the Lone Star Classic. Our students are always looking for volunteer judges to help make these competitions a success. Last year, St. Mary’s Law hosted guest schools such as Harvard Law, Loyola Law, Stetson Law and Emory Law.
Get Involved with Law Success
As part of the Law Success curriculum, all students are required to give a 15-minute presentation to a practicing attorney on a legal research topic. This project is meant to simulate the type of work a summer associate or new lawyer might do. Many of our students have never worked in a law office or had any experience communicating as a legal professional. You can help by volunteering your time for “supervisor meetings” to evaluate these student presentations.