Victoria Mather

Biography

Professor Mather joined the St. Mary’s faculty in 1985, after practicing law in a civil practice firm in Illinois and studying for her LLM degree. She teaches and writes in the areas of Property, Family Law and Wills and Trusts. She also taught Population Law and Policy several times for the St. Mary’s Institute on World Legal Problems in Innsbruck Austria and has served as co-director of the Institute. She has been a visiting professor at the University of Texas and the University of Illinois.

She served as the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs at the law school from 1999 – 2002 and 2006 to 2016. In her capacity as Associate Dean she worked with students and faculty on assessment, curriculum development, student disability services, academic standards, and student academic issues.
She currently sits on the Texas Lawyer’s Assistance Program Committee for the State Bar of Texas and the Board of Trustees for the Texas Center for Legal Ethics.

• Appointed as the Chair Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Committee, 2018 to 2021
• Appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Texas Center for Legal Ethics, 2018 to 2020
• Appointed to the State Bar of Texas’s Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Committee, 2015-2020
• Phi Delta Phi Outstanding Professor Award, 1988-89, (shared award); 1993-94
• St. Mary’s University Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award, 2010-11
• Taught as a visiting professor at the University of Illinois and the University of Texas
• Taught in the St. Mary’s Institute on World Legal Problems, Innsbruck, Austria

Book Chapters

• “Testamentary Transfers,” for Thompson on Real Property (Michie, 1994).
• “Planned Unit Developments” and “Subdivision Controls” for The American Law of Real Property (Matthew Bender, 1991).
• “Adult Entertainment Zoning,” for Rohan, Zoning and Land Use Controls (Matthew Bender, 1990).

Essays and Articles

• Population Law and Policy: From Control and Contraception to Equity and Equality, 50 St. Mary’s L.J. (2019)
• Evolution and Revolution in Family Law, 25 ST. MARY’S L.J. 405 (1993).
• No Harm, No Foul Pornography (Violent and Otherwise), 14 UALR L.J. 455 (1992).
• Review Essay, A Scary Tale:  Battered Women Who Kill Their Abusers, 18 OHIO N.U.L. REV. 601 (1992).
• The Magic Circle: Inclusion of Adopted Children in Testamentary Class Gifts, 31 S. TEX. L.J. 223 (1990).
• The Skeleton in the Closet: The Battered Woman Syndrome, Self-Defense, and Expert Testimony, 39 MERCER L. REV. 545 (1988).
• The Antitrust Implications of Municipal Land Use Planning, 33 WAYNE L. REV. 965 (1987).

Speeches and Presentations

• Moderator, SEALS 2015, panel on Gender Issues in Law Schools
• Discussant, SEALS 2014, panels on Wills and Trusts, Property issues and Bar Admissions practices, Moderator, panel on land use issues
• Lecture on Takings Jurisprudence, St. Mary’s Homecoming CLE program, 2005.
• Lecture on Vested Property Rights for Developers in Texas to local Homeowner’s Association, Fall 2004.
• Lecture on Preparation for and the Practice of Law, PREP program,
• St. Mary’s University, Summers 2002-04.
• Lecture on Domestic Partnership Legislation for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Issues Section of the state Bar of Texas, Summer 2000.
• Mini Bar-Review on Property Issues for St. Mary’s Students, Spring 1999.
• Adolescent Pregnancy Program, presentations in various high schools on Legal Issues Affecting Pregnant and Parenting Teens, Fall 1996, 1998.
• Training Session on Wills for Participants in the Wills Clinic for low-income elderly in San Antonio, Fall 1997, co-sponsored by St. Mary’s University School of Law, the Women’s Law Association, and the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association.
• Moderator, debate on U.S. military policy regarding gays and lesbians in the military, Fall 1997, St. Mary’s University School of Law
• Lecture, Universidad de Estodios de Posgrado en Derecho, for the Diplomado en Derecho Anglosajon Program in Mexico City. Lecture on U.S. Property Law, July 1997.
• Panel Discussion, St. Mary’s University, Spring 1996, “Legal Implications of Same-Sex Marriages.”
• San Antonio Legal Secretaries Association, Fall 1993, “A Summary of Texas Family Law.”
• Bexar County Women’s Political Caucus, Fall 1992, “Changing Times: Women in the Legal Profession.”
• St. Mary’s University Family Life Center, Spring 1992, “Some Key Legal Issues for the Family Counselor.”
• Seminar on Intellectual Property for Artists, Spring 1991, “Trademark, Copyright and Moral Rights for Artists.”

Teaching Materials

• Population Law and Policy (for Innsbruck program as needed).
• Human Rights and Population Law and Policy (for Innsbruck program as needed).