Veronica Elizalde

Director of Employer Engagement

Biography

Veronica Elizalde, J.D., (B.A. ’97) leads employer engagement efforts at the Office of Career Strategy (OCS), fostering relationships to expand opportunities for law students and alumni. She manages the On Campus Interview (OCI) Program and counsels law students, alumni, and LL.M. students on career development, offering guidance on job search strategies, document preparation, and interview techniques. Elizalde also contributes to developing career-related programming with the OCS team.

She was elected to serve as a Regional Representative for the Southeast Region on the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and currently serves on the Sunbelt Recruitment Program Board. She is also a member of the San Antonio American Inns of Court, the San Antonio Bar Association, and the Mexican American Bar Association of San Antonio.

A University of Texas School of Law graduate, Elizalde practiced for five years, specializing in high-volume, delinquent ad valorem tax litigation. She holds a B.A. in English-Communication Arts from St. Mary’s University.

Outside of work, Elizalde enjoys spending time with family and friends, taking on LesMills+ challenges, and reading fiction.

Veronica Elizalde

Director of Employer Engagement

Contact Information

Education

J.D., The University of Texas School of Law, 2000
B.A., (summa cum laude), St. Mary’s University, 1997

License to Practice

Texas

Charles E. Cantú

Dean Emeritus | Professor of Law

Biography

Cantú is among the longest tenured Hispanic law professors in the country. He has been a Fulbright Scholar, teaching at the Universidad de René Gabriel Moreno in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. An engaged member of the San Antonio community, Cantú serves numerous civic organizations, including the boards of the Witte Museum, San Antonio Hospice and the Winston School. He served as dean of the School of Law for seven years, concluding his deanship in 2014.

As a dean, Cantú organized and conducted a summer entry program for potential first-year law students with low predictors. Cantú has raised significant contributions for the law school, most of which is marked for scholarships to attract the best and brightest students to the School of Law.

He introduced the subject of products liability into the curriculum, both as a course and as an advanced seminar. He is a founding member of The Scholar, a journal at the St. Mary’s University School of Law. Cantú also increased alumni participation through giving by establishing three new law alumni chapters in McAllen, Austin and El Paso.

In 2017, Cantú became an Of Counsel Attorney with the firm Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza, Inc.

Highlights

Fulbright Scholar, Universidad de René Gabriel Moreno, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 1966
Visiting Faculty, South Texas College of Law, 1979-1980
Visiting Faculty, University of Houston, 1971
Member, Numerous Committees of the American Bar Association that conducted many inspections of accredited law schools
Traveled around the globe in an effort to provide St. Mary’s students with networking and educational opportunities
Former dean of the St. Mary’s School of Law, 2008-2014

Publications

Articles in a Periodical

Cantú has published numerous articles in law reviews, many of which relate to products liability. He also contributed a chapter to a leading Texas treatise, Texas Torts and Remedies. He writes in the areas of common law, statutory damages, products liability and Texas Deceptive Trade and Practices Act.

Dean Cantu’s recent articles include:

Charles E. Cantú

Dean Emeritus | Professor of Law

Contact Information

Education

LL.M., University of Michigan, 1978
M.C.L., Southern Methodist University, 1965
J.D., St. Mary’s University, 1964
B.B.A., University of Texas, 1961

License to Practice

Texas

Specialties and Courses

Common Law
Contracts
Products Liability
Statutory Damages
Torts
Texas Deceptive Trade and Practices Act

A.J. Bellido de Luna

Assistant Dean for Advocacy and Conflict Resolution Programs | Hardy Law Professor and Professor of Practice of Law

Biography

Bellido de Luna is the Assistant Dean for Advocacy and Conflict Resolution Programs, Hardy Law Professorship and Professor of Practice of Law at the St. Mary’s University School of Law. He teaches Trial Advocacy and Arbitration and directs the law school’s Advocacy Program National Team, consisting of The National Moot Court Team, National Trial Team, National Dispute Resolution Team, Jessup International Moot Court Team, and is the faculty advisor to the Board of Advocates.

Bellido de Luna practiced law in Maryland with the Law Offices of G. Russell Donaldson and Palmer Cooper and was the Managing Director of the Clinical Law Program of the University of Maryland School of Law and a Special Prosecutor for Baltimore City. He joined the University of Maryland School of Law full-time in 2008 as the Managing Director of the Clinical Law Program and the Director of the National Trial Team. As a Clinical Law Instructor and Lecturer in Law, Bellido de Luna taught the General Practice Clinic as well as Advanced Trial Advocacy. During his tenure as coach and director, he led the program to their first Tournament of Champions victory.

Prior to joining St. Mary’s University, Bellido de Luna was the Board Executive Officer for the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, where he supported the board in directing and facilitating the district’s strategic direction and managing effective and efficient operations in the areas of board governance and oversight. Bellido de Luna provided high-level professional, managerial and operational advice to the board. He helped oversee the management and implementation of the district’s legislative agenda and served as the point of contact for intergovernmental affairs. Bellido de Luna trained and supervised the district’s hearing examiners.

Bellido de Luna is a former Marine and retired police lieutenant. During his law enforcement career, he served in command positions and supervised Traffic Enforcement & Accident Reconstruction, and spent several years as a child abuse detective.

In 2020, he was elected Vice President as part of the inaugural leadership for the National Association of Legal Advocacy Educators (NALAE).

Highlights

Staff Member of the Year by the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s Student Bar Association Recognition, 2014
Faculty of the Year Community Award from the Homeless Person’s Representation Project in Baltimore, Maryland, 2013
Impact Award presented by the Black Law Student’s Association of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, 2010
Order of the Barrister, 2004

Publications

Expert Report Rules and the Daubert Trilogy (Nat’l Inst. for Trial Advoc. ed., 3d ed. forthcoming May 2022).
Remote Advocacy: A Guide to Survive and Thrive. Mary Jo Barr, A.J. Bellido de Luna, Elizabeth Boals, Robert Guttman & Traci Buschner, Rebecca Diaz Bonilla, Sidney Kanazawa, Brent Newton, Jules Epstein, Kelly K. Robinson, Christian H. Hendrickson, Allison T. Mikulecky, Whitney Untiedt and Ashley Willcott Chapters(3) Time Management, Ethics, Netiquette, National Institute for Trial Advocacy Publishers. 2020
State v. Gray, 2016 National Institute of Trial Advocacy With Joseph E. Taylor

White Papers

One Memorable Cross Examination Lesson (Nat’l Inst. for Trial Advoc. ed., forthcoming 2022)
Collective Wisdom: When to Impeach with an Inconsistent Statement 3 (Nat’l Inst. for Trial Advoc. ed., 2021)

A.J. Bellido de Luna

Assistant Dean for Advocacy and Conflict Resolution | Hardy Law Professor and Professor of Practice of Law

Contact Information

Education

J.D., University of Maryland School of Law, 2004
B.S., John Hopkins University, with Honors, 2000

License to Practice

Maryland
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Supreme Court of the United States

Specialties and Courses

Trial Advocacy
Trial Skills
Arbitration
Negotiation

Johanna Fickel

Assistant Director of J.D. Admissions

Biography

As the current Assistant Director of J.D. Admissions, Fickel counsels prospective students and applicants on the J.D. program application process. She is responsible for educating prospective students about the various aspects of St. Mary’s Law. She also engages prospective students through the use of social media by connecting them with current St. Mary’s Law students, faculty, and staff.

She is an alumna of Kenyon College in Ohio where she studied international environmental policy and practice with an emphasis on sustainable development. At Kenyon, she also worked in the undergraduate admissions office as a tour guide and a Senior Admissions Fellow. It was in these positions that she helped high school students understand the intricacies of higher education through the lens of a current undergraduate. There, she discovered her passion for access to higher education and diversity in academia.

During her free time, Johanna enjoys reading novels, learning new songs on her guitar, and going on hikes with her rescue dog.

Johanna Fickel

Assistant Director of J.D. Admissions

Contact Information

Education

B.A., Kenyon College, 2021

Peter Hosey

Practicing Faculty

Biography

Peter Hosey (J.D. ’79) was born in Stuttgart, Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1956. He became a U.S. citizen in 1960.

While he lived in the U.S., he attended the University of Texas at El Paso, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976. Shortly after, he attended the St. Mary’s University School of Law. He is married to Sheree Wagner and has four children.

Hosey has worked at Jackson Walker LLP since 2001. Prior to that, he worked at Gresham, Davis, Gregory, Worthy & Moore from 1989 to 2001; Woodward, Hunter & Hosey from 1980 to 1988; and Exxon from 1979 to 1980.

Hosey is the president of the St. Mary’s Law Foundation, a member of the St. Mary’s University Board of Trustees and a former president of the St. Mary’s Law Alumni Association.

Memberships

State Bar of Texas 1979 to Present
One of the Founders and Past President and Treasurer San Antonio Bar Association Natural Resources Section
Chair, Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section, State Bar of Texas, 2017-2018
Member of Texas Land Title Standards Commission 1998 to Present.
Life Sustaining Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation

Honors and Awards

Distinguished Graduate Award 2013, St. Mary’s School of Law

Publications

Examination of Texas Land titles Casebook, 5th Edition (Electronic Publication)

Presentations

Presented Papers to:
- Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
- SBOT Oil, Gas & Energy Law Advanced Seminars
- EE Smith Energy Institutes
- SBOT Water Law Conference
- SBOT Oil & Gas Disputes Course
- San Antonio, Dallas & Midland Bar Association Seminars
See jacksonwalker.com for full list

Peter Hosey

Practicing Faculty

Education

JD, St. Mary’s School of Law, 1979
BA, University of Texas at El Paso, 1976

License to Practice

Texas

Specialties and Courses

Texas Land Titles

John Hunter

Practicing Faculty

Biography

An Amarillo Native, 4th generation attorney and 7th generation Texan, John Torrey Hunter graduated from the University of Texas in 2008 with a BA in Philosophy. After a stint working in Colorado, in 2009 he enrolled at the St. Mary’s University School of Law , with graduation and admission to the Texas Bar in 2012.

During Law School, he clerked for the firm of Goldstein, Goldstein and Hilley and in 2016, after 4 years as a sole practitioner, he became the senior associate at the firm. In 2019, he co-founded the law firm of Hunter, Lane & Jampala PLLC, where his focus remains on criminal trial litigation, criminal appeals and post-conviction writs of habeas corpus. His cases have included capital murder, bribery, money laundering, sexual assault, federal drug conspiracies, state and federal writs of habeas corpus, and criminal appellate matters.

In addition to arguing before the many state appellate courts, he has argued before Federal Courts for the Western and Northern District of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, LA, and has prepared appellate briefs for the Supreme Court of the United States.

John is a board member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the incoming president of the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He is a contributing author for the LexisNexis Texas Criminal Practice Guide and has lectured at CLE events for SACDLA, TCDLA, and the Matagorda County Public Defender’s Office. His speeches have covered topics such as the “Law of Charging Instruments in Texas” and “Defending Federal Firearms Offenses.”

He is licensed to practice in the State of Texas, the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States District Court for the Western, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of Texas.

John Hunter

Practicing Faculty

Education

J.D., St. Mary’s University, 2012
B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 2008

Robyn Katz

Practicing Faculty

Biography

Katz is an Adjunct Professor of Law at St. Mary’s University School of Law. She specializes in Animal Law, Criminal Law, and Municipal Law. She currently serves as City Attorney and City Prosecutor for several Central Texas cities, as well as the General Counsel for two Economic Development Corporations in Texas. Prior to her career in Municipal Law, she served several years as an Assistant District Attorney for both Bexar County and Comal County, focusing on family violence and animal cruelty. While in San Antonio, Katz started a law firm serving family law clients, legal aid clients, and embracing animal law cases as the pro bono branch of the practice.

She received her Master’s of Education from the University of Texas, and devoted 5 years to teaching in Texas public schools. Katz graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law, and has served on the State Bar of Texas Animal Law Section Council as Chair for two years and Council Member for one year. She teaches Family Law as an Adjunct Professor at Texas State University, in the Master’s of Legal Studies program—Department of Political Science.

Katz has several published articles related to animal law, and her articles have been cited in Animal Law textbooks. She testified as an expert during several Legislative Sessions in front of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee regarding animal law, the link between animal cruelty and family violence, and the necessity for increasing penalties at the felony level for animal cruelty. Her experience in both criminal law, animal law, and municipal law has led her to various speaking engagements, including for the Texas District and County Attorney Association, Texas City Attorney Association, South Texas College of Law, University of Texas School of Law, and several law enforcement agencies throughout Texas. Katz is licensed in Texas, New Jersey, and Colorado, as well as in the Western District of Texas.

Robyn Katz

Practicing Faculty

Education

J.D., Texas Tech University School of Law
M.Ed., University of Texas
B.S., University of Michigan

License to Practice

Texas
New Jersey
Colorado
Western District of Texas

Brooke Pate

Director of Law Alumni Relations

Biography

Brooke Pate, Director of Law Alumni Relations, joined St. Mary’s University in September of 2022. Brooke holds a bachelor’s and MPA degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Brooke also obtained her Nonprofit Administration and Leadership Certificate from UTSA.

Brooke has spent over 14 years in the education sector. Prior to joining St. Mary’s, she was the Volunteer Resource Manager for the North East Independent School District and The North East Educational Foundation serving 60,000 students and their families.

Brooke believes building meaningful relationships with alumni is important to the University and its increasingly diverse student body. She looks forward to engaging alumni and providing tangible benefits to alumni, the University and current students.

Brooke grew up in San Antonio, she is married to her husband Robert. In her free time, she likes to cheer on the Roadrunners, pick up a good book or be out in nature with her 4 rescue dogs.

Brooke Pate

Director of Law Alumni Relations

Contact Information

Education

M.P.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 2005
B.A. in Criminal Justice, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1996

Catherine Casiano

Assistant Dean for Admissions

Biography

As a law student at St. Mary’s, Casiano was a staff writer and editor for The Scholar: St. Mary’s Law Review on Minority Issues, competed in numerous moot court competitions, worked as a research assistant, and was involved in various on-campus student organizations.

Additionally, she served as a legal intern for MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund). After becoming licensed to practice law, she worked as a criminal defense attorney and from 2009-2013 was the Staff Attorney for the Bexar County Domestic Relations Office where she assisted indigent, non-custodial parents with their family law issues.

She is licensed to practice law in Texas and is a member of the San Antonio Bar Association, the Mexican American Bar Association, and the Hispanic Law Alumni Association of St. Mary’s.

Catherine Casiano

Assistant Dean for Admissions

Contact Information

Education

J.D./MBA, St. Mary’s University, 2007
B.A., Boston College, 1997

License to Practice

Texas

Bebe Gonzalez

Senior Administrative Assistant for Law Student Affairs

Biography

Bebe Gonzalez serves as Assistant Dean Alyssa Leffall’s assistant. She works in coordinating all aspects of the Office of Law Student Affairs. She answers inquiries, provides assistance with student appointments and coordinates law student accommodations with the Office of Student Accessibility Services.

She works as a liaison with Registered Student Organizations (RSO). She also inputs RSO announcements to display information on monitors across the law school campus. She provides exam management for accommodation students and handles direct conflict exams. She prepares third-year bar card certifications, the law school newsletter the Witan, processes dignitary requests and provides notary services.

Gonzalez graduated Cum Laude from St. Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. Gonzalez is a native San Antonian who enjoys traveling, photography, and reading.

Bebe Gonzalez

Senior Administrative Assistant for Law Student Affairs