There is only one law school located in San Antonio, and it is a private Catholic institution. Most undergraduate students who attend UTSA and want to pursue law school will have to attend St. Mary’s School of Law if they want to stay in the area.
UTSA needs more resources for the humanities department. Some professors within the political science department are teaching courses that they do not want to teach because of the lack of professors teaching at the upper levels. If UTSA had a law school, the students would benefit and the professors in the political science department would have the chance to teach more topics they are passionate about.
Having a law school at UTSA would also bring more faculty and funding to the undergraduate programs. Attention would be given to the Institute for Law and Public Affairs, which would naturally allow for more resources such as professors, guest speakers and course variety.
A law school being attached to the university would also allow undergraduates to gain first-hand experience in a being a law student. Being exposed to the workload and seeing others within the program can give prospective students a better outlook on what to expect.
There should be a law school so that the undergraduate program could work as a feeder program. Preparing students to work at the pace required by a law school should begin before attending. Even the Summer Law School Preparation Academy at UTSA is 10 weeks long and it is only a stepping stone to understanding if a student would like to attend law school. This opportunity to learn from law school professors could be possible for the fall and spring semesters if there were a UTSA law school.
