Expecting an exciting new year for St. Mary's Law

2026 promises to be the best year yet.

Dear friends,

Happy New Year!

As we turn the page to 2026, I'm filled with optimism about what lies ahead for our law school. This year promises exciting opportunities to strengthen our community, celebrate achievements and advance our Marianist mission of justice and service.

Before I share updates about the law school, I want to address the recent decision by the Supreme Court of Texas to undertake a new approach to law school accreditation. St. Mary’s intends to maintain its American Bar Association accreditation as well as any state-required accreditation, in order to maximize the value and portability of our law degree. We look forward to learning more about the new approach to accreditation from the Texas Supreme Court and will keep you apprised of developments.

We enter this year energized by our strongest bar performance in more than a decade. Our July 2025 first-time takers achieved an 84.5% passage rate. This remarkable milestone reflects their determination, our faculty's commitment to excellence, and the comprehensive bar preparation programming we've built together, with help from alumni who provide funding for some of that programming. This success story belongs to everyone in our community who supports our students in their journey to becoming ethical, skilled advocates.

As 2025 came to a close, we celebrated our newly renamed Joe A. Gamez Courtroom. The Gamez Courtroom honors the legacy of an extraordinary attorney and St. Mary's Law graduate whose dedication to justice exemplifies everything we aspire to instill in our students. Thanks to the generosity of the Gamez Law Firm and the Gamez family, this beautiful space will inspire generations of future lawyers as they hone their advocacy skills.

Mark your calendars: Law Weekend and Reunion is coming March 27-28, and we can't wait to welcome you home. In addition to a Dean’s Circle Reception, we will celebrate alumni who hold or have held elected positions. Whether you're joining us in San Antonio or connecting with fellow alumni at receptions in Corpus Christi, Laredo, Dallas, Victoria or McAllen, these gatherings remind us of our deep affinity for our law school and unmatched dedication to each other. If you would like to stay connected throughout the year, please share your current contact information here, and then you will be invited to join our St. Mary's Law Alumni Network app.

As we embrace 2026, I'm confident our best days lie ahead. Together, we will continue preparing lawyers who lead with integrity, serve their communities with compassion and carry forward the Marianist values that make St. Mary's Law truly special.

Here's to a bright new year,

Patty Roberts, J.D.
Dean of the School of Law
Charles E. Cantú Distinguished Professor of Law

Law alumni bar takers achieve 84.5% pass rate

The hard work of the Office of Bar Success, law alumni, faculty and staff resulted in the 84.5% passage rate of the July 2025 bar exam by St. Mary’s Law graduates.

In celebration of the passage rate, the School of Law hosted a reception on Oct. 30, 2025, in the Law Courtyard. Recent graduates reconnected with classmates and faculty during the festivities.

Dean Patricia Roberts, J.D., recognized the Bar Success team members and their efforts to support and help prepare J.D. graduates so they could be “one and done” in taking the bar.

School of Law honors alumnus with the naming of Joe A. Gamez Courtroom on campus

At the St. Mary’s University Law Alumni Association’s annual Distinguished Law Graduate Dinner in October, the family of Joe A. Gamez (J.D. ’73), founder of the Gamez Law Firm, surprised their patriarch with a donation resulting in the naming of the School of Law’s courtroom.

The announcement revealed a $1 million gift from the Gamez Law Firm to St. Mary’s to support upgrades to the Joe A. Gamez Courtroom and the Law Classrooms Building in which it is located. Half of the gift will allocate funds to the already established Joe and Carmen Gamez Endowed Law Scholarship and the Joe A. Gamez Promise Scholarship.

We hope to see you at Law Weekend, a two-day celebration bringing our alumni and friends back together!

Friday, March 27, kicks off with the 10 Under 10 Lunch (noon to 1 p.m.) honoring outstanding alumni from the Classes of 2016-2025, followed by the Dean’s Circle Reception celebrating invited alumni and friends whose generous support helps move St. Mary’s Law forward.

Saturday, March 28, features the Brunch of Honor and the Silver and Gold Alumni Brunch (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) recognizing alumni who are judges, retired judges or elected officials, and celebrating graduates of 25 years or more. The weekend wraps up with the Innsbruck Reunion (2 to 4 p.m.) for alumni who participated in the Institute on World Problems at the University of Innsbruck.

Your generosity plays a vital role in supporting our students and the success of St. Mary’s Law. While gifts of any amount are greatly appreciated, a donation of $1,000 or more makes you a member of the Dean’s Circle.

For information about naming opportunities and other types of gifts, contact Anthony Alcoser (J.D. ’24), Executive Director of Law Advancement, at aalcoser@stmarytx.edu or 210-431-4361.

St. Mary's University
The Catholic and Marianist University
www.stmarytx.edu

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