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Thurgood Marshall School of Law—Still We Rise
By Associate Dean Crystal Ridgley
he recent SCOTUS affirmative action decisions have made it crucial for law schools to enhance their recruiting efforts and foster diversity within their applicant pools. Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law (“TMSL”) recognizes the importance of moving forward and creating a more inclusive legal education environment rather than solely reacting to the ruling. By actively seeking ways to expand our outreach and attract a diverse range of applicants, our law school is determined to make a lasting impact on the future of legal education in Houston. For nearly seven decades, TMSL, a public law school in Houston, Texas, has played a critical role in sparking bold discussions and promoting fairness, inclusivity, and prospects in alignment with the principles and beliefs of our namesake, Justice Thurgood Marshall. Established in June 1947, the law school has held complete accreditation from the American Bar Association since 1949. For more than 70 years, TMSL has empowered the disenfranchised and underserved. Enrolling approximately 600 full-time law students, it provides programs for the regular full-time juris doctorate and an LL.M. in immigration law. The demographic composition of the incoming class of 2022 consisted of 52% African American, 31% Hispanic, 6% White, 5% Asian American, and 5% of two or more races, with overseas students comprising the remainder of the class. TMSL has been dedicated to promoting social justice and equality in the legal field. With a diverse student body, it aims to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment. By offering specialized programs in immigration law, the law school demonstrates its commitment to addressing the needs of marginalized communities. TMSL significantly contributes to the legal profession and society. TMSL proudly serves as a school of opportunity. Historically, we have admitted many students not admitted by other law schools because of their traditional objective credentials. We have opened our doors to students whose admission credentials may include nontraditional factors, such as life experience, maturity, and extraordinary dedication to their future successes. TMSL is committed to allowing those students to join the legal profession. We remain committed to an accurate, holistic model for our student body. To continue our focus on preparing diverse attorneys to meet current legal challenges, TMSL intends to recruit and retain more competitive applicants. We are committed to admitting students likely to pass the bar and practice successfully without compromising our school’s historic social mission or continuing commitment to diversity.
In fall 2022, the TMSL faculty voted for the admissions office to start accepting the Graduate Record Examinations (“GRE”) as part of the application process and as an acceptable, reliable test for admission to law school. Accepting the GRE will give TMSL access to a larger applicant pool, an increased academic discipline diversity pool, and increased racial diversity. In addition, using the GRE will reduce the application barrier and create more opportunities for potential law students. The GRE is offered once every 21 days, much more often than the LSAT, which is offered four times a year. TMSL will be the first HBCU to accept the GRE for the fall 2024 admissions cycle. TMSL will also continue to explore the enhancement of current processes and the initiation of new strategies to broaden the admission “pipelines” to attract and enroll qualified candidates for admission. As an example, the admissions office, in collaboration with Texas Southern University’s Thomas F. Freeman Honors College, is in the process of evaluating a 3+3 agreement within the university that would allow students to substitute their final year of undergraduate education with the first year of law school. This initiative aims to provide a more streamlined path for highly qualified students to pursue a legal education. In addition to expanding the 3+3 agreements, TMSL will prioritize outreach efforts to historically underrepresented communities, including hosting virtual information sessions and participating in college fairs. In spring 2024, we will conduct our second annual Black Men of Excellence (“BME”) virtual panel hosted by the BME student organization at TMSL. This event promotes and recruits black males interested in attending law school. By actively seeking out diverse candidates and offering various pathways to admission, TMSL is committed to creating a more inclusive and accessible legal education experience. Associate Dean Crystal Ridgley joined Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law with more than 16 years of higher education administration experience in enrollment management, student affairs, and diversity and inclusion. As the new associate dean of admissions, she mainly focuses on developing and implementing a strategic plan to engage and recruit new students into the school of law. Her most substantial contributions have been her role in improving the persistent equity gaps in educational attainment across all student demographic categories and increasing the admission numbers at each institution she has served.
University of Houston Law Center’s Pre-Law Pipeline Programs
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By Mariesha Keys
he award-winning University of Houston Law Center PreLaw Pipeline Programs (“Pipeline Programs”) are designed to enhance the law school applicant pool by providing college students and graduates with law school preparatory resources, such as LSAT instruction, introductory law school classes, law28 January/February 2024
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related internships, and professional development sessions. Our Pipeline Programs have always been race-neutral and welcome a wide variety of students of all backgrounds who have a genuine interest in attending law school and pursuing a legal career. They focus on college students and graduates who are first-generation,