Alumni Alemán and Ochoa Make Legacy Challenge Gifts

May 23, 2022 | By: Wendy Schneider
Feature Planned Gifts

Two Texas Law alumni – Susana Alemán BS ’75, MEd ’78, JD ’84, and Omar Ochoa BA ’07, BBA ’07, MA ’07, JD ’11 – have stepped forward to support the law school by joining the Texas Law Legacy Challenge. They both documented new planned gifts to the Law School during the Legacy Challenge, which allowed them the opportunity to support law school initiatives of their choice right away. The immediate gifts were made with matching funds thanks to a generous grant from the University of Texas Law School Foundation.

Alemán’s future gift will create a Texas Exes Opportunity scholarship endowment for Mexican-American law students. Ochoa’s legacy gift pledge will result in immediate donations to the Pipeline Program, the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association (CHLSA), and the Trial Advocacy Program.

Susana Alemán ’84

Legacy Gift: Dean Alemán Sunflower Lawhorn Scholarship
Immediate Gifts: Pipeline Program, CHLSA, Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy, and General Scholarships

Alemán’s gifts are part of an initiative between the Texas Exes and the Law School to recruit a diverse class of students and make Texas Law a more welcoming place for all. Her legacy endowment, the Dean Alemán Sunflower Lawhorn Scholarship, will support Mexican-American law students. The name of scholarship stems from her time as assistant dean for student affairs at the law school, when from 1984-2006, she personally gathered and distributed sunflowers to graduates for the annual Sunflower Ceremony.

“To me, it’s necessary that all qualified students who want to attend Texas Law should be able to do so,” she said. “It would be a terrible shame if financial obstacles prevented someone from realizing such a dream. It’s the best investment I can make.”

Reflecting on her years as assistant dean, Alemán shares: “My most meaningful responsibility as assistant dean was graduation. Certifying the graduates and the Sunflower Ceremony were important to me because it meant that the students had earned their J.D. They had reached their goal after three years of hard work. It was an honor to continue the century-old tradition of picking the wild sunflowers for the law grads. Admittedly, I’d have nightmares and sleepless nights wondering where I would find the sunflowers that year. But there were always sunflowers somewhere, and the tradition continued.”

In addition to her support of Texas Law, she is an active member of the Texas Exes and the Hispanic Alumni Network.

Omar Ochoa ’11

Legacy Gift: Estate Gift from Life Insurance Policy
Immediate Gift: Pipeline Program, CHLSA, and the Trial Advocacy Program

Omar Ochoa made a planned gift by designating Texas Law as a beneficiary of his life insurance policy. This unrestricted legacy gift will impact students for generations to come. Matching funds from Ochoa’s planned gift are being used to support the Pipeline Program, the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association, and the Trial Advocacy program. These choices are reflective of his experience on the Forty Acres and at Texas Law.

“I selected the Pipeline Program and CHLSA because these organizations are committed to promoting access so that the next generation of leaders includes underrepresented backgrounds. I also chose the Trial Advocacy Program because being a part of mock trial and moot court at the law school is how I learned that I love being a trial lawyer.”

Ochoa grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and came to the university on a full scholarship, earning undergraduate degrees in business administration, accounting and economics, and a master’s degree in professional accounting. After working as a CPA and financial analyst, Ochoa returned to Austin to pursue his law degree.

He recorded two notable “firsts” while at UT: as an undergraduate, he was one of the first Latinos to serve as the university’s student body president and he was the first Latino editor-in-chief of the Texas Law Review. At Texas Law, he also won a national championship in moot court.

After law school, Ochoa completed federal clerkships with two of the nation’s top judges, was an attorney at Susman Godfrey, LLP, then founded the Omar Ochoa Law Firm.

“I really believe in the law school, its mission, and its purpose,” said Ochoa. “Every year, it transforms lives and shapes the legal thinkers and actors who will transform the world. The law school is not just an academic center; it’s an incubator for leaders. That role provides a big responsibility to be inclusive of persons and communities that struggle with access.”

By joining the Legacy Challenge and documenting planned gifts, Alemán and Ochoa are leaving a lasting legacy that will positively impact the future of Texas Law, our programs and our students.

Start the Discussion

Join Alemán and Ochoa in supporting the next generation of talented law students. With no burden on your pocketbook today, you can provide support to the people and programs within Texas Law that mean the most to you by joining the Legacy Challenge with a planned gift. To get started, contact Jennifer Monday Goldman, Director of Gift and Estate Planning, for no-obligation help at jgoldman@law.utexas.edu or 512-731-5443.