Texas Law Magazine

The Spring 2025 issue of Texas Law Magazine is here! Look for it in your mailbox.

Spring 2025 Features

Ties that Bind

By Clayton Stromberger

Remembering Helen Hargrave and the World War II News Sheets that kept our community strong in its darkest hours.

Home Court Advantage

By Angela Shah

Texas’ newest courts have businesses beating a path to the Lone Star State and changing the legal landscape.

Expert Speech

By David Rabban

Judges recognize it. Professors rely on it. But what does academic freedom really mean under the First Amendment?

Texas Law Magazine | Spring 2025, Volume 2, Issue 1 | Docket pg 1

Texas Law Magazine | Spring 2025, Volume 2, Issue 1 | Docket pg 2

Helping Hands:
One special joy of my job is greeting the new
students at orientation each year. I get the
chance to shape their expectations about
the three-year journey ahead, and what
lies beyond. I ask them to lean into the extraordinary
learning environment of law school. I encourage
them to build real relationships with as many fellow
students as possible. And I urge them to never forget that
lawyers have a special capacity—and duty—to serve others.
These same themes pervade this issue of Texas Law Magazine.
Relationships are the heart of our story about Professor
Helen Hargrave ’26 and her project to keep thousands
of members of our community connected across the globe
amidst World War II. The role of higher education as a crucible
for learning is the foundation for our academic freedom
story. And the issue is shot through with examples of service,
from Bill Mahomes ’72 as the first Black man to be commissioned
through the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets to Brooke
Rollins ’98 taking the helm of the Department of Agriculture.
The Law School itself now serves as the home of the
monthly sittings of the State of Texas’s new 15th Court of Appeals.
Given that court’s particularly important subject-matter
jurisdiction, this is a tremendous opportunity for our students.
Already a host of impressive arguments have taken
place, with students filling the seats and getting the chance
to meet with the members of the court: Chief Justice Scott
Brister, Justice (and Adjunct Professor) April Farris, and Justice
Scott Field ’95. That’s a fine example of service and education
coming together!
Hook ’em,
BOBBY CHESNEY
Dean, The University of Texas School of Law

Available for Download Soon!

A Look Inside

Here’s a sampling of stories from the Spring 2025 issue that you can read online now.

The Verdict is In

Texas Law’s clerkship program is tops in the nation, with record numbers of graduates landing in the most exclusive chambers, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Resilience in Action

As CEO of AshBritt, the country’s leading emergency management company, Brittany Perkins Castillo ’13 brings order to chaos and helps hope triumph over despair.

Trigger Warnings

A revolution is coming to the firearms industry, in the form of new state public nuisance laws, and Professor Linda Mullenix sees a new wave of mass tort litigation on the horizon.

Also in This Issue

Eight to the Bar

Grammy-nominated jazz musician Colin Hancock ’25 just might be the hippest lawyer you’ll ever meet.

One of the Few, Then and Now

Admired and beloved, the late pioneer Mary Lou Robinson ’50 is the namesake of the U.S. Courthouse in Amarillo.

Lost in the System

Lori Duke ’95 takes up a State Department challenge to make international child hosting programs safer and better.

Bonus: Extended Content

“Juntos es mejor.” Talking with Miguel Garza ’12

When he and his sister Veronica started selling their abuela-approved almond-flour tortillas at Wheatsville Co-Op on South Lamar in May 2014—and their supply sold out in one day—Miguel Garza knew they had something special. The Siete Foods co-founder and CEO sat down with us to reflect on taking chances, solving big problems, and fielding a $1.2B partnership offer from PepsiCo.

Read the In-Depth Interview

Spring 2025, Volume 2, Issue 1

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