Meet the Chancellors for the Class of 2026
Photo by Thomas Meredith
Becoming a lawyer has always been Alexia Malcom’s dream, and Texas Law was always her dream school. But even dreaming big didn’t prepare Malcom for the distinction of finishing at the very top of the Class of 2026.
“I am beyond grateful to have been taught by, and to have studied among, some of the brightest minds in the legal field,” says Malcom, who was announced in January as the school’s newest Grand Chancellor.
The Chancellor Society is the law school’s oldest and most prestigious honor society, recognizing those students with the highest grade-point averages in their class year. The society only exists at Texas Law and is more selective than national programs such as the Order of the Coif. The top four Chancellors serve as officers, with the first three being granted the titles of Grand Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Clerk.
The fourth member enjoys a title distinctive to Texas Law’s history: Keeper of the Peregrinus, in honor of the school’s quirky and fun mascot (whose history was featured in Texas Law Magazine Volume 2, Issue 1). Traditionally, 12 more students hold the title of Chancellor-at-Large, though ties can produce more than 16 chancellors in any given year.
For 2026, the ties were at the top of the rankings, with Micah Clark, Colin Kober, and Jaron Petreas enjoying a three-way tie for Vice Chancellor, and Francesca Lan Chu and Rebecca Traber sharing the title of Clerk.
They seem to know that true success is about something deeper.
Chancellors have gone on to highly successful careers in a wide range of roles, often as professional and community leaders, including as judges and members of Congress —and even as Texas Law faculty, including notables such as Kamela Bridges ’91, John Dzienkowski ’83, Tom McGarity ’74, Heather Way ’96, and Jay Westbrook ’68, among others.
As for Malcom, after graduation, she will join Sidley Austin’s general litigation department in Dallas. The Vice Chancellors are set in their plans, too. Clark will clerk on the 5th Circuit for Judge Priscilla Richman before joining Scott, Douglass & McConnico in Austin. Kober will work in the mergers & acquisitions/private equity group in the Dallas office of Kirkland & Ellis. Petreas, meanwhile, is headed to Houston and Norton Rose Fulbright’s litigation department.
While recognition for academic achievement is meaningful to the Chancellors, they seem to know that true success is about something deeper.
“It reflects perseverance,” says Malcom. “And the guidance of faculty mentors who continually challenged and supported me.” Dean Bobby Chesney thinks there’s wisdom in that attitude.
“Grades in and of themselves don’t necessarily matter,” says Chesney. “But the hard work and the investment you make in yourself to make the most of your opportunities here matters a lot.”
“That’s what induction into the Chancellors Society really stands for.”