On April 16, 2025, the Mithoff Pro Bono Program and Justice Center hosted Texas Law’s annual Celebration of Service. This event highlighted the remarkable pro bono contributions of Texas Law students, partner organizations, and volunteer supervising attorneys during the 2024-25 academic year. Andrea Marsh, the Mithoff Program’s Director, kicked off the event by acknowledging the dedication of Texas Law students and the impact of their service on the community and clients.
Pro Bono Contributions
- Pro Bono Hours: Students enrolled in Texas Law during the 2024-25 academic year provided over 21,000 hours of pro bono service during their time in law school.
- Student Participation: Nearly 600 current Texas Law students participated in at least one pro bono project during their time in law school.
- Community Partners: 45 nonprofit organizations, government agencies, law firms, and other groups partnered with Texas Law on pro bono projects or hosted students and clinics. Additionally, over 65 attorneys outside of the Mithoff Program supervised student pro bono work.
Honors and Recognitions
Marsh awarded Pro Bono Beacon awards to the three students from each class who completed the highest number of pro bono hours:
- LLM Students: Santiago Mesa, Juliana Sanchez Vallejo, and Xintibo each performed over 45 hours of pro bono service during their year at Texas Law.
- 1Ls: Will Bonds, Taoshu Ren, and Camila Valeria Soler each performed over 110 hours of pro bono during their first year at Texas Law.
- 2Ls: Shelby Alexander, MaKenna McGraw, and Sean Steck each performed over 235 hours of pro bono service during their time at Texas Law.
- 3Ls: Lizeth Badillo Garcia, Gabrielle Olubanke Howells, and David Meyer Merlinsky each performed over 300 hours of pro bono service while at Texas Law.
Marsh also emphasized the role of the twenty-nine Pro Bono Scholars who supported clinics and projects and worked to develop new initiatives that aligned with student interests and needs. These students are Shelby Alexander, Clara Altfeld, Katelyn Anderson, Cate Byrne, Luey Garcia, Zach Gilstrap, Jack Goss, Rowan Gossett, Apurva Gunturu, Rooha Hagharmehdiabadi, Emma Jane Hopper, Amy Grace Humber, Miriam Jewell, Savana Lessley, Corinne May, Thomas McDowell, MaKenna McGraw, Anna McGuffee, Ian Miller, Alice Min, Camila Mosier, Sondos Morsey, Joe O’Neil, Alana Park, Emily Pierce, Allen Sellers, Olivia Shaheen, Sean Steck, and Gabby Trudo.
“Every year I’m grateful to get to work with volunteer law students and Pro Bono Scholars to deliver free legal services in the community. And every year I’m so impressed by the amount of time, energy, and intellect our students dedicate to pro bono,” stated Marsh.
“I’m also deeply grateful for the support of the partner organizations and volunteer supervising attorneys that make it possible for the Mithoff Program to make so many, and such varied, pro bono opportunities available to Texas Law students,” Marsh added.
For a complete list of participants, honors, and other recognitions, please visit Celebration of Service Program.
