South Texas College of Law's Legal Clinics Named After Houston Attorney Randy Sorrels

HOUSTON, TX, October 22, 2012 (Press-News.org) After receiving a substantial donation from attorney Randy Sorrels, the South Texas College of Law has named its legal clinics in his honor: The Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics.

Sorrels, a 1987 honors graduate of the South Texas College of Law, and partner at the Houston law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend, gave the school a financial gift intended to both help expand and support the school's legal clinical facilities. "This gift will benefit both South Texas law students and those clients who can't afford even basic legal services," he said. "Our students will get real-world legal experience, making them better lawyers when they start to practice law. Clients will have access to a group of energized, hardworking law students supervised by our outstanding professors."

Established in 1990, the law school's legal clinic originally handled only Social Security cases for those who could not afford legal services. Twenty-two years later, the clinical program has grown to provide services to those needing assistance with matters pertaining to family law, probate, wills and estates, guardianships, Social Security Disability, child welfare, asylum and human trafficking, wrongful convictions and post-conviction relief, trademarks, and animal law. The program outgrew its original space and moved to a new location -- three times the size of the original -- at the beginning of this school year.

According to a statement issued by the Houston-based law school, Mr. Sorrels' generous gift came at just the right time to support the expanding clinical program.

"I cannot overstate the magnitude and long-term impact of Randy's gift," said Donald Guter, South Texas College of Law president and dean. "It is not just the largest gift from a graduate in more than a decade, and it is not only a gift that names our new legal clinics. It is much more than that. It is a strategic gift. Randy's generosity advances the South Texas mission and assists the Houston community by providing the opportunity for many more students to gain practical experience representing real clients who have serious legal problems, but lack necessary financial resources."

Over the years, Mr. Sorrels has been recognized not only for excellence in the legal profession, but also for his dedication to the community. He serves as the Vice President of Finance for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and is a Past President of the Houston Bar Association. He is consistently recognized as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the state of Texas by Texas Monthly.

The attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend protect the rights of catastrophically injured people and represent families whose loved ones died because of the negligence of others. Founded in 1951, the firm is known as the oldest and one of the most well-respected plaintiff law firms in Houston, Texas. Lawyers at the firm have helped thousands of injured clients in cases involving motor vehicle and trucking accidents, workplace injuries, defective products, medical malpractice, plane crashes and other personal injury accidents.

To contact any of the personal injury attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend, visit the firm's website at www.abrahamwatkins.com or call 713-222-7211.

The South Texas College of Law will hold an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. Nov. 8 to celebrate the opening of the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics. For more information on the open house or to learn more about the law school's legal clinics, visit their website.