The battle for Houston begins.
Just yesterday we told you about South Texas College of Law’s decision to change its name to Houston College of Law. The only problem? A little less than four miles away there is already a University of Houston Law Center, and they share the same red school color.
Tipsters and folks on social media had an immediate reaction, nearly all of it negative. Changing your school’s name after 93 years is bound to be controversial, especially when there is a good chance the school could be confused with one significantly ahead of it in the U.S. News and World Report Rankings.
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https://twitter.com/Caw_Dull/status/745645537873924096
And now, the University of Houston Law Center is weighing in on the issue. They are not pleased. From Dean Leonard Baynes:
It has come to the University of Houston’s attention that South Texas College of Law has announced that it is changing its name to Houston College of Law. The University of Houston Law Center has an established history of nearly 70 years in the City of Houston. The University of Houston is concerned about the significant confusion this creates in the marketplace and will take any and all appropriate legal actions to protect the interests of our institution, our brand and our standing in the communities we serve.
They are definitely keeping the door open for a lawsuit down the road, and the Dean has promised to protect the “integrity and interests” of the school. Dealing with potential legal threats the day after they announced their name change is probably not what the administration at the erstwhile South Texas College of Law wanted, but here we are.
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Take a look at the webpages for the two schools, and see what you think:
UPDATE 11:41am: An earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to both schools colors as red and white. The University of Houston Law Center’s colors are red and white, while a tipster points out the new Houston College of Law’s colors are red and gold. However, looking at the branding on the two schools’ website above, it is hard to see a difference in their colors.
Earlier: Is This Law School’s Name Change A Good Idea?
Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).