UPDATE: UH may take legal action for South Texas College of Law renaming

Hours after the South Texas College of Law announced it would change its name to Houston College of Law, UH representatives said in a statement that the institution will pursue “any and all appropriate legal actions” to protect its brand and interests.

UH said the revised name will create “significant confusion in the marketplace” that affects the Law Center.

The former South Texas College of Law said the renaming is “pivotal to its efforts to further distinguish itself regionally and nationally” and that it consulted alumni, students, faculty, staff and the American Bar Association before announcing the change.

“The board of directors and administrators of Houston College of Law came to the name change decision after thoughtful and lengthy research and input from key constituencies, including alumni, students, faculty, staff, and donors,” said the Houston College of Law in a statement. “We made the decision to change the name of the 93-year-old law school based on overwhelming support to tie our institution with its birthplace in downtown Houston. We believe that we are on firm legal ground with this name change, and that we are acting in the best interest of the law school and its students.”

According to the Houston College of Law, thousands of the college’s stakeholders said any name change should include “Houston” because of the college’s location downtown.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Houston College of Law.

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