BeyGOOD Foundation donates $100,000 to UH Law Center
The BeyGOOD Foundation, founded by music icon and Houston native Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC) to support its Criminal Justice Clinic.
The gift will help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic at UHLC, which will provide pro bono legal services to underserved communities while enhancing criminal law and justice programming. The clinic is one of nine in-house clinics at the Law Center and will now have a dedicated faculty and director, expanding opportunities for student involvement and community outreach.
"I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center," said Leonard Baynes, dean of UHLC. "Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming."
Eloise Brice, vice president for advancement and alumni at UH, echoed Baynes’ gratitude. "We are so appreciative of the BeyGOOD Foundation for this impactful gift. Our students will be able to benefit from practical, real-world experience and impart their expertise to members of our community who are in need of their services."
The funding aims to bolster the clinic’s outreach efforts to educate and assist underserved communities surrounding the University of Houston. According to J. Anna Cabot, clinical associate professor and assistant dean of clinical programs at UHLC, the clinic provides a vital training ground for future attorneys.
"The clinic provides a unique and valuable training experience for our students in how to navigate and work within the criminal justice system through client interaction, interviewing, counseling, negotiating, and oral and written advocacy," Cabot said. "We’re teaching future attorneys not only legal and lawyering skills but also how to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the system so they can serve communities that lack options for effective and ethical legal representation."
Founded in 2013, the BeyGOOD Foundation’s mission is to support organizations, institutions, and individuals in creating communities of well-being, economic prosperity, and justice. The foundation’s partnership with UHLC reflects its commitment to advancing equitable legal representation, a critical need in the criminal justice system. Studies indicate that 2-10% of incarcerated individuals in the U.S. are wrongfully convicted—equating to as many as 230,000 people—and defendants of color often face worse outcomes than their white counterparts.
"At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings," Baynes said. "Through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in Houston, Texas, and across the nation."
The gift will help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic at UHLC, which will provide pro bono legal services to underserved communities while enhancing criminal law and justice programming. The clinic is one of nine in-house clinics at the Law Center and will now have a dedicated faculty and director, expanding opportunities for student involvement and community outreach.
"I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center," said Leonard Baynes, dean of UHLC. "Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming."
Eloise Brice, vice president for advancement and alumni at UH, echoed Baynes’ gratitude. "We are so appreciative of the BeyGOOD Foundation for this impactful gift. Our students will be able to benefit from practical, real-world experience and impart their expertise to members of our community who are in need of their services."
The funding aims to bolster the clinic’s outreach efforts to educate and assist underserved communities surrounding the University of Houston. According to J. Anna Cabot, clinical associate professor and assistant dean of clinical programs at UHLC, the clinic provides a vital training ground for future attorneys.
"The clinic provides a unique and valuable training experience for our students in how to navigate and work within the criminal justice system through client interaction, interviewing, counseling, negotiating, and oral and written advocacy," Cabot said. "We’re teaching future attorneys not only legal and lawyering skills but also how to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the system so they can serve communities that lack options for effective and ethical legal representation."
Founded in 2013, the BeyGOOD Foundation’s mission is to support organizations, institutions, and individuals in creating communities of well-being, economic prosperity, and justice. The foundation’s partnership with UHLC reflects its commitment to advancing equitable legal representation, a critical need in the criminal justice system. Studies indicate that 2-10% of incarcerated individuals in the U.S. are wrongfully convicted—equating to as many as 230,000 people—and defendants of color often face worse outcomes than their white counterparts.
"At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings," Baynes said. "Through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in Houston, Texas, and across the nation."
