William Zachary ("Zach") Hughes

hughes

Education

  • J.D., Notre Dame Law School, ‘01
  • B.A., Vanderbilt University, Communication Studies, ‘98

Extracurricular Activities While at NDLS

  • International Moot Court
  • Law League Basketball

Employment

Associate, Baker Botts L.L.P
Houston, Texas

Insights Regarding My Area of Practice

  • I work in the trial department of Baker Botts L.L.P. As I have become a more senior associate my practice has focused on pharmaceutical products liability cases and large commercial disputes.
  • As a younger associate I worked on an insurance defense docket that gave me virtual autonomy in working up the cases, talking to clients, taking depositions, and ultimately settling or trying the cases.
  • I have tried eight cases either by myself or as first chair, four more as second chair, and one as part of a very large trial team in a pharmaceutical products liability case.

Volunteer/Pro Bono Work

  • My current pro bono work focuses on immigration cases in which clients are seeking either political asylum or special immigrant juvenile status.
  • I have also handled divorce and child custody cases and traditional civil litigation disputes for people who could not afford counsel and were referred through Catholic Charities or the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program.
  • I also occasionally volunteer for the LegalLines program here in Houston, which gives free legal advise over the phone.

On Professional Opportunities:

“I heard from more than one person when I was trying to choose a law school that if I wanted to get a good job in Texas I needed to either be at Harvard or the University of Texas, and that going to Notre Dame might limit my opportunities. Nothing could be further from the truth. Notre Dame enjoys a terrific reputation even in areas of the country (like Houston, Texas) where the number of Notre Dame lawyers is relatively small. In searching for summer associate positions and later full time employment, I feel that having Notre Dame on my resume actually allowed me to stand out among the stacks of Texas law school applicants.”

On Classmates and Friendships:

“I met so many terrific people at NDLS from all across the country, not the least of which is my wife. If I had met no one else, the Notre Dame experience obviously would have been tremendous. However, I also met a number of other friends who I still stay in touch with on a regular basis. In fact, I have more people that I stay in touch with and consider life-long friends from NDLS than I have from high school and undergraduate combined. I travel fairly often, and it is always great to see old friends throughout the country.”