Lisa J. Soto, J.D.
Professor Soto teaches the legal analysis, writing, and oral advocacy components of the LSPI College Summer Program and is responsible for Center clinical education, which includes the Children’s Rights Law and Advocacy Course, the EMPOWER Program, and Project AMPARO. She facilitates legal internships for undergraduate and law students at judicial, governmental, and nonprofit organizations. Ms. Soto also guides and mentors students from the community along the path to law school.
Ms. Soto was born and raised in El Paso. First attending public schools and ultimately graduating from Loretto Academy, she went on to obtain her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy with Honors in Education from Stanford University. She then earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was on the editorial board of the Hispanic Law Journal and an intern for the Honorable Raul A. Gonzalez of the Texas Supreme Court.
Ms. Soto is currently an independent contractor with the 8th Court of Appeals. She has practiced civil law since 1997 and is licensed in both Texas and California. She represented school districts, colleges, and governmental entities in California in administrative processes, litigation and appeals, and labor negotiations. She has represented employees and small businesses in employment and labor matters in Texas.
Ms. Soto has provided employee and board member training regarding topics such as open meeting laws, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and employee discipline. She has presented continuing legal education seminars to attorneys in California and Texas on a multitude of topics. She is a former Chair of the Diversity in the Profession Committee for the State Bar of Texas and has been an innovator and strategist on various regional and state boards throughout her career. Ms. Soto is a long-time board member of Siguiendo Los Pasos de Jesus, a charitable organization that builds homes and community infrastructure in Juarez and works to break the cycle of poverty through sponsoring education. Her writings have been published in the Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy, the Hispanic Law Journal, the California Employment Law Reporter, and most recently in the American Bar Association Child Law Practice Today.
UTEP Faculty Profile
Contact Information
Email: lsoto9@utep.edu
Phone: 915.747.8581
107 Miners Hall
Personal Information
Professor of Practice