George Khalaf, BBA/MBA ’15, spends his days as a trusted business lawyer working in the corporate practice group of Foley & Lardner LLP in its downtown Houston office. He counsels various client businesses on everything from general corporate matters and organizational structure to mergers and acquisitions.

Khalaf says that his time at University of St. Thomas, including the year when he served under the president as chief of staff for the Student Government Association (SGA), provided the keys for his current success.

He Seized Opportunities at UST

“UST gave me the opportunities to develop my leadership and organizational skills, which I use everyday in my legal practice” Khalaf said. “Not only did I get to serve as the student representative on the university’s Management Board, but I was also a Presidential Ambassador, where I worked directly with prospective students who were interested in attending UST.”

As the Student Activities Board (SAB) representative, he was the liaison between SAB and SGA, helping to plan, fund and carry out university events.

A Passion for Law

After earning his MBA in summa cum laude style, Khalaf went on to complete his J.D. at the University of Houston Law Center in 2018. While there, he held high-responsibility positions, including chief notes and comments editor for the Houston Business and Tax Law Journal as well as vice president and treasurer for the Corporate & Taxation Law Society. Khalaf was also the recipient of the prestigious Houston Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section Scholarship.

At that time, Khalaf also gained experience as he assisted with several transactional matters in the energy, real estate and finance industries as an intern for Foley & Lardner LLP.

Today, Khalaf is a member of The Texas Bar Association, The American Bar Association and The Houston Bar Association.

His successes are many, and this humble soul attributes his accomplishments to the influence and guidance he received while attending the University of St. Thomas.

Khalaf said his primary goal is to, “build my legal practice based on the work ethic and moral principles I learned at UST and at law school to serve my clients’ complex legal needs in an effective and efficient manner.”