Attorney and Art History alumna Sammetria Goodson to address College of Fine Arts’ Class of 2020

div class="media media-element-container media-half_width media-wysiwyg-align-right"!-- images not migrated -- /div p Sammetria Goodson (B.A. Art History, 2004 and B.B.A. Marketing, 2004), an attorney who focuses her practice on art law, will address the class of 2020 at commencement ceremonies for the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Goodson will address graduates as part of a virtual commencement celebration on May 24, and she will return to deliver a full address for an in-person ceremony in fall 2020./p p Goodson is an attorney who works with artists, designers, storytellers and creatives at Goodson Law. In her legal work, Goodson specializes in law related to copyright and trademark, business, nonprofit, art and cultural heritage, fashion, new media and design, entertainment, dispute resolution and litigation./p p A native of Houston, Texas, Goodson grew up going to museums, festivals, performances, the downtown Houston Public Library and cultural events. Goodson has several “undercover creatives” in her immediate family:br /  /p ulli Her arts and literature-loving mother/li li Her playwriting and screenwriting father/li li Her sound engineering brother/li li A sheet music-carrying great-grandmother/li li A fashion designing and pattern-making great-grandmother/li li A tombstone sculpting great-grandfather/li li and the best orators and storytelling grandparents around./li /ulp Goodson’s passion for cultural heritage and art stems from her upbringing, which put her on the path to studying art history in the College of Fine Arts, marketing in the McCombs School of Business and law at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia. Goodson attended UT Auston on a full scholarship from the Terry Foundation. While at UT, Goodson interned in the marketing department of The Daily Texan and Texas Performing Arts, where she worked with graphic designers, photographers and writers. Some of Goodson’s fondest memories include visiting the prop shop and watching major productions load into Bass Concert Hall./p p Like many of her creative clients, Goodson’s journey is full of adventure. After being recruited fresh out of the McCombs School of Business, she sold algorithms and data in corporate America, served as law clerk in the chambers of a legendary judge and tried cases at a personal injury firm before launching Goodson Law. While gaining this experience, Goodson pursued every opportunity to work with artists and creatives, including brief stints at a municipal law office that counsels a public art commission and an in-house legal department at a record label. Goodson’s work took her to California, the Tri-State area and the suburbs of Nashville./p p Goodson is a member of various arts and professional associations and is a pro-bono attorney for Texas Accountants amp; Lawyers for the Arts and Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Goodson currently serves on the College of Fine Arts Advisory Council and on the board of Texans for the Arts. Goodson is a frequent lecturer and presenter on the topics of art, the business of art and the creative economy. Goodson is licensed to practice law in Texas and Pennsylvania, where she opened her Philadelphia office right before the onslaught COVID-19./p