THE ONLY CANDIDATE BOARD CERTIFIED
IN ANY SPECIALTY AREA
BY THE TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION
- » Board Certified in Family Law (Texas Board of Legal Specialization)
- » Board Certified in Civil Trial Law (Texas Board of Legal Specialization)
- » Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law (Texas Board of Legal Specialization)
I am 40 years old. I have lived in and/or worked in Montgomery County since I was about 2 years old, graduating from Conroe High School in 1985. Thereafter, I received my undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1989, and then completed law school in 1992 at Baylor University School of Law in less than the normal term of three years. My early graduation enabled me to sit for the bar exam while still in law school. I passed the bar exam on my first attempt, and became licensed to practice law just months after graduation. Following law school, I returned to Montgomery County, where I have now practiced law for approximately 16 years, with a significant portion of my practice dedicated to family law.
During my 16 years of practice, I have received, and continue to hold, three separate board certifications from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, including board certifications in Family Law, Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law. According to recent numbers provided by the State Bar of Texas and/or the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, of the 80,000 attorneys licensed by the State of Texas, approximately 10% are board certified in one specialty area, 1% are board certified in two specialty areas, and between 0.1% and 0.2% are board certified in three or more specialty areas.
Further, during last year's board examinations (board tests are given in Austin only once per year) only 53% of all examinees passed all tests, with only 36% of the Family Law examinees passing the test.
Most attorneys never even qualify to sit for the exam. Qualification includes a rigorous application and approval process, including significantly more legal education than the standard minimum, and establishing expertise in the specialty area, along with various recommendations from other attorneys and sitting judges.
Obviously, I believe my board certifications are a strong indication of my credentials to serve as a judge of a family law court. First, my certification in Family Law demonstrates I already possess all of the knowledge of the law in this field. Therefore, there would be no "learning curve" should I serve on this bench. Further, family law is an area of civil law, which is governed by the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Rules of Evidence. My Civil Trial Law certification indicates I can "hit the ground running" as I am already very familiar with these rules and statutes. Lastly, family law cases often, unfortunately, include elements of injury issues, family violence, or the like. As such, I believe it is important that the judge of a family court be familiar with injury tort actions and medical/mental health issues which often are combined with family law cases. Again, I believe my certification in Personal Injury Trial Law displays my expertise in these areas.
In addition to the above, I am a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and a member of both the Texas Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association, where I have served as a Director. I further often act as an Adjunct Professor with the North Harris/Montgomery Community College District for various legal classes, which have included Family Law, Rules of Civil Procedure, Civil Litigation, Legal Practice and Procedures, Torts, and both Basic and Advanced Legal Research and Writing. In addition to these duties, I am also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Legal Department for the North Harris/Montgomery Community College District.