TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER. Regional Judges Seminar Tyler October 21 23, 2013

Transcription

1 TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER Regional Judges Seminar Tyler October 21 23, 2013 Michael Acuna City of Dallas 2014 Main St, Rm 331 Dallas, TX (o) (f) Candace Chappell Senior Assistant City Attorney City of Irving 305 North O'Connor Road Irving, TX (o) (f) Jameson Crain Multimedia Specialist Bonnie Goldstein Presiding Mark Goodner Program Attorney & Deputy Counsel Peter Graham Associate Judge City of Irving PO Box Irving, TX (o) (f) Dana Huffman Balch Springs 3117 Hickory Tree Rd. Balch Springs, TX (o) (f) David Johnson Deputy Chief Prosecutor City of Arlington 101 S. Mesquite Street, Suite 300 Arlington, TX (o) (f) Matt King Tarrant County Magistrate Tarrant County 8733 Trailwood court Keller, TX (o) (f) Catherine Klier Administration Manager, JCM Program City of Houston 1400 Lubbock Street, Room 214 Houston, TX (o) (f) Victor Lander Judge City of Dallas 2014 Main Street, Ste. 210 Dallas, TX (o) (f) Pam Liston Associate Judge City of Rowlett P.O. Box 1882 Rowlett, TX (o) (f) Kevin Madison City of Lakeway 740 Polo Club Drive Austin, TX (o) (f) Tim Murphy Bedford 2000 Forest Ridge Dr Bedford, TX (o) (f) Lester Rorick City of Pasadena PO Box 1575 Pasadena, TX (o) (f) Warren Spencer City Prosecutor Forrest Hill 3219 East California Parkway Forest Hill, TX (817) (o) Katie Tefft Program Director Ryan Kellus Turner General Counsel & Director of Edcuation

2 , Austin, Texas fax FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES MICHAEL ACUÑA Michael Acuña received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1993 and was admitted to the Bar in November of that year. He was hired by the City of Houston in 1993 as an Assistant City Attorney in the Criminal Law Division. He has been a regular speaker for on the subject of bail bond forfeitures. In April 1977, Mr. Acuña transferred to the Land Use Division of the City's Legal Department where he was responsible for nuisance abatement and sexually oriented business litigation in state and federal courts, In November 1999, he accepted a position as Senior Prosecutor in the Prosecution Section of the Dallas City Attorney's Office, where one of his responsibilities is code enforcement litigation. CANDACE CHAPPELL Candace Chappell grew up in Lubbock, Texas and is a third generation attorney. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University where she earned her Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree and Juris Doctorate. She worked in the Dallas Criminal District Attorney s Office, the El Paso Court of Appeals, and the El Paso County District Attorney s Office, and as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of El Paso. In 1995, Ms. Chappell went to work for the City of Irving, the year the city became a court of record. She is presently employed in Irving as a Senior Assistant City Attorney where she performs both prosecutorial and general municipal law duties. JAMESON CRAIN Jameson Crain is the Multimedia Specialist for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Jameson graduated with a bachelor s degree in Political Science from Arizona State University in Before, he gained work experience in video production, photography, graphic design, and web development. In his spare time he enjoys designing and screen printing shirts and posters, mountain biking, and playing the drums. BONNIE GOLDSTEIN In 1990, Bonnie Goldstein began her legal career and over the course of her 16 years has practiced in the areas of state and local government law, government contracts and construction litigation, among others. In 2003, she opened her law office practicing predominantly in the areas of state and local government law. She routinely represents and advises local governments including contracts, procurement, construction, employment, code enforcement, land use, planning and zoning issues, variances, and municipal court. She is currently the City Attorney for the City of Princeton and City of Pecan Hill. Judge Goldstein received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Hood College, Frederick Maryland in 1984, and her law degree in 1990 from George Washington University, the National Law Center, in Washington, D.C. She has authored and presented papers to various groups, including the Texas Municipal League, the North Central Texas Council of Governments and Police Training Academy and the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Judge Goldstein is fluent in Spanish and was named Legal Counselor to the Mexican Consulate in Houston on March 20, In February of 2003 she was appointed the Presiding

3 Judge for the City of Cockrell Hill; August 2004, she was appointed as an Associate Judge for the City of Dallas, reappointed in 2006; and recently appointed the in Royse City. BONNIE GOLDSTEIN In 1990, Bonnie Goldstein began her legal career and over the course of her 23 years has practiced in the areas of state and local government law, government contracts and construction litigation, among others. In 2003, she opened her law office practicing predominantly in the areas of state and local government law. She routinely represents and advises local governments including contracts, procurement, construction, employment, code enforcement, land use, planning and zoning issues, variances, and municipal court. She is currently the City Attorney for the City of Princeton and City of Pecan Hill. Judge Goldstein received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Hood College, Frederick Maryland in 1984, and her law degree in 1990 from George Washington University, the National Law Center, in Washington, D.C. She has authored and presented papers to various groups, including the Texas Municipal League, the North Central Texas Council of Governments and Police Training Academy and the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Judge Goldstein is fluent in Spanish and was named Legal Counselor to the Mexican Consulate in Houston on March 20, In February of 2003 she was appointed to the bench in the City of Cockrell Hill; in August 2004, she was appointed as an Associate Judge for the City of Dallas, and resigned to run in November of 2009, and has served as the in the City of Royse City since December MARK GOODNER Mark Goodner serves as the for the City of Woodcreek and is the Program Attorney and Deputy Counsel for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Prior to joining the Center, he worked in civil litigation in Austin. Mr. Goodner graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with a juris doctorate and certification in the Graduate Portfolio Program in Dispute Resolution in May of While in law school, he worked in the mediation clinic, was a finalist in the Thad T. Hutcheson Moot Court Competition, and served on the executive board of Assault & Flattery. PETER GRAHAM Judge Peter Graham has been an associate judge in Irving since December After graduating from University of Dallas in Irving with a BA in Politics, he joined the Marine Corps where he served as a tank commander before being stationed at the Marine Recruiting Station in Dallas. He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University School of Law and is in private practice in Arlington. He is a member of the Marine Corps League, Marine Corps Tankers Association, and is active in the Marine Corps Toys-for- Tots program. Recreation interests include civil war re-enactments and anything else that does not involve being on a telephone. DANA HUFFMAN Dana Huffman serves as the for the Cities of Balch Springs, Fairview, Princeton and Lucas. She is the Associate Judge for the Cities of Carrollton, DeSoto, Ferris and Fate and the prosecutor for the Cities of Red Oak, Glenn Heights and Waxahachie. Ms. Huffman graduated from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law with a juris doctorate and Stephen F. Austin State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She is active in animal rescue serving on the Board of Directors for two rescue organizations and the City of Richardson Animal Shelter Advisory Commission.

4 DAVID JOHNSON David Johnson is the Deputy Chief Prosecutor for the City of Arlington. He also serves as the lead prosecutor for appeals, code compliance, and civil enforcement matters. Prior to joining the Arlington City Attorney s Office, he worked for Dallas attorney S. George Alfonso. Mr. Johnson obtained his juris doctorate from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Mr. Johnson has been a presenter for the Texas District & County Attorneys Association, the Texas Court Clerks Association, the Texas City Attorneys Association, as well as a past presenter for. MATT KING Judge King graduated with honors in 1977 from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree, and received his Doctor s of Jurisprudence in 1983 from Texas Tech University School of Law. He started his career in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's office and worked in both the civil and criminal divisions. In 1987 he entered private practice and specialized in criminal defense. Judge King is admitted to practice in Federal Court for the Northern District of Texas, and in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge King was first appointed as a relief Judge for the City of Keller in 1993, and beginning in 1995 served as the Presiding Municipal Judge. In 2007 he resigned this position after being been appointed a Tarrant County Criminal Magistrate. Currently he handles all aspects of the criminal justice system. His responsibilities include presiding over jury selection, probation revocation hearings, bond forfeitures, bond reductions hearings, motions to suppress, all pre-trial motion hearings, ruling on the admissibility of evidence, accepting plea bargains, and the magistration of inmates. CATHERINE KLIER Catherine Klier is an Administration Manager with the City of Houston Municipal Courts Department, with over 12 years experience in criminal justice. As an Administration Manager, Ms. Klier is responsible for managing all operations of the Juvenile Case Manager Program, which places Juvenile Case Managers in local middle and high schools as well as within the Municipal Court to reduce juvenile referrals into the criminal justice system. The City of Houston Juvenile Case Manager Program is the largest program of its kind in the state as well as the most highly developed. In addition to her current position, she currently serves as faculty for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center by providing education on topics related to juveniles in the criminal justice system and serves as President of the southeast region chapter of the Juvenile Case Manager Association. Ms. Klier has been with the City of Houston Municipal Courts Department since January 2009, where she was one of four original Juvenile Case Managers; she was promoted to Senior Juvenile Case Manager in April In August 2011, Ms. Klier was honored with a Bravo Award, which is the highest recognition program for City of Houston employees. Prior to 2009, Ms. Klier served as a Conservatorship caseworker with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). She also served as a Pretrial Officer and Defendant Monitoring Officer with Harris County Pretrial Services. Ms. Klier began her career in criminal justice as a Pretrial Officer with Travis County Pretrial Services. Ms. Klier received her bachelor s degree in Art and Art History from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003.

5 VICTOR LANDER Victor Lander was born in Georgia and grew up in New York City and Virginia. He received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and his juris doctorate from the University of Texas in Austin. Judge Lander worked for the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C., before joining his father, the late Fred L. Lander, III, in the private practice of law in state and federal courts in Dallas. He was appointed an Associate (part-time) Municipal Judge for the City of Dallas in 1991 and has served as a full-time Municipal Judge for Dallas since In August of 2008, he was named Administrative Judge for the Dallas Municipal Court. He was named Outstanding Municipal Judge by the Texas Municipal Courts Association in 2003, and served on the Board of the TMCA from 2005 to PAMELA H. LISTON Pamela H. Liston, born in Lubbock, Texas, is a partner in The Liston Law Firm, P.C. Her practice consists primarily of representation of clients in the areas of public and criminal law. She was recently appointed associate judge for the city of Rowlett. Judge Liston is noted for her work in municipal court prosecution and appellate practice and has extensive experience and training in that area. She has been a featured author twice published in the Municipal Court Recorder, and has served as faculty of the Texas Municipal Court Education Center Prosecutor s School. She is also a past Course Director for. Judge Liston is a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel which provides legal services to indigent criminal defendants in the federal system. Ms. Liston has served in this capacity since 1998 and enjoys her work in this area immensely. She has recently completed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and has filed a petition for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court in that case. Judge Liston received her B.A. degree in English in 1989 and her J.D. degree in 1994 both from Texas Tech University. During law school, she was a member of the Texas Tech University School of Law Marshall Moot Court National Team. She was admitted to the bar of Texas in 1994 and is licensed to practice before all state courts, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Judge Liston has two published municipal court cases of Ex Parte Rinkevich, No CR (Tex. App. Dallas 2007) and State v. Morales, CR (Tex. App. Dallas). She is the wife of her law partner, Paul J. Liston, and is the mother of four wonderful children. KEVIN MADISON Judge Madison graduated from UT-Austin with a B.A. with Honors in Psychology. After college, Judge Madison attended the UT System Police Academy and graduated as the class Valedictorian. Judge Madison earned his law degree from the University of Houston, served as a deputy sheriff after law school, and then was appointed as an Assistant District Attorney for Travis County. Later he served as the Chief of Police in Smithville. Judge Madison has over 26 years experience as a municipal judge and has served as Lakeway s since Judge Madison received the 2009 Outstanding Municipal Court Judge award from the Texas Municipal Courts Association and his court in Lakeway has been recognized for his traffic safety initiative programs by and TxDOT in 2008, 2009, 2012, and Judge Madison proudly serves his community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

6 TIM MURPHY Judge Murphy serves as the presiding Municipal Judge for the City of Bedford. Judge Murphy was elected to serve as the presiding Municipal Judge for the city of Bedford in 1995 and most recently reelected in Outside the courtroom, Judge Murphy was recently promoted to Professor at Tarrant County College. He has taught at the college since 1996 as an adjunct before leaving private practice in 2005 to teach full time. Teaching assignments range from real estate law to family law to criminal law. He has taken adjunct teaching positions in many countries, including Burma, Greece, Viet Nam and the UK. In his free time he enjoys playing golf, water sports and spending time at the lake. LESTER RORICK Lester Rorick earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1977 from South Texas College of Law. Since 2002, Judge Rorick has served as the for the City of Pasadena. His previous positions include First Assistant City Attorney for the City of Pasadena, City Attorney for the City of Pearland, and City Attorney for the City of Shoreacres. Judge Rorick also had his own private law practice for 18 years. WARREN SPENCER Warren Spencer is currently the City Attorney for two Metroplex cities. He previously served as: the Assistant Police Legal Advisor for the Arlington Police Department; the Senior Legal Advisor for the Plano Police Department; and, as an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Plano. Prior to, and while attending, law school at the University of Texas he served as a police officer. His duties as a peace officer have included patrol, criminal investigation, administration, training and supervision. The highest rank held by Mr. Spencer was Captain. After graduation from the University of Texas School of Law Mr. Spencer served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Tarrant County District Attorney s Office, prosecuting both felony and misdemeanor offenses. He has been involved with law enforcement and municipal matters for 27 years. Mr. Spencer has been actively involved with law enforcement training for 24 years. He has instructed at several area police academies, as well as at many area police departments. He has co-authored a textbook on arrest, search and seizure law for Texas peace officers, which is in its 18th year of publication. He also writes a monthly newsletter for Texas peace officers, which is entering its 17th year of publication. He regularly consults with law enforcement agencies as to training needs, including liability and search and seizure issues. Mr. Spencer currently holds a Master Peace Officer Certification and an Instructor s Certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. He obtained his bachelor s degree from University of Texas at Arlington and his master s degree from Texas Christian University. He has worked with TCOLE to update legal curriculums for both basic and intermediate level academy classes. During his time with the City of Plano Mr. Spencer assisted in the development of a comprehensive Conflict Management System for the City to resolve complaints between employees. He is a graduate of the Management Preparation Program for Plano. He assisted in the training of employees in the state certified mediator s course and he is an academically certified mediator in Texas. Mr. Spencer served on the graduate faculty for the School of Dispute Resolution at Southern Methodist University, as well as on the faculty for Northlake College in the dispute resolution program. Mr. Spencer currently serves on the graduate faculty of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at Arlington. Mr. Spencer also instructs for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center.

7 KATIE TEFFT Katie Tefft is the Program Director for the. She joined the staff in January of 2009 as the Program Attorney. Prior to joining the Center, she worked as Project Attorney on the 7th edition of Dawson s Texas Juvenile Law under contract with the former Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) and as a Drafting Attorney in the Attorney General s Open Records Division. Ms. Tefft received her Bachelor s degree with honors in Sociology and Economics from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and her Juris Doctorate with honors in May of 2007 from Mercer University School of Law in Macon, Georgia. She also received a certificate in Legal Writing and Research from Mercer. While in law school, Ms. Tefft clerked in the Narcotics Division of the Bibb County District Attorney s Office. RYAN KELLUS TURNER Ryan Kellus Turner is General Counsel and Director of Education for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Prior to joining the Center in 1999, he served as Briefing Attorney for Judge Sharon Keller at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Mr. Turner obtained his juris doctorate from Southern Methodist University School of Law. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with highest honors from St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas, where he now teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences. In 2004 and 2013 he was the recipient of the School s Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award. Mr. Turner is currently Deputy City Attorney for the City of Dripping Springs and previously served as a Special Assistant County Attorney for Kendall County. In 2011, he was an advisory member on the Texas Judicial Council s Juvenile Justice Committee. The Committee was charged with assessing the impact of school discipline and school-based policing on referrals to Texas courts and to make public policy recommendations. In 2012, Mr. Turner was named Co-Chair of the Texas Judicial Council Legislative Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice. A native Texan, Mr. Turner was raised in the north Texas town of Vernon. He is the co-author of the books Lone Star Justice: A Comprehensive Overview of the Texas Criminal Justice System and The Municipal Judges Book.