Welcome
Over the past 36 years I have represented clients throughout Texas, including primarily in the cities of Lubbock and Levelland. I have also enjoyed working closely with students from Texas Tech University and South Plains College.
I remain very active in the legal community and a member of the following organizations: Hockley-Cochran County Bar Association; 286th Judicial District Bar Association; Lubbock County Bar Association (former Board member and Secretary, currently Bail Bond Representative); State Bar of Texas; The Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas; The College of the State Bar of Texas, Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (Board member); Lubbock Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (Former Board member and President), The American Association of Law Schools, and the Clinical Legal Education Association.
I have represented clients in many areas of the law, but my two most prominent areas of representation have been:
Criminal Law
Practicing criminal law involves representing clients at all levels within the state court system, including Municipal, Justice, County, District, Court of Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals. Due to my vast experience as a criminal defense attorney, I have handled all complex criminal matters. I have been solicited by (and appointed by) the Court of Criminal Appeals to represent two individuals on death row on their State Writs of Habeas Corpus. Until I left private practice I was also qualified for appointment as first chair in capital murder cases in the 9th Administrative Judicial District.
Divorce & Family Law
As a general family law attorney, I have handled all types of family law cases including: juvenile defense, divorce, adoption, child support, visitation, and all related matters. I have represented both children and adults as guardian and attorney ad litem in cases involving the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services and the Texas Attorney General.
Texas Tech University School of Law
As of May, 2008, I have accepted a full time position as Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at Texas Tech University School of Law. As a result I have discontinued my private practice, except on a limited, consultation basis I am still available to my colleagues at any time. Should you wish a referral to an attorney I will be most happy to help. Just give me a call.
My primary responsibility at the Texas Tech Law School is to teach and mentor third year law students in criminal law. The clinic accepts appointments from Lubbock courts on criminal matters for indigent defendants and the student attorneys, with my supervision, represent their clients through all phases of the criminal process. I also teach Texas Juvenile Law, and a seminar on capital punishment.
In the Spring 2011, I will be the Director of the new Capital Punishment Clinic, the only one of its kind in Texas. This clinic will give 4 third year students the opportunity to work as student attorneys in the West Texas Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases Office on pending death penalty cases.
I am presently working with Dr. Hans Hansen of the School of Business and Dr. Jill Patterson of the English Department on a campus-wide effort to create a multidisciplinary research center. The Center has already initiated several research projects, and would welcome a broad variety and scope of research. One successful and ongoing project involves improvement of the Criminal Justice System in Texas. All of the principal researchers are involved in designing, organizing, and training at the West Texas Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases Office, as well as with public defenders across the state. That project, based largely on Dr. Hansen’s theoretical approach, has been very successful. The Regional Public Defender’s Office, the first of its kind anywhere, has won international acclaim and many national awards, including the “Best Public Safety Office” in the country. Currently, that office, located right here in Lubbock, is now slated to become the genesis for the Statewide Public Defender for Capital Cases. The research stream from that project alone already involves no less than a half-dozen University departments across campus. That project has already produced articles and has been supported by both university and state grant funding. Dr. Hansen has been awarded a large grant from the College of Business and a grant from a state agency to help redesign other capital defense teams. We are currently seeking a large grant via the Governor’s office to assist in expansion of the local office in becoming the Statewide Public Defender for Capital Cases. Ongoing publication efforts include proposed submissions to top-tier law reviews and business journals, as well as an annual journal on advances in capital punishment law providing an opportunity for 8-12 students from my Capital Punishment Seminar to publish their works. These articles are produced during my seminar addressing current issues in recent capital cases and have already made a difference on live, active capital cases.
But that only covers the efforts to date. Having established a track record, we hope a ‘multidisciplinary research center’ will house a large variety and broad scope of research activities. We imagine being guided by a theme of positive social change that allows involvement from any number of disciplines and philosophies. We imagine environment and energy projects to women and minority studies to legal and ethical research to leadership studies, and beyond. We will always maintain a focus toward research in top-tier publications and an ongoing procurement of outside grant funding, with the aim of contributing to the University’s soon-to-be Tier I status.