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HON. MARK DAVIDSON is now serving as the multi-district litigation judge for all asbestos cases in the state of Texas, being named to that position by Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and the Multi-District Litigation Panel of the Texas Supreme Court. Judge Mark Davidson served as judge of the 11th Judicial District Court for 20 years before his retirement this year. He has received many awards, including the Roberson L. King Excellence in Education Award, Houston Lawyers Association; and the Scales of Justice Award, Houston Association of Legal Secretaries. He earned his B.A. degree at the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. degree at the University of Houston Law Center. HON. MICHAEL C. ENGELHART is the presiding judge of the 151st Judicial District Court. Judge Engelhart was sworn in as judge of the 151st Judicial District Court by the Honorable R. Jack Cagle, judge of the Harris County Civil Court, in February 2009. Prior to the bench, Judge Engelhart was a partner in the Engelhart & Greenwood law firm for 12 years. He earned his B.A. degree at the University of Michigan and his J.D. degree at the University of Houston Law Center. HON. MICHAEL GOMEZ was first elected to the 129th Judicial District Court in November 2008, and took office in January 2009. Prior to the bench, Judge Gomez was a solo practitioner. He also practiced with several Houston firms over the years where he engaged in defense litigation. Judge Gomez is a past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston and a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and Houston Bar Foundation. He is a graduate of Rice University and the University of Houston Law Center. HON. STEVEN E. KIRKLAND was elected judge of the 215th Judicial District Court in November 2008. From 2001 through 2008, Judge Kirkland served as a judge in the Houston Municipal Courts. During his tenure, he created the Houston Homeless Recovery Court, which works in conjunction with the Houston Coalition for the Homeless. In recognition of this achievement, Judge Kirkland was awarded the 2006 Government Friend of the Homeless award by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County. Prior to the bench, Judge Kirkland spent 17 years in private practice. He earned his B.A. degree at Rice University and his J.D. degree at the University of Houston Law Center. HON. SYLVIA A. MATTHEWS presides over the 281st Judicial District Court. Before coming to the bench, she was a partner in the litigation section of Andrews Kurth, LLP, and had more than 20 years of trial experience. During her years of practice, her docket was comprised of an evolving mix of complex business litigation and personal injury claims. Judge Matthews graduated cum laude from The College of Charleston with a B.S. degree in mathematics and earned her J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review and Moot Court Bar. She is a frequent CLE speaker and Houston Bar Association volunteer. HON. JACLANEL McFARLAND presides over the 133rd Judicial District Court. Prior to the bench, Judge McFarland was an accomplished litigator, a successful mediator, and taught law courses on the collegiate level in Harris County for 31 years. She earned her undergraduate and law degrees at Baylor University. Judge McFarland is a former Baylor University Regent. HON. DION RAMOS is the presiding judge of the 55th Judicial District Court. He began his private law practice in 1985, focusing in the areas of civil litigation, personal injury, admiralty and medical malpractice, and was certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both personal injury and civil trial law. Judge Ramos was invited by the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) to become a member in 2009. After earning his B.S. degree from the University of Florida and his J.D. degree at the University of Houston Law Center, Judge Ramos earned his LL.M. degree in admiralty law from Tulane University School of Law. HON. JOSEFINA M. RENDON became the judge of the 165th Judicial District Court on January 1, 2009. An attorney since 1977, Judge Rendon served as the Civil Service Commissioner for the city of Houston (1981 to 1983), and as judge for the city of Houston Municipal Courts (1983 to 2008). In 1993, she became a mediator and mediated more than 1,200 legal disputes, predominantly in the family, employment and personal injury areas. For almost four years, she mediated and taught negotiation for the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy until shortly before she became the judge of the 165th Judicial District Court. Judge Rendon sits on the board of the Dispute Resolution Center of Harris County and previously sat as a council member of the ADR sections of both the State Bar of Texas and the Houston Bar Association. She currently sits as a council member of the State Bar of Texas Section for Hispanic Concerns. She earned her B.A. degree at the University of Houston and her J.D. degree at the University of Houston Law Center. HON. R. K. SANDILL is the presiding judge of the 127th Judicial District Court and was elected to the bench in November 2008. Judge Sandill is a former briefing attorney for retired Justice Murry B. Cohen of the Texas First District Court of Appeals. During his private practice, he focused primarily on employment, commercial, appellate, and covenant-not-to-compete litigation. He earned his B.A degree at the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. degree at the University of Houston Law Center. Judge Sandill sits on the Board of Trustees of the Garland R. Walker Inn of Court and the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. HON. ROBERT K. SCHAFFER is the presiding judge of the 152nd Judicial District Court. Judge Schaffer was sworn in as judge on January 1, 2009, following his election to the bench in 2008. He earned his B.A. degree at the University of Arizona and his J.D. degree at South Texas College of Law. He began private practice in 1984 and practiced in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice and other types of civil claims. He is a past president of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Houston Trial Lawyers Foundation and South Texas College of Law Alumni Association; and former chair of a Houston area State Bar Grievance Committee. Judge Schaffer also serves as a member of the Southwest Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League. MODERATOR - LUKE C. CARRABBA is a partner in the Houston law firm of Miller, Scamardi & Carrabba, P.C., where he practices in the areas of personal injury, insurance defense, civil litigation and construction contract disputes. He is board certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Carrabba earned his B.B.A. degree from the University of Texas and his J.D. degree from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a member of the Houston and American bar associations, the State Bar of Texas, and is a former president of the Italian American Lawyers of Texas. Mr. Carrabba also is on the Board of Directors for the Texas Conservation Fund.
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