Education

University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas
J.D. May 1991

University of Houston, Houston, Texas
B.S. Political Science, May 1988

A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
           40 Hour Basic Mediation Training, August 2007

Legal Experience

United States District Judge, Southern District of Texas
           April 2015 - present

61st Civil District Court, State of Texas
           Presiding Judge, January 2009 – April 2015

Harris County Administrative Judge (Civil Division), January 2010 – December 2011
           Administrative oversight of twenty-four civil district courts

Law Offices of Alfred H. Bennett, Houston, Texas
           Solo Practitioner, March 1998 – December 2008

Thurgood Marshall School of Law – Texas Southern University
           Adjunct Professor of Law - Trial Advocacy, Spring 2003 – Spring 2013

Solar & Fernandes, L.L.P., Houston, Texas
           Associate, October 1994 – February 1998

Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., Houston, Texas
           Associate, September 1991 – September 1994

Bar and Associations & Affiliations

National Bar Association
State Bar of Texas
Federal Judges Association
District Judges’ Association of the Fifth Circuit
Houston Lawyers Association
Houston Bar Association
Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference 2016 Program Committee
American Leadership Forum (Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter), Senior Fellow
Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court
Houston Young Lawyers Association
W.J. Durham Legal Society

Awards & Recognition

Distinguished Alumni of the Year, The Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, 2019-2020

Service to the Legal Community Award, The Spouses of Houston Barristers, 2017

The Joyce M. Reynolds Lifetime Achievement Award, Houston Community College, 2016

Honorary Order of the Coif, University of Texas School of Law, 2015

Outstanding Service in the Community, Mexican American Bar Association Foundation, 2015

Father of the Year, The Houston Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, 2015

Weldon Berry Judicial Service Award, Houston Lawyers Association, May 2014

WEBELOS Leader of the Year, Boy Scouts of America, Sam Houston Area Council,
W.L. Davis District, 2013

Community Leader Award, Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation, 2011

Rated AV (very high to preeminent legal ability) in Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory, 2001

President Achievement Award, Houston Lawyers Association, 1998

Distinguished Service Award, The Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, 1990

1:15pm - An Update on Discovery and Proportionality