An experienced mediator and former associate judge, Deborah Wright has one of the most varied legal backgrounds of the Jenkins & Kamin legal team. Deborah graduated cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin in 1970, received a master's degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health in 1972, and has practiced family law in Harris County since she completed her J.D. at South Texas College of Law in 1979.
Deborah worked as a staff attorney for the Harris County Child Support Division and for Harris County Children's Protective Services before joining Joan Jenkins in her practice in 1986. Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in the area of Family Law in 1987, Deborah continued her practice with the firm for the next six years.
In December of 1992, Deborah was sworn in as Associate Judge of the 310th Judicial District Court in Harris County. Deborah served with the Honorable Allen Daggett until 1995, at which time she returned to private practice. Drawing from her varied legal background and her experience on the bench, Deborah was one of the first attorneys in Harris County to establish a mediation practice in the area of family law.
Shifting her focus from mediation to family law litigation, Deborah joined Jenkins & Kamin as an associate in 2001. After more than five years of trial work, Deborah returned to the Harris County Family Law Center in January, 2006, at which time she accepted a one-year appointment to serve as Associate Judge for the Honorable Judy Warne, presiding judge of the 257th Judicial District Court. She returned to private practice with the firm in January, 2007.
Board Certified in Family Law since 1987, and trained in both mediation and collaborative law, Deborah is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Family Law Foundation, Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists (former officer and Board member), Burta Rhoads Raborn Inns of Court (Team Leader 2008-present), and the Family Law Section of both the State Bar of Texas and the Houston Bar Association. Over the course of the past twenty years, she has presented topics ranging from general legal skills to courtroom professionalism and ethics at continuing legal education courses sponsored by the State Bar of Texas and South Texas College of Law, including seminars for family law attorneys who have agreed to represent clients on a pro bono basis and volunteers appointed by the Court to serve as advocates for abused and neglected children.
Deborah, a long term resident of the Houston Heights, is a member of the Houston Heights Association and St. Anne’s Catholic Community.
Areas of Practice:
- Family Law
- Mediation
Certification/Specialties:
- Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1987
- Mediation and Collaborative Law
Bar Admissions:
Texas, 1979
Education:
- South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, J.D. 1979
- University of Texas School of Public Health, M.P.H. 1972
- University of Texas at Austin, B.A. cum laude 1970
Publications and Speaking Engagements:
- South Texas College of Law: "Legislative Update," 24th Annual Family Law Conference, March 2010.
- State Bar of Texas: "Legislation Updates in Family Law" (Joan F. Jenkins), Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar, October 2009.
- South Texas College of Law: “Courtroom Professionalism and Etiquette – Attorney’s Perspective,” Family Law Conference, March 2009.
- Child Advocates Inc., Advocacy University, 2006.
- Houston Bar Association, Family Law Section: Panel presentation by Associate Judges regarding “Court Policies and Procedures”, October 2006.
- South Texas College of Law: “Ethical Considerations in the Practice of Mediation,” Fourth Annual Family Law Mediation Training Seminar, October 1998.
- South Texas College of Law: “Ethical Considerations in the Practice of Mediation,” Third Annual Family Law Mediation Training Seminar, October 1997.
- South Texas College of Law: “Winning Tactics and Strategies in Mediation,” Seventh Annual Family Law Conference for the General Practitioner and Legal Assistant, April 1997.
- South Texas College of Law: Panel Presentation, “Mediation and Family Violence,” Family Law Mediation Training Seminar, October 1996.
- University of Houston Law Center: “Child Support: Including Multiple Marriage Issues and the Obligation of the Six-Digit Wage Earner,” Family Law Practice Seminar, May 1996.
- State Bar of Texas: “The Limits & Boundaries of Trial Judges’ Discretion in Family Law Litigation,” Advanced Family Law Seminar, August 1994.
- South Texas College of Law: Panel Presentation, “The Associate Judges: Covering Major Points in Your Property Case,” Family Law for the General Practitioner and Legal Assistant, March 1994.
- State Bar of Texas: “Abuse-Physical, Sexual, and Emotional,” Marriage Dissolution Institute, May 1991.
- State Bar of Texas: “Enforcement by Contempt-Child Support and Visitation,” Advanced Family Law Seminar, August 1990.
- State Bar of Texas: “Jurisdiction, Venue, and Standing,” Family Law for the Experienced Non-Specialist, October 1989.
- State Bar of Texas: Panel Presentation, “General Paralegal Skills,” Selected Subjects in Law and Case Management, December 1988.
- South Texas Family Law Short Course: “Enforcement by Contempt-Visitation, Support, and Property,” October 1988.
Professional Associations
- Burta Rhodes Raborn Family Law Inns of Court (Team Leader 2008-2010)
- College of the State Bar of Texas
- Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists (former officer and Board member), 1987 to present
- Houston Bar Association Editorial Board (1999-2001)
- Houston Bar Association: Family Law Section and ADR Section
- State Bar of Texas: Family Law Section, ADR Section and Health Law Section
- Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists, 1987 to present
- Texas Family Law Foundation, 2008 to present
Honors and Awards:
- Texas Super Lawyer, 2003 and 2004, a Thomson Reuters business, published by Texas Monthly magazine.
Past Employment Positions:
- Associate Judge, 257th Family District Court, 2006
- Short & Jenkins, L.L.P., 2001-2005
- Fulbright & Jaworski, 1998-2001
- Solo Practitioner – Family Law Mediation, 1995-1998
- Associate Judge, 310th Family District Court, 1992-1994
- J. Lindsey Short, Jr. & Associates, 1986-1992
- Harris County Children’s Protective Services, 1983-1986
- Harris County Child Support Enforcement Division, 1980-1983
Community Organizations
- Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program – HAY Center Project
- Houston Heights Association
- Houston Area League of Women Voters
- St. Anne’s Catholic Community