Tarrant County Bar Association’s Holiday Party

HOLIDAY

COMMITTEE

By Kimberly Stoner, Chair

SAVE THE DATE FOR DECEMBER 7!

Happy Holidays! It is approaching that time of year again and the Holiday Party planning committee has been working hard to achieve an in-person holiday party! The plan is to have the holiday party at T&P Tavern, so save December 7 on your calendars. The theme this year is “Holidays” to celebrate ALL the holidays we have missed during the pandemic. So pick your favorite “holiday” outfit, whether you want to wear a 4th of July tank top, Mardi Gras beads, a witches hat, or come dressed as a leprechaun. We don’t care, we just want to see your faces! Don’t forget to bring a donation. We will be collecting new toys for Toys for Tots.

So come on to T&P Tavern with your unwrapped new toy; we will be waiting for you. g

JUDICIAL PROFILE

By Perry Cockerell, Perry Cockerell, P.C.

Judge Kenneth Newell, 233rd District Court

Growing up in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Judge Kenneth Newell never imagined having a second career as a district judge in Tarrant County, Texas. The retired Army Soldier began a new career when he chose to take up law and establish a law practice that led him to pursuing the 233rd District Court when the seat opened in 2018.

The judge should know something about family dynamics, seeing he grew up as the 15th child out of 16 children born to his mother and father. He appreciates the example of seeing his parents stay the course to raise all 16 of their children and often draws on those life lessons learned. After graduating from high school in 1985, Newell joined the Army and trained as a Transportation and Logistics specialist at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

In 1991, Newell served in Saudi Arabia with the 299th Engineering Battalion during Operation Desert Shield, and after the air offensive in Iraq which began on January 16, 1991, Newell continued to serve during Operation Desert Storm. His battalion left Iraq in April 1991 and he returned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, then on to Mannheim, Germany, to Peoria, Illinois, and back to Fort Sill where he again deployed to an uninhabitable area south of Baghdad where he served during Operation Iraqi Freedom from January through July 2003.

Newell retired in 2005 from the U.S. Army, accumulating numerous awards and citations, including the Bronze Star Medal and being admitted as a member of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. During active duty, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Management & Ethics from Mid-American Christian University and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Cameron University. After the Army, he took positions with the Department of Defense, the FAA, Army Corps of Engineers, and the USDA. In August 2008, he enrolled in Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and graduated in May 2011.

After graduation, he established his legal practice in the Lake Worth area, engaging in a general civil, criminal, family, and probate areas of the law. He served as an adjunct professor with Columbia College at NIS Fort Worth JRB teaching business, criminal law and criminal procedure.

In 2018, he heard of the opening for the 233rd District Family Court. The court interested him. “I had no plans of pursing this course, but when he [Judge Bill Harris] said he was retiring, something sparked in me to say, “Hey, I wonder who will take that bench.” And as I kept thinking about it, I felt like it was something I would be interested in pursuing. So, I set out to talk to various judicial mentors whom I respected, and through their encouragement I threw my hat into the ring,” he recalled. Newell faced a challenger in the Republican primary where he prevailed and went on to win in the general election unopposed.

Life in the 233rd District Court

“In the 233rd, our litigants are dealing with emotional issues. We are working with families and trying to get the families to a place of healing the wounds of that family,” the Judge said comparing life in his court to other kinds of courts.

During the pandemic in 2020, Judge Newell held hearings by Zoom, but by June 2021, the court became fully open and operational, doing business as normal. “On a daily basis we have a walk-in docket for small prove-ups, name changes, adoptions, temporary restraining orders, attorney withdrawals and simple motions as needed. From there we proceed into the docketed bench trials or other coordinated actions.

In July 2021, he conducted his first jury trials since the start of COVID that were tried without incident. In discussing the state of his current docket, Newell said, “We are scheduling final trials out into May [2022] right now, depending on the amount of time needed for the final trial.”

For rules particular to the 233rd, the Judge relies on the Tarrant County local rules for family courts, as well as requires parties, not just attorneys, to attend pretrial conferences as he sees this as more than an administrative matter. For effective administration of court time, Judge Newell requires mediations to be scheduled 60 days before final trial.

The Judge’s goal is to conduct the business of the Court as efficiently as possible without compromising the health of attorneys and litigants and prevent unnecessary exposure to COVID or any other hazardous conditions. “We try to use the technology that was developed during the pandemic to aid as necessary, but not as a primary means of conducting the business of the Court.” Judge Newell understands that family law matters have a shelf life that if not tended to within a reasonable amount of time will hurt the most vulnerable of us all, the children.

Judge Newell’s advice to new attorneys is to “find a mentor to help in law practice development and, at the very least, to give directions to the courthouse and how to represent

themselves and their clients.” Things appear a bit different for the experienced attorney these days as well. He noted that everyone seemed to have become comfortable with Zoom and practicing through a camera. “They’ve forgotten a lot of court etiquette, so it is just a matter of remembering what it is like to get out of their pajamas after being used to being business on the top and comfortable on the bottom.”

Judge Newell is married to Sandra Newell. They have two children. g

Other Associations’

News & Information

Arlington Bar Association

Meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. President, Duncan Price. For location & information, email duncan@manesslaw.net.

Black Women Lawyers Association

For meetings and information, contact Marvina N. Robinson, President, at 817.884.1623 or mnrobinson@tarrantcountytx.gov.

Fort Worth Paralegal Association

General Membership Meetings are held at noon every 4th Thursday of the month at Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N. Commerce. FWPA Board of Directors meets at noon every 1st Tuesday of the month at the Bar Center. For more information, go to www.fwpa.org.

L. Clifford Davis Legal Association

(f/k/a/ Tarrant County Black Bar Association) holds its meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact President Angel Williams at 817.884.1830.

Northeast Tarrant County Bar Association (NETCBA)

Meets for CLE luncheons on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at La Hacienda Restaurant, Hwy. 121. Contact Cynthia Williams at 817.318.0523 or cynthia@cynthiawilliamslaw.com.

Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCCDLA)

Meets every 2nd Thursday at Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N. Commerce. For more information, contact President Gary D. Smart at 817.419.0023.

Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association

Meets at noon on the 4th Tuesday of each month, with location to be announced. For more information, contact president Dana Manry of KoonsFuller, P.C. at 817.481.2710 or dana@koonsfuller.com.

Tarrant County Probate Bar Association

Meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at the Petroleum Clubmembers free, guests $30. For more information, contact Beth Hampton at 817.334.0066 or bhampton@theblumfirm.com.

Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association

Meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Joe T. Garcia’s. For more information, contact Rieker Carsey at 817.294.1900.

Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association

The 2021–2022 TCYLA year began September 1, 2021. If you need an application or meeting information, call 817.338.4092, email laurensc@tarrantbar.org, or go to the website at tcyla.org.

Texas Association of Defense Counsel

This civil defense organization offers local lunches and happy hours, as well as CLEs geared toward the defense practice. Contact Brittani Rollen of McDonald Sanders at 817.336.8651 or visit www.tadc.org.