A Letter from Shelly Fowler O'Toole
Shelly
Fowler O'Toole
for Judge - Hood County Court at Law
ABOUT ME
Experience that Counts
My career as an attorney began when I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Tarleton State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration and subsequently earned my Juris Doctorate Degree with honors at the University of Houston. As I believe that a career in the legal field requires a constant desire to learn, I have continued to pursue further education by becoming Board Certified in Criminal Law, Certified to try capital murder cases, and a Certified mediator in both general and family law. I have served two terms as Chair of the State Bar Grievance Committee, a position in which I was nominated by the State Bar Directors to review ethics complaints against attorneys and determine whether further disciplinary action is required. I am currently still a member of this Grievance Committee.
I have argued cases in front of both the Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals and tried thousands of civil and family law cases. As a mediator, I have successfully mediated and settled over 6,000 cases since 2002. In 2014, I worked closely with Hood County judges to create an initiative requiring all CPS cases to be mediated outside of court before moving to hearing. Because of this initiative, I have saved the citizens of Hood County an estimated $750,000 in taxpayer dollars by eliminating the need to pay court appointed attorney's trial and appellate fees in most Hood County CPS cases. I believe that the legal system must be in place to serve the citizens of Hood County, and I am honored to continue my service to this county by running for Hood County Court at Law Judge.