(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were not in contested primaries. You can see those earlier Q&As, as well as all the ones in this series and all my recorded interviews for this cycle, on my 2010 Elections page.)
1. Who are you, and what are you running for?
I am Judge Joellen Snow and I am running for Harris County Probate Court 2.
2. What kind of cases does this court hear?
Probate Courts handle decedent’s estates, guardianships, trusts, and related matters.
3. Why are you running for this particular bench?
I have been interested in public service since I was in high school. I received my undergraduate degree in political science and a master’s degree in public affairs in addition to my law degree. I am at a point in my career where I am able to be a full time public servant, and I am most qualified to be a Probate Judge. The Probate Courts primarily exercise jurisdiction over decedent’s estates, guardianships, and related matters that affect people at critical times in their lives. Parties who appear in Probate Court are often grieving over the loss of a loved one or struggling with the care of an incapacitated loved one. They deserve a Judge who not only knows the law, but will treat all parties courteously, listen carefully and patiently, and provide evenhanded justice with compassion. My 20+ years of representing elderly clients, grieving clients, and clients struggling with the care of incapacitated loved ones, my 28 years of judicial experience, and my own life experience make me highly qualified to be that Judge.
4. What are your qualifications for this job?
I am a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. I have practiced law in Houston for 31 years. For the past 20+ years, my practice has been exclusively in the areas of probate, guardianship, and estate planning. For the past 28 years, I have served as an Associate Municipal Court Judge for the City of Houston. I am the past Chair of the Probate, Trusts and Estate Section and the Elder Law Committee of the Houston Bar Association. My law firm is rated AV Preeminent, the highest peer rating, by Martindale-Hubbell.
5. Why is this race important?
The Probate Courts affect many of the citizens of Harris County. Whenever an individual needs to administer the estate of a deceased loved one or to seek a guardianship over an incapacitated loved one they must appear in Probate Court.
6. Why should people vote for you in November?
I have the knowledge, experience, ethics, and temperament to be an excellent Probate Judge. I will stop the cronyism in the Probate Courts by recruiting and training a broad, diverse group of attorneys for court appointments and seeking to implement a random selection process for court appointees. I will hear uncontested probate matters in the JP Courts in the outlying areas of the county, and I will work with the other Judges to make the policies and procedures in the four Probate Courts more uniform and user friendly.