The Fourth Court of Appeals - Biographies of the Justices - Information - http://maxpages.com/bexarcodemos/The_Fourth_Court_of

CHIEF JUSTICE PHIL HARDBERGER
Phil Hardberger- Chief Justice Phil Hardberger has served on the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio since April 1994, when he was appointed to the bench by Governor Ann Richards. He was elected to a full term as a Justice on the Court in 1994. He was unopposed for the office of Chief Justice in the November 1996 election, and he took office January 1, 1997. Before joining the bench, he practiced law for 26 years and was the senior partner in the law firm of Hardberger and Rodriguez, Inc. Chief Justice Hardberger obtained his law degree from Georgetown University in 1965, his B.A. from Baylor University in 1955, and his M.S. from Columbia University in 1960. Before beginning his active law practice, he served as Executive Secretary for the worldwide Peace Corps from 1962-1966, and as Special Assistant to Director Sargent Shriver at the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington D.C. in 1967-1968. He is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Specialization. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the San Antonio Bar Association, and is a charter member and former President of the America Inns of Court William S. Sessions Chapter. He has served as Past Chair, Pattern Jury Charge, Workers' Compensation; Master of the Bench, American Inns of Court; Past President, San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association and former director of Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Chief Justice Hardberger is the author of Texas Courtroom Evidence (Michie-Parker Publications, Inc.), and Texas Workers' Compensation Trial Manual (Michie-Parker Publications, Inc.), and more than 100 articles and speeches. He is also a frequent lecturer at CLE programs. In non-legal activities, Chief Justice Hardberger has flown in his own single engine airplane across the Atlantic, from San Antonio to Paris in 1977, from San Antonio to Madrid in 1981, and from San Antonio to Brazil in 1983. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro(1990), Mount Rainier (1991), Mount Popocatepetl (1992), and hiked 120 miles across the Swiss Alps from Switzerland to Italy (1992). He has also sailed across the Gulf of Mexico, from Galveston to Veracruz in his own 42-foot sailboat, Aimless, taking first place honors in the Regata de Amigos Race in 1996.
Vita-Phil Hardberger
Present Occupation: Chief Justice, Fourth District of Texas, Court of Appeals. San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. January 1, 1997-Present.
Address: Bexar County Justice Center, 300 Dolorosa, Suite 3200, San Antonio, TX 78205-3037, (210) 335-2635.
Personal: Married; Linda Hardberger, Chief Curator McNay Art Museum, San Antonio; Two Chidren; Amy Hardberger and Kimberlea Jones, San Antonio.
Work History: April 5, 1994 to December 31, 1996, Justice Fourth District of Texas, Court of Appeals, San Antonio, Bexar County Texas.
1970-1993, Senior Law Partner, Hardberger & Rodriguez, Inc. San Antonio, Texas.
1968-1970 Attorney, Law Office of Warren Burnett, Odessa, Texas.
1967-1968 Special Assistant to Sargent Shriver, Director Office of Economic Opportunity, Washington, D.C.
1962-1966, Executive Secretary, Peace Corps.
1954-1955, Editor, Baylor Lariet, Baylor University Daily Paper, Waco, Texas.
1952-1954, Copy Clerk and Reporter, Waco News Tribune, Waco, Texas.
Author: Texas Courtroom Evidence Book, Texas Workers' Compensation Trial Manual Book. Over 115 Articles and Speeches.
Education: Georgetown University, LL.B., 1965.
Columbia University, M.S., 1960.
Baylor University, B.A., 1955.
Military Experience: 1955-1958, Jet Pilot, Captain, U.S.A.F.
Offices Held and Honors Recieved: 1999 Outstanding Law Journal Article Award for Juries Under Siege; Texas Bar Foundation.
Moderator, Advanced Personal Injury Law Conference, May 13, 1999; South Texas College of Law affiliated with Texas A&M University.
1999 Star of Texas Public Service Award for Judicial Ethic and Excellence; Common Cause Texas.
Course Director, 8th Annual Advanced Evidence and Discovery Seminar, 1995; State Bar of Texas.
President, America Inns of Court, 1994-1995 (William Sessions Chapter).
Past President, San Antonio Trial Lawyers' Association.
Past State Director, Texas Trial Lawyers' Association.
Past Director, San Antonio Bar Association.
Chairman, Pattern Jury Charge, Workers' Compensation.
Course Director, 4th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Seminar, 1988, State Bar of Texas.
Board Certified Personal injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1979 to Present.
Democratic Party Chairman, Bexar County, 1968-1970.
Who's Who in America, 1965 to Present.

JUSTICE ALMA LOPEZ
Education
San Antonio College-Certificate of Completetion,1963.
St. Mary's University-B.B.A. Financial Management, 1965.
St. Mary's University-J.D., 1968.
Professional
Admitted to the State Bar of Texas-September 16, 1968.
Frank J. Greene, Attorney at Law, October 1968 to December 1973.
Dilley, Ojeda, Lopez and Guzman, December 1973 to July 1983.
Appointed by Governor Ann Richards on October 15 1993, to fill unexpired term on the Fourth Court of Appeals.
Elected to full term (six years) on the Fourth Court of Appeals, November 8th 1994, took office January 1, 1995.
Professional and Community Associations and Professional Comunity Involvement
Member-State Bar of Texas
Appointed by President of Texas Bar to First State Bar commitee on Immigration and Nationality Laws (former member).
Family Law Section (former member).
Member-American Bar Association (former member).
Member-American Immigration and Nationality Lawyers' Association. National and Texas Chapters (former member).
Member-Mission City Business and Professional Women.
Member-Mexican American Business and Professional Women (former member).
Member-Texas Democratic Women.
Member-San Antonio Latina Political Action Committee.
Member-Mexican American Chamber of Commerce (former member).
Member-Medina Bar Association (former member).
Member-San Antonio Bar Foundation-Director.
Member-Inns of Court (former member).
Member-Tejano Democrats.
Appointed by Commissioner Leonel Castillo to Liason Committee on Immigration and Nationality Law.
Municipal Judge-Natalia, Texas (1975-1979).
Assistant Prosecutor-Leon Valley, Texas (1975-1979).
Mayor's Commission on Women (former member).
Advisory Committee for Vocational Industrial Clubs of America-Fox Tech High School, San Antonio, Texas (former member).
Board Member-Holy Cross High School (former member).
Volunteer-Pro Bono Attorney Project-Leagal Aid Society.
Member-Beefmasters Breeders Universal.
Member-St. Mary's University Alumni Association.
Member-Judicial Task Force on Judicial Election Reforms-Appointed by Chief Justice Tom Phillips-Texas Supreme Court-1995-Committee made recomendations to the 79th Legislature on changes to judicial elections.
Member-Director-St. Mary's Hispanic Law Alumni Association (1996), Executive Vice President-1997-,Chairperson, Membership Committee.
Member-Bexar County Women's Political Caucus-1996-.
Member-Director-Battered Women's Shelter-1996-present. Chairman-20th Anniversary Celebration-March 1997. Parliamentarian-1997-
Member-National Association of Latino Elected Officials, 1996-present.
Member-Director-Texas Center for the Judiciary, 1996-present.
Member-Director-Texas Women Lawyers, 1997-present.
Chairman-Membership Committee, 1997.
Advisor-Hispanas Unidas, 1997-
Advisor-Mujeres Project.
Member-Steer Auction Committee-San Antonio Livestock Exposition-1997-
Areas of Practice
Family Law
Immigration Law
Probate Law
General Civil Practice
Limited Criminal (Misdemeanors) Practice
Not board certified in any area.
Completed Judicial Writing School-Judicial College, Reno, Nevada, March 1994.
Completed Clear and Effective Writing School-Ogunquit, Maine, August 1995.
Political Involvement
Campaign Treasurer-County and District Courts for the Honorable Fred Biery.
Campaign Manager-David J. Garcia, Bexar County District Clerk.
Campaign Manager-Frank Davila-Race for District Judge.
Steering Committee (Actively campaigned and assisted) The Honorable Blair Reeves-race for the Fourth Court of Appeals.
Campaign Treasurer (until appointed to the Fourth Court) for Nick Rothe-race for District Attorney.
Actively involved in Martha B. Tanner's first race for District Judge.
Personal
Date of Birth: August 17, 1943.
Place of Birth: Laredo, Texas.
Marital Status: Married to Emilio Cavasos, retired San Antonio Police Department. 23 years service-Detective-Investigator, retired October, 1989. Chief of Police-Pearsal, Texas, October, 1989-December, 1991. Deputy Chief-Criminal Investigations and Records Department-Bexar County Sheriff's Office-January 1, 1992-present. Municipal Judge-Natalia Texas-May 1997 to Present.
Children:
Step Daughter and Step Son.
Elizabeth Ann Cavazos.
Emilio Cavazos-married to Kathleen Barnett Cavazos.
Lifelong Democrat.
Resident of Medina County
First Hispanic Woman to serve on Fourth Court of Appeals.
First Hispanic Woman to be elected to the Fouth Court of Appeals.
Second Hispanic Woman to serve on a Court of Appeals in Texas.

JUSTICE CATHERINE M. STONE
Justice Catherine M. Stone was born in Biddeford, Maine on November 28, 1953. With the exception of two years spent in Meriden, Conneticut, she was raised and educated in Maine. She recieved her bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, in foriegn affairs from Assumption College in Worchester, Massachusetts. She attended St. Mary's University School of Law, where she served on the law journal and legal research board. She recieved her juris doctorate in 1982. She served as a briefing attorney at the Fourth Court of Appeals for Justice James Baskin and Justice Pete Tijerina in 1982-1983. Justice Stone practiced trial law and appellate law for eight years with the San Antonio law firm of Watkins, Mireles, Brock, and Barrientos, and continued her appellate practice in the Law Offices of Catherine M. Stone for three years prior to being appointed by Governor Ann Richards to fill a vacancy on the Fourth Court on March 24, 1994. Following her appointment, Justice Stone was elected in November, 1994 to serve a six year term on the court. Justice Stone is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (1987), and is an active member of various state and local bar associations. Justice Stone and her husband, Tom, live in Helotes with their three sons, Liam, Nathaniel, and Jacob.
Professional Career:
* Fourth Court of Appeals, Justice 1994-present
* Law Offices of Catherine M. Stone 1991-1994
* Law Offices of Watkins & Brock, P.C. 1983-1991
* Briefing Attorney to Justice James Baskin and Justice Pete Tijerina, Fourth Court of Appeals 1982-1983
Education:
* Assumption College B.A., magna cum laude, 1976
* St. Mary's University School of Law J.D. 1982
* St. Mary's Law Journal, published writer
* St. Mary's Legal Research Board, writing director
Professional Associations and Memberships:
* Admitted to the State Bar of Texas 1982
* Admitted to practice in the following Federal Courts:
* United States District Court, Western District of Texas
* United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
* Board Certified, Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
* Member, State Bar of Texas
* Member, Appellate Practice Section
* Member, Judicial Section
* Member, San Antonio Bar Association
* Chairperson, Court of Appeals Committee 1992-1994
* Member, Appellate Practice Section
* Member, Bexar County Women's Bar Association
* Member, Texas Women Lawyers
* Member, Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity
Personal and Community Involvement:
* Married to Tom Stone, three sons
* Board Member and Secretary, St. Luke's Catholic School Council 1997-Present
* Volunteer and Board Member, Seton Home for Homeless Pregnant Women 1986-1991
* Volunteer, St. Vincent de Paul Dinning Hall for Homeless 1986-1990
* PTA Board of Directors, Colby Glass Elementary School 1987-1990

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