Proud to represent men and women across the state of Texas in an effort to secure a favorable release
Tammy E. Henderson Peden Attorney Tammy E. Henderson Peden received her J.D. from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Magna Cum Laude. As an honor student, Attorney Peden held many distinguished clerk positions, including valuable experience as a clerk for now Texas Supreme Court Justice Michael Schneider while he served on The State of Texas, First Court of Appeals. Additionally, she served as a clerk for United States Trustee Region 7. I have been a licensed attorney for over seven years. Additionally I am a wife and mother of two children. Being a wife, mother, as well as a professional, owning and operating my own practice is very demanding. Therein lie the challenges of balancing all facets of a very
rewarding life. I decided to become an attorney years ago however there were several goals I achieved before doing so. I worked as a licensed insurance adjuster for nine years before attending law school and graduating with honors. After law school I worked with Attorney Reginald McKamie for two years where I handled personal injury cases. Soon thereafter I decided to pursue my career in law as a solo practitioner. Early in my tenure as solo practitioner I decided on handling parole, probation and personal injury cases. I decided to do so after discovering first hand that the far majority of people in Texas prisons (TDCJ) do not understand the parole process and injured persons need quality representation. Parole in Texas is a privilege and not a right. What is more disturbing is that a large number of people incarcerated in Texas don’t have a clue as to what they should do to increase their chances of securing a favorable release vote. That is where I decided to step in and help men and women in TDCJ as well as their families work to reunite their families. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) incarcerates over
160,000 people. That is more than any other state in the United States. Additionally Harris County sentences more people to prison than any other county in state. The offenses range from minimal drug cases to serious death row cases. As such thousands of over 70,000 cases are reviewed for parole each year. What is equally as astonishing is the fact that people are unaware that less than 5% of the people being considered for parole will actually speak with someone who will vote either to release them or vote for them to spend even more time behind bars. I am proud to represent men and women across the state of Texas in an effort to secure a favorable release. I work to help change the lives of men and women who were poorly represented from the beginning or who are often misunderstood by their families and communities alike. I believe that everyone deserves a chance to become a better person and have another chance to be productive citizens. I am very active in prison ministry and other organizations that work with ex-offenders. I am on the Board of Directors for Less Than The Least a prison ministry radio program, No More Victims as well as JOY Prison ministry.
Taking Pride in Yourself
By Charlotte Jackson Contributing Writer Being blessed to work on a campus of a local community college, I have the incredible opportunity to work with multiple generations of people. From the young middle school students and their parents who are looking into enrolling the student into Dual Credit Classes, to the young adults who are looking for quality child care for their Feb. 15 - mar. 15 2010
children, to the more matured individuals who are looking to return to school to brush up on their workforce skills as well as those older adults looking to donate funds for scholarships, I work with a wide variety of individuals as well as groups. Some days there are bewildered faces trying to explain what they need and other days, there are experts sharing a wealth of knowledge with me. No matter what the situation is, I try to always take pride not only in the position that I am entrusted with, but more importantly, to do my job with the ability that has been given to me so that in time, I will receive the elevation that I know is coming to me. Elevation? Yes, I truly believe what I have been taught, that if you perform each task to the best of your ability and take pride in what you do, many more doors will open up to you. When you do your best, you learn to be thankful www.
for every opportunity that enters into your life. Today it may be with a servant’s heart that you volunteer with a local non-profit group and two months from now, you may be invited to participate in a larger project. Along the way, as you take pride in what you do, it will not only show, but you will have more doors opened. An example of this was several years ago, I volunteered with a fund-raising project and in conversation, a lady learned that I was willing to assist in any way possible from making phone calls to cleaning up after the event. Later, as she found a project working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she called to see if I was interested in participating. As the details unfolded, it involved me taking a week of vacation and flying to Boston to work with over 200 of the most fascinating people in America. The connections that were made were priceless. Even on a more personal level, one
I am proud of my accomplishments as well as those of my staff. We work very hard with clients and family and give back to the community in many ways. In November my law office along with some of my personal friends sponsored a Thanksgiving meal for over 150 people at No More Victims a non-profit organization working with children of incarcerated persons. It was a delight to help people who appreciate something we all take for granted. Attorney Peden is prepared to represent each of her clients at any stage of the parole process. This includes cases in both situations where the client may or may not have entered into the parole review process in TDCJ. The Attorney is prepared to speak on cases even if the client has been interviewed on the unit by the Institutional Parole Officer (IPO). Interested persons are encouraged to contact the office at 713-476-0988. Attorney Peden or her qualified legal assistants are willing to discuss each case confidentially. Our goal is to reunite families and give clients the opportunity to begin a new life with a promise of hope. The Law Office of Tammy E. Henderson Peden is located at 7100 Regency Square, Suite 160, Houston, Texas 77036. The office hours are from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday thru Thursday and 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Friday.
of the part-time positions I have involves working with youth. My job requires that I coordinate the activities for the youth but being a mother myself, I tend to get involved in their lives. I spoke with two young men yesterday who when asked to assist with something, expected money for doing it. I explained that if they volunteered, they would not only set an example to younger children but they would earn respect of them. Later, one of the young men told me that the feeling he had after helping was worth more than the five or ten dollars he would have earned for working. I explained that “feeling” was pride and that was something that you can never put a price tag on. Taking pride in what you can do for others is much better than earning a paycheck.....the paycheck will just be an extra blessing. I went on to explain that in life you have an opportunity to make a living or to make a difference. When you are proud of what you do, the rest will all fall into place. I know in my heart, those words will stick with him much longer than whatever he would have spent the money on. 11.