February - March 25, 2012
Judge Hazel B. Jones
Judge Hazel B. Jones is proud to have been born and reared in Houston, Texas. Judge Jones developed a sense of commitment to the Houston community by witnessing the examples of her parents, the late Mr. & Mrs. Robert and Larnita Jones, who each served as educators and administrators in North Forest ISD and Houston ISD, respectively, for more than thirty years. Judge Hazel Jones owes a portion of her educational success to the foundation she received at Mary Brantly Smiley High School in North Forest Independent School District, where she was voted “Miss Smiley” and gradu-
ated Magna Cum Laude in 1984. Judge Jones received a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a Texas Achievement Award Scholar and became a lifelong member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service sorority. After graduation, Judge Jones worked as a research assistant in the Hematology/Leukemia division of the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; she prepared drug study experiments with cancer cells; she performed DNA extraction for amplification in polymerase chain reactions and isolation in gel electrophoresis. While
Judge Jones found her work in cancer research extremely rewarding, she heeded a personal calling to pursue a career in law. While attending Howard University Law School, in Washington, D.C., Judge Jones worked at the Howard Law Criminal Justice Clinic, defending citizens charged with misdemeanors and representing prisoners in disciplinary hearings. During her summers as a law student, Judge Jones was fortunate to have had the opportunity to hone her legal skills by interning in the 151st Civil District Court, Harris County, TX with the Honorable Judge Carolyn Clause Garcia
presiding, and in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas with the Honorable Judge Vanessa Gilmore presiding. In addition, Judge Jones interned in the office of Attorney Wendy A. Cartwright, a solo practitioner, of Bowie, Maryland. Judge Jones received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Howard University Law School in 1996 and returned to Houston where she studied for and passed the Texas Bar Examination in that same year. Judge Jones is a licensed attorney; she has been admitted to practice law in the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas; and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Judge Jones has been an active member of Houston’s legal community since 1996 when she first started her legal career; she served the Harris County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney from 19962003 obtaining extensive trial experience handling misdemeanor and felony cases which included handling juvenile and family violence cases. From 2003-2005, Judge Jones worked as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas; her primary focus was to pursue the federal government initiative of “Project Safe Neighborhoods” which focused on the prosecution of armed felons and
L.L.P. As an associate at the firm for three years, Al worked on a variety of complex commercial and tort litigation matters. He then spent the next four years as a senior associate with the litigation boutique firm of Solar & Fernandes, L.L.P. again working on complex commercial and tort litigation matters. In 1998, Al became solo practitioner specializing in representing small businesses and individuals involved in complex commercial and tort litigation matters. Since 2003, Al has also taught trial simulation at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law as an Adjunct Professor. In August 2007, Al received his cer-
tification as a mediator from the A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center located at the University of Houston School of Law. Al’s community involvement is highlighted by his service as President of the Houston Lawyers Association in 1997-1998, serving as a member of the District 4A Grievance Committee from June 2002 – June 2004, serving as a board member of the East Downtown Management District from 1999 to 2006, and currently serving as president of the
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felons carrying firearms during drug trafficking crimes. As a result, Judge Jones prosecuted numerous firearms cases involving convicted felons, in addition to prosecuting cases involving theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee, and false statement to a federal firearms dealer. In 2005, Judge Jones went into private practice and worked primarily as a criminal defense attorney where she ensured that her clients were getting quality representation and that their constitutional rights were being upheld. On November 4, 2008, Judge Jones was elected judge of the 338th Criminal District Court of Harris County, Texas where she currently presides over felony cases. In her spare time, Judge Jones enjoys athletic fitness, interior design, and studying genealogy. She is also an avid dog lover, and is presently a member of South Union Church of Christ. While Judge Jones feels blessed to have obtained significant educational and career goals, her most heart felt blessing is being a mother to her daughter Lauryn and a sister to her brother, Robert B. Jones, III, a Network Engineer with NASA.
Judge Al Bennett
A fourth generation Texan, Al Bennett moved to Houston in 1983 to attend the University of
Houston. Al earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Political Science and a minor in Business Administration in May 1988. While attending UH, Al served as Speaker of the Student Senate in his junior year and later as an intern in the prestigious Mickey Leland UH/TSU Congressional Internship Program in Washington, D.C. Al then went on to attend the University of Texas School of Law, graduating in May 1991. While at UT Law School, Al was elected president of the student body and permanent class president. His first job out of law school was at the international law firm of law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski,
Parkwood Drive Civic Club and as a board member of the OST/ Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority & Reinvestment Zone Number Seven. Al has been recognized by the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society for Distinguished Service (1990), and was honored with a Houston Lawyers Association Achievement Award (1998). He has been rated AV (very high to preeminent legal ability) in the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory since 2001.