In 2015, I served as the Chair of the Houston Bar Association Family Law Section. This was the conclusion of a 7-year commitment. I served as a Director for 3 years, followed by 2 years as an officer, a year as Chair-Elect, and then my final year as Chair. I have many...
In family law cases, especially cases involving children, the results of each case have a lasting significant impact on the children and their parents/family members. In the early years of my career, I was often an advocate for children serving as an Amicus Attorney...
In 2012, I became a new member in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. This was a great achievement for me, as the very best in my profession are members. In 2022, I received the Fellow of the Year Award from AAML President, Cary Mogerman, at the annual...
In 2008, I opened my own firm, The Waddell Law Firm. My original office was located downtown at 917 Franklin. I loved being so close to the courthouse and having my own space. There were a lot of long hours spent in that building getting my firm up and running.
In 2014, I was honored as an Association of Women Attorneys Premier Women in Law Award recipient. That year, the awards committee was honoring “Trailblazers.” I was given the award with other outstanding women in the profession including: Texas Supreme Court Justice...
In 2007, I applied to take the Family Law Board Certification Exam administered by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The application itself is daunting, as I had to report details of my cases for 3 years preceding the application, and, then pass a difficult...
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 Hurricane, made landfall on Texas and Louisiana. The flooding in Houston was catastrophic, over 100 people died and hundreds of thousands of homes were flooded, many losing everything they owned. I knew I had to do something to...
I became a member of Texas Women Lawyers in 2006, and, I served in leadership positions until I became President in 2013. TWL was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet women leaders across the state, including our female Texas Supreme Court justices.
I still remember looking for my name on the pass list for the bar exam. What a relief to see my name! My fellow lawyers know what I am talking about, that is one of the most memorable moments in my path to becoming a lawyer.
One of the happiest days of my life was graduating from law school in May 2002. I loved celebrating with friends and family. It was also very special to graduate law school with 3 dear friends from my hometown, El Campo, Texas: Heath Radley, Susan Hermansen Swanson,...
