Ms. Gomez is a talented litigation attorney with extensive experience in the defense of civil lawsuits. Her current practice focuses on complex labor and employment disputes in state and federal courts as well as arbitration throughout the State of Texas. Ms. Gomez has also handled insurance, personal injury, premises liability, medical malpractice, and commercial contract litigation.  Ms. Gomez is happily married to Judge Michael Gomez of the 129th Civil District Court for Harris County.

PRACTICE AREAS:

• Labor and Employment Litigation

• Civil/Commercial/Trial Litigation

• Insurance Litigation

• Dispute Resolution (Texas ADR Mediation §154.052)

HONORS:

• Woodrow B. Seals Outstanding Young Lawyer of Houston Award, HYLA 2007 – 2008

• Rising Star, Texas Monthly Magazine, 2009 & 2011

• President’s Award, Hispanic Bar Association of Houston – Houston, Texas 2007 & 2009

• Local Heroes Recognition, The Houston Lawyer Magazine, May/June 2009

• Houston Bar Foundation Fellow 2009

• Texas Bar Foundation Fellow 2008

BAR ADMISSIONS:

• All Texas Courts

• United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

• United States District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas

EMPLOYMENT:

• Partner, Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, L.L.P., Houston, Texas (January 2010 – present)

• Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Washington, D.C. (June 2008 - January 2009)

• Deputy Director, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, Washington, D.C. (April 2008 – June 2008)

• Associate, Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, L.L.P., Houston, Texas (July 2006 – April 2008)

• Preston Law Firm, L.L.P. (f/k/a Preston & Cowan), Houston, Texas (September 2003 – July 2006)

• Law Clerk, Travis County, County Attorney’s Office, Austin, Texas (Spring 2003)

• Summer Law Clerk, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, McAllen, Texas (Summer 2002)

• Intern, Travis County District Attorney's Office, Austin, Texas (Spring 2002)

• Law Clerk, Guajardo and Guajardo Law Firm, Austin, Texas (Spring 2002)

EDUCATION:

• The University of Texas School of Law – Austin, Texas (J.D., May 2003), Associate Editor of the Texas Hispanic Journal of Law & Policy, President of the Chicano/Hispanic Law Student Association, Member of the University of Texas School of Law Admissions Committee

• Institute of International and Comparative Law – Florence, Italy (2001)

• Texas A&M University – College Station, Texas (B.S. Political Science, with Honors, Minor in English, magna cum laude, and University Honors, May 2000), University Fellow, Dean’s List, Eisenhower Leadership Development

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

• Immediate President: Hispanic Bar Association of Houston 2010 – 2011

• Committee Co-Chair: Houston Bar Association (HBA): Continuing Legal Education Committee 2010 – 2011

• Hispanic National Bar Association and Association of Corporate Counsel’s Executive Leadership Training Pilot Program 2010 – 2011

• President: Hispanic Bar Association of Houston 2009-2010

• Board of Directors: Community Family Centers 2009-2010

• Institute Co-Chair: Houston Bar Association (HBA): Continuing Legal Education Committee 2009–2010

• Council Member: St. Patrick’s Pastoral Council 2007-2010

• Board of Trustees: HBA Houston Lawyer Referral Services 2006–2008, Secretary 2007–2008

• Committee Member: Defense Research Institute’s Professionalism & Ethics Committee 2006–2008

• Committee Member: University of Texas School of Law: UT Law Reunion 2007–2008

• HBA Committee Member: The Administration of Justice Committee for the Civil District/Appellate Bench Bar Conference 2004–2007

• HBA Committee Member: The Interprofessional Drug and Education Alliance Committee 2004–2006

• HBA Speaker & Representative: HBA’s Drug Abuse and Legal Consequence Presentations 2004–2006

• HBA Volunteer: Houston Bar Association’s LegalLine 2004–2010

• HBA Volunteer: Speakers Bureau Committee 2007–2010

• HBA Volunteer: Houston Bar Association’s Will-A-Thon 2007

• Member: American Bar Association 2006–2007

• Member: Texas Young Lawyers Association 2003–2010

• Member: Hispanic National Bar Association 2003–2010

• Member: Defense Research Institute 2006–2008

• Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA) Member: Leadership Academy 2004–2005

• HYLA Volunteer: Tomorrow’s Attorneys Pipeline Program 2008

• HYLA Volunteer: Firm liaison for Adopt-an-Angel Program 2007

PUBLICATIONS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

• The Houston Lawyer, Houston, Texas (March/April 2009), Published in 2009 by The Houston Lawyer: A Profile in Professionalism.

• University of Texas School of Law 16th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference CLE Program – Austin, Texas (May 28, 2009) – Defense Strategies for Employment Law Trials.

• Houston Bar Association – Houston, Texas (March/April 2009) Published in 2009 by the Houston Lawyer Magazine: Profile in Professionalism.

• White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans - Washington, D.C. (September 11, 2008) Prepared sections in 2008 report by the United States Department of Education: A Summary of Activities, Accomplishments and Hispanic Education Attainment: 2001-2008.

• Washington Center for Internships & Academic Seminars – Washington, D.C. (Spring 2008) Speaker, 2008 Pilar Barbosa Education Internship Program (June 23, 2008).

• University of California, Santa Cruz – Salinas, California (Spring 2008) Keynote Speaker, Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering Education Forum: Building Student Achievement in Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (May 21, 2008).

• South Texas College of Law – Houston, Texas (Spring 2008) Speaker, Personal Injury Law Conference: Coverage and Stowers in the 21st Century (April 10, 2008).

• Houston Bar Association – Houston, Texas (Fall 2007) Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminar Series: Discovering the Right Approach: Discovery Disputes in Texas Insurance Litigation (Oct. 11, 2007).

• Houston Bar Association – Houston, Texas (Fall 2006) Speaker, All Day Ethics Program: Ethical Considerations for Insurance Litigation in Texas (Nov. 4, 2006).

• For the Defense, Covered Events, Insurance Law – Houston, Texas (September 28, 2006) Published in 2006 by Defense Research Institute: Texas Supreme Court Declares Mold Not Covered Under Homeowner Policies.

• Nursing Home Malpractice in Texas Seminar – Houston, Texas (Spring 2005) Published in 2005 by National Business Institute: Nursing Home Litigation after Tort Reform.

• University Fellow Program – College Station, Texas (Fall 1999 – Spring 2000) Published in 2000 by Texas A&M University Press: Bilingual Education: A History and Program Analysis.

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS:

• Junior League of Houston: 2009 – current

• St. Patrick’s Church Pastoral Council Member: 2007 – current

• Community Family Center Board of Directors: 2009 – 2010

• Volunteer for State Representative Ana Hernandez’s fall 2007 Citizen Workshop

• Latinas on the Rise Mentor for fall 2006 Program