Qualifications: What training, experience and characteristics qualify you for this position?
ISSUES: What are the two (2) most pressing issues that you will face in the office that you seek? Describe your specific plans/ideas for addressing these issues.
Damiane Dianne Curvey
I was an educator in Aldine ISD before entering law school, which gives me the proper temperament to handle challenging personalities with tough love, humor, and compassion. After law school, I was a solo-practitioner who handled Family, Criminal, and Probate law with exceptional results for my clients. Again, working with clientele from varied demographics and income levels taught me to treat every client as if they were my highest paying client...give them excellent service and provide excellent results. In the courtroom, this skill allows me to be "blind" to the type of attorney standing before me. I treat the Pro Se litigant as well as I treat the high-powered attorneys who enter my court. Everyone receives equal treatment in the 280th.
Pro Se Applicants facing represented Respondents is a huge problem in my courtroom. Unless the Applicant knows how to properly object to questions and admit evidence, their case can be damaged. To assist Applicants, I have created an opportunity for 3L students in Family Law Clinics to volunteer their services and represent Pro Se litigants who cannot afford private counsel. This levels the playing field. The other issue is educating Constables on their rights and duties as it pertains to Orders to Remove Violent Respondents. I have quarterly teleconferences with the 7 Constables to answer questions they may have and ensure that our office is providing them with all the legal jargon they need to enforce the orders I sign.
