Thirteenth Court of Appeals

Place 1

Chief Justice Dori Contreras was first elected as a Justice to the 13th Court of Appeals in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008 and 2014. She was elected Chief Justice in 2018 and will serve in this position through 2024. It is her honor to be the first woman Chief Justice of the 13^th Court of Appeals and, at the time of her election, only the second Latina Chief Justice to serve statewide.

Chief Justice Contreras was raised in Pharr, Texas as the youngest of four children. Her parents, Pantaleon and Criselda Contreras, were first generation Mexican American. Both sets of grandparents immigrated from Mexico in the early 1900’s and settled in the Rio Grande Valley. Chief Justice Contreras was often told by her father, a hard-working man who proudly had a 35-year career with the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation, that his one regret in life was not obtaining a college education. Taking this to heart, after graduating from PSJA High School in 1976, Chief Justice Contreras attended the University of Texas at Austin from which she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in December of 1980. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. In response to a job offer, Chief Justice Contreras moved to Houston, Texas and worked as an accountant for several years before applying to law school.  In 1987, as a wife and mother of two daughters, she began law school in the night program at the University of Houston Law Center and continued working full-time. She continued with this rigorous schedule for a year and one-half before deciding to borrow the needed funds to attend school full time. In May of 1990, she received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Chief Justice Contreras was active in various organizations in law school and was recognized as one of six students to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Houston Law Center. She was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in November of 1990.

Chief Justice Contreras began her legal career in Houston working as an associate for Thomas N. Thurlow and Associates. In 1991, she moved to San Antonio and began employment with the Law Offices of Frank Herrera. After one year, she transferred to the McAllen branch office which she managed until 1997. In that year, she became a partner in a civil trial firm that litigated and tried state and federal court cases. Chief Justice Contreras also formed a mediation practice in 1997 which she ran concurrently with her law practice. In 2010, Chief Justice Contreras was one of three recommended by the Texas congressional delegation for nomination by the White House to a United States District Court seat in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Before joining the court, Chief Justice Contreras served as a member and on boards of numerous legal and community organizations including President of the Hidalgo County Bar Association; board member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association; and, on the Board of Governors for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. She currently serves on the Executive Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee and Co-Chair of the Membership Committee for the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal; Member of the Council of Chief Justices of Texas; President-Elect of Texas Latinx Judges; and Council Member for the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas. Throughout her legal career, Chief Justice Contreras has lectured at continuing legal education programs around the state and country. She enjoys speaking to students at local schools and serving as a role model to the young women in her community.

Listed below are some of the special recognitions Chief Justice Contreras has received:

• 2023, Portrait hung on Hispanic Heritage Classroom Wall of Honor at University of Houston Law Center;
• 2023, Sarah T. Hughes Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, Women and the Law Section of the State Bar of Texas
• 2021, Hispanic Women Making History Award, Hispanic Women’s Network Rio Grande Valley Chapter;
• 2019, Woman of Distinction, Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce;
• 2019, Latina Trailblazer, Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas;
• 2019, President’s Award, NAACP Corpus Christi Chapter;
• 2016, Judge of the Year, Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas;
• 2014, Woman of Distinction, Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce;
• 2014, Good Samaritan Award, Good Samaritan Community Services-RGV, a non-profit organization that provided an after-school and summer program for at-risk youth in the Pharr community.

Chief Justice Contreras is married to Roger Perez. She has three children: Lisette Marie Howard is a graduate of Texas A&M University, has a Master’s degree from the University of North Texas and is employed with Public Management, Inc. Vanessa Barry graduated summa cum laude from UT Pan American and owns Mariposa Consulting. Michael James Garza, Jr. works in Denver, Colorado. Chief Justice Contreras also has five beautiful grandchildren.

Education

Professional Employment & Activities

• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Member, Executive Committee and Chair of Annual Conference Committee, Council of Chief Justices for State Courts of Appeal, 2019 –current
• Council Member, Council of Chief Justices of Texas, Chair 2021-2023
• Council Member, State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Section
• Founding Board Member and President-Elect, Texas Latinx Judges
• Member, National Association of Women Judges
• Member, Hidalgo County, Cameron County and Corpus Christi Bar Associations
• Member, Hidalgo County Women’s Bar Section
• Member, Cameron County Women’s Bar Section
• Member, Coastal Bend Women Lawyers Association
• Past Member, National Hispanic Bar Association
• Past Member, Mexican American Bar Association of Texas
• Past Board Member, Texas Judicial Foundation
• Past Board Member, Texas Center for the Judiciary
• Past President, Hidalgo County Bar Association
• Past Board Member, Texas Trial Lawyers Association
• Past Board Member, Association of Trial Lawyers of America (n/k/a AAJ)
• Past Member, Administration of Rules of Evidence Committee

Law-Related Presentations & Honors

Community/Special Recognitions/Awards

• Portrait hung on Hispanic Heritage Classroom Wall of Honor at University of Houston Law Center, 2023
• Podcast, Latinx Mentor, Breaking Barriers: Latinx Chief Justices, 2023
• Sarah T. Hughes Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, Women and the Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, 2023
• Speaker, Project Poderosa, 2022
• Podcast, Leap+Repeat: Chiral Conversations, 2021
• Hispanic Women’s Network Rio Grande Valley Chapter, Hispanic Women Making History Award, 2021
• Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce Woman of Distinction, 2019
• Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Latina Trailblazer Award, 2019
• NAACP Corpus Christi Chapter President’s Award, 2019
• Keynote Speaker, IDEA Public Schools Senior Luncheon, 2017
• Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Woman of Distinction, 2014
• Good Samaritan Award 2014, Good Samaritan Community Services-RGV
• Member, Organization of Women Executives
• Board member, Chair 2011-2013, Good Samaritan Community Services-RGV
• Board member, Comfort House Services, 2008-2014
• Mentor, UTPA Executive Mentor Program, 2015
• Member, Hidalgo County Texas Democratic Women
• Life Member, University of Texas Ex-Students’ Association
• Board member, St. John’s Episcopal Day School, President, 2009-2010
• Volunteer, St. John’s Episcopal Church and School
• Frequent speaker at various schools in community
• AVANCE Mother of the Year 2005