Keep Janet Heppard on the Bench – Fair, Just, and Dependable
ABOUT
I am Judge Janet B Heppard and I am the presiding Judge of the 387th State District Family Court in Fort Bend County, Texas. Since beginning my current term in January 2021, my staff and I have worked diligently to complete the family law cases that are assigned to the 387th Court by scheduling hearings and trials, including jury trials, in a timely manner. We believe that all parties should have a voice in court no matter their culture, economic status, or primary language.
Our court continues to conduct most court proceedings via zoom to allow for greater participation of all parties. During my tenure, we have collaborated with the Ft Bend Dispute Resolution Center to start a Self-Rep program which has an attorney available to give free legal advice to those who appear in court without an attorney.
We have also helped get a virtual court kiosk (funded and operated by the Texas Legal Services Center) in the Ft Bend County Law Library for the use of the local community. These kiosks can be used to attend an online court hearing, get free legal help, or find legal information and resources.
I continue to volunteer in the community, teach as an adjunct at the University of Houston Law Center, and teach at and organize Continuing Legal Education courses for attorneys in the local and wider community. I am asking for your support as I seek to be re-elected Judge of the 387th State District Court Fort Bend County, Texas.
Thank you for voting me back to the bench.
BACKGROUND
Judge Heppard graduated from the University of Houston with a joint JD/MBA in 1993 and earned a BS, Summa Cum Laude, in Geology, from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, in 1981. Prior to law school, she worked as a geophysicist at Amoco Production Company in Houston, Texas.
After graduating from the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC), she worked for a solo practitioner before being hired as a staff attorney in the UHLC Clinical Program in 1995 where she primarily practiced in the area of family law while providing free legal services to low income members of the local community. She worked in the clinical program for 26+ years until her election to the 387th Court in 2021, becoming the Clinic Director in 2008 and a full Clinical Professor in 2019.
Since 1995, Judge Heppard has received the Longevity of Exemplary Service to the Houston Bar Association Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program from the Houston Bar Foundation, an Award of Merit from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for her work on Hague Convention International Kidnapping cases, the Lonestar Legal Aid "Most Litigated Pro Bono Cases" Award, the Lonestar Legal Aid Community Partner Award, and the Ethel M Baker Faculty Award for her leadership in promoting greater interaction between the University and the local community.
Judge Heppard continues to teach as an adjunct at the UHLC in the areas of domestic violence and immigration and the family and to supervise Law Center externs and HS interns.