PCRW Mixer Reminder - April 2009

Commissioner Maurine Dickey

is now going into her second four-year term on the Dallas County Commissioners Court. She comes to the Commissioners Court as former Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Parkland Hospital Board, and is the only County Commissioner to have ever served on the Parkland Board.

Maurine has a Bachelor of Humanities and Science Degree from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Maurine served on the Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services for six and one half years and served as chairman of this agency that is devoted to the protection of children. Other related service includes chairing the Dallas County Youth Services Advisory Board, the Dallas County Child Welfare Board, as well as Dallas County MHMR. She also served on the Regional Child Welfare Board, the CPS State Advisory Committee and was a founding member of CPS Community Partners in 1990.

Maurine served for three years on the Board of Visitors of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and is Vice Chairman of the Texas High Speed Rail Corporation.

Her years of community service and involvement in a variety of boards, groups and commissions provide a natural platform to move from volunteer to policymaker. The tremendous benefit she brings is her working knowledge of the needs, challenges and benefits of local government and service institutions that work to help provide a safety net for those most disadvantaged members of our society in need of extra care and protection. Maurine has a special interest in affordable healthcare and transportation issues.

She has been married to Roland Dickey for 41 years. They have two grown sons. Maurine, Roland, and their sons are all graduates of Southern Methodist University. The Dickey family owns Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, a franchised chain of 90 restaurants around the United States. Dickey’s was originally established by Roland’s father in 1941.

Justice Mary L. Murphy Fifth District Court of Appeals

Justice Mary Murphy was elected to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in November 2008 and she took the oath of office January 1, 2009.  The Fifth District covers appeals from the counties of Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall.  From 2001 through 2008, she presided in the 14th Civil District Court in Dallas County, Texas, including Presiding Judge for the Civil District Courts in Dallas County (2006) and Presiding Judge for Civil Jury Services (2002-03).

Prior to being elected to the 14th District Court, she was in private practice for almost 18 years.  She was a name partner in the firm of Rochelle, Hutchison & Murphy from 1998 to 2000.  Until 1997, she was a partner in the Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections of the firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist, and Hiring Partner in 1995-96.  In 1997, she took a year’s leave from practice to serve as the first Dallas County Civil Court Master, and was recognized for Outstanding Service to the Citizens of Dallas County.  From 1983 to 1986, she was a litigation associate with Gorsuch Kirgis in Denver , Colorado .

She is a Fellow of the American Bar, Texas Bar, Dallas Bar, and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundations.  She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Dallas Bar Foundation, which administers grants, including the Sarah T. Hughes Diversity Scholarships to SMU Dedman School of Law.  She has held numerous leadership positions with the American and Dallas Bar Associations, the State Bar of Texas, and currently serves as the President of The Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court, a mentoring group committed to legal excellence, civility, professionalism, and ethics.

In 2007, she received her Certification in Civil Jurisprudence from the Texas Center for the Judiciary and was recognized by the State Bar of Texas with a Presidential Commendation for individual leadership in improving justice in Texas.  She is a 1983 graduate from SMU School of Law, where she has served as an Adjunct Professor in Trial Advocacy and as a visiting lecturer for various classes.   She is a 1979 graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas, where she was recognized in 2006 as an Outstanding Alumna, and currently serves on the Pre-Law Council.  Also in 2006, the Dallas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates honored Judge Murphy as the 2006 Judge of the Year.

Justice Murphy is committed to volunteer projects and has been recognized by the Dallas Voluntary Attorney Program for pro bono services.  Her volunteer activities include tutoring at Cesar Chavez Learning Center, mentoring through the Dallas Bar Association’s E-Mentoring and Transition to Law programs, construction for Habitat for Humanity, and service projects through the Becomers Class at First United Methodist Church.

She has been married to Gregory Huffman, an antitrust attorney with Thompson & Knight, for over 23 years and they have two sons, Ted (finishing his junior year at Vanderbilt University) and Mark (a high school senior at Greenhill, who insists on going to college).