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The Enos Law Firm
17207 Feather Craft Lane, Webster, Texas 77598
(281) 333-3030 Fax: (281) 488-7775
E-mail: greg@enoslaw.com
Please allow your e-mail program to download or view photographs in order to appreciate this special edition.
Click here for an archive of past issues of The Mongoose.
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Click here to download the completely updated and verified 2015 Harris County Court Chart. I have included a list of family courts with their new personnel and locations, a 2015 court calendar and a map to the Harris County court complex.
Click here to download all of the articles on legal topics printed in The Mongoose in 2014.
This newsletter tells the tale of this amazing year in Houston family law using photographs and art from the 26 issues of The Mongoose published in 2014. All year, I tried to write about family law and the need for reform in a way that was accurate, fair and occasionally humorous. I often worried about how my writing would effect people but I usually really enjoyed myself and had a lot of fun. |
This year was a great year for me personally in ways far more important than my efforts to reform the family courts. In January, my grandson was born. I am so very proud of my daughter Catherine, who is now my firm office manager (which allows us to see little Colton almost every day). My son-in-law is a police officer and his perspective is what kept me from going to Ferguson, Missouri to join the protests (oh, and I really wanted to!).  In December, I married my amazing Toni, who supports and/or tolerates my many time consuming interests, including this newsletter. We live and work together and we share many mutual interests and a busy family of boys and dogs. Toni is the #1 reason I am always smiling!
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I spent most of my time in 2014 helping to raise boys, dogs and reptiles and occasionally I practiced law.
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I spent many hours writing this newsletter but probably dedicated just as much time to politics, reading many books on history and religion and researching a book I am writing set in London in 1881 (Hint: It was really 11B Robert Adams Street, not 221B Baker Street, where two unlikely flat mates first joined forces, as arranged by older brother "Mycroft" with the help of a former prostitute who changed her name from "Turner" to "Hudson" and became a respectable landlady).
My magnus opus on grandparents' rights and custody cases in Texas is still a work in progress.
I enjoyed 2014 in part because I am so blessed to work with an amazing attorney, mother and friend, Christina Tillinger. When our firm does a "good cop, bad cop" routine, Chris always gets to be the "good cop" because everyone likes her so much.
My law firm staff is like a family and they allow me to do what I do, especially Anna Doyle, who usually edits this newsletter and greatly tones down my outrage and silliness. At the end of the year, I rented a party bus and took the staff and spouses to dinner and to see the Transiberian Orchestra on the same day they all attended my wedding. We will miss our wonderful paralegal, Jaclyn Chavez-Cobb, who is leaving to be the Court Coordinator for the 306th Family District Court in Galveston.
I hope you enjoy this review of what happened in 2014 in the local family courts as told in this newsletter.
Greg Enos
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 2014 in Review as Told by Photographs and Artwork in The Mongoose - Part 1
On December 31, 2013, Judge Denise Pratt shocked the legal world with her "New Year's Eve Massacre" by dismissing hundreds of cases without notice or hearing.
Pratt started to feel the political heat during the Republican primary campaign and was even caught taking flyers exposing her wrong-doing off tables at a Republican event.
Meanwhile, a few attorneys who had made a good living off Pratt contributed to a video extolling Pratt's virtues.
My investigative journalism helped explain some of Pratt's worst actions, including altering an order after the attorneys had approved it and taking away a mother's visitation without notice or hearing:
When asked why Judge Pratt would then scratch out all of the mother's agreed periods of visitation in that order on two different pages of the order, [Pratt's criminal defense attorney, Terry] Yates had an easy answer. "George Clevenger and Ronnie Harrison were in the judge's chambers as they often are," said Yates. "Those hard working, dedicated attorneys were counting and rubber banding stacks of cash and got a little silly and started singing the 'Oompa Loompa' song from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and that distracted the judge, who then accidentally scratched out several pages of visitation rights for this mother. Judge Pratt went ahead and initialed those accidental changes because she assumed the mother probably did not deserve to see her child any way - she is an unmarried woman working outside the home after all." Yates explained that the wording of the body of the order, which took away the mother's visitation without hearing or evidence or even a request from the father, would control over the inadverdant change of "temporary" to "final" in the title of the order. [Note: In case you did not figure it out, the above was satirical fiction].
This newsletter sparked an unprecedented revolt against an incumbent judge.
In March, I organized a very fun protest at the Republican County convention (I am the handsome fellow in the Lincoln costume).
In April, I published my 18th annual Enos Legal Directory for Galveston County and Clear Lake. You can find a copy on the desks of all of the court coordinators and judges in Galveston County.  Finally, at the end of March, Judge Pratt resigned rather than face indictment on a criminal charge that resulted from witnesses I provided the District Attorney after they found me via The Mongoose. District Attorney Devon Anderson at first fibbed, then admitted she had made Pratt a sweet-heart deal no regular citizen would ever have received: resign and face no criminal charges.  In the battle with Pratt, I never lost faith that the power of words and the truth could make our justice system better.  In April, I organized the first ever political fundraising CLE event and funded a PAC that had real influence in Galveston County (every candidate this PAC endorsed won - in Harris County as well). Over 200 lawyers attended my "Ultimate Property Division" seminar and no one took me up on my offer to refund the seminar fee if they did not think it was one of the most useful, practical seminars they had ever attended. I wrote all of the articles for this seminar, which you can download by clicking here.  This PAC has since gone rogue, changed its name, cut all ties with me and is steering a very independent course.
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In May, I wrote about the horribly nasty race for the 212th District Court in Galveston County. I explained how Governor Perry appointed Bret Griffin judge over the objection of State Senator Larry Taylor and how a staggering amount of money was being funneled into the race by plaintiff's attorneys, including Tony Buzbee, and by business groups who claim to fight "lawsuit abuse." Griffin ended up in the primary runoff against Patricia Grady. Mrs. Grady won this race despite a series of horribly false mailers sent by a mystery PAC from Georgia and even though Mr. Buzbee bused his mass tort clients to the polls to vote in the Republican primary.
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In June, I thanked the many attorneys who stood up to Pratt:
Attorneys who filed motions to recuse Pratt include David Brown, Matt Waldrop, Rob Clark, Anna Stool, Donn Fullendweider. Sharon Hemphill, Maisie Barringer, and Steve Schweitzer. Marcia Zimmerman filed an important, early mandamus. Steve Lindamood also filed a mandamus against Pratt.
The Republican candidates who ran against Pratt and kept the political pressure up were important: Phil Placzek, Anthony Magdaleno, Donna Detamore and Alicia Franklin. District Clerk Chris Daniel was an early, vocal critic of Pratt, when few other elected officials would speak out. Doug York did a lot behind the scenes to organize and encourage opposition to Pratt, as did Patsy Wicoff and Lynn Kamin.
Attorneys who went to Pratt political events or who helped me with my protest at the Republican County Convention included Mary Ramos, Matt Waldrop, Dawn Archer, Amy Harris, Rob Clark, Amy Carlin, Judith Blanchard, Maisie Barringer, and Christina Tillinger.
Sallee Smyth played a big part in standing up to Pratt in appellate courts and in providing me information and early encouragement.
I also provided a "List of Shame" of the attorneys who supported Pratt and gave her money up to the bitter end. This list included George Clevenger, Bobby Newman, Earle Lilly, David Wukoson, and Ricardo "I'm on it" Ramos. Ramos later boarded the Franklin freight train and supported her fully after she was appointed. I can tease Rick, but I really like him and respect him as an attorney and I share his pride in his wife, Chelsie, becoming Charley Prine's Associate Judge.  I was accused of being anti-semitic by Judge Pratt supporters because of the photograph I include in every newsletter showing a German shipyard worker refusing to join in the Nazi salute. I told the poignant tale of brave August Landmesser and his love for a Jewish woman that ended in their deaths in my February 17, 2014 newsletter.
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"Together, attorneys can improve our family courts!" In this Issue....
Part 2 - More 2014 in Review As Told by Photographs and Art Work in The Mongoose
I received support and tips from lawyers and judges all year. More and more attorneys were willing to speak out against improper and unethical behavior.  The Mongoose doesn't just print stories of scandal and sordid ethical lapses. I printed 26 legal articles in 2014 on topics ranging from "Splitting Custody of Siblings" to "Are Pleadings Even Needed in Family Court?" Each article was carefully researched and edited. Click here to download an index with hyperlinks to all of my 2014 legal articles and forms. My reporting convinced one associate judge running for judge to return $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions and persuaded another lawyer to stop calling herself "judge" in her on-line listings, even though she will now be an associate judge starting January 1. 2014 was a year when attorneys, courts and the clerks all mastered the art of electronic filing. "Going digital" was a rough transition, but we made it and it mostly works now. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our awesome District Clerks, Chris Daniel and John Kinard. My entire family helped campaign for Mr. Daniel.  In fact, throughout the year, I did my best to help steer the Republican party in the right direction.  In April, I went "all in" and mailed a special print edition of The Mongoose to all Galveston County Republican primary voters to make sure they were educated about the primary run-off election. To my delight, the voters selected the best candidates.
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Franklin's defense boiled down to "everyone does it." Teenagers everywhere rejoiced with hope that thinking adults might possibly accept that excuse.
My criminal complaints against Franklin and Polland are apparently being ignored by their pal, D.A. Devon Anderson, who would recuse herself if she had a shred of integrity. At least, the amount spent by Harris County on CPS appointments decreased sharply after I started my reporting. Three ethical judges adopted new rules to make sure such abuse could not happen in their courts. Other judges decided to let their special pets continue to feed at the taxpayer trough.
After the November General Election, I reported on the appointment of new Associate Judges. I praised Charley Prine's selection of Chelsie Ramos as his A.J. and I invited her for a ride in my kayak in a desperate bid to make her forget about riding in Bobby Newman's owned jet.
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In December, the horribly unfair and politically tainted case which caused me to start this newsletter in April 2012 finally ended with a really good result for my sweet client. I stuck with her despite the lack of pay and the dreadful subjugation of facts to political connections until finally a fair result was achieved. I never wrote about this case and in the last two years I became friends with all of the scoundrels involved - opposing counsel, amicus and judge. Everyone has a good side and is capable of doing the right thing if given a chance and the proper motivation. At the end of this case, justice was achieved because new evidence was discovered and because a different, fair judge presided over the trial and post-judgment motions; and because of a reborn amicus attorney who eventually did everything a child's advocate could do and more (unlike the first 18 months of his service on the case).
At the end of the year, the Houston Family Bar said "good bye" to retiring Judges Jim York, Bonnie Hellums, Michael Hay and Bob Newey.
In Galveston County, we bid farewell to Judges Kerri Foley and Jan Yarbrough.
In my last Mongoose in December, I promised to return in January with a vengeance. I plan to start by discussing attorneys who are allowed to practice law in courts where their spouses are a judge. Stay tuned because I have a lot more to say and do in 2015!
I hear from attorneys, litigants and court personnel all the time with story ideas. Please e-mail me at greg@enoslaw.com if you have a suggestion for an article or information on unethical or illegal activity in the family courts. I do not name or quote my sources.
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Attorney Greg Enos
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Attorney Greg Enos has been through his own divorce and child custody battle (he won) and understands what his clients are going through. Enos graduated from the University of Texas Law School and was a very successful personal injury attorney in Texas City before he decided his true calling was to help families in divorce and child custody cases. Greg Enos is active in politics and in Clear Lake area charities. He has served as President of the Bay Area Bar Association and President of the Board of Interfaith Caring Ministries.
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