Boy Scouts of America, Merit Badge Counselor

  Volunteer Legal Liaison for hospice workers

  Tarrant County Bar Association volunteer work:

• People's Law School - a program to provide basic legal
      classes to the public (Co-Chairman 2009-2010)
• Legal Line - a program that answer legal questions
      asked by the general public
• Mentor Program - Mike is on the Committee for, and actively
      involved in, this program which assists lawyers with practical
      advice and information for their practice
• Fee Arbitration - A process by which those with disputes
      regarding their fees may have them resolved.
      Mike has chaired numerous arbitrations.

  Ethics Committee regarding end of life issues

 

 

Mike has worked as an election clerk in many Republican Primaries as well as serving as Election Judge during the General Election. He has been a delegate to several Senate District Conventions, including 2004, 2006 and 2008. He has supported many state and local Republican candidates over the years, including supporting Tom Phillips in 1990, the first Republican elected Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court since Reconstruction. Most recently Mike worked with Victory 2008 in Tarrant County. He made phone calls and worked on behalf of Sen. John Cornyn, State Rep. Mark Shelton and State Rep. Bill Zedler.

Mike is also:

• a Member of the Lincoln Council of the Tarrant County Republican Party
   
• President of the Northeast Tarrant Republican Club
   
• Former 2d Vice President of Membership, Northeast Tarrant Republican Club
   
• a Member of the Tarrant County Republican Assembly, the Arlington Republican Club, the Southwest Republican Club and the Southeast Republican Club
   
• an Associate Member of the Fort Worth Republican Women and the Republican Women of Arlington

 

 

Mike has been and continues to be a champion of conservative values. He believes the Constitution clearly defines the role of judges as deciding disputes, not making law. He adheres to an originalist interpretation of the Constitution and believes that the Legislature was created to reflect the will of the people in passing laws. Mike believes that government is the problem and not the solution to our problems. The Tenth Amendment has been trampled and as a result the federal system devised by our Founding Fathers has been disrupted.

 

Mike attended the University of Texas at Arlington.  He was awarded a Baccalaureate degree in Political Science in 1985. His minor was in History with an emphasis on Constitutional History.

 

Mike attended the prestigious and nationally-recognized Texas Tech University School of Law in Lubbock, Texas, 1985-1988. He earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree in May 1988 with the academic distinction of graduating magna cum laude. Mike was 4th in his class of 163 students and was on the Dean's List for academic achievement for every semesters he attended Texas Tech. Mike was inducted into the Order of the Coif for high achievement in the Study of Law. He received the coveted American Jurisprudence award for excellence in the study of law in four courses:

• Commercial Law
• Family Law
• Conflicts of Law
• Texas Criminal Procedure
  

 

Mike was a member of the distinguished Texas Tech Law Review. He served as Research Editor during the 1987-1988 term, a position which required ensuring that case law cited in articles to be published were correctly cited and interpreted by the authors. He also checked the form, spelling and punctuation of complicated legal citations. Mike competed in the Mock Trial Competition at Texas Tech during 1986 and 1987. During law school Mike was also selected by Professor Frank Skillern to provide research assistance on a book concerning the vital laws of Water Rights, an issue which will be critical in the years ahead.

 

Mike's understanding of the political process and devotion to giving back to the community is also exemplified by his current work as a Part-Time Adjunct Professor of Government at Tarrant County College where he teaches classes concerning United States Government. He has also taught Texas State and Local Government.

Mike is a former Part-Time instructor for the Legal Studies Program at Texas Wesleyan University.

Mike attends St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Arlington.

Mike holds a second degree Red Belt in Tae Kwo Do from the American Black Belt Academy under the instruction of Grandmaster Roy Kurban.