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Jerry W. Simoneaux Jr.

Jerry W. Simoneaux Jr.

Mr. Simoneaux's practice concentrates on guardianship, probate, and trust litigation, as well as uncontested guardianship and probate matters, and estate planning. He is a former staff attorney for Harris County Probate Court No. 1, and a former adjunct law professor at South Texas College of Law.

Mr. Simoneaux received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from South Texas College of Law in 2001, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management and Bachelor of Arts degree in French concurrently from the University of Houston in 1997.

He is a certified Attorney Ad Litem and Guardian Ad Litem for the Probate Courts and Tax Master Courts, and he is a Veteran's Administration Accredited Attorney.

He enjoys educating the legal profession and the public as a frequent speaker for accredited continuing legal education courses and community seminars. He also volunteers as a probate mentor for the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program assisting attorneys who are unfamiliar with probate law.

Outside the legal profession, Mr. Simoneaux has served on the boards of the Bayou City Performing Arts, The John Steven Kellett Foundation, Pride Houston, The Southeast Texas Legal Clinic, and was pro bono counsel to the board of the Montrose Counseling Center Permanent Endowment. In 2005, The Texas Legislature appointed him to a four-year term as a Director on the board of Harris County Improvement District #6, which is better known as the East Montrose Management District. Mayor Bill White reappointed him in 2009.

Professional Licenses and Court Admissions:

  • Licensed  to Practice Law in Texas, 2001
  • Admitted to the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, 2004

Certifications:

  • 2011 - present: Veteran's Administration Accredited Attorney
  • 2003 - present: Guardian / Attorney Ad Litem under Texas Probate Code § 646
  • 2001 - present: Guardian / Attorney Ad Litem in the Civil District Courts of Harris County, Texas
  • 1997 Certificat Pratique de Français Commercial et Économique de la Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris (avec la mention bien [with honors]); Paris, France

Legislative Appointments:

  • Director - Harris County Improvement District No. 6, The East Montrose Management District – 2005 to present.
    • Appointed by House Bill 3518, 79th Regular Session, 2005
    • Re-appointed by Mayor Bill White, 2009

Published Cases:

  • Ross v. Goldstein, 203 S.W.3d 508, (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2006, no pet.)

Honors and Awards:

  • Judge Norman W. Black Award – State Bar of Texas, 2004
  • The College of the State Bar of Texas (State Bar of Texas Honor Society) – Current
  • The Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas (Honor Society for Pro Bono work) – Current
  • Golden Key National Honor Society – Lifetime Member since 1996
  • Pi Delta Phi, International French Honor Society - Lifetime Member since 1995

Professional Associations:

  • The American Bar Association
  • The State Bar of Texas
    • Chair of the LGBT Law section, 2005-2006
    • Member of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section; the Litigation section; the Business Law section; and the LGBT Law Section
  • The Houston Bar Association
    • Chair of the AIDS Outreach Committee, 2003-2004
    • Member of the Probate, Trusts and Estates section
  • Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program
    • Volunteer Probate Mentor, 2008 to present
  • Attorneys in Tax and Probate
  • Houston Estate and Financial Forum
  • Disability and Elder Law Attorneys Association
  • The Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston
    • President, 2002-2004, 2006

Selected Articles and Speeches:

  • Quoted in Time Magazine, "Why Breaking Up is So Hard to Do," by Jyoti Thottam, March 8, 2004
  • Quoted in Vanity Fair, "A Claim to Camelot," by David Friend, April 2008.
  • Speaker/Author – The Basic Duties of an Attorney Ad Litem: You've Been Appointed, So Now What? – 26th Annual Wills and Probate Institute, South Texas College of Law, September 21, 2011.
  • Speaker/Author – The Roles, Duties, and Obligations of the Guardian – Adult Protective Services CLE, August 18, 2011
  • Speaker/Author – The Various Roles of Ad Litems in Probate Court; Houston Bar Association CLE, June 3, 2011
  • Speaker – Criminal Implications of Elder Abuse and Exploitation; Advanced Elder Law Seminar, Texas Bar CLE, April 7, 2011
  • Moderator – Harris County Probate Court Judges' Panel; Disability and Elder Law Attorneys' Association, February, 2011.
  • Program Committee / Speaker – Guardianship Estate Administration, 25th Annual Wills and Probate Institute, South Texas College of Law, August 2010
  • Program Director / Speaker – Attorney Ad Litem Certification, Probate Court 1, June 6, 2010
  • Speaker – Durable Instruments in Estate Planning – Tulane University, February, 2010
  • Speaker – Cultural Diversity Issues – British Petroleum Houston Headquarters, September, 2009
  • Speaker - Legal Protections for GLBT People - University of Texas, October 16, 2007
  • Speaker – Cultural Diversity Issues – British Petroleum Houston Headquarters, October 9, 2007
  • Speaker – Cultural Competency in the Practice of Law – South Texas College of Law CLE, April 12, 2007.
  • Author/Speaker - Estate and Incapacity Planning for Persons with HIV/AIDS - University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, June 2006
  • Author/Speaker – Practicing Law in the Grey Shadow of the Texas Marriage Amendment - State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Webcast, April 2006 [Cited in Acquiring Separate Property on Credit: a Review and Proposed Revision of Texas Marital Property Doctrine, _____ St. Mary's L.J. _____ . by Professor James W. Paulsen, South Texas College of Law. (FORTHCOMING)]
  • Speaker / Program Director - Legal Representation of Non-Traditional Families - State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education, April 2006
  • Author/Speaker - How Might the Texas Marriage Amendment Affect Your Practice - Attorneys in Tax and Probate CLE, February 2006
  • Author/Speaker - Estate and Incapacity Planning for Persons with HIV/AIDS - University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, June 2005
  • Speaker - Relationship Protection: A Will and a Way - Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church, April 2005
  • Speaker - Current Issues Faced by GLBT People - University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, March 2005
  • Speaker - Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples - South Texas College of Law, February 2005
  • Author/Speaker - The Law is Good, If One Uses It Lawfully, Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church, February 2005
  • Author/Speaker - The Equitable Power of Texas Courts, Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston, CLE, October 2004
  • Author/Speaker - Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Issues - Prairie View A&M University, July 28, 2004
  • Speaker - Wills and Probate Basics - Westbury Civic Organization, Senior Citizen Forum Westbury Baptist Church, July 17, 2004
  • Author/Speaker - Estate and Incapacity Planning for Persons with HIV/AIDS - University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, June 2004
  • Keynote Speaker - Community Law Day, Bering United Methodist Church, June 2004
  • Author/Speaker - The Law, Civil Rights, and Sexual Minorities - Montgomery College, May 13, 2004
  • Speaker – Debate, Morality and The State, A Discussion About Same-Sex Marriage. Opposing speaker – Jeffrey Ventrella, Alliance Defense Fund. Rice University, February 24, 2004
  • Author/Speaker - Same-Sex Marriage Cases in our Courts. CyFair College, February 10, 2004
  • Author/Speaker - Marriage Equality Jurisprudence. Alternative Family Law Seminar, South Texas College of Law, November 7, 2003