Tomi Shehan is the Republican candidate for the 303rd Family District Court of Dallas County, Texas.

This court is one of seven family courts responsible for presiding over cases involving divorce, child custody/

child support, paternity, adoption, termination of parental rights, child abuse and domestic violence, contempt and appointment of receivers. 

 

Tomi has been endorsed as "qualified" to serve as Judge of the 303rd District Court by the Committee for a Qualified Judiciary, an independent non-partisan group of citizens committed to ensuring Dallas Judges meet a strict standard of excellence.

 

Tomi is a lifetime Republican.  For over twenty years, she has been actively involved in politics at the grassroots level, volunteering

hundreds of hours to ensure the election of Republican candidates for local, statewide and national office.

 

Tomi's career in the legal profession began over thirty-two years ago, just two days after graduation from Mesquite High School, when she was hired as a legal secretary by a Dallas family law/probate attorney.  While working full-time, Tomi attended college at night and on weekends to further her education in preparation for her lifelong career goal - to become an attorney.

 

Tomi graduated from Abilene Christian University - Dallas with a degree in Human Relations and Business in December, 1982.  Tomi attended law school in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from St. Mary's University School of Law in May, 1986.

 

After graduation from law school, Tomi was employed as an Assistant District Attorney in the Civil Section of the Dallas County District Attorney's office for over three years, where she represented the citizens of Dallas County in the following areas of the law:  Worker's compensation; eminent domain (condemnation); personal injury; civil commitment (mental illness) proceedings; asset seizure/forfeiture (seizing assets of alleged drug dealers); and driver's license suspension proceedings.

 

For the last fifteen years, Tomi has been engaged in the private practice of law in the following areas: family; juvenile; probate; guardianship; civil commitment; and eminent domain proceedings.  In addition, Tomi has been a certified mediator for over thirteen years.

 

Tomi's belief in the importance of serving the citizens of Dallas County did not end when she left the District Attorney's Office.  From 1998 through 2002, Tomi served as a Magistrate for Dallas County.   In addition to her active private practice, Tomi has continued to serve the citizens of Dallas County as a Special Judge/Master of Probate Court Number Three, presiding over hundreds of civil commitment proceedings from 1992 to the present.

 

Tomi is a member of the Kiwanis Club of White Rock - Dallas, Texas.  Since joining in 1994, Tomi has been responsible for coordinating numerous food drives to assist local food banks and aid needy families.  She regularly participates in 5k events in the Dallas area to raise funds for various charities.  In 2002, Tomi participated in the first ever Dallas-Ft. Worth "Avon Three Day Walk", a sixty-mile event, where she raised thousands of dollars in donations for cancer research (this event is now known as the "Susan J. Komen Three Day Walk").

 

Tomi is a member in good standing of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Tax Court, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, and the College of the State Bar of Texas. 

 

Tomi is a native Texan.  She lives in Rowlett with her husband, Charles Stokes, and attends First Baptist Church - Sunnyvale.