“This is where life lives,” says Judge Craig Fowler, newly appointed and elected judge of the 255th District Court, when describing the practice of family law. Judge Fowler was appointed by Governor George Bush after winning an election for District Judge of the 255th Judicial District of Dallas County. He took the bench on May 1, 1998 and immediately inherited a caseload of over 4,300 cases. Since then he has tried to incorporate what he learned during his years as a trial lawyer into the way he runs his court.

Before practicing law, Judge Fowler earned a BBA from Texas Christian University in 1963. He attended law school at the University of Houston, where he graduated in 1965. He was licensed that same year and became board certified in family law in 1975 as part of the first group of lawyers in Texas to receive that certification. He has now been married thirteen years and has a son who will soon graduate from law school.

Judge Fowler began his legal career as a law clerk in federal court for the Honorable William “Mac” Taylor, Jr. He then practiced several years as an associate with Strasburger & Price, LLP in Dallas. He then “moved to the suburbs” where he practiced with a small firm in Irving. It was there that he developed a strong interest in family law. Judge Fowler had always loved the courtroom, and he saw an opportunity to be in the courtroom frequently as a family lawyer. He also saw the importance of family law, noticing that it affects people’s lives in the most important areas.

While practicing family law, Judge Fowler became very involved in promoting alternative dispute resolution, and truly enjoys helping people resolve their disputes. He has served as a mediator in over 400 cases. He has also served as treasurer, secretary, vice-chair and chairman of the ADR Section of the Dallas Bar Association. He is a past chair of the Family Law Division of the Association of Attorney Mediators, and has conducted a number of continuing legal education courses in mediation and mediation advocacy in family law cases.

As a trial lawyer, Judge Fowler found that the most common complaint among lawyers and their clients was that they could not count on a trial date. In an attempt to solve that problem, Judge Fowler has gone to a daily docket. By setting cases for trial each day, Judge Fowler is able to set only three per day, meaning that the lowest a case will be on his docket is number three. Mediation and a pre-trial conference are usually part of his pre-trial requirements. Judge Fowler feels that interaction with the lawyers at pre-trial gives him an opportunity to put his mediation skills to work and an opportunity to let the attorneys know his philosophy on certain issues, which may encourage settlement.

Judge Fowler is excited about some of the changes taking place in the courtroom and some of the changes to come. He has experimented with, or plans to experiment with, summary jury trials, jurors taking notes, jurors asking questions before deliberation, jurors discussing evidence before deliberation and daily summaries by attorneys. For young lawyers practicing in his court, Judge Fowler has two pieces of interesting advice (in addition to the standard, but very important, advice to be prompt, courteous and prepared). He strongly recommends that young lawyers spend time at the courthouse watching other lawyers in trial. He also recommends giving significant time and attention to preparing for mediation. Negotiation skills and advocacy skills during mediation are extremely valuable skills which are sometimes overlooked by lawyers.

Since taking the bench in May, Judge Fowler has enjoyed the interaction with lawyers and assisting people in getting their disputes resolved. He knows from experience that, given what is at stake, the practice of family law can take a toll on lawyers. He has a lot of respect for the lawyers who practice regularly in his court, and feels that family lawyers are generally hard-working, conscientious, and know how to laugh at themselves, a very important trait in the emotionally charged atmosphere of family law.