Leonard Ray Saenz

MEMBER INTRODUCTION

Leonard Ray Saenz is a retired Travis County Associate Judge and is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Family Law and Criminal Law. Currently Judge Saenz mediates arbitrates in Central Texas. Judge Saenz has over 32 years of courtroom experience as a former prosecutor, Associate Judge, private attorney and Visiting Judge. Additionally, as an Associate Judge, he has for the past 12 years, presided over thousands of family law hearings, including the full range of family law matters, including divorce, child custody, spousal maintenance, property division, modifications, and grandparent/ third-party access to children. Judge Saenz has the experience to deal with high conflict child-related and property cases and has presided over numerous hearings involving protective orders dealing with family violence issues and has served as a faculty member involved in the national training of Judges handling domestic violence cases. In addition to his involvement in introductive judicial training, he has served as a faculty member of the advanced national training on Family Violence and Civil Protective Orders. Judge Saenz has presented continuing legal education courses locally and for the State Bar of Texas. Judge Saenz served as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County, Brooklyn, New York for over four years. As an Assistant District Attorney, he evaluated, prepared and tried misdemeanor and felony bench and jury cases dealing with possession and distribution of controlled substances as well as violent crimes ranging from misdemeanor DWI, to more serious crimes such as theft, assault, robbery, and murder. He was assigned to the Civil Rights Division where he worked with New York Police Department's Bias Unit prosecuting crimes motivated by a person's race, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic origin. After serving as a prosecutor, in 1995 he practiced insurance defense for Speyer & Perlberg in New York, New York. Judge Saenz returned to Texas in 1996 and served as an Assistant District Attorney in Travis County, where during his tenure he handled an array of felony cases. In February 2002 Judge Saenz was appointed to the bench by the Travis County District Court Judges. Prior to hearing family law matters he presided over thousands of Juvenile Court hearings and understands the family dynamic as well as substance abuse and mental health issues. Judge Saenz presided over Juvenile Drug Court and was the first Judge responsible for the Travis County Truancy Court Pilot Project. Judge Saenz is a member of the Austin Bar Association, Texas Bar College, Past Chair for the Austin Bar Association Family Law Section, a member of the Texas Academy of Law Specialist, Member of the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, member of the Texas Law Foundation, Hispanic Bar Association of Austin and a founding Master of the Barbara Jordan Inn of Court. He has held leadership roles as the Secretary/Treasurer, Vice-Chair and Chair of the Austin Bar Association's Criminal Law Section.