Judge Latosha Lewis Payne is the Presiding
Judge of the 55th Civil District Court in Harris County, Texas. She
also serves as the current Harris County Administrative Judge. Prior to her election to the bench, she
practiced at Am Law 200 international law firms for most of her 18-year law practice.
Judge Payne is a former elected Partner of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP n/k/a Foley
Lardner and was a Co-Founding Partner of Trahan Dinn Kornegay Payne LLP, a woman-owned
civil litigation and insurance coverage law firm.
Judge
Payne earned her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2000
and a double major from Tulane University, H. Sophie Newcomb Women’s College in
1996. She was recognized as a Tulane Honors Scholar after being awarded a
postgraduate fellowship by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation to study “Culture
and the Development of Women’s Sports” in Kenya, Botswana, Ghana, and Jamaica.
She was also a scholarship athlete who is the former Metro Conference Champion
in the Women’s 400Meter Hurdles.
Judge
Payne is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and has been honored as a fellow of
the American Bar Foundation and Texas Bar Foundation. She has received many
honors, including “Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year” by the Houston Young
Lawyers Association.
In
addition to her service to the community on the bench, Judge Payne is an
Adjunct Professor of a Communication Law & Ethics course at the University
of Houston. She also dedicates over 500 hours per year as a volunteer head
coach for 11-12 girls and hurdles with the largest youth track club in the
United States.
Education and Bar Admissions
University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 2000
Honorary Board of Advocates • American Bar Association Regional Semi-finalist Moot Court Team • Associate Editor, Texas Environmental Law Journal • Women’s Roundtable • Officer, Thurgood Marshall Legal Society • Cecil N. Cook Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Environmental and Public Service Law • Ralph W. Yarborough Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Environmental and Public Service Law
University College of London, Fall 1999
Thomas J. Watson Foundation, Post-Graduate Fellowship, Aug. 1996 – Aug. 1997
Study “The Cultural Constraints on the Development of Women Athletes” in Kenya, Botswana, Swaziland, Ghana, and Jamaica
Tulane University, H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial Women’s College, B.A., 1996
Double Major: Environmental Studies and Political Science, Minor: Philosophy.
Tulane Honors Scholar • Oak Wreath Honor for Leadership & Service • President, Newcomb Honor Board • Tulane Board of Administrators Undergraduate Representative • Martin Luther King Jr. Week for Peace Community Service Award • 1995 Metro Conference (NCAA Div. I) Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles Champion
Bar Admissions
Licensed to practice in all Texas state courts, 2000 • United States Appellate Court for the Fifth Circuit • Southern District of Texas • Eastern District of Texas • Western District of Texas • Northern District of Texas
Honors, Awards, and Recognitions
Mentor of the Year Award, Lifted Lifestyle, 2017
The National Black Lawyers Top 100, 2015
Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star, Texas Monthly, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014
Robert L. Hainsworth Outstanding Service Award, Houston Lawyers Association, 2014
Momentum Award, Ivy Educational and Charitable Foundation, 2013
Houston Top Lawyer for the People, H Texas Magazine, 2009
Houston Top Lawyer, H Texas Magazine, 2008 and 2009
Outstanding Service Award as Vice Chairperson, 83rd Annual National Bar Association Convention, 2008
Woodrow B. Seals Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, Houston Young Lawyers Association, 2007
Nominee, American Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, 2007
Nominee, Texas Young Lawyers Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, 2007
Graduate, American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Section National Trial Academy, 2007
Top Professional on the Fast Track, H Texas Magazine, 2006 and 2007
Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2014
Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 2007
Fellow, Houston Bar Foundation, 2006
Life Fellow, Houston Young Lawyers Association, 2004
Community, Legal, and Charitable Service
Past President, Board of Directors, Texas Executive Women, 2016 – 2019
Former Board Member and Chair, Governance Committee, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston, 2004 – 2010
Past President, Board of Directors, Houston Lawyers Association, 2002 - 2008
Former Board Member, Houston Young Lawyers Association, 2008-2009
Past Chairperson, Houston Lawyers Foundation, 2002 – 2014
Treasurer, Civil Rights Section and Judicial Selection Committee Member, National Bar Association, 2005 - present
Past Member, State Bar of Texas Legal Services for the Poor in Civil Matters
Houston Bar Association: Fun Run Cmte; Past Co-Chair, Lawyers Against Waste Cmte; Environmental Section, Inaugural Mentor; Juvenile Partnership; Past Member Communities in School and Special Olympics Cmte.
Volunteer Attorney – Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Legal Lines, Justice for Children
Publications and Presentations
Panelist, Legal Writing to Win: Know Your Writes, State Bar of Texas, Apr. 2020
Panelist, Judicial Selection, State Bar of Texas Annual Convention, June 2019
Panelist, Judicial Selection, Texas Tribune Festival, 2019
Author, Supreme Court Unlikely to Overturn EPA Rules in Texas Challenge, Hou. Bus. Journal, Apr. 2013
Presenter, Southern Crushed Concrete v. City of Houston, Ordinance and Permitting, Amer. Soc. Safety Eng., 2013
Presenter, Environmental and Insurance Coverage Update, CE for Liberty Mutual Insurers, 2010
Presenter, Overview of Summary Judgment Practice in Texas State Courts, State Bar of Texas Adv. Civ. Lit., Nov. 2008
Author, Certain Businesses at Potential Risk of Indoor Contamination, Hou. Bus. Journal, Aug. 2007
Presenter, Legal Brief: Vapor Intrusion, Tex. Assoc. of Env. Professionals, May 2007
Presenter/ Author, TROs and Temporary Injunctions, Univ. of Hou. Lit. and Trial Tactics, Nov./ Dec. 2007
Presenter/ Author, TROs and Temporary Injunctions, Univ. of Hou. Lit. and Trial Tactics, Nov./ Dec. 2006
Co-author, Texas Supreme Court State Superfund Law Interpretation Allows Contribution Claims, Clarifies Arranger Liability, Mealey’s Emerging Toxic Torts, Aug. 2005