Personal bio
I am Of Counsel with Spencer Fane LLP in their Houston office. At the UH Law Center where I received my JD I was managing editor of the Houston Law Review. I clerked for a federal judge-southern district of TX,, served as TX Asst. Atty General before becoming general counsel to a New York Stock Exchange Company. Thereafter I was a TX State District Judge of two different courts: 309th Family District and thereafter 269th Civil District (highest trial court in TX). Upon leaving the bench I was a forming member/chair of a firm that became Zimmerman, Axelrad, Stern & Wise, P.C. which existed for 34 years in Houston, TX until it combined with Spencer Fane LLP in 2019. I have been a board member and founder of a National Bank and a board member of an international company. I am the recipient of the Karen Susman-Anti-Defamation League Jurisprudence Award, Hillel Outstanding Community Leader Award, David Gibson Gulf Coast Family Law Outstanding Attorney Professionalism Award; and the recipient of the Outstanding Mediator of the Year Award given by each of the following organizations: Texas Mediator Credentialing Association-I am a Distinguished Credentialed Mediator), Houston Bar Association ADR section, the State Bar of Texas ADR Section and the South Texas College of Law Center for Dispute Resolution . I am the former Chair of each of the following: Houston Bar Association’s Family Law and also its ADR Section, State Bar of Texas ADR Section. I am Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas State Board of Legal Specialization and a Fellow in the CIArb, AAML, IAM (former president) and I’m certified as an Early Dispute Resolver. I have done over 500 arbitrations including several ICDR cases and over 3000 mediations.