Walter Wm. Hofheinz: Biographical Information

Walter Wm. Hofheinz
214.363.2400
wwh@hofheinzlaw.com

Walter Wm. Hofheinz

Candidate for DCDP Chair

www.hofheinzlaw.com • www.walterhofheinz.org

214.363.2400 • wwh@hofheinzlaw.com

I was born in Dallas, and grew up in Abilene after stints in other places while my father Walter C. Hofheinz, a United Methodist minister, was completing his doctoral work in preparation for a college teaching career. The Lakewood area of Dallas was a second home, since my grandparents lived there. My maternal grandfather was Dr. Lewis N. Stuckey, longtime pastor of Tyler Street United Methodist Church in Oak Cliff and author of the lyrics to the SMU song “Varsity,” my grandmother Louise Stuckey taught music at Sunset High School in Oak Cliff for many years, and my paternal grandfather owned and operated Hofheinz Monument Works.

I attended McMurry University in Abilene (BA 1979) where my father taught, and The University of Texas School of Law (JD 1979), and was admitted to the bar in Texas in 1979. I am Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and emphasize that area in my practice. After law school, I practiced in Fort Worth and San Antonio, then returned to Abilene to establish my own firm. I moved to Dallas in 1990. From 1991 through 1997 I was an associate professor of law at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, while maintaining a limited consulting legal practice, and returned to private practice full-time in 1997.

I have developed commercial software and have substantial technical competence in web and database-related programming. I have spoken and published on numerous estate planning and computer related topics. A complete vita is on my website.

Although my political activities go back to the Humphrey campaign and the latter campaigns of Ralph Yarborough and continued through my departure from Abilene, I took a break while raising my three older children. The youngest living with me is now off at college at The University of Texas at Austin, and I have the opportunity, once again, to address problems that will affect me, my children and grandchildren, as well as you and yours.

Political Activities

• Candidate for 32nd U.S. Congressional District of Texas, 2002.

• KERA on-air commentaries on redistricting (July 2003) and school funding (October 2004).

• Democratic Party of Texas: Delegate, State Conventions of 2002, 1998, 1980, 1976, 1974, and 1972;
Alternate Delegate 2004, 2000.

• Co-Founder Youth for Yarborough, 1972.

• White House Conference on Children and Youth, Texas Session, Delegate, 1970.

• Texas AFL-CIO Summer Youth Citizenship Conference, Austin, Texas: President, 1971; Delegate, 1970.

Community and Social Activities

• First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas: Member Sanctuary Choir 1997 - present;
Member Music Committee 2002 - present, Member Intern Committee, 2003 - 2005.

• Maria Kannon Zen Association, Inc., Dallas, Texas: General Counsel (pro bono), 1991 - present.

• Grace United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas: Evangelism Work Area, 1992; counsel to planned giving program, capital campaign for renovation of facilities.

• St. Paul United Methodist Church, Abilene, Texas: Trustee, St. Paul United Methodist Church Foundation, 1989 - 1991; Chairman of Evangelism Work Area, 1988; member of Administrative Board, 1986 - 1988.

• Abilene Preservation League, Abilene, Texas: Member, Trustee, 1984 - 1986;
Chairman, Membership Committee, 1984 - 1986.

• Goodwill Industries, Abilene, Texas: Member, Board of Directors, 1983 - 1987;
Chairman, Personnel Committee, 1984 - 1987.

Professional Activities

Walter Wm. Hofheinz, Attorney • Counselor • Mediator, 1982 - present.
Dallas and Abilene (1982 - 1990), Texas.

• Board Certified - Estate Planning and Probate, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

• Estate planning, business planning, estate administration, and probate and trust litigation. Qualified for court appointment for mediation in civil and family cases.

• Development and implementation of web-based online legal representation system.

• Admitted to practice before Texas Supreme Court and all Texas courts, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and Fourth Circuits, U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Western Districts of Texas.

• Numerous publications and presentations on estate planning, estate administration, and the effective use of computers and systems in law office management for professional and lay groups including presentations sponsored by the State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program, South Texas College of Law, the University of Houston Law School, the Internal Revenue Service, and Apple Computer.

Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, Irving, Texas, 1991 - 1997.

• Associate Professor of Law, teaching courses in Property and Estate Planning. (Adjunct 1991, Visiting Associate Professor 1991 - 1992)

• Chair/Facilitator, 1993 - 94 Texas Wesleyan University School of Law Self Study.

Special Skills, Interests and Experience

• Public speaking

• Technical writing

• Computer needs analysis and software development

• Photography

• Science fiction

• Jungian depth psychology

• Ritual studies

• Choral music performance