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 DALLAS AREA

 PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION

DEI Black History Month Presentation | Beyond The Bench

  • Thursday, February 20, 2025
  • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Zoom

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION PRESENTATION:

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 


BEYOND THE BENCH



This presentation will take everyone through the journey of Black History Month and its importance to our country and legal field. It will also take a deep dive into Judge Nash's experience beyond the bench as an African American elected official.

Judge Valencia Nash was sworn into office January 1, 2007 and presides as Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1, Place 2. Precinct 1 is a large area in the southern part of Dallas County which includes: South Dallas, Oak Cliff, Lancaster, Wilmer, Hutchins, Desoto, Duncanville, and Glenn Heights. She was selected as the 1st Administrative Judge for Justices of the Peace in Dallas County in 2023.

Judge Nash was born and raised in Dallas, Texas in the Highland Hills community and attended Wilmer-Hutchins High School. She graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science; and received her Juris Doctorate Degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. Judge Nash is licensed and has practiced law in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. She has practiced in the areas of environmental law and justice, family law, juvenile law, landlord-tenant law, construction law and litigation.

Prior to being elected, Judge Nash was in private practice. She has worked as Corporate Counsel for Thacker Family of Companies in Atlanta, Georgia, and for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as lead enforcement attorney in the Solid Waste section and the Bureau of Emergency Response.

Her legal internships have included the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6; the Office of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee; and the Office of City Attorney of Houston in the Land Use and Environmental Section.

On November 3, 2008, Judge Nash was appointed to the Texas Judicial Council by Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson of the Supreme Court of Texas and has been reappointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court seven times. The Texas Judicial Council is the policy making body for the state judiciary. She teaches courses at the Texas Justice Court Training Center (TJCTC) including Juvenile Law, Case Management During the Pandemic, Procedural Fairness, Complex Cases, and Children in the Courts: Diversion and Supporting Success.

Judge Nash has volunteered her time through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program serving the community through the Hurricane Katrina Legal Clinic, the Housing Crisis Center, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and the West Dallas Center. She has also volunteered at the C.A.W. Clark Legal Clinic at Good Street Baptist Church and currently serves at the monthly Legal Clinic at Friendship West Baptist Church.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Judge Nash is a Girl Scout Troop Leader, and an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is also the President of the Lancaster Lions Club.

She has been re-elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2 for five terms to serve until 2026. Judge Nash created a monthly legal clinic for Seniors Citizens in Precinct 1 to assist with legal preparation and prevention.

Judge Nash is married to Melvin W. McShann and they have twin daughters, Madeline and McKenna. They attend Friendship West Baptist Church where Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, Ill is their Pastor.

This event qualifies for 1.0 hour of General CLE credit through DAPA and 1.0 hour of General CLE credit through JLTLA.

*** For additional questions regarding this event, please contact DAPA'S DEI Chair, Venisha Harmon at diversity@dallasparalegals.org or JLTLA Paralegal Section Chair, Andréa Clark, TBLS-BCP, at jltlaparalegal@gmail.com. ***

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P.O. Box 12533
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