The Hispanic National Bar Foundation is pleased to introduce the 2025 HNBF’s Judicial Leadership Award. Please join us as we honor Justice Veronica Rivas-Molloy for her outstanding achievements in the legal profession.
Justice Veronica Rivas-Molloy was elected to the First Court of Appeals in November 2020. She is the first immigrant elected to the First Court of Appeals, and only the third Hispanic woman to serve on the Court.
During her tenure on the bench, Justice Rivas-Molloy has authored over 180 reasoned majority opinions, and worked on countless more appeals involving civil, criminal, probate, and family matters originating from some of the most populous counties in Texas.
Prior to serving on the bench, Justice Rivas-Molloy was an accomplished litigator and appellate lawyer. She practiced law for 20 years representing clients in a diverse range of complex business disputes in Texas and other jurisdictions across the United States and abroad. Fluent in Spanish, Justice Rivas-Molloy also represented international clients in various matters. She first worked as a judicial clerk for the Hon. Ewing Werlein, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and later at Baker Botts and Jones Walker, where among other things, she was recognized as a Rising Star in business litigation. She also served as a volunteer Prosecutor for the City of Houston, where she tried numerous cases to the jury.
Justice Rivas-Molloy was born in Mexico, and she grew up along the border in the El Paso-Juarez area. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas at El Paso with a double major in Criminal Justice and Spanish. She received her law degree magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center, where she served on the Houston Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif and Order of the Barons. Justice Rivas-Molloy is a first-generation college graduate and attorney.
As a dedicated member of her community, Justice Rivas-Molloy served as pro bono General Counsel for Holy Trinity Episcopal School of Greater Houston, pro bono counsel for women and unaccompanied minors in immigration proceedings, and pro bono counsel for several clients in a variety of legal disputes. Justice Rivas-Molloy is also a Life Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation and an elected Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, one of the largest charitably funded bar foundations in the nation.
Justice Rivas-Molloy and her husband David have been married for 22 years, and they have three young sons.
Learn More About Judge Rivas Molloy:
https://www.txcourts.gov/1stcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-veronica-rivas-molloy/
