Loading…
Judge Bonnie J. Robison's standing administrative order SO-2016-00002 under Government Code § 37.01: two mediator lists for probate and guardianship cases — List I for attorneys with ten or more years of probate and guardianship experience approved for difficult, complex and contested cases, List II for attorneys with five or more years — posted quarterly on the courthouse bulletin boards and the court's website; placement requires a request letter, a current State Bar Attorney Ad Litem Certificate, a resume and the court's mediator application and profile form sent to the Probate Court Attorney Administrator, followed by an interview with the judge; a mediator must demonstrate working knowledge of probate and guardianship law, the Rules of Evidence and the court's standing orders and be registered and in good standing on a Denton County probate or guardianship ad litem list (List I: demonstrated ability to mediate complex matters and significant experience with dependent, temporary and guardianship administrations); the court may appoint out of order or off-list for specialized skill, prior involvement, geography or the parties' agreement; when the attorney's ad litem certificate expires the mediator is removed from the list, and restoration requires a current certificate, five court visits and placement at the bottom of the list.
Texas > Denton County > Probate Courts Nos. 1 and 2 (posted under both courts' Standing Orders) — attorneys seeking or holding placement on the probate mediator appointment lists.
"1. There will be two Mediator Lists as follows: Mediator List I: Attorneys with 10 or more years Probate and Guardianship Experience who have requested to be appointed on difficult, complex and contested Probate cases; are qualified to serve and have been approved by the Denton County Probate Court; and Mediator List II: Attorneys with 5 or more years Probate and Guardianship Experience who have requested to be appointed; are qualified to serve and have been approved by the Denton County Probate Court. 2. On or about January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st of each year, the Court will post a copy of the Mediator Lists on the Probate Court bulletin board and on the public viewing bulletin board … The Mediator Lists will also be posted on the Denton County Probate Court's website. … 3. The Court finds that for an attorney to be considered for placement on either Mediator List I or Mediator List II, the attorney must send the following documentation to the Probate Court Attorney Administrator … via e-mail …: a. a letter to the Court requesting placement on either Mediator List I or Mediator List II; b. a current State Bar of Texas Certified Attorney Ad Litem Certificate obtained by completion of the Texas Estates Code §1054.201 mandated four hours of guardianship training; c. a resume or curriculum vitae; and d. a completed Denton County Probate Court Mediator Application and Attorney Profile Form. After the above documentation has been sent to the Court, the Probate Court Administrator will contact the Applicant to schedule an interview with [the Judge]. 4. In order for an attorney to be found by the Court to be qualified to serve as a Mediator, the attorney must demonstrate a working knowledge of Texas Probate and Guardianship Law, the Texas Rules of Evidence, and the standing orders of the Denton County Probate Court. The attorney must be registered and in good standing on a Denton County Probate Court Probate and/or Guardianship ad litem list. In addition, in order for an attorney to be found by the Court to be qualified to serve as a Mediator List I, the attorney must have demonstrated an ability to mediate difficult and complex Probate and Guardianship cases. Furthermore, … the attorney must have significant experience with dependent administrations, including temporary estate administrations and guardianship administrations. 5. After making a discretionary decision based on the requirements of each case, the Court will decide which Mediator List will be used to make the appointment. The Court is statutorily authorized to appoint a Mediator out of order or to appoint a Mediator who otherwise meets statutory or other legal requirements to serve as a Mediator in a case, but who is not currently on a Mediator List if the attorney: a. possesses relevant specialized education, training, certification, skill, language proficiency, or knowledge of the subject matter of the case; b. has relevant prior involvement with the partied or case; c. is in a relevant geographic location; and/or d. is chosen by agreement of all of the parties. 6. It is the attorney's responsibility to provide the Court an updated Attorney Ad Litem certificate. … If the Attorney Ad Litem certificate for an attorney on the Mediator List expires, the Court imposes the following: a. The Appointee will immediately be removed from the Mediator List and will no longer be eligible for assignments as of the date of the expiration of certification on file with the Court. b. For restoration to the List, the Mediator must file a current Attorney Ad Litem certificate with the Court. c. If the Court finds the attorney is qualified to serve on the Mediator List, before receiving any new court assignments the attorney must complete five (5) Court Visits to be coordinated with the Court Guardianship Administrative Assistant … d. After restoration, the Mediator will be placed at the bottom of the Mediator List. … IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the above policies and procedures shall be carried out and implemented by the Denton County Probate Court and the attorneys serving on the Mediator Lists according to the law. SIGNED on February 24, 2016."
"1. There will be two Mediator Lists as follows: Mediator List I: Attorneys with 10 or more years Probate and Guardianship Experience who have requested to be appointed on difficult, complex and contested Probate cases; are qualified to serve and have been approved by the Denton County Probate Court; and Mediator List II: Attorneys with 5 or more years Probate and Guardianship Experience who have
Reviewer note: Own-site document (image-only, 3 pp) read through the pypdfium2 vision lane 2026-09-06 and transcribed verbatim (named staff and telephone numbers elided); signed by former Judge Bonnie J. Robison (historical authorship); still posted under the current courts' standing orders → county-level probate rule (court-less). Composed benchpath-ajr8-denton (own-site lane).
2 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1986-33A.
1 verbatim requirement from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1987-09.