Judge Margaret Mirabal of Houston; scofflaw, ethical leper-con

Judge Margaret is but another ethically moribund judge from Houston, Texas.       

From 1988 through 2002, Judge Margaret Mirabal sat on the1^st District Court of Appeals in Houston.

        Upon leaving the Court of Appeals in December 2002, Judge Margaret Mirabal began receiving appointments as a visiting judge. She also operated a rent-a-judge business located in Houston. Judge Margaret Mirabal continues to receive appointments as a visiting judge (ca. 2009) and advertises her wares as a rent-a-judge (aka, arbitrator/mediator) on her web site at www.margaretmirabal.com.

Texas Election Code, Section 253.035 prohibits the use of campaign funds for personal use. Despite this prohibition, Judge Margaret Mirabal engaged in the following misconduct.

License plates for personal auto = $621.12

        Spending campaign funds to pay for license plates for one’s personal vehicle is clearly prohibited, especially when Margaret isn’t an elected public official. Claiming this expense under the guise that they are “official” license plates is irrelevant since it is the equivalent of obtaining “vanity plates,” meaning Margaret was able to defray the total cost of licensing her personal vehicle every year by using campaign funds.

• Harris County Tax Assessor, 20071213, 188.09, Official License Plates
• Harris County Tax, 20070109, 118.60, Official License Plates
• Harris County Tax Assessor, 20051222, 118.60, State Judge License Plates
• Harris County Tax Assessor, 20041230, 126.60, State Judge License Plates
• Harris County Tax Assessor, 20030331, 69.23, State Judge License Plates

Mediation/ADR education expenses = $4,205.47

        Judge Margaret Mirabal seems to feel it’s legit to use campaign funds to further her personal Mediation/ADR business by paying for legal publications and for attending conferences/seminars. Clearly, this is a blatant violation of the ethics laws when one takes into account that Margaret is paid hundreds of dollars an hour operating her private mediation business.

        Judge Margaret Mirabal promotes herself on her web site by saying “I am available for Arbitrations, Mediation, Trial by Special Judge and Consultation at a location of your choosing or at: The Resolution Center, 333 T.C. Jester (seems apropos) Blvd. at 1-10 West, Houston.

• Jones McClure Publishing, 20070930, 150.04, Legal Publications 
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20071205, 150.04, Legal Publications
• Legal Directories Publishing, 20070115, 82.81,2007 Legal Directory
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20070327, 285.50, Legal Publications
• State Bar of Texas, 20070327, 237.02, Legal Publications 
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20070603, 75.02, Legal Publication
• State Bar of Texas, 20070611, 112.61, Legal Publication
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20060829, 156.49, Law books
• State Bar of Texas, 20061010, 182.33, Legal Publications
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20061101, 75.03, Legal Publication
• State Bar of Texas, 20061202, 213.43, Legal Publication
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20061202, 150.04, Legal publications
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20060302, 139.33, Legal Publications
• American Arbitration Association, 20060323, 150.00, Legal Publication
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20060404, 434.15, Legal Publications
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20060615, 64.30, Legal Publication
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20051005, 390.62, Legal publications
• Legal Directories Publishing, 20051118, 82.05, Purchase of 2006 Legal Directory
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20051222, 239.30, Legal publications
• State Bar of Texas, 20041104, 160.88, Texas Real Estate Forms Manual
• American Arbitration Association, 20041206, 125.00, Subscription Dispute Resolution Journal
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20040330, 135.31, Legal publication
• Jones McClure Publishing, 20040525, 50.95, Legal publication
• State Bar of Texas, 20040402, 190.00, Continuing Legal Education 
• Imprimatur Press, 20031125, 57.32, Purchase 2003 ADR Handbook
• American Bar Association, 20030127, 115.9, Legal Publication purchase
• Association of Attorney-Mediators, 20051202, 225.00, Seminar
• ACR -Houston Chapter, 20041111, 110.00, Seminar registration
• American Bar Association, 20040210, 125.00, Seminar
• American Arbitration Association, 20040413, 275.00, Seminar
• Hilton Hotels, 1 Riverwalk, San Antonio, 20030129, 152, Judicial Conference
• American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, 20030325, 250, Legal Seminar

Isn’t it wonderful to know that Judge Margaret Mirabal found it appropriate to unwittingly bill her contributors to finance her private rent-a-judge and mediation business? Tells ya all you need to know about Judge Margaret Mirabal’s lack of ethics, right?