Judge Elisabeth Earle will reflect on her career as a prosecutor and judge, and will discuss restorative justice and issues pertaining to the criminal court system in Austin.
About our Speaker:
Judge Elisabeth Earle was born and raised in Austin, Texas, earning a BA degree from the University of Texas while employed at the State Bar of Texas. In 1990, she moved to London, England, and worked for an American law firm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. After returning to Austin, Judge Earle worked for the Texas Senate Jurisprudence Committee and the Criminal Justice Division of the Texas Governor's Office. These experiences reinforced her decision to study the law, so she moved to San Antonio, Texas, to attend St. Mary's University School of Law and receiving the National Association of Women Lawyers’ Award.
Judge Earle began her legal career as a prosecutor with the Travis County Attorney's Office where she focused her attention on prosecuting domestic violence cases, receiving recognition from the Austin Police Department’s Victim Services Division. In 1998, she was appointed Municipal Court Judge for the City of Austin and, in 1999, was named the first Presiding Judge of the Downtown Austin Community Court, receiving the Community Collaboration Award. In 2002, Judge Earle successfully won her election to the County Court at Law bench. In addition to presiding over her daily docket, Judge Earle founded the Travis County DWI Court and continues to be the Presiding Judge, furthering the Court’s mission to enhance public safety through providing an intensive, judicially supervised program of team-based counseling, treatment, and supervision to alcohol/substance abuse dependent DWI offenders. In 2011, Judge Earle was voted by her peers to serve as the Travis County Local Administrative Statutory County Court at Law Judge and continues to serve in that role.
Judge Earle frequently speaks on community and restorative justice issues and is often asked to share her vision for using courts to deliver justice to offenders, while simultaneously developing within them a sense of community responsibility and commitment to self-reform. Judge Earle uses her courtroom to change lives and prevent repeat offenses -- all to the benefit of offenders, victims, and taxpayers alike. Judge Earle’s efforts have been viewed by some as the most innovative in the field. She has been awarded the Austin Under 40 Award for Government, the Toastmasters International Award for outstanding service, and honored by her peers, receiving the Austin Young Lawyers Association Outstanding Young Lawyer Award and the Outstanding Alumni Award. In addition, Judge Earle received the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Pathfinder’s Award recognized for being a role model and pioneer, shattering stereotypes and blazing trails for female attorneys.
In appreciation of her dedication to smart-on-crime policies during the Texas State Legislative session, Judge Earle received the DWI Court Advocate Award from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. Judge Earle was recognized in Washington D.C. and awarded the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) National President’s Award for Criminal Justice for her role in the implementation of DWI courts nationally. She received the prestigious 2015 MADD Outstanding Judiciary Service Award and was recognized in 2019 at the annual MADD Recognition Luncheon receiving the MADD Outstanding Jurist Award. In addition, Judge Earle was asked by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission to present at the 15th Anniversary Symposium commemorating the signing of the Fair Defense Act.
Judge Earle has given her time to the State Bar of Texas Judicial Section by serving on the board since 2017 and elected Chair in 2021. She also served as a liaison to the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors and the Texas Bar Foundation. In addition, Judge Earle has served the Texas Center for the Judiciary on the Budget Committee for the Third Administrative Judicial Region; as Secretary for the Texas Association of County Court Judges; and on the DWI Curriculum Committee.
In 2023, Judge Earle was selected to serve as a Board of Trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation. In addition to her service to the bar, Judge Earle serves on the MADD Central Texas Board, and The Responsibilty.org Judicial Advisory Board, because of her nationally recognized commitment to innovative practice and programs that not only reduce recidivism but, simultaneously, save and change countless lives.
Judge Earle’s involvement in the legal community extends nationally, serving as Director and Treasurer in the National Association of Women Judges. She has volunteered her time as the point person for the “Color of Justice” program and recognized for her participation in the 25th anniversary celebration of the International Association of Women Judges. She is a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow and a Master in the Lloyd Lochridge Chapter of the American Inns of Court and currently serves on the Executive Committee and the immediate Past President. Judge Earle has served as President of the Austin Bar Association, President of the Austin Bar Foundation Board, and President of the Austin Young Lawyers Association. She has also volunteered and served on many other boards, including being a graduate and past member of the Leadership Austin Board of Directors, the Lola Wright Foundation Board, the Texas Young Lawyers Association, the Salvation Army, Community Action Network Resource Council, and Volunteer Legal Services of Austin.
Judge Earle is married to Jeffrey Clark, President and CEO of the Advanced Power Alliance, they are the proud parents of two daughters, one a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin and 2024 graduate from Baylor Law currently practicing law in Austin Texas. The younger daughter, a 2023 graduate from Texas A&M University in College Station and currently a third-year law student at South Texas College of Law in Houston.
