The Honorable Julie Countiss

Justice, First Court of Appeals 

Julie Countiss is a 2002 University of Houston Law Center graduate with over 15 years of legal experience.  Early in her career, Julie practiced in private law firms on both the plaintiff and defense side.  In 2014, she was appointed by Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan as an Assistant County Attorney. 

At the Harris County Attorney's Office (the largest government law firm in the State of Texas), Julie maintains a robust courtroom practice representing Harris County in a wide variety of state and federal court litigation. She is also a member of the Nuisance Abatement group--a unique specialty of the County Attorney's Office.  In this group, Julie and her colleagues work closely with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Harris County Constables and the Houston Police Department to rid the County of illicit, dangerous businesses.  Julie and her colleagues file civil lawsuits against locations such as illicit massage parlors and illegal after-hours clubs where young women are often sex trafficked and other vile crimes frequently occur.  In 2015, Julie co-wrote a journal article about nuisance abatement entitled "The Power of Civil Enforcement," published by the American Journal of Criminal Law at the University of Texas School of Law.  Julie is a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow and member of the Houston Bar Association and Texas District and County Attorney's Association. She has taught continuing legal education courses for TDCAA and the HCAO.

Before attending law school, Julie was a Teach for America Corps Member '93-'95 teaching elementary school in the South Bronx, NYC.

Inspired by her father, retired Justice Richard Countiss, Julie is passionate about the law and she believes that courage and integrity are fundamental qualities of a good judge.