MEET STEFANIE
As a young lawyer, I put down roots in Tarrant County. I found a community that shares the values
I learned as a child -- proud of its traditions, but also alive with imagination and opportunity. I built my career here and raised my family. As a mother and a practicing attorney, I understand that respect and compassion are necessary for a system of justice that works for all of us.
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I am running for judge because I believe that all who come before the court share a common humanity and dignity, and deserve to be heard and to have the law applied correctly and fairly to their case. I would be honored to have your support and vote on election day.
Rooted In Family
For Stefanie, family provided secure footing growing up, and remains the center of her life. Her parents encouraged her childhood curiosity and imagination, with no limits on what the future might hold. From their example, she learned to respect hard work and to enjoy a home that was open to all ideas, all cultures, all people.
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Like many children in America, Stefanie spent her early years moving across the country. Her father worked in construction, and his career took him and the family back and forth from California to Florida, eventually landing in Texas. With so many moves, Stefanie learned to adapt by becoming a careful listener and observer. In each new community, her family made itself at home by participating and volunteering at school and at church, and by helping and being helped by neighbors.
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When she married Alan, they brought the values they shared to raising their two sons, showing by example that family not only helps one another, from generation to generation, but reaches out to make the community around them a better place. Their sons both graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington. Graham is now an accountant, and Ian is a recent graduate of Texas A&M School of Law and a practicing attorney in Dallas.
Passion For Learning
Stefanie always loved school. Her family moved to Brownwood, Texas when she was in the ninth grade. As a high school student Stefanie built lifelong friendships, continued to excel in academics, and participated in extracurricular activities such as speech, drama, and debate. She thrived at Brownwood High School and became the valedictorian of her graduating class.
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Her academic success earned her a National Merit Scholarship which she used to attend the University of Texas at Austin. While at UT, Stefanie majored in economics, but took as wide a range of courses as she could, eager to sample all the university had to offer.
After graduating from UT with her Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Stefanie was accepted to both the University of Texas School of Law and the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. She received a full academic scholarship to SMU and moved to Dallas, Texas. While attending SMU, Stefanie also worked as a law clerk for a local firm, and taught law school preparation courses.
Proven Legal Experience
After graduating from SMU, Stefanie started her career as a lawyer practicing civil law on behalf of small banks, local businesses, and individuals. She came to Arlington in 1990 and continued to focus on helping business owners navigate complex issues and resolve disputes. She has represented individuals against lenders, builders, employers, and schools.
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Stefanie has experience in state courts, bankruptcy courts, federal district courts, and arguing before courts of appeals. She has also represented her clients before arbitration panels, and at mediations. In each venue, her ability to listen and analyze, as well as to advocate, has gained her the respect of colleagues and judges, and the loyalty of long-time clients.
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She was an active member of the State Bar of Texas’ standing committee on Lawyers’ Assistance Program, focusing on mental health challenges in the profession. Prior to that she served on, and then chaired, a local grievance panel of the State Bar of Texas.
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Stefanie is licensed to practice law in all state courts of Texas, and in the federal courts of the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas and before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Connected To Community
Stefanie also stays active in her community. At St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Arlington, Texas, she has taught religious education, helped lead women’s groups and retreats, and volunteered for twenty-five years. She and her husband were a sponsor couple for several years in St. Joseph’s marriage preparation program, and she served for over a decade on the parish’s finance council.
When her sons were younger, Stefanie was active in their Cub Scout Pack and then Boy Scout Troop, accompanying the scouts on campouts and providing adult leadership at summer camp. The scouts have all grown up, but they still let Stefanie camp with them.
"People deserve a judge who treats them with dignity, who sees the common humanity of everyone in the courtroom, and who applies the law fairly and impartially in all cases. This is why I am running to be Judge of the 141st District Court." - Stefanie Klein