Advocate profiles candidate: Rick Olivo

BY ROBERT MORALES

Rick Olivo is running for District Judge for the 205th District Court. He has two opponents: Daniel Anchondo and Francisco Dominguez.

His background is not exactly “typical.” He attended high school at Cairo American College in Cairo, Egypt. After that, he attended The University of Texas at El Paso and graduated with a BA degree in Political Science.  He participated in Model United Nations with conferences in The Hague, The Netherlands for two years where his school earned best delegation for representing the USSR.  He also participated on numerous varsity teams, including soccer, wrestling, track and field, and softball, where he traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East for competitions.


“I decided to enter the law profession because:  I always wanted to be a diplomat and serve as a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  I felt a law degree would be the best training to achieve that goal.”

 He was a law clerk for G. Gus Haddad and a diamond buyer for Henry Silverman Jewelers while attending college.  He also served as an intern at the U.S. Mission at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium for two summers while at UTEP.  During law school, he interned at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch in San Diego, and at Locke, Purnell, Rain Harrell in Dallas.

After graduation from law school, he accepted an associate position with Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch in 1997 until he  moved to El Paso to start a solo practice in May 1999.  He became an Associate Judge in El Paso in August 2001, and was appointed Municipal Court 4 in September 2008, Mr. Olivas was  elected to the same position in May 2009, and was reelected in May 2013.

 “I am running for District Judge because Judge Olivares has mentored me since before going to law school and she is now retiring,” said Mr. Olivo.  “This court needs a qualified candidate that will be a fair and impartial steward of the position that covers three distinct counties with distinct needs.  The judge must have the ability to understand these needs and give each county the attention they deserve.”

Advocate: You have two opponents. What would you say stands out as a primary qualifier for you to win over your opponents.  

Olivo: I am the only candidate with judicial experience.  More specifically, I bring 12 years of experience hearing cases and making decisions.  I also have 196 hours of judicial training over that span of time.  I am able to assume the role immediately without the need to lose time by learning on the job.  I also have the energy to devote more time and attention to emerging dockets in Culberson and Hudspeth Counties.  I am the only candidate willing to increase the docket for each, including how often the court meets in these counties.

Advocate: Please tell the voters why you should be elected.  

Olivo: I took over a docket in El Paso that had nearly 50,000 cases in a backlog.  I immediately increased the docket from 150 cases monthly to 800 cases weekly, thereby reducing the docket to no backlog.  I also implemented numerous outreach programs, such as “No Talking/No Texting” and indigent programs that have gained statewide attention.  The El Paso Courts have been recognized by TXDot five years in a row as Best Large Court in Texas.  I also have received the Traffic Safety Initiatives Award for three of those years.  Besides the judicial experience, I bring more than 15 years of trial experience as well.

Advocate: Anything else that you may want to say?  

Olivo: I bring a record of hard work and judicial temperament to this court.  There is no substitute for judicial experience in a race such as mine.  I bring experience you can trust.

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