McALLEN — City commissioners here welcomed a new city attorney and municipal judge this week.
McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, a former McAllen city attorney himself, swore in Isaac Tawil as the new city attorney during a workshop Monday.
Tawil began working as an assistant city attorney in 2012 and now takes over the post previously held by Kevin Pagan, who is now slated to serve as interim city manager for Mercedes.
“I am humbled and honored to be appointed McAllen City Attorney,” Tawil said in a news release Monday. “I will work diligently to defend the City of McAllen’s interests and look forward to McAllen’s continued success.”
Tawil previously served as the city’s litigation section chief, addressing legal issues involving the McAllen Performing Arts Center, the McAllen International Airport and other development projects, city officials said in the news release Monday.
“When the City of McAllen decided to self-insure, Tawil took a leading role in the development of a self-insurance program, including in-house defense and litigation for the City Attorney’s Office,” the release continued.
Since the program’s implementation in 2015, Tawil served as the lawyer in charge of claims and lead counsel on all litigation involving the city. He also oversaw the program’s employees and budget.
“During his tenure, he has successfully defended contested liability claims, resulting in millions of dollars saved in insurance premiums and claims paid,” city officials noted.
Tawil received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Texas in Austin and earned his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
He first worked as an attorney at the law office of Tom Wilkins, where he handled commercial litigation, complex business transactions and various development cases.
Tawil also worked at Garcia, Quintanilla and Palacios, where he handled commercial disputes, family law matters, personal injury cases, and earned his certification as a general and family law specialized mediator.
MUNICIPAL JUDGE
McAllen commissioners also welcomed Lauren Sepulveda, who was sworn in as the new municipal judge Monday by state District Judge Renee Rodriguez Betancourt.
Sepulveda, who replaces former municipal judge Kathleen Henley, began handling misdemeanor and felony cases for the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office in 2013, city officials said.
There, she prosecuted misdemeanor and felony criminal trials, including capital and aggravated felonies, and served as the lead prosecutor for several McAllen Police Department cases, including a robbery at La Plaza Mall and the murder prosecution of Jose Manuel Hernandez, officials said in the news release.
Sepulveda also served as the chief trial chair of the 430th state District Court and as prosecutor for two specialty court programs: the HOPE Program and Veteran’s Treatment Court.
Prior to that, she worked with the Hidalgo County Public Defender’s Office, where she handled indigent criminal defense for both misdemeanor and felony trials.
On Monday, Sepulveda said she was excited to serve and help residents understand and follow municipal laws.
“It is a position that requires knowledge of the law and compassion for others in order to properly seek justice and help bring violators into compliance,” she said in the release. “My goal as a municipal judge is to make sure McAllen Municipal Court serves its citizens, remains transparent and accessible, and interacts with local citizens through community justice programs.”
Sepulveda earned a doctorate of jurisprudence from Baylor Law School and a bachelor of arts in political science with a minor in sociology from Texas A&M University. Since then, she has been involved in a number of professional organizations, most recently serving as the Continuing Legal Education Committee Chair for the Criminal Justice Section of the State Bar of Texas and as secretary and District 13 director for the Texas Young Lawyers Association.
In 2017, she was awarded the Rising Advocate in Government Law Award from the Government Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and in 2016, she was named Prosecutor of the Year by the Family & Friends of Murdered Children, a victim’s advocacy group and local nonprofit.
Both Tawil and Sepulveda were appointed by commissioners, as stipulated in the city charter.
