Christopher W. Ponder

BIOGRAPHY

Chris Ponder is a partner at Kelly Hart in the Estate Planning and Probate Section, specializing in contested probate and trust matters. Previously, he served as the Statutory Probate Judge for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1, overseeing matters related to decedent’s estates, guardianships, and mental health commitments. In his former role as Deputy Chief in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Ponder developed substantial litigation expertise in handling complex cases and advising county officials.

With a successful track record in both state and federal courts, Mr. Ponder has achieved significant victories in high-profile litigation. He is an active member of various legal associations, including the Tarrant County Probate Bar Association, the Real Estate Probate & Trust Law section of the State Bar of Texas, the Tarrant County Bar Foundation, and the Texas Bar Foundation. While serving on the bench, Mr. Ponder was a member of the Texas College of Probate Judges and the National College of Probate Judges. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University School of Law.

Mr. Ponder earned his Juris Doctor from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now Texas A&M University School of Law) and his Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Arlington.

EXPERIENCE AND HIGHLIGHTS

TARRANT COUNTY PROBATE COURT NO.1

• Statutory Probate Judge
  • Presided over all matters of decedent’s estates, guardianships, and mental health commitments

TARRANT COUNTY CRIMINAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

Civil Division – Assistant Criminal District Attorney

• Deputy Chief, Civil Division
  • Advised Tarrant County Commissioners Court and Administrator on various legal matters in open and closed sessions
  • Managed federal and state litigation involving a wide variety of complex cases with Tarrant County and its officials
• Chief, Mental Health Division
  • Supervised intake, filing, and prosecution of applicants for inpatient mental health services in Tarrant County Probate Courts
  • Reformed the mental health application filing process to implement a paperless system and ensure compliance with statutory law
  • Initiated improved coordination between Probate Courts and Criminal Courts for forensic medication hearings
• Trial Attorney, Civil Division
  • Primary trial and appellate litigator in state court for matters involving Tarrant County and its officials. Practice in Federal courts, at both trial and appellate levels, including briefing to the United States Supreme Court. Notable cases include:
    • Lopez v. Tarrant County, 2015 WL 5025233 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth August 25, 2015, pet. denied) Obtained summary judgment in a suit brought by a former Tarrant County employee under the Texas Whistleblower Act; the Fort Worth Court of Appeals affirmed the summary judgment
    • In re A.B., 437 S.W. 3d 498 (Tex.2014). Successfully sought en banc reconsideration from initial panel’s reversal of trial court decision and then defended attempt to reverse the en banc opinion at Texas Supreme Court, which included oral argument.
    • State v. $1,760.00 in U. S. Currency, 406 S.W.3d 177 (Tex. 2013) Effectively achieved reversal of Court of Appeals’ opinion that held certain types of gaming to not fall within statutory definition of gambling
    • In re Tarrant County, 345 S.W. 3d 784 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2011, orig. proceeding). Obtained mandamus ordering Dallas County district judge to grant motion to transfer venue on whistleblower case filed in Dallas County to Tarrant County
    • Tarrant County v. McQuary, 310 S.W. 3d 170 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2010, pet. denied). Obtained reversal of trial court’s denial of plea to the jurisdiction on whistleblower case for the failure to comply with the element of the statue
    • Davis v. Tarrant County, 565 F.3d.214 (5th Cir. 2009). Obtained dismissal of §1983 civil rights case when criminal defense attorney sued Tarrant County and its criminal judges. Argued case to the 5th Circuit, which affirmed dismissal

AFFILIATIONS

• Adjunct Professor, Texas A&M Law School
• Member, Texas College of Probate Judges
• Member, Texas Bar Foundation
• Member, Tarrant County Bar Foundation
• Member, Tarrant County Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, Fort Worth Subchapter, 2012-2016
  

HONORS

• Tarrant County Probate Judge, 2019-2025
• Adjunct Professor at Texas A&M Law School, 2025

EDUCATION

• Texas Wesleyan University of Law (now Texas A&M University School of Law), J.D., 2003
• The University of Texas at Arlington, B.A., 1999

ADMISSIONS

• State Bar of Texas
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

SPEECHES & PUBLICATIONS

• Speaker, Emergency Situations in Probate & Guardianship, North Texas Probate Bench Bar, 2024
• Speaker, Trustees and the Courts, Annual Conference of Independent Trustee Alliance, 2024
• Speaker, Probate & Guardianship Legislative Update, Texas Association for Court Administration 47th Annual Education Conference, 2023
• Speaker, Fiduciary Duties of Trustees, Business and Estate Section, Tarrant County Bar Association, 2020
• Speaker, Guardianship: A Judge’s Perspective, Lubbock County Office of Court Administration Annual Guardianship Symposium, 2019
• Speaker, Musings on Change in Probate Court No. 1, Tarrant County Probate Bar Association, 2019
• Speaker, Ramblin’ on Gamblin’, Texas District and County Attorney’s Association 2017 Civil Law Seminar