In Re O'Connor

In this mandamus proceeding, Lisa Black O’Connor seeks to disqualify the trial judge from presiding over her suit for modification of the parent-child relationship. O’Connor filed her motion to disqualify under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18b(l)(a) after discovering that the trial judge had been her former attorney’s law partner during the time that her former attorney represented her in the initial divorce action. O’Connor argues that, under these circumstances, the trial judge was required to disqualify himself because the divorce action and the modification proceeding involved the same…