EDUCATION
1965 Diploma, Killeen High School, Killeen, Texas
1969 B.A. Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
9/73-5/76 J.D. South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas
11/76 Admitted to the Texas Bar; also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court; Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Western and Southern United States District Courts of Texas.
11/04- General Practice, primarily State and Federal, trial and appellate, criminal defense; Cameron, Milam County, Texas. Special Prosecutor, Falls, Polk, and Wharton Counties, Texas.
09/02-11/04 Commission Counsel, State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Austin, Texas. Trial, Appellate, and Administrative disciplinary proceedings regarding the Texas Judiciary.
03/01-09/02 Partner, Manske, Manske, and Torrey; El Campo, Wharton County, Texas; general trial and appellate practice with an emphasis on state and federal criminal defense.
09/00 - 03/01 Staff Attorney, Texas Judicial Conduct Commission, Austin, Texas.
11/98 – 09/00 Assistant County and District Attorney, Milam County, Texas. All aspects of State Criminal Trial and Appellate practice. Juvenile and Child Protective Service proceedings. Criminal and civil jury trials. Special Prosecutor Navarro County (DWI) and Robertson County (Aggravated Assault).
01/97 – 11/98 Assistant District Attorney, Williamson County, Texas; eleven felony jury trials (one loss: burglary): organized crime; aggravated assault (2); aggravated sexual assault (2); intoxication manslaughter (2); murder; aggravated robbery; arson. Forfeiture proceedings; grand jury, etc. Special Prosecutor Falls County (theft by public servant, tampering with official documents/Sheriff; prostitution/County Judge.)
11/92 – 12/96 Assistant District Attorney, Burleson and Washington Counties. Special Prosecutor Lee County (1. capital murder, 2. intoxication manslaughter; 3. theft by public servant); Grimes County (1. official misconduct/Sheriff; 2. aggravated perjury/Sheriff; Milam County (aggravated sexual assault); and Austin County (theft by public servant/County Commissioner). Twenty-three felony jury trials; aggravated sexual assault (3); aggravated assault (habitual); arson with bodily injury; intoxication manslaughter (3); capital murder (5); delivery of a controlled substance (habitual); delivery of a controlled substance (enhanced); aggravated robbery (4); injury to a child; and driving while intoxicated (felony); two losses (burglary and aggravated sexual assault). Pleas include theft over $20,000 (attorney); theft over $100,000; hindering secured creditors ($175,000); sexual assault (Chaplain, Brenham State School); aggravated sexual assault (3); organized crime (2); intoxication manslaughter. Appellate briefs (15).
01/90 – 10/92 Assistant United States Attorney, Western District of Texas, Midland, Texas. Trial and Appellate Federal Criminal Prosecution in the Midland-Odessa and Pecos Divisions of the Western District of Texas. Approximately twenty-two felony jury trials (one loss: structuring currency transactions) including kidnapping; extortion (naval officer); distribution of 500 pounds of cocaine; fifteen appellate briefs to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Pleas include bank fraud (bank president); mail fraud (stock broker $1,400,000); and child pornography (hospital administrator and geophysicist). Special Service Award (7/91).
06/84 – 12/89 General civil trial practice. Soules, Reed and Butts, San Antonio, Texas; Brock and Kelfer, San Antonio, Texas; James and Torrey, Bryan, Texas; All aspects of state and federal civil litigation.
03/82 – 05/84 Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of Texas; Houston, Corpus Christi and Brownsville Divisions: Civil and Criminal trial and appellate work. Approximately ten jury trials including bank robbery and distribution of 5,000 pounds of marijuana (one loss: extortion); ten appellate briefs.
03/80 – 02/82 Research and Staff Attorney, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Austin, Texas
01/78 – 11/78 (Drafted proposed opinions and participated in weekly judicial meetings).
1/78 – 03/80 Assistant District Attorney, Bryan, Brazos County, Texas:
03/77 – 01/78 All aspects of state trial and appellate criminal practice; approximately twenty felony jury trials (no losses) including capital murder (2); ten appellate briefs.
Civil, Criminal and Appellate Advocacy training programs, Department of Justice, Washington D.C.; State Bar of Texas Advanced Family, Civil and Criminal Trial Courses; Texas District and County Attorney Association; Texas and National Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Associations [StrikeForce]; State Bar of Texas ; American Bar Association (Litigation Section); Texas Ranger Foundation; Thorndale Volunteer Fire Department.
03/70 – 05/72 Lieutenant, United States Army Corps of Engineers (Honorable Discharge); Engineer Officer’s Basic Course; Civil Affairs Officer’s Career Course; Airborne and Ranger Schools; First Special Forces Group (Airborne), Special Action Force Asia, Okinawa and the Philippines.
Date of birth, March 24, 1947; excellent health; height 6 feet 1 inch; weight 180 pounds; son, William Seal Torrey [27], BA, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. MFA [Creative Writing], Georgia College, Milledgeville, Georgia. Instructor, Department of English, LSU - New Orleans
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