Artessia House, Chair
Attorney Artessia K. House manages Tess House Law, PLLC in San Antonio, Texas. Tess House Law, PLLC’s mission is to speak for those unable to speak from themselves. The firm represents victims in federal civil rights cases. On the local level, the firm represents children and parents in suits filed by the government and private family law matters along with litigating contested divorce and custody suits.
Born the eldest of four children in San Antonio, Texas, Attorney House earned a B.A. in Political Science from St. Mary’s University. Ms. House went on to earn a Texas Educator Certificate after fulfilling the requirements of the state of Texas and the regulations of the State Board for Educator Certification. She later earned her J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
During her undergraduate and post-undergraduate years, Ms. House served on the National Executive Board for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as the Southwest Regional Representative and managed chapters in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Jamaica. Ms. House monitored issues pertaining to the use and security of intellectual property, investigated reports of hazing violations, and drafted disciplinary recommendations. She started her professional career as a teacher for San Antonio Independent School District. As a teacher, she established and maintained excellent working relationships with parents and students through consistent demonstration of professionalism, preparedness, and work ethic. She also demonstrated sound knowledge of state rules and procedures. While serving the community as a teacher, Ms. House decided to fulfill her dream of becoming an attorney. From there she attended St. Mary’s University School of Law where she served as Symposium Editor for The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice and organized one of the publication's largest Immigration Law CLE events which educated the public on topics such as the Defense of Marriage Act and sentencing advocacy for immigrants in federal court. In addition to her editorial duties, Ms. House interned for the Office of General Counsel for the United States Department of Veteran Affairs.
Attorney House is a proud alum of Leadership State Bar of Texas and has served on the State Bar of Texas Child Abuse and Neglect Committee. She is an active member of the African America Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Texas and is President of the San Antonio Black Lawyers Association. Artessia House was recognized as a “40 under 40” by the San Antonio Business Journal for top business leaders in the city.