As a successful lawyer, immigrant, mother, candidate, wife, and community leader, the best way to describe Theresa Creevy in a single word is “accomplished.” She is a woman who is chiefly focused on being an advocate for North Texans and ensuring that the legal system works for them, not against them. Educated and experienced in numerous fields of law, Theresa works to help people in any area she can.
Theresa was born in Vietnam and raised in both Vietnam and Laos. She immigrated to Texas with her family when she was seven years old, right after the fall of Saigon. She learned English after moving to Dallas, but she was already fluent in multiple other languages, including Vietnamese. While she was growing up in Texas, her parents worked hard to provide for their family. As Theresa got older, she became interested in politics because of her dad, who was one of the first Asian Americans in Dallas to be politically active. After getting her undergraduate degree at USC, she worked as a legal assistant and took law classes at night. Though she was working full-time, she was able to complete law school in the regular three-year track and graduate with zero debt. Following this, she began her career as a lawyer. She currently has a private legal practice and ran as a 2020 candidate for judge in Collin County’s 416th district court.
One of Theresa’s proudest accomplishments is the fact that she practices so many different areas of law. She began her career as a personal injury lawyer, but currently in her own private practice she works in almost every different legal field. She has experience in civil, criminal, family, CPS, immigration, and real estate law, just to name a few. As one of few North Texas attorneys who is fluent in Vietnamese, Theresa is also able to provide crucial aid for many Asian Americans in the area who need legal assistance but cannot speak English. She is focused on using her legal expertise to give back to her community and help the most vulnerable people in North Texas.
When asked about the greatest issues facing her community, Theresa shared insights from her experiences as both a lawyer and a candidate for judge. She discussed an issue with the judicial system of which most voters are completely unaware — many people appointed or elected as judges are not knowledgeable in all areas of law. This phenomenon occurs for many reasons; for example, an individual may practice criminal law for their entire career before being appointed to a judgeship and working civil cases in which they have less experience and expertise. According to Theresa, this greatly impacts the effectiveness of the judicial system and people’s experiences in court. Given that she has experience in a wide range of legal areas, this was her main motivator for running for a judgeship in Collin County.
After her first run for district judge in 2020, Theresa gained an understanding of politics and the need for support of local candidates. With this in mind, Theresa wants to share invaluable advice of her experience with women who are interested in running for politics. Her biggest suggestion: ask questions. It is absolutely essential that potential candidates (especially women) speak to people who have run for office in the past. Without knowing who to talk to, Theresa says many of her questions went unanswered; this made it more frustrating for her to get her message out and to reach voters.. It is crucial to have a support system of experienced and knowledgeable people when pursuing political goals as a first-time candidate.
