About Suellen Perry

Suellen began her career clerking for the Honorable John Hannah, Jr. of the United States District Court in Tyler. She went on to practice with two of the nation’s most respected law firms, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Dallas and Skadden Arps in Houston, where she also volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children. She later served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas, defending the United States in civil litigation and leading the Financial Litigation Unit.

In 2016, Suellen answered a new call to service—teaching. She joined Henderson ISD, where she founded the Law CTE program at Henderson High School in 2019. Today, she also teaches dual credit Criminal Justice courses through Kilgore College, coaches Henderson’s award-winning Mock Trial team, co-hosts the annual 7th Amendment Legal Symposium at the Rusk County Courthouse with our local chapter of TEX-ABOTA, and mentors students through law-related internships. Each September, Suellen promotes thoughtful understanding of and commitment to the U.S. Constitution by taking her Senior Law Practicum students to celebrate Constitution Day at our Texas State Capitol in Austin.

Her leadership in civic education has been honored nationally and locally, including the 2023 American Lawyers Alliance Law-Related Teacher of the Year Award, the 2022 Champion of Civil Justice Award from TEX-ABOTA, and the 2024 Liberty Bell Award from the Rusk County Bar Association. Alongside teaching, Suellen continues to serve her community as the City Attorney for Mount Enterprise and as a court-appointed attorney in family and estate cases in Rusk County courts.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law—where she served on the California Law Review and interned with the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague—Suellen also holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon.

Suellen and her family live in Henderson, where they are active members of the community and attend First Methodist Church.