Specialty Courts
Judge Victor Villarreal was appointed by the Webb County Commissioners Court to serve as Judge of Webb County Court-at-Law II in April, 2017. On March 6, 2018, the people of Webb County elected Judge Villarreal to a four-year term, and he ran unopposed in 2022 for a 4-year term, which began in 2023.
Doing more with less, he has reformed the court, eliminated a backlog of cases, streamlined activities, and reduced the budget and staff. He accomplished his goal to transform Webb County Court-at-Law II from the worst audited court in the state to the only court in the state that has been audited at 100% compliance for guardianship cases. On November 15, 2019, the Texas Judicial Council designated Webb County Court-at-Law II a Judicial Center of Excellence–the first county court in Texas to attain the designation. During the pandemic, he planned, announced, and held the first-ever virtual hearings and webinars in Webb County.
From humble beginnings, Judge Villarreal was born in Laredo and was brought up by his mother, a public school teacher, after his father died when he was only 12. One of his grandfathers was the gardener at the courthouse, and his other grandfather shined shoes and sold magazines in downtown Laredo. His uncle made and sold candy apples at the courthouse. They taught him the value of hard work and education.
He is a graduate of Texas A&M International University and was named a Distinguished Alumni in 2010. Before becoming a lawyer, he completed an internship at the National Science Foundation, where he learned that attorneys have unique opportunities to positively impact people's lives and a social responsibility to do so. After internships at the United States Department of State and the Texas House of Representatives, he enrolled at the University of Texas School of Law. At UT Law, he was president of the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students’ Association, the largest of its kind in the United States, and he created the Susana I. Aleman Scholarship at UT Law. As a lawyer, he served as president of the Laredo-Webb County Bar Association and created the Barbra Kazen Endowed Scholarship at Texas A&M International.