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Frisco Attorney Speaks Out Against Dallas Judge’s ‘Standing Recusal Order’ Against Her

June 30, 2025 Michelle Casady

A Dallas County district court judge has issued a standing order barring a Frisco attorney from handling cases in her courtroom — a move the judge said was necessary to ensure “the impartial and efficient administration of justice,” but the attorney says the order constitutes oppression. 

On June 25, Dallas County District Judge Vonda Bailey issued a “standing recusal order” that Michelle May O’Neil, an appellate and family law specialist, may not appear before the court. Judge Bailey wrote in the order that O’Neil has appeared before the court “in multiple matters” and that the judge “observed conduct that raised serious concerns regarding professional conduct” regarding O’Neil’s “demeanor, candor and courtroom decorum.” 

“Although a formal disciplinary action by the Texas State Bar is no longer pending or has been adjudicated against attorney O’Neil for the concerns expressed above, the court finds that the continued appearance of this attorney in the 255th Associate and District Court could give rise to reasonable questions concerning impartiality and would undermine public confidence in the integrity of the judicial process,” the order reads.

In a video posted on social media Friday, O’Neil explains that the disciplinary proceeding referenced in the order is a grievance Judge Bailey filed against her with the state bar in February. The basis of that grievance, O’Neil said, was her decision to seek appellate review of certain rulings from Judge Bailey on behalf of her clients. 

“I want to be clear, the state bar has completely cleared me of wrongdoing,” she says in the six-minute video. “They have dismissed the allegations against me, and the bar has held that the inquiry that she filed alleges no misconduct.”  

O’Neil goes on to explain in the video that it’s an appellate lawyer’s duty to “give clients the right to have a higher court review their case.” 

“You can pursue an appeal, lose, and still have ethically done so,” she said.

“Most judges are not offended by the Constitution, and most judges are not offended by a client’s exercise of their constitutional rights,” she said. “I have now encountered a judge who is offended by the very Constitution that we as lawyers have sworn to uphold and protect. That really says all that needs to be said.” 

A message sent to Judge Bailey’s court coordinator seeking an interview was not immediately returned Monday. O’Neil did not speak to The Texas Lawbook, but Michael Wysocki, her longtime law partner and managing shareholder of the firm where she practices, OWLawyers, said in an interview Monday that after O’Neil posted her video response and after word of the standing recusal began spreading through the Dallas legal community, other lawyers began posting comments detailing their own “negative interactions in that court” and “offering their assistance.”

Wysocki declined to say whether O’Neil was planning to file a grievance with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. 

“Her reputation precedes her,” Wysocki said of O’Neil’s status in the legal community. “Her stuff is legendary. She has more published opinions than any other family law attorney I know — major opinions that form the basis of family law as we know it.”

“For someone who is a zealous advocate for their client and has been such an integral part of the legal community for so long to be viciously and unfairly attacked and maligned by a sitting district court judge, that’s just not something they prepare you for in law school,” he said. “That’s not something they teach you in any of the books.” 

Like most things in 2025, this dispute has spilled out onto social media platforms. 

Another attorney saw the standing recusal order against O’Neil and posted it on Facebook. 

O’Neil saw the post and commented to clarify that the allegations lodged by Judge Bailey against her had been “dismissed by the Board of Disciplinary Appeals with a finding of no misconduct.”

“As of this comment, everyone here is on notice that these allegations are false and further dissemination is considered defamation,” O’Neil wrote. 

An attorney commenting on O’Neil’s post said: “I have several cases in this court and may need to have my client hire you.” 

The gist of the comment was that if O’Neil is hired on the case, they are automatically removed from Judge Bailey’s courtroom. 

The social media commentary did not go unnoticed by Judge Bailey, who on June 25 issued an “alert” to all Texas family courts titled “potential forum shopper” that included screenshots of the social media commentary at issue.  

“In an effort to maintain the integrity of the Family Law Bar, I am alerting you all to a potential scheme to forum shop by taking advantage of a standing recusal order I have issued against a particular attorney,” the alert reads. “The attorney who hatched the scheme, Theresa Bui Creevy, posted on social media the desire to hire the attorney subject to the recusal order to move her cases out of my court.” 

“Such behavior, if allowed, undermines the litigation process by unfairly allowing a party to effectively control which judges will not hear their cases. Even if said in jest, the comment is inappropriate to suggest to others that doing so is plausible or acceptable. We have a duty to ensure fairness to all litigants and not allow one side to affect the outcome by forum shopping.” 

A message left with Creevy seeking comment was not immediately returned Monday. 

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available. 

Michelle Casady

Michelle Casady is based in Houston and covers litigation and appeals — including trials, breaking news and industry trends — for The Texas Lawbook.

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