Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has singled out Abbie Ovbieko, an assistant attorney general in the Child Support Division’s El Paso headquarters, for her commitment to Texas children. Ovbieko has been named Assistant Attorney General of the Year for her work in the El Paso region, which covers 13 counties. Ovbieko received the award Friday at the Statewide Assistant Attorneys General Conference in Houston.
“I commend Abbie for her hard work and dedication to improving the lives of Texas children and families,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Abbie represents the best, and it is attorneys like her that make this agency great. I am thankful to her for answering the call to serve the people of Texas.”
Ovbieko is a graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law. She joined the Office of the Attorney General in 2014 and represents the State of Texas in paternity cases. Ovbieko also establishes, enforces and modifies court orders that require parents to provide child support and medical support.
One employee from each of the state’s nine child support regions, and the Austin office, are chosen for the Assistant Attorney General of the Year awards. Honorees are selected based on recommendations from their peers and supervisors, with a particular focus on employees who go beyond their expected job duties to serve Texas children and families. Ovbieko was chosen because of the hard work and innovation she brings to her position. Ovbieko has streamlined processes for handling complex cases and assumed oversight of many routine tasks that free field staff to handle other duties. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Ovbieko willingly covers for field offices that experience attorney vacancies.
The Attorney General’s Child Support Division is the most successful and cost-effective program in the nation. The division handles 1.5 million child support cases, serving 1.7 million children. The division collects $12.26 for every $1 spent to operate the program and collected $3.8 billion in child support in Federal FY 2015.
For more information about the Office of the Attorney General and the child support services it offers, visit the agency’s website at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.