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Job Description
Pay Range: $121,000 annual compensation
Job Posting Closing on: Friday, October 25, 2024
The City of Fort Worth is the 12th largest city in the U.S. and the fastest growing among large cities. Fort Worth has received multiple accolades, including number one Downtown (Livability), and the second-best City in the nation for Job Seekers (Forbes). Our employees serve the needs of approximately 1,000,000 residents. We are seeking individuals that reflect our values of exceptional customer experience, mutual respect, embracing our diversity, continuous improvement, ethical behavior, and accountability.
The City of Fort Worth Municipal Court Department-Municipal Court of Record Division is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the Municipal Court Judge position. This full-time judge position will assist with all operations, services, and activities of the Municipal Court. The ideal candidate will:
- have a clear understanding of theories, practices, and procedures of civil, criminal, constitutional, and administrative law;
- understand complex principles and practices of public law, established precedents, and sources of legal reference applicable to a municipal court;
- be knowledgeable of warrant issuance practices and procedures, as well as methods and techniques of legal research, literature, and sources of information related to court proceedings; and
- be familiar with Federal and State laws, Fort Worth Municipal Code, Texas Rules of Evidence, Texas Penal Code, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Texas Traffic law, Texas Animal/Health Law, and Juvenile Law.
The Applicant selected for this position will work primarily at the Belknap Detention Center, located at 350 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. Judges are on-duty and/or on-call 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. The Arraignment Court work assignments at 350 W. Belknap are: 1st shift (12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.); 2nd shift (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.); and 3rd shift (4 p.m. to 12 a.m.).
**The essential job function of this position will require the Applicant, selected for the Full-Time Judge position, to work the Arraignment Court docket, 1st shift (12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.), Monday - Friday at 350 W. Belknap. No other shifts or times are negotiable. **
The Chief Judge is responsible for screening applicants and making a recommendation to the City Council. The Fort Worth City Council appoints or reappoints Municipal Court Judges for a term of two (2) years, commencing April 1 of each even-numbered year.
The Municipal Court Judge job responsibilities include:
- Presiding over jury and non-jury trials; and instructing jury panels regarding applicable laws, procedures, and sentences or fines if offender is convicted.
- Presiding over various dockets as assigned including plea dockets, juvenile/truancy dockets, environmental/code dockets, revocation dockets, arraignment dockets, and other dockets as necessary.
- Arbitrating disputes and advising counsel, jury, litigants, and Court personnel on Court procedures; administering the judicial system; and settling disputes between opposing parties.
- Issuing search and arrest warrants; setting and forfeiting bail for Class C misdemeanors falling under municipal court jurisdiction; and setting bail for felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants.
- Processing Class C warrant queues, administrative dockets, cash dockets, and miscellaneous dockets.
- Reviewing new laws, major court decisions, and other pertinent information relevant to Court procedures and operations on an ongoing basis.
- Attending staff meetings, as well as required continuing legal and judicial education.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school;
- Two (2) or more years of increasingly responsible experience in the practice of law in Texas;
- Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid license as an attorney issued by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas, and a member in good standing of the State Bar of Texas;
- Be a citizen of the United States and the State of Texas;
- Reside in Fort Worth at the time of appointment; and
- Maintain residence in Fort Worth during the tenure of office.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Organization and time management
- Ability to maintain control of a courtroom
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively; resolve conflict; utilize strong decision making and critical thinking skills in accordance with law, regulation, and policies
- Ability to interpret and apply legal principles and knowledge to complex legal problems
- Ability to analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendations
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships
Note: Pursuant to the City of Fort Worth’s Code of Ordinances and Personnel Rules and Regulations, employees in this position cannot file an appeal for any disciplinary actions taken against them.
Working Conditions:
Applicants for this position must pass a Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) fingerprint-based background check and maintain CJIS eligibility. Due to CJIS requirements related to system access, the following will result in being disqualified for this position: Felony Convictions, Felony Deferred Adjudication, Class A Misdemeanor Conviction, Class B Misdemeanor Convictions in the last 10 years, Class A Misdemeanor Deferred Adjudication, Class B Misdemeanor Deferred Adjudication in the last 10 years, an Open Arrest for Any Criminal Offense (Felony or Misdemeanor), and ALL Family Violence Convictions regardless of class.
Conditions of Employment
The City of Fort Worth is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. It is the policy and practice of the City to recruit, hire, train and promote a diverse workforce without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, or another non-merit factor.
The City of Fort Worth is committed to full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions.
Candidates who do not meet the Education requirement, may be considered if they have more relevant work experience than the position requires. Those selected for employment will be required to pass Pre-Employment checks depending on the position requirements. Those could include, but are not limited to: criminal background check, drug screen, education verification, etc. criminal convictions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Employees are paid by direct deposit only. -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Fort Worth
Show moreThe Community
The City of Cowboys & Culture is known for its Texas hospitality. The stunning and sprawling City of
Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. And it’s no wonder — With great neighborhoods, scenic terrain and a rich history of arts and culture, paired with world-class opportunities for business and education, it’s not only fun to visit Fort Worth, it’s even more rewarding to call it home.Fort Worth truly offers all the benefits and amenities of a bustling metropolitan city, while keeping the small- town charm that keeps it unpretentious and charismatic in all the right ways. Designated as one of America’s “Most Livable Communities” by the Partners for Livable Communities, the city truly offers a melting pot of culture, commerce, community and yes, cowboys.
There are over a dozen remarkable districts full of treasured history among modern luxuries and unique places to have fun, making it the No. 1 tourist destination in Texas and welcoming more than 9.4 million visitors annually.
Being one of the fastest-growing among large cities in the country, Fort Worth has received multiple accolades, including number one downtown (Livability), and the second-best City in the nation for job seekers (Forbes). Our employees serve the needs of over 900,000 residents representing culturally diverse communities.
Exciting Growth & Future Development
One of the most fascinating aspects of the City of Fort Worth is its almost unprecedented growth over the past several years. Both in terms of population and industry, and as the 12th largest city in the United States, Fort Worth is truly booming — which presents both challenges and opportunities to truly develop this city in the right way. Every 30 minutes a new person moves to Fort Worth, so we’re looking for candidates who can embrace an evergrowing and changing environment and improve on it with solutions that work for the entire community of Fort Worth.
Mission
We are working together to build a strong community that others can look to as a pillar of unity and excellence. Through grassroots efforts within the community, and large scale construction and transportation plans that continue to add the infra- structure a growing city like Fort Worth needs, we’ll provide the public services our community requires to continually cultivate the unique city we call home.
Vision
Fort Worth’s vision is to be the most livable and best managed city in the country. We’ll do this by taking care of our citizens, implementing the highest quality standards in our schools, continually improving the neighborhoods we thrive in and the facets of the city that make our town so unique.
Benefits That Are Well Worth It
The City of Fort Worth continues to be dedicated to its employees’ well-being by providing competitive health benefits, a well-rounded wellness program and a Zero Accident Philosophy® workplace. All regular full-time employees and those employees who work 30–39 hours per week are eligible for all City of Fort Worth Benefits. Part-time employees who work 20–29 hours per week are eligible for dental, basic life insurance, supplemental life insurance, flexible spending accounts, 457 Deferred Compensation plan and other voluntary benefits.
Medical Program
The City offers two plan options through Meritain Health, an Aetna company.
The Health Center Plan – Offers employees and their family’s
primary health care services that are 100% completely free and unlimited. Employees can visit any one of the three City of Fort Worth Employee Health Centers and receive guaranteed same or next day appointments for sick visits. Also, services are available at any one of the five satellite locations that serves employees across the city.
The Consumer Choice Plan – Is offered to employees at no cost or low monthly premiums to cover eligible dependents and provides the financial benefits of a Health Savings Account (HSA).
• Preventative services are covered at 100% on both plans.
• Prescription Drug coverage including mail order pharmacy are also included.Vacation
Eligible for 3 weeks of vacation: After successful completion of probationary period (usually
6 months), employees may take time off for rest, relaxation, vacation, illness, religious observances, and personal business.Holidays
Available on the first day of employment, the city provides employees with paid holidays, including two personal holidays.
Wellness Program
The city’s Healthy Challenge Wellness Program rewards all full-time, benefit-eligible employees on the city’s health insurance. The Healthy Challenge Program utilizes a points system. Participants may earn points throughout the year (Jan. 1-Dec. 15) for completing specific program activities and participants can redeem points at the end of the year for a cash reward. By participating, individuals can earn $150, $200 or $250 by accumulating program points.
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