Salary : $73,717.00 - $85,512.00 Annually
Location : Denton, TX
Job Type: Full-Time Exempt
Job Number: 23-224
Department: District Attorney - 01.3010 - Criminal
Opening Date: 08/28/2023
Closing Date: Continuous
Description
THIS POSTING MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME ONCE A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED.
The Misdemeanor Prosecutor II performs professional legal work and administrative services for the legal department of assignment. Work involves prosecuting jury and non-jury trials and/or negotiating settlements, and preparing various briefs, motions, and other legal devices, as necessary. Employee is also responsible for performing legal research in the preparation of trials, assisting in preparation and management of court dockets, and assisting and advising law enforcement personnel in the preparation of search and arrest warrants.
Examples of Duties
Attends daily docket call, consulting weekly docket list and obtaining and reviewing appropriate case files; advises courtroom of docket call procedures.
Answers phones and inquiries regarding witness issues and case status.
Performs various administrative duties associated with managing a docket of active cases, including docket management and new case management.
Prepares and conducts hearings on probation revocations and adjudications of guilt; prepares and conducts open plea hearings, motions to suppress, and other hearings scheduled in the assigned court.
Participates in all phases of court trial, including the opening statement, the presentation of the State's case, rebut of the defense's case if one is presented, and the punishment phase of the trial.
Advises unrepresented defendants of rights and plea options; completes paperwork for pleas; obtains pleas or requests for appointed attorneys from defendants, as appropriate.
Prepares and requests bond forfeiture and arrest warrants for defendants not appearing as scheduled in court.
Prepares misdemeanor cases for trial, including reviewing case files, advising and negotiating, providing discovery, conferring with law enforcement and judicial personnel, following up with witnesses after trial to inform them of outcome and ways to improve testimony, locating witnesses and defendants, interviewing victims and witnesses, performing legal research, conferring with victims and their families, investigating incidents, visiting crime scenes, and examining physical evidence.
Requests preparation of jury charges; prepares voir dire examination; reviews jury list and conducts jury selection.
Participates in mental hearings as necessary.
Performs a variety of administrative duties in support of the court and department; oversees process for new case intake as necessary.
Regular and punctual attendance is required.
Performs other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Doctorate degree required for this position.
Must possess a license to practice law in the State of Texas.
Must be able to pass a State Criminal History background check.
Supplemental Information
To ensure proper delivery of emails please add to your email safe list.
THE ANTICIPATED START DATE AND SALARY FOR THIS POSITION IS OCTOBER 4, 2023 PENDING COMMISSIONERS COURT APPROVAL OF FINAL BUDGET.
Denton County offers a full range of employee benefit programs for eligible employees, retirees, and their families. These programs include group health plans for medical and dental coverage; an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); life; disability, and long term care insurance; and flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care reimbursements. The County also provides retirement benefits. Full time employees participate in the Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS), and employees may also participate in a retirement savings program (Deferred Compensation). In addition to these "basic employee benefits" and retirement services, employees benefit from a variety of other programs including 12 paid holidays, Tuition Reimbursement, a Wellness Program, and more.
*Note: These benefits are not included for Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) employees, or any Denton County Part-Time employee.
Denton County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, mental or physical disability, age, national origin or veteran status.
Family Medical Leave: Denton County employees who have been employed for one year and who have worked 1250 hours in the preceding year may be eligible for up to twelve weeks of FMLA leave.
The FMLA provides for up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave

• for the birth, adoption, or placement of a child for foster care
• to care for a child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition
• for an employee with a serious health condition

Employees who will be away from work for one of these reasons should contact Human Resources for additional information. When possible, an employee should provide at least 30 days advance notice. In the case of an emergency, notification should be made as soon as possible.
01

Failure to accept the acknowledgment statement below can result in your employment application being rejected for failure to meet the minimum qualifications as stated in the job posting. Your application for this employment opportunity will not be reconsidered if you fail to abide by the statements below. COMPLETED APPLICATION ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I hereby acknowledge that I must complete ALL sections of the employment application, to include the supplemental questions. I understand that failure to enter all relevant work experience in the work history section of the application will result in the rejection of my employment application. I understand that to knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation of a material fact in any application, and/or its supplemental questions, shall be grounds for termination. I also understand that I must provide at least THREE references in the "REFERENCES" section of the application. Furthermore, I acknowledge that Denton County does NOT accept resumes in lieu of completed applications. Please enter your initials and today's date as acceptance of this acknowledgment. If you do not accept this acknowledgment, please understand that your application will be rejected.
02

Please indicate the highest level of education obtained:

• No High School Diploma or GED
• General Equivalency Diploma
• High School Diploma
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Juris Doctorate
• PHD
• Medical Doctor

03

Do you possess a current and valid license to practice law in the State of Texas or pending results from the Bar Exam?

• Yes, I do possess a current and valid license to practice law in the State of Texas.
• My Bar Exam results are pending.
• No, I do not possess a current and valid license in the State of Texas to practice law and have not taken the Bar Exam.

04

I acknowledge that I must provide the Denton County Human Resources Department a Bar Card confirming my License to practice Law, should an employment opportunity be offered and accepted.
05

Please select the years of full-time equivalent experience you have practicing law or working in a related field: NOTE: YOU MUST COMPLETE THE WORK HISTORY SECTION OF THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION TO INCLUDE THE VERIFIABLE FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS INDICATED OR BE DISQUALIFIED.

• Less than 6 months
• At least 6 months, but less than 1 year
• 1 Year
• At least 1 Year 6 months, but less than 2 years
• 2 Years
• 3 Years
• 4 Years
• 5 Years
• 6 Years
• 7 Years
• 8 Years
• 9 Years
• 10 Years
• 11 Years
• 12 Years
• 13 Years
• 14 Years
• 15 Years or more

06

Do you believe you can successfully pass a State Criminal History background check?

• Yes
• No

07

Are you presently involved in any criminal proceedings, (i.e. required to appear in court and/or pay a fine, pay probationary fees, on probation, or deferred adjudication), for a felony or misdemeanor, excluding minor traffic violations?

• Yes
• No

08

Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a violation of any criminal statute in any state, whether a misdemeanor or felony?

• Yes
• No

09

If you have answered yes, to either of the previous two questions, please provide the following information:List the type of arrest and/or conviction (felony or misdemeanor), the date of arrest and/or conviction, the type of arrest and/or conviction (describe the nature of the offense), and the disposition of the arrest and/or conviction (jail/prison, probation, reduced charge or dismissed) for each offense.If you responded no, to both of the previous two questions, please enter, N/A.
10

Where did you hear about this position?

• Denton Record Chronicle
• Governmentjobs.com
• Monster.com
• Indeed
• Craigslist
• Facebook
• Other

11

If you selected "Other" in the previous question, please specify how you were referred to this position.
12

Should you be selected for an interview, you will receive a phone call or email with all the necessary information for scheduling and attending your interview. Please see the acknowledgment below.Failure to accept the acknowledgment statement below can delay the processing of your application. By acknowledging the statement you understand you are responsible for checking your phone messages and email address (provided during online application registration) for information pertaining to potential interviews for this job posting. To ensure proper delivery of emails please add jobs@dentoncounty.gov to your email safe list. INTERVIEW ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I hereby acknowledge that all interviews for this vacancy, will be communicated via phone or email. Please enter your initials and today's date as acceptance of this acknowledgment. If you do not accept this acknowledgment, please enter N/A.
13

I understand that no employment contract either expressed or implied is created should I be hired by Denton County. I understand that I will be required to pass a drug/alcohol and/or physical examination prior to employment. I also understand that if I am a new employee, I will be required to complete a six (6) month probationary period. I give my consent to Denton County to conduct a background investigation to include: contacting any current and/or previous institutional employers, reference checks, criminal searches and verification of credentials. Please enter your initials and today's date as acceptance of this acknowledgment. If you do not accept this acknowledgment, please understand that your application will be rejected.
Required Question