Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel & Conference Center
1101 Woodlawn Ave.
Georgetown, TX 78628
(737) 444-2700
Sponsor
The Texas Judicial Academy is a partnership between the Texas Association of Counties and the Texas Tech University School of Law.
Overview
The County Court Assistants Training Conference gives the county judge’s staff the opportunity to learn more about the management and operation of judicial and administrative procedures of the judge’s office. Our goal is for each person to leave this conference better equipped to assist the county judge in his or her judicial and administrative duties.
Reimbursement
This program is partially funded by a Judicial & Court Personnel Training Fund grant administered by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In accordance with the grant guidelines, county judge personnel (one person per county) may be reimbursed for attending the County Court Assistants Training Conference, up to $750 total per fiscal year.
All travel reservations made through third-party vendors (Hotels.com, Expedia.com, Booking.com, etc.) cannot be reimbursed. For more information on reimbursement, please call Ashley Royer at (800) 456-5974 or email reimbursements@county.org.
Reimbursement requests must be submitted to TAC within 60 days of the event. Any request received after 60 days will not be reimbursed.
Reimbursement may be provided for county judge assistants only.
Only one registrant per county will be reimbursed.
Who Should Attend
County judge’s secretaries, administrative assistants and court assistants are encouraged to attend.
Registration
Registration is $125.
Registration fees are voluntary and used for expenses that are unallowable or are insufficiently covered by the Judicial & Court Personnel Training Fund grant. These include speaker fees, materials, meals and social activities. Fees collected are deposited in a fund for the education of county judges within the general revenue funds of the Texas Association of Counties.
Court Assistants Advisory Committee
Ms. Charlene Graff, Chair, Harrison County
Ms. Shannon Burkley, Nacogdoches County
Ms. Linda Davis, Ward County
Ms. Candy Estrada, Bee County
Ms. Toni Jones, Yoakum County
Ms. Genevieve Martinez, Wilson County
Ms. Amy Peeler, Gonzales County
Ms. Jan Pigford, Houston County
Ms. Marcia Short, Bandera County
Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel & Conference Center
1101 Woodlawn Ave.
Georgetown, TX 78628
(737) 444-2700
For reservations, click here or call (800) 477-3340 and request a room in the TAC County Court Assistants Training Conference room block. The group rate is $102/night for single/double, and space is limited. Please make your reservation as soon as possible. The deadline to reserve your room at the special rate is January 26, 2022.
| Wednesday, Feb. 23 |
| 5–6 p.m. |
Welcome Reception |
| Wednesday, Feb. 23 |
| 11 a.m.-4:45 p.m. |
Registration Desk Open |
| 1-1:15 p.m. |
Welcome and Introductions |
| 1:15-2:15 p.m. |
Effective Management of Court Dockets and Commissioners Court Agendas
Speakers: Ms. Candy Estrada, Court Assistant, Bee County
Ms. Charlene Graff, Court Assistant, Harrison County
Ms. Jan Pigford, Court Assistant, Houston County
Ms. Vanessa Watkins, Court Assistant, Carson County |
| 2:15-2:30 p.m. |
Break |
| 2:30-3:30 p.m. |
Ex Parte Communications and Pro Se Litigants
Speaker: Hon. Greg Holly, Judge, Ward County |
| 3:30-3:45 p.m. |
Break |
| 3:45-4:45 p.m. |
Commissioners Court: Open Meetings Act and Requests for Public Information
Speaker: Mr. Paul Miles, Associate General Counsel, TAC |
| 4:45 p.m. |
Recess |
| 5-6 p.m. |
Welcome Reception |
| Thursday, Feb. 24 |
| 7:30-8:30 a.m. |
Breakfast Provided |
| 8-4:30 p.m. |
Registration Desk Open |
| 8:30-9:30 a.m. |
Guardianships: What You Need to Know
Speaker: Hon. George P. Morrill, Judge, Bee County |
| 9:30-9:45 a.m. |
Break |
| 9:45-10:45 a.m. |
Courtroom Security: Challenges of Open Carry
Speaker: Hon. Darren Jackson, Law Enforcement Consultant, TAC |
| 10:45-11 a.m. |
Break |
| 11 a.m.-Noon |
The Importance of Relationship Building in County Government
Speaker: Mr. Mark Warren, Training Consultant, TAC |
| Noon-1 p.m. |
Lunch Provided |
| 1-2 p.m. |
Pre-Trial Services and Indigent Defense
Speaker: Ms. Darcy Hasty, Director of Pre-Trial Services and Indigent Defense, Medina County |
| 2-2:15 p.m. |
Break |
| 2:15-3:15 p.m. |
County Judge’s Office Functions in Elections and Redistricting
Speaker: Mr. Chris Davis, Elections Administrator, Williamson County |
| 3:15-3:30 p.m. |
Break |
| 3:30-4:30 p.m. |
Common Forms: Finding, Using and Distributing Them
Speaker: Hon. Stephanie Moreno, Judicial Program Manager, TAC |
| 4:30 p.m. |
Recess |
| Friday, Feb. 25 |
| 7-8 a.m. |
Breakfast Provided |
| 7:30-11:30 a.m. |
Registration Desk Open |
| 8-9 a.m. |
Ethics and Social Media
Speaker: Hon. Tramer Woytek, Judicial Resource Liaison, TAC |
| 9-9:15 a.m. |
Break |
| 9:15-10:15 a.m. |
Navigating the Courthouse Call Center
Speakers: Hon. Jerry Bearden, Judge, Mason County
Hon. Jim Huff, Judge, Live Oak County
Hon. Robert Newsom, Hopkins County Judge |
| 10:15-10:30 a.m. |
Break |
| 10:30-11:30 a.m. |
Essential Role of Court Assistants: Judge’s Perspective
Speaker: Hon. Stephanie Davis, Judge, Comanche County |
| 11:30 a.m. |
Adjourn |
*Agenda is subject to change. Please check back for updates.
No continuing education hours will be offered for this conference.
Please email Regan Frugé to cancel your conference registration. You may also fax a notice of cancellation to (512) 477-1324.