Closing Date: 7th December, 2025

Description:

Minimum Qualifications:
Acceptable Experience and Education
Doctor of Jurisprudence and a minimum of four (4) years of criminal and/or civil experience;

Or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities along with a Doctor of Jurisprudence.

Certificates, Licenses, and other Requirements
Must have and maintain a license to practice law in the State of Texas and be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas.

In order to access the County's network and systems, a personal mobile smart device is required by the hire start date.

Depending on area assigned:
Must have or obtain by date of hire a valid driver's license applicable to job responsibilities, with a driving record acceptable to the County of El Paso.

Typical Duties:
Essential Duties:

Exhibits advanced professional expertise;
Makes decisions on complex legal matters within the requirements of the law and the policies of the department to which assigned;
Applies knowledge, skill, and expertise in applicable areas of law to keep pace with current developments, especially as related to legislative and case law changes;
Advises highest level of elected and appointed officials regarding liability, duties, powers, and constitutional and statutory limitation and requirements;
Litigates and negotiates many complex matters at the federal and state level;
Handles most uniquely complex matters, such as death penalty litigation, cases with scientific evidence and analysis, and analogous complex civil matters;
Advises other attorneys, often with little notice, on complex areas;
Designs and implements procedures in consultation with supervisor to best achieve goals in specific area of expertise;
Represents the State, County, or client in state or county court, courts of appeals and federal courts;
Provides advice, leadership, and guidance to other attorneys as appropriate;
Drafts and recommends policies, procedures, practices, and specific actions to best deal with critical issues;
Manages legal/financial risks and satisfies often-conflicting legal requirements;
Establishes workable procedures to manage complex caseload;
Maintains daily contact with highest level officials in multiple offices with a variety of functions;
Counsels officials during time-critical crises;
Prepares complex, creative, high quality, and unique legal documents;
Issues written legal opinions to officials and seeks written opinions from the state Attorney General;
Interacts with the highest level of public officials;
Trains and instructs other lawyers, officials, and employees;
Assists in departmental policy development; develops unit forms and procedures;
Prepares and presents complex reports as required;
Attends and participates in meetings, training and information sessions;
Stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field;
Provides training in general and/or specialized area of expertise;
Substitutes, if assigned, during temporary absences by performing delegated duties sufficient to maintain continuity of normal operations;
Commits self to providing excellent customer service and demonstrate commitment through cooperative team and individual efforts; and
Creates a high-quality work culture through participation in and emphasis on training and mentoring to develop leadership, management, and technical skills in self and all employees, including safety related training and skills.

District Attorney's Office
Represents the State of Texas in the prosecution of adult felony, misdemeanor, and asset forfeiture cases, including ancillary criminal and civil proceedings, filed in the justice, county, district, and appellate courts;

Reviews investigative reports from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and officers, and exercises discretion in determining which cases are accepted for prosecution or declined and appropriate criminal charges and forfeitures;

Represents the State of Texas in presenting cases to Grand Jury;

Appears in court and represents the State of Texas at arraignment, pre-trial hearings, trial, sentencing, post-conviction and appellate proceedings, and other related or ancillary criminal and civil proceedings;

Exercises discretion in determining appropriate trial or other strategies to dispose of felony and misdemeanor cases and engages in pre-trial negotiations and plea bargaining with defense attorneys;

Drafts and/or reviews the creation of notices, motions, briefs, orders, subpoenas, and other legal documents, correspondence, and reports;

Coordinates with victims, witnesses, and law enforcement officers; prepares them for court appearances; marshals evidence; prepares for pre-trial and post-trial motions and hearings; and issues subpoenas and other legal documents;

Appears, answers, briefs, and argues on behalf of the State of Texas on appeals to the Eighth Court of Appeals, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States;

Meets regularly with and works extensively with a variety of government, social service, and law enforcement agencies, organizations, and committees;

May advise law enforcement agencies and personnel regarding legal requirements for arrest or search warrants;

Employs sound and independent judgment when exercising prosecutorial discretion in accordance with the law and the policies of the District Attorney; and

Exercises all prosecutorial discretion and performs all prosecutorial functions in the overriding pursuit of justice—not only for victims of crime and for the accused, but also for the people of the State of Texas.

Other Important Duties*
Performs such other related duties as may be assigned;

May work extended hours and weekends;

Regular out of town travel for professional conferences and meetings;

Maintains a safe and healthy work place environment; and

As members of the County of El Paso Emergency Response System, all El Paso County employees are designated as Disaster Service Workers during a proclaimed emergency and may be required to train on emergency response and/or perform certain emergency services at the direction of their supervisor

Job Summary:
Summary of Position:
The Principal Attorney under general supervision and depending on area of assignment: provides highly complex and/or specialized general counsel and litigation services for various County Offices and staff; prosecutes criminal, civil and family law cases; high degree of independence represents, defends, and advocates for clients accused of a crime; performs the most complex non-supervisory legal work.

This is the third in a series of three non-supervisory attorney-related job classifications within the Attorneys job family. Employees in this classification can be distinguished from other lower-level attorney classifications due to the high level of latitude and independence with their work.

Additional Information:
Organizational Relationships:
Reports to: Trial Team Chief, Division Chief, Senior Division Chief

Directs: This is a non-supervisory position.

Other: Has contact with department heads and/or staff in order to coordinate and complete assigned responsibilities, attorney's, investigators, judiciary and court staff, law enforcement, witnesses, social work agencies, vendors, contractors, other county employees, and the general public

Minimum Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of: County, state, and federal legal principles, practices, procedures regarding the court system; state and local statutes and codes; case law; rules of evidence; contract terminology and requirements; legal practices and procedures; legal terminology; department policies, procedures and regulations covering specific areas of assignment; County organization, operations, policies and procedures; financial record keeping; English usage, grammar, punctuation and spelling; techniques for effective interpersonal communications; modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment to include Windows and Microsoft based products. Skill/Ability to: operate a personal computer and various software applications; conduct research, develop appropriate documentation, assess and prioritize multiple tasks, projects and demands to meet scheduled requirements; establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers and customers to promote and support a productive work environment; defining problems, collecting data, establishing facts and drawing valid conclusions work efficiently independently and in a team environment to meet established goals and objectives; communicate effectively in verbal and written forms to respond effectively to customers and staff; exercise initiative and independent judgment within established procedural guidelines in performance of daily duties; use initiative and independent judgment within

established procedural guidelines; prepare clear, concise and comprehensive written reports; and establish and maintain cooperative and effective relationsh