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Harris County Juvenile Board Plan — Fair Defense Act Standards and Procedures for Appointment of Counsel for Juvenile Respondents (effective March 23, 2022) — posted on the court's own website — the court-procedure tier (standing procedures, policies, and preferences the court itself publishes), distinct from the TOPICs-registered local-rules tier (TRCP 3a registration applies to local rules). Operative requirements quoted verbatim; the posted document is the controlling text.
Texas > Harris County > Juvenile District Courts (313th, 314th, 315th)
Harris Juvenile Board Plan — FAIR DEFENSE ACT STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR APPOINTMENT OF COUNSEL FOR JUVENILE RESPONDENTS. The Harris County Juvenile Board adopts the following plan for appointment of counsel for indigent juvenile respondents. This plan supersedes any prior plan. The Juvenile Courts adopt an appointment of counsel plan that follows The Texas Family Code Sec. 51.102. It is effective on March 23, 2022. … 2.1 A respondent is considered indigent for purposes of the Act if he is financially unable to hire counsel. There shall be a presumption of indigency if the income of the respondent and parent, guardian, or managing conservator is below 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. 2.2 The judge or referee shall find respondent indigent and appoint counsel to represent him if the judge finds the respondent's financial liabilities are more than his assets, or the respondent is financially unable to pay for an attorney qualified to represent the respondent for the offense which is charged. 2.3 A respondent who has been found indigent is presumed indigent for the duration of the proceedings unless there is a material change in the respondent's financial circumstances. … 3.1 Unless the juvenile court finds that the appointment of counsel is not feasible due to exigent circumstances, the juvenile court shall appoint counsel within a reasonable time before the first detention hearing is held to represent the child at that hearing. In accordance with Section 54.01(a) of the Texas Family Code, if the juvenile is in custody, a detention hearing without a jury shall be held promptly, but not later than the second working day after the juvenile is taken into custody provided, however, that when a juvenile is detained on a Friday or Saturday, then such detention hearing shall be held on the first working day after the juvenile is taken into custody. Prior to the detention hearing, the court shall inform the parents/guardians of the juvenile's right to counsel and to appointed counsel if indigent. 3.2 The judge or referee shall appoint an attorney to represent the respondent if he makes a finding of indigency; or the juvenile or his parents, guardian, or managing conservator request that an attorney be appointed to represent the juvenile; or the juvenile or his family has not hired an attorney to represent the juvenile. 3.3 The judge or referee shall appoint an attorney who meets the qualifications established under these standards to represent the juvenile based on the charges to be filed. 3.4 Appointment of counsel when the juvenile is not in custody. The juvenile court shall determine whether the respondent and his family are indigent on or before the filing of a petition for adjudication; or a petition for discretionary transfer; or a motion to modify disposition that seeks to have the respondent committed to the TJJD or confined in a secure facility. If an indigent juvenile respondent is served with a petition or such a motion to modify is filed, and counsel has not already been appointed to represent the juvenile, the court shall appoint an attorney to represent the juvenile on or before the 5th day after the petition is served on the respondent. … 3.7 A juvenile court or referee may appoint counsel for a non-indigent juvenile if either the parent(s), guardian, or managing conservator refuse to retain counsel for the juvenile or request the juvenile court or referee to appoint counsel for the juvenile. In both cases, the court or referee shall require either reimbursement to the county for any attorneys' fees expended, or order payment directly to the attorney providing representation. … 4.1 An attorney assigned to represent a juvenile respondent shall represent a respondent until the respondent is acquitted, appeals are exhausted, or the court relieves the attorney and/or replaces the attorney with other counsel. … 5.1 MASTER LIST: To be considered for placement on the Master List, each attorney must submit a completed application form and meet all of the following baseline criteria. An attorney must: 5.1.1 Be licensed and in good standing with the State Bar of Texas. … 15.4 An attorney shall not be paid until the attorney submits to the judge presiding over the proceedings a completed, itemized form detailing services rendered. The judge must approve payment. 15.5 The attorney whose request for payment has been disapproved may, by written motion, file an appeal with the presiding judge of the administrative region. The presiding judge may conduct a hearing on the matter. … 15.8 Appointed private counsel may file with the trial court a pretrial ex parte confidential request for advance payment of expenses to investigate potential defenses. 15.9 The court shall grant the request for advance payment of expenses in whole or in part if the request is reasonable. If the court denies in whole or in part the request for expenses, the court shall: state the reasons for the denial in writing; attach the denial to the confidential request; and submit the request and denial as a sealed exhibit to the record. Approved by the HARRIS COUNTY JUVENILE BOARD. Lina Hidalgo, Juvenile Board Chair, 3/23/2022; Leah Shapiro, Juvenile Board Co-Chair/Secretary, 3/23/2022.
Reviewer note: Own-site content fetched by us 2026-08-23 (Phase 5 page-denominator close; hashed custody). Complete document text quoted verbatim (whitespace-normalized); the posted document is the controlling text. Scan (12 pp) read by vision; the provisions quoted are transcribed from the posted plan (sections 1-5 and 15; elisions marked …) and the posted scan is the controlling text.
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.