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Fair Defense Act Appointment Procedures — Responsive Interventions for Change (RIC) Docket (June 2, 2025) — 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 > District Courts Trying Criminal Cases > RIC Docket
FAIR DEFENSE ACT APPOINTMENT PROCEDURES — RESPONSIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR CHANGE DOCKET. In furtherance of the Fair Defense Act's primary goal of providing quality counsel to indigent defendants, and in accordance with the procedures of the alternative plan adopted by the judges trying criminal cases in Harris County, the Responsive Interventions for Change Docket will use the individual case appointment method of appointing attorneys. Attorneys will be paid in accordance with the established fee schedule. INDIVIDUAL CASE APPOINTMENTS (See Standards and Procedures): The court will use the individual case method to appoint attorneys to represent indigent defendants as deemed necessary by the court. QUALIFICATIONS. Individual Case Appointments: Attorneys selected for individual case appointments must meet the qualifications established by the Board of Judges and appropriate to the offense with which defendant is charged. See Standards and Procedures. Be on the current Harris County list of attorneys approved to accept felony appointments. Be available to come to court five (5) days a week and be available for zoom meetings or conference calls after-hours and on weekends for emergencies. Have experience working with offenders with substance use disorders and mental illness and have knowledge of appropriate treatment options. Be proficient in search and seizure law. To be eligible for the RIC Wheel: Attorneys must attend six (6) hours of training in the area of addiction and other RIC related competencies as directed by the presiding judge of the RIC Docket. Three (3) hours must be completed in person before an attorney may be considered for the wheel. Three (3) additional hours must be completed within the first six (6) months of placement on the wheel. To remain on the RIC Wheel: Attorneys must complete at least three (3) hours of training as directed by the presiding judge of the RIC Docket in the area of addiction and other RIC related competencies every year. The RIC Wheel will be limited to no more than twenty (20) attorneys. Open positions will be chosen from qualified attorneys by the presiding judge of the RIC docket and the Specialty Court sub-committee. Date Signed: 6/2/25. Brock Thomas, Judge, Responsive Interventions for Change Docket.
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 transcribed by vision.
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.