Bell County Bar Association News

Please see attached Order Extending the Prior Administrative Order.

Please note jury trials are now suspended through May 8, 2020 and the Courts will continue to provide essential functions and hearings only through May 8, 2020.

Order Extending Prior Administrative Order - March 23 2020.pdf

TO ALL ATTORNEYS IN DISTRICT 8:

I’m writing to update you on the State Bar's communication efforts in response to the

coronavirus pandemic.

The State Bar is compiling resources on its texasbar.com/coronavirus webpage. These

include:

• Free lawyer resources and webinars (i.e., a free TexasBarCLE webcast was

provided on March 20 on Practicing Law in the Shadow of COVID19);

• Court guidance and closures;
• SBOT response measures; and
• Important announcements about TexasBarCLE, disciplinary system, and event

cancellations and delays.

Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program professionals have created a webpage full of

resources to assist attorneys, law students, and families who may be isolated and

struggling with a mental health issue or needing recovery support. View it

at texasbar.com/tlaphelps/remote-well-being

The Texas Bar Journal staff has been curating information relevant to the pandemic and

posting it to the Texas Bar Blog. Some of these articles also will appear in the April and

May editions of the Texas Bar Journal. So far, the articles posted are:

• Law firms working remotely during the coronavirus shutdown, by D. Todd Smith
• Pandemically challenged: teleworking in COVID-19 and what you need to know,

by Jefferson W. Fisher

• Working with remote employees: what you need to know, by Carron E. Nicks
• Preparing for the coronavirus: how Texas employers can plan for COVID-19, by

Teresa Valderrama

• “Zoom”ing into a new era, by Sally Pretorius
• From inside the Italian quarantine: lawyering on lockdown, by Jason Herbert

Also, lawyers and members of the public can sign up for the State Bar’s Daily News

Briefing at texasbar.com/dailynews to receive the latest legal news updates in their

inbox every weekday. Right now, these updates are heavily focused on the profession’s

response to the coronavirus.

As always, please reach out to me at my email below if I can help answer questions or

address your concerns. And of course, your suggestions are always welcome.

Sincerely,

Yolanda Cortes Mares

STATE BAR OF TEXAS, DISTRICT 8 DIRECTOR

E-Mail: ymares@earthlink.net

See the attached Fourth Emergency Order issued by the Supreme Court regarding Eviction Hearings.

fourth emergency order.pdf

Cindi Parker

Executive Director

See notice below.

BELL COUNTY DA'S OFFICE.pdf

Effective immediately, felony defendants on bond should not appear in court as all of those cases are being reset for a later date.  If the attorney for the state or the defense has good cause for scheduling a case prior to the reset date, please contact the appropriate court.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

 Gwenda Thompson

Administrative Coordinator

169^th District Court Coordinator

Bell County District Courts

254-933-5265

Gwenda.Thompson@bellcounty.texas.gov

 

See attached for temporary changes regarding civil docket, probate, guardianship and mental illness hearings

Bell Co CCL No. 1 Temp Changes.pdf

Please see attached listings for new dates on the plea settings on bonds for the week of 3/23/20 to 3/27/20.

Bond plea settings week of Mar 23 to Mar 27 2020.pdf

See attached.

CCL2 Special InstructionsContinuanceCase Setting form.pdf

FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR STAFF AND THE PUBLIC, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY,

 THE BELL COUNTY

DISTRICT CLERK’S OFFICE

 IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.

 HOWEVER, OUR OFFICE REMAINS FULLY STAFFED TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR NEEDS. FOR SERVICE PICK-UP, PLEASE CONTACT 933-5196 TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS.

WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

Please see attached notice from Joanna Staton, Bell County District Clerk.

Due to the ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19 {Coronavirus), the Bell County District Clerk's Office has implemented a few changes, effective immediately. It is our hope and plan to remain open to continue to serve the citizens of Bell County; however, the health of the employees and their families is certainly a priority of mine. It is my goal to eliminate as much public contact and traffic in and out of our office as possible; therefore, I am asking each of you to comply with the following temporary guidelines:

• JURY SUMMONS: If you have received a jury summons for March 23, March 30, or April 6, YOU DO NOT NEED TO APPEAR. All jury questions should be directed to our jury coordinator by phone at {254) 933-5949.

• TITLE COMPANY COPY REQUESTS: Please email jina.boydstun@bellcounty.texas.gov and she will email your copy. Certified copies can be mailed or picked up. You may also reach her by
phone at (254) 933-5958.

• ATTORNEYS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: Please conduct as much business as possible online or by phone. The majority of our services are available to you online or we will be happy to answer your questions by phone by calling {254) 933-5197 for Civil or {254) 933-5200 for Criminal.

• PRO SE LITIGANTS: Please mail in your documents along with your payment to Bell County District Clerk, PO Box 909, Belton, Texas 76513, or you may file your petitions electronically through www.efiletexas.gov, if possible. If you need assistance withe-filing, please contact their help line at 1-855-839-3453.

• ALL OTHER COPY REQUESTS: FAMILY/CIVIL copy request may be made through e-file, by phone (254) 933-5198, by fax {254) 933-5292, or emailed to dccopyrequest@bellcounty.texas.gov.

CRIMINAL copy requests may be made through e-file, by phone {254) 933-5193, by fax {254) 933-5199, or emailed to dcfelonycopy@bellcounty.texas.gov. We also accept all copy requests
by mail to Bell County District Clerk, PO Box 909, Belton, Texas 76513. All copy requests are handled expeditiously.

With the above said, I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we all need to work together and do our part to keep ourselves and our community healthy! Thank you for your understanding during this time.

Respectfully,

Joanna Staton
Bell County District Clerk

Bell Co Dist Clk COVID-19 protocol.pdf