Compact with Texans

Office of Court Administration

• Provide professional, quality services.
• Serve the public with respect, concern, and courtesy.
• Respond to public inquiries in a timely manner.
• Treat the public fairly and equitably.

• Return telephone messages within 24 hours.
• Respond to complaints within 10 working days.
• Receive a satisfactory rating on at least 90% of the customer satisfaction surveys returned.

• Research and Court Services
  The Research and Court Services Division serves as a resource for the courts in key areas of judicial administration. The division provides consultation on recommended best practices in administrative operations, works to establish innovative court programs, serves to increase public accessibility to the courts and helps develop and implement programs designed to increase the collection of court costs, fees, and fines. This division also collects, analyzes, and publishes information related to court activities throughout the state. Statistics collected focus on significant issues and accomplishments in the judicial arena and are used for identifying opportunities for improvement in the judicial system.



• Information Services
  The Information Services Division provides information technology services to support the infrastructure for the Office of Court Administration, Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, Courts of Appeals, State Prosecuting Attorney, State Law Library, State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and Child Protection courts. It also assists trial courts through the establishment of technology standards. The division provides case management systems for the appellate, child protection, and child support courts, and a data management system to maintain court statistics reported by the Texas courts. The division's Service Desk provides information and technical assistance to the appellate and trial courts, including training assistance to customers of state judicial systems. The Information Services Division also provides technical staff support to the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (J.C.I.T.), the Council of Chief Justices, the Texas Judicial Council, the Task Force on Indigent Defense, and the Administrative Presiding Judges.



• Docket Equalization
  OCA provides administrative support to the Supreme Court in the transfer of cases from one court of appeals to another.



• Assistance to Administrative Regions
  OCA employs or contracts with counties to provide funding for administrative assistants for the presiding judges of the nine administrative judicial regions.



• Indigent Defense
  The Indigent Defense Division serves as staff to the Task Force on Indigent Defense in developing policies and standards for providing legal representation and other defense services to indigent defendants, establishing a statewide county reporting plan for indigent defense information, providing technical support to counties relating to indigent defense, and directing and monitoring the distribution of funds to counties to provide indigent defense services.



• Specialty Courts Program
  OCA provides administrative support to the presiding judges of the administrative judicial regions for its child support courts and child protection courts programs in accordance with Chapter 201 of the Texas Family Code. OCA employs a specialty courts program director to manage the administrative functions and provide customer service to the specialty courts personnel, and provides extensive additional staff support and services for the programs.
  
  
  • Child Support Courts
    The child support courts were created in response to the federal requirement that states create expedited administrative or judicial processes to resolve child support cases. OCA employs 43 associate judges and 41 court coordinators to hear and dispose of Title IV-D child support establishment and enforcement cases and paternity cases within the expedited time frames established by Chapter 201.110 of the Texas Family Code. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) provides computer equipment and on-site technical support for this program.
  
  
  
  • Child Protection Courts
    The specialty child protection courts in Texas were created to assist trial courts in primarily rural areas in managing their child abuse and neglect dockets. The judges assigned to these dockets hear child abuse and neglect cases exclusively. Therefore, children can achieve permanency more quickly and the quality of placement decisions should be higher. In FY 2008, OCA operates 15 child protection courts in 126 counties, with ten full-time associate judges, six assigned judges, and fifteen court coordinators, with some providing court reporting services. In fiscal year 2007, these courts held 25,124 hearings and issued 5,601 final orders.


• Court Reporters Certification
  The Court Reporters Certification division serves as staff to the Court Reporters Certification Board, a state Board charged with performing licensing and regulatory functions for the court reporting profession. The Board certifies to the Supreme Court individuals qualified to practice court reporting based on successful completion of the state exam and registers court reporting firms that provide court reporting services to the public. The court reporter's role is fundamental to the judicial process as an impartial party who prepares the records of legal proceedings.



• Guardianship Certification Board
  OCA employs a director to assist the Guardianship Certification Board (GCB). The GCB certifies certain individuals who provide guardianship services in the State of Texas. Certified guardians are governed by rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas and minimum standards adopted by the GCB. The director implements the policies set by the GCB, and performs all administrative and staff functions for the GCB.



• Process Server Review Board
  OCA provides administrative support to the Process Server Review Board (PSRB). The mission of the PSRB is to improve the standards for persons authorized to serve process and to reduce the disparity among Texas civil courts for approving persons to serve process, by making recommendations to the Supreme Court of Texas on the certification of individuals and the approval of courses.



• Legal
  The Legal Division gives legal advice to agency management and certification boards and to judicial officers. It administers the child support courts and child protection courts programs by providing legal advice and administrative support to the presiding judges of the administrative judicial regions and to the associate judges and their staff. The Division researches, writes, and publishes procedure manuals for district and county clerks, promulgates model forms, and facilitates other legal assistance to the judiciary.



• Finance & Operations
  The Finance and Operations division manages the fiscal (i.e., accounting, purchasing and budgeting), human resources, and operational support activities of the agency. The division also provides support to the clerks and chief justices of the appellate courts and the presiding judges of the administrative judicial regions regarding legislative and budgetary issues.

Updated: 01-Oct-2008