The Texas Municipal Courts Education Center is the primary provider of specialized judicial education and training opportunities for Texas municipal judges. The staff of TMCEC is steadfastly committed to providing education and training so that municipal judges may administer justice with fairness, efficiency, and a thorough understanding of the law.
According to the Rules of Judicial Education, all municipal judges (both attorney and non-attorney) must attend one accredited judicial education program every year. Newly appointed or elected attorney judges must attend a regional seminar within one year from appointment or election and once every academic year thereafter. To qualify as an attorney judge, you must be licensed by the State Bar of Texas. Newly appointed or elected non-attorney judges must, within one year from the date of appointment or election, complete 32 hours of continuing judicial education before attending a regional seminar the next year and once every school year thereafter.
New, Non-Attorney Judges Seminar $200 AUSTIN
New non-attorney judges must attend 32 hours of judicial training within one year of their appointment or election according to the Rules of Judicial Education. Admission is limited to new, non-attorney judges. Non-lawyer municipal judges who have been inactive for more than two consecutive academic years are required to repeat the New Judges program. Participants must be appointed or elected to office prior to registration.
The program offers classes on basic court procedures, judicial ethics, juvenile law, magistration, traffic law, a trial skills workshop, and much more. This program gives new judges an excellent foundation of knowledge to build upon and a thorough understanding of the laws affecting their courts. Register now.
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December 5-9, 2011
Register by:
November 4, 2011
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July 9-13, 2012
Austin
Register by:
June 8, 2012
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Note: New judge seminars are five days in length and begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday and conclude at 12:00 noon on Friday. TMCEC will pay for sleeping rooms for the nights of Monday through Thursday.
Regional Judges Seminar $50 REGIONAL
For all attorney judges and non-attorney judges who have previously completed the New Judges seminar, the Regional Judges seminar is designed to address a broad range of issues applicable to courts of all sizes. The regional programs feature breakout sessions addressing issues such as specialized evidentiary issues, procedural law topics, and substantive law issues relevant to the courts. An optional pre-conference on Managing Juvenile Cases will be held from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. on the day before each of the regional conferences. Register now. View the model agenda and course descriptions for the AY12 Regional Judges seminar.
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Oct. 24-26, 2011
Tyler
Register by:
9/23/11
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Nov. 7-9, 2011
Austin
Register by:
10/7/11
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Jan. 9-11, 2012
San Antonio
Register by:
12/9/11
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Feb. 6-8, 2012
Addison
Register by:
1/6/12
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Feb. 26-28, 2012
Galveston
Register by:
1/27/12
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Mar. 4-6, 2012
Houston
Register by:
2/3/12
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April 9-11, 2012
Lubbock
Register by:
3/19/12
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May 6-8, 2012
S. Padre Island
(for attorney judges)
Register by:
4/6/12
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May 8-10, 2012
S. Padre Island
(for non-attorney judges)
Register by:
4/6/12
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June 11-13,
2012
El Paso
Register by:
5/11/12
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The regional judges programs (with the exception of the Low Volume Court Series) are submitted to the State Bar of Texas for MCLE credit. Attorney judges may receive a judicial exemption from their 15 hours of CLE requirement. All TMCEC regional seminars will be submitted to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for credit towards continuing legal education requirements for certification and re-certification in Criminal Law and Juvenile Law. All information and forms for claiming credit will be given to each attorney judge toward the conclusion of the seminar. Attorneys will be charged a $100 CLE fee if they seek CLE credit and will be offered a 5:05 to 6:30 p.m. optional session to obtain the full 12 hours of CLE credit (with an extra 3 hours available for attendance at the pre-conference session).
Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Conference $50 Addison
TMCEC offers a 12 hour Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Conference in cooperation with TxDOT for municipal judges, clerks, and city officials. Agenda topics include: Risk Perception Behind the Wheel, Traffic Safety and Transportation Related Case Law Update, DUI, DWI, Drug Impaired Driving, Driver's License Laws and Offenses, Insurance Laws and Offenses, Pedestrian and Bicycle Laws, Motorcycle Laws, Passenger Restraint Laws and Debates, Speed Limits, CDL Masking, Federal Motor Carrier Act Violations, Laws for Minor Drivers, Technologies to Enhance Traffic Safety, and Distracted Driving. To see the brochure and registration form click here.
Judges can choose from two optional pre-conference sessions on the first day of the conference. The first is on Curbing Impaired Driving in Your Community: Blood Draws and No-Refusal Weekends. This session is for magistrates, city officials, law enforcement, and prosecutors. The second option on Juveniles Behind the Wheel: Tools for Reaching Young Drivers, will include courses on Distracted Driving for Teens, Teens and Trucks: Sharing the Road, and Setting Up a Mock-Trial. There is no additional cost to attend either pre-conference.
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March 19-21, 2012
Addison
Register by:
2/17/12
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Note: In FY12, the Traffic Safety Conference will end at 12:00 noon on the third day!
Traffic Safety Award recipients will be recognized at the conference and receive two complimentary conference registrations, travel to and from the conference to include airfare or mileage that is within state guidelines, two nights at the beautiful Omni Hotel, and most meals and refreshments. To find out how your court can be selected to receive this honor, go to www.tmcec.com and click on the Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives graphic in the top right corner of the screen.
CoLoGo SAN MARCOS
The 9th Annual Courts and Local Government Technology Conference provides technology education specific to Texas courts and county and city governments. If you are in charge of the technical strategic direction for your court, county, or city, or are involved in making technology processes work, this is the one conference you can't afford to miss. Join your peers for sessions on social media and the future of the courts, options in cloud computing, technology and the law, following data trails, how technology can help transparency, video magistration, and more. Choose from three education tracks on day one and targeted general sessions for the remainder of the conference. Discuss new technologies that work, don't work, or are in the works for courts and local governments.
January 31-February 2, 2012
Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center
San Marcos, Texas
Low Volume Judges & Clerks Seminar
Low Volume Court Seminars are specially designed for issues and problems commonly experienced in smaller courts, and are limited to non-attorney judges only. Clerks are encouraged to attend with their judges. Class sizes do not exceed 40 participants.
| There will be no Low Volume Seminar during the 10-11 Academic Year. |
Waiver of Registration Fees
If an individual, city, or court is unable to pay the registration fee, please write a letter explaining the financial difficulty to the Board of Directors for consideration 45 days prior to the event. Address your letter to TMCEC Board of Directors, c/o Hope Lochridge, Executive Director, 1609 Shoal Creek Blvd., Suite 302, Austin, Texas 78701.
