Associate Judge or Senior Associate Judge

About the role

At the City of Plano, our culture is grounded in service, teamwork, and making a meaningful impact. Our SERVE values—Stewardship, Engaged, Respectful, Visionary, and Excellence—guide how we work, while our A.P.R.O. principles—Adaptable, Professional, Relationship-Focused, and Outcome-Based—reflect who we are at our core. This is an organization where you can grow, contribute, and be part of something bigger than yourself. That’s why our guiding principle is simple and clear: SERVE Like a Pro—it’s in our DNA.

Responsibilities

• Provide judicial services to the City of Plano, City staff, and various County and State agencies while helping ensure Court operations are conducted in accordance with applicable state laws, City ordinances, regulations, policies, and local Court rules.
• Preside over jury and bench trials involving violations of Texas law, U.S. transportation regulations, and City ordinances.
• Conduct pretrial hearings, juvenile appearance dockets, show cause hearings, code enforcement dockets, and other judicial proceedings.
• Perform ministration duties and other judicial assignments as directed by the Chief Municipal Judge.

Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited law school.
• Licensed to practice law in Texas.
• Minimum of five years of legal experience.
• Availability to perform judicial and ministration duties as required.
• Comfortable working in a paperless, electronic court environment.

Skills

• Excellent analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong working knowledge of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Penal Code, Health and Safety Code, and Transportation Code.

Pay

The target salary range for the Associate Judge is $103,830 - $129,787 annually. The target salary range for the Senior Associate Judge is $114,472 - $143,091 annually.

Schedule

This position offers flexibility in scheduling, with the option to work a traditional Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule, or an alternative schedule consisting of four 9‑hour workdays and one 4‑hour workday each week. On days when jail ministration duties are assigned, an earlier arrival time may be required to accommodate the jail’s schedule and operational needs.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
• Membership in the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS), in which the City matches contributions 2:1 upon retirement
• Enrollment in the Retirement Security Plan (RSP), which is fully funded by the City
• Up to three weeks of paid vacation
• Up to three weeks of paid sick leave per year
• Nine paid holidays
• Tuition Assistance
• Free Library Card
• Half-price recreation center membership