About the Liberty County Attorney's Office
INTRODUCTION:
The Liberty County Attorney's Office is a statutorily created office whose function is to
provide legal services to the government of Liberty County. The office consists essentially of
two divisions: a civil division and a criminal division. Detailed information about the various
functions of the county attorney's office is provided below. The legal expertise required by
the Liberty County Attorney covers many areas of law--from property law to family law to
criminal law and more. In other words, the more experience an attorney has in the various
courts and various areas of law, the more qualified he is for the position. That is why Tommy
Chambers' more than 17 years of legal practice makes him such a great candidate for the job.
It is also what distinguishes him from the other candidates seeking the position. He is simply
the most experienced, and therefore the most qualified, attorney on the ballot.
A WORD ABOUT PRIVATE PRACTICE:
One important issue that needs to be addressed first is the issue of private practice in the
county attorney's office. Forty-four years ago, when Jack Hartel began his long and
distinguished career as Liberty County Attorney, the work load for the county attorney was
such that it did not require the services of a full-time attorney. That is why the statute creating
the office allowed the attorney in that office to continue his private legal practice at the same
time as serving as county attorney. In addition, it was more economically feasible for the
county to only pay for a part-time county attorney. Over the years, however, as Liberty
County has grown, the work load required of the county attorney has increased steadily. It is
now at the point where the three attorneys and the staff working in the Liberty County
Attorney's Office more than have their hands full meeting the demands of the county.
Consequently, when Jack Hartel steps down at the end of this term and the new Liberty
County Attorney takes over (which will hopefully be Tommy!), the attorneys in that office will
no longer be engaged in private practice. This is a necessary and inevitable change to that
office, and one that has Tommy's full support. The problem created by this change is that
people seeking legal assistance for personal matters will no longer be able to look to the
Liberty County Attorney's office for legal assistance. A service Tommy would like to
implement if elected would be a referral program for local attorneys detailing their experience
and areas of legal expertise so that the Liberty County citizens who come to the county
attorney's office in the future seeking personal legal assistance can find the lawyer they
need. He believes this will be an important and necessary service to provide as the office
transitions from providing part-time private legal assistance to full-time county government
work. Tommy wants everyone to know, however, that his door is and will always be open to
anyone with a problem or a question. Even though he may not be able to help you in the
future as a private attorney, he will do all he can to assist you as your Liberty County Attorney.
SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE LIBERTY COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE:
As mentioned in the introduction, the Liberty County Attorney's Office provides a variety
of government services covering multiple areas of the law. We will attempt to outline these
services here. (Of course, the way they are listed below does not denote a particular order of
importance. They are all equally important!)
The civil side of the county attorney's office deals largely with issues affecting the
county government. This ranges from suits filed for or against the county to purchasing
contracts, from county road and property disputes to county labor issues, and so on.
The county attorney attends meetings of the county commissioners and advises them
on the laws affecting their decision-making. For example, current issues affecting
Liberty County the office is working on include: the Liberty County Toll Road Authority;
fire, water and drainage districts; tax abatements for new businesses; employment,
insurance and job classifications; and road improvement projects. The office reviews
and approves all county contracts. These include contracts for everything from copiers
and radio towers to FEMA flood plans and county jail management.
The Liberty County Attorney's Office receives phone calls and walk-ins every day.
People contact the office with questions about a grandchild, their taxes, their neighbor's
new fence, a contractor who didn't finish a job, big trucks running up and down their
street, FEMA, or even what to do about their son or daughter who is having problems.
Jack,Tommy, Gary, and the staff there may not have all the answers, but they try to help,
each and every person.
The criminal side of the county attorney's office handles several distinct
prosecutions. In a nutshell, the Liberty County District Attorney's office prosecutes
felony cases, while misdemeanors are prosecuted through the Liberty County
Attorney's office. Felony cases are generally brought before the two judicial district
courts--the 75th and the 253rd--while misdemeanor cases are brought before the Liberty
County Court at Law. The Liberty County Attorney's Office also prosecutes criminal
cases before the various county justices of the peace. Here is a list of the types of
misdemeanor criminal cases that are handled by the county attorney:
THEFT BY CHECK (HOT CHECK) CASES:
The Liberty County Attorney's Office prosecutes hot check writers when the writer
fails to make restitution to the payee. Local businesses depend on this department
to help them collect the money owed them. The county attorney's office works
hard to make sure all restitution, court costs and fines are paid.
MISDEMEANOR PROSECUTIONS:
As stated above, the Liberty County Attorney's Office prosecutes all misdemeanor
cases in Liberty County, including but not limited to: D.W.I., assault, possession
cases, illegal weapons, poaching, trespass, vandalism, lewd conduct and
revocation of probation.
The Liberty County Attorney's Office also prosecutes all juvenile offenders in
Liberty County. In other words, children under the age of 17 accused of
committing delinquent conduct are handled by our office. This is a specialized field
of prosecution with its own set of laws. The county attorney's office is currently
implementing new procedures and policies to better address juvenile problems.
OTHER LEGAL SERVICES:
Protective Orders are similar to civil restraining orders and are needed in cases
where family violence has occurred. They usually prohibit an offender from coming
within a certain distance of the victim and/or from having contact with the victim.
The attorneys in the county attorney's office are also responsible for presenting
mental health issues to the Liberty County Judge for commitments, help and
attention.
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES:
Although the Liberty County Attorney's Office is no longer the primary legal
representative for Child Protective Services, they still provide back-up legal
support to the agency.
For more information on Liberty County government and the Liberty County Attorney's Office,
please go to the
As demonstrated above, the Liberty County Attorney is responsible for many legal services
covering a broad range of law. Jack Hartel has spent over forty years making the job look easy, but
it is, in fact, a difficult and complex job. The next Liberty County Attorney needs to be someone
who works hard, is committed to the job, and brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to
the office--not just experience and knowledge of the law, but of Liberty County, its government,
economy, and citizens. These are the very reasons that Tommy Chambers is the right candidate
for the job, particularly as this new era dawns for the office. Please vote for Tommy Chambers for
Liberty County Attorney.
If you have questions or would like more information on the Liberty County
Attorney's Office, please email Tommy Chambers at tommy@chambers08.com
This website is a political advertisement paid for by the Thomas A. Chambers Campaign--Lee H.
Chambers, treasurer.