Chris J. Ainsworth Email & Phone Number

Houston, Tx, Us

Houston, Tx, Us

Houston, Texas, United States

Judicial officer with limited concurrent jurisdiction over criminal cases filed in the district courts and county criminal courts at law of Harris county and concurrent jurisdiction over criminal cases filed in the justice courts of Harris county. In criminal cases filed in the district courts and county criminal courts at law, the jurisdiction of the criminal law hearing officer is limited to:(1) determining probable cause for further detention of any person detained on a criminal complaint, information, or indictment filed in the district courts or county criminal courts at law;(2) committing the defendant to jail, discharging the defendant from custody, or admitting the defendant to bail, as the law and facts of the case require;(3) issuing search warrants and arrest warrants as provided by law for magistrates; and(4) enforcing judgments and orders of the county criminal courts at law in criminal cases.

Houston, Texas, United States

• Grand Jury Division: As a Felony 2 prosecutor, managed grand jury docket of six district courts, particularly with regard to case volume, examining trial settings, and statutory deadlines. Reviewed pleadings and case files and presented cases to grand juries resulting in over 6,220 true bills of indictment. Trained grand juries so they could more efficiently conduct their work. Communicated effectively with trial court prosecutors. Created data-driven arguments and visual aids used in a proposal to increase the number of grand juries Harris County empanels. • Intake Division: Screened approximately 22,750 calls from officers and made charging decisions in misdemeanor and felony cases. Documented 5,749 criminal case recommendations. Screened and reviewed thousands of custody and non-custody charges. Prepared search warrants for blood in DWI cases. Demonstrated strong computer skills, became adept at pleading specialized charges, thoroughly understood and applied office policy, utilized previous family law experience, and frequently led in terms of both charges plead and calls received. Stayed up to speed on legal changes and shared that knowledge with co-workers. Worked over 845 hours of extra time between intake and probable cause court. • Probable Cause Court: Represented the State during probable cause and bail hearings in place of Felony Chief prosecutors, handling cases ranging from misdemeanors to capital murder. Reviewed summaries of facts, pleadings, motions, pretrial assessments and reports, and made informed and effective arguments to criminal law hearing officers on behalf of the State’s position and in response to defense arguments. Documented the results of bail hearings.

Houston, Texas

• Worked on employment law, family law, probate, other civil cases, civil appeals. Responsible for lead generation, case evaluation, factual investigation, strategic planning, litigation. Practiced in U.S. District Courts, state district courts, county courts, probate courts, SOAH, JP courts, IV-D courts, municipal courts, and courts of appeals. Managed criminal case docket.• Lead counsel in at least four contested civil or family trials and evidentiary hearings, second chair in numerous others. Lead counsel in over a half dozen depositions, including an out-of-state depo of corporate rep. Argued various motions. Prepared clients for trials and depositions. • Drafted appellate briefs, dispositive motions and responses, petitions and complaints, discovery motions, demand letters, real property instruments, estate documents, memoranda. Responsible for damage modeling in civil cases. • Lead or played a significant role negotiating over two dozen favorable settlements in civil and family cases. Oversaw performance of settlement agreements. • Obtained expunction-eligible dispositions of numerous charges including agg. assault with deadly weapon, tampering with a gov't document, felony theft, abandoning or endangering child, assault family violence, disorderly conduct, DWI.• Highlights: o Used discovery requests for electronic data; analyzed data in Excel to identify about two dozen “smoking gun” documents out of thousands of pages produced, resulting in favorable settlement. o Successfully curtailed open-meetings-act challenge to validity of ordinance in case of first impression and successfully defended that result on appeal. o Drafted summary judgment responses in multiple federal employment-law cases against governmental entities resulting in denial of MSJ, significant monetary settlements and one reinstatement.o Prevented deposition of non-party child sexual abuse victim in family-law case.

Houston, Texas

• Worked with senior attorneys on state criminal defense, federal criminal defense, family law, employment law, and victims’ advocacy cases. • Highlights: o Helped obtain temporary injunction in probate case allowing autopsy of person who died under suspicious circumstances.o Helped research and draft expert report on gang membership of decedent in wrongful death case.o Helped obtain pretrial intervention or dismissal of over a dozen criminal charges. o Second chair in nongovernmental safe-sport hearing resulting in discipline of coach.

Austin, Texas Area

• Founded and managed solo law firm. Areas of practice included criminal defense, estate planning, and family law. Second chair at jury trial of felony assault of a peace officer.

• Worked under the supervision of attorneys in the Transaction Division and CAO Administration. Drafted contracts and real property conveyances. Drafted memoranda regarding various legal questions posed by local government officeholders. Researched statutes, cases, rules, and attorney general opinions.

Houston, Texas Area

• Assisted with prosecution of misdemeanors.

Conducted 63-jurisdiction survey relating to the effect of amnesia on competency to stand trial. Reviewed habeas petitions.

Performed clerical tasks such as reception, office organization, delivery, and basic legal research.

Doctor Of Law (J.D.), Law

Activities and Societies: Mock Trial, Teaching Assistant, Texas International Law JournalLaw Clerk, Journal Editor, Teaching Assistant

B.A, Russian, East European, And Eurasian Studies

Honors College