Jones Day partners with the city of Houston to provide volunteer prosecutors

Client(s) Houston Volunteer Prosecutors Program

Jones Day was recently offered the chance to participate in the Houston Volunteer Prosecutors Program which was initiated in May 2005 as a partnership between a local law firm and the City of Houston. The program was designed to help expedite Houston's swelling court docket and offer associates an opportunity to try cases in front of a jury. Under the program, Jones Day has committed five of its attorneys for a total of 20 weeks to prosecute class C misdemeanors in Houston municipal court. The Jones Day volunteers appear in court one day each week and are responsible for that court's entire docket, which is usually over 200 cases.

The program has significant benefits for the city, with cost savings estimated at upwards of $232,000 per year. Without the program, the city would have to hire at least four additional full-time prosecutors. The program has been a resounding success, and has been praised in local newspapers and journals alike. The attorneys benefit from real trial experience: each participant is guaranteed 10 jury trials and can try as many as 20 over the course of the program. Chris Domingo and Ed Sebold are heading up this program for Jones Day.