December 12, 2023 – In a press release received by KSST News, Hopkins County Court at Law Judge Clay Harrison has announced he will step down from his appointed position January 1, 2024 to enter private practice in the Sulphur Springs area. Harrison has served in the post since 2019 upon the retirement of Judge Amy Smith. The Hopkins County Commissioners Court will announce a replacement to take over the position.
The full press release received from Harrison:
Press Release
December 12, 2023
Judge Clay Harrison to Transition into Private Law Practice in January Clay Harrison, the Hopkins County Court at Law judge, has announced that he will resign from his position effective January 1, 2024, to open a local law practice. Judge Harrison took office in 2019 upon the retirement of Judge Amy Smith.
Judge Harrison’s full statement is included here:
“For the last five years, I have had the honor of serving as the judge of the Hopkins County Court at Law.
I have divided pots and pans in divorces, I have sentenced repeat criminal offenders to jail, and I have ruled on messy will contests and civil disputes, to name a few things. During those five years, I’ve noticed a couple of unmistakable patterns.
First, our community continues to thrive and grow. Hopkins County and Sulphur Springs are consistently drawing new businesses and new neighbors from other counties, other states, and even other countries. This has increased the demand for legal services across the board.
Second, an entire generation of long-serving attorneys in our community have already retired or are in the process of doing so. Many local lawyers have maintained busy law practices since before I was born, and they are beginning to enjoy a much-deserved opportunity to slow down.
As a judge, I have observed that our community’s rapid growth combined with the retirement of so many qualified attorneys has created a problem:
Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County residents consistently have to retain counsel from outside the area, sometimes even traveling to the metroplex, where lawyers inevitably charge a much higher fee.
After an extended season of prayer and consideration, and after discussing it with my family, I decided to step down as judge at the end of December and open a local law practice on the square.
I believe every problem is an opportunity, and I look forward to serving in this new capacity.
As for my position as judge, I have been working with Hopkins County leadership and the Secretary of State to ensure a seamless transition, and whoever the Commissioner’s Court appoints will have my full support from day one.
It was an honor to serve my country as a military JAG officer, then to serve my state as a criminal prosecutor, and then to serve my county as a judge.
Now, I look forward to trading my black robe for a sword as I directly represent the residents of our community and throughout East Texas.”
After graduating from Sulphur Springs High School in 2002, Harrison attended the University of Texas at Austin on a full-tuition Air Force ROTC scholarship, graduating in 2004 at age 20. He then attended Baylor Law School on a full-tuition academic scholarship, graduating in 2007. Harrison served as an Air Force JAG attorney from 2008 to 2012 in Georgia, Japan, and the Philippines, spending six months deployed with Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines.
In 2012, he returned home to Texas and transitioned to criminal law. From 2013 to 2018, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney with the Smith County DA’s Office and then the 8th Judicial DA’s Office, which covers Hopkins, Franklin, and Delta Counties. In 2018, he became Board-Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
In 2019, Harrison was elected as the Judge of the Hopkins County Court at Law. He was later appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to serve on a Mental Health task force.
