Lawyer's Bio

Practice and Personal Summary for Jerry D. Parr

Jerry D. Parr was the Associate Judge of the Probate Court for Denton County and County Magistrate from 2007 to 2011. As County Magistrate, he advised newly arrested persons in the County Jail of their rights, set bond amounts, and reviewed police probable cause affidavits. As the Associate Judge, he presided at Probate, Guardianship and Mental Health hearings and gave Notes of Condolence to grieving family members. He acted as a Magistrate for Juvenile Detention hearings from 2007 to 2011. He is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the State Bar of Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

He went into private practice in 1988, where he focused on Criminal Defense trials and appeals. He has been lead counsel in two Capital Murder trials. In addition, he has handled complex murder, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, drug delivery and DWI cases. He has taught legal courses at Texas Woman's University and Central Texas College.

Jerry retired from the Naval Reserves on November 1, 2004, after four years as a military judge that included presiding over trials in eight Navy-Marine Corps Judicial Circuits from Italy to Japan. Jerry was raised in Dallas, Texas, where he graduated from Sunset High School in 1972. He joined the Navy in 1973 after completing a year of college at the University of Texas at Arlington. During three years of active duty, he served in aviation maintenance administration and attended college in his off-duty hours. Jerry left active duty in 1976 in order to further his education, but he remained in the reserves.

He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree cum laude in 1977 from the University of North Texas, then known as North Texas State University, and his law degree from the University of Houston in December of 1980. In 1981, Jerry went back on active duty as a member of the Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps. He practiced law with the Navy in Okinawa, Japan; the Republic of the Philippines; and Kingsville, Texas, before returning to reserve duty in 1986. As a Navy JAG, he prosecuted, defended and presided in criminal cases from Japan to Africa and on ships at sea. He retired in the rank of captain. Jerry served in the military for 31 years. The Navy awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal for his judicial service, which included presiding over long drug and child pornography trials.

Jerry became the first student legal service advisor at TWU on March 27, 2012. The TWU Legal Services Program is accepting appointments from TWU students for free legal consultations. The program is offered through Student Life.

Certification/Specialties:
Criminal Law, Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Bar Admissions:
Texas, 1981
U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1981
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1983

Education:
University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas, 1980, Juris Doctorate
University of North Texas, 1977, Bachelor of Arts with Honors: Cum Laude

Page last updated 9:16 AM, December 20, 2017