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Home My WebLink AboutIR 26-0093 - 2026-08-04 - Informal Report 1 of 6 1.3.9 SUBSTITUTE JUDGE APPOINTMENTS - SIMON GONZALEZ, MUNICIPAL COURT CHIEF JUDGE INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SUBJECT: SUBSTITUTE JUDGE APPOINTMENTS - SIMON GONZALEZ, MUNICIPAL COURT CHIEF JUDGE DATE: 08/04/26 NUMBER: IR 26-0093 TO THE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL The purpose of this Informal Report is to share with the Mayor and Council the recommendations of the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee for the appointment of two (2) new substitute judges for the remainder of two-year terms commencing August 11, 2026, through March 31, 2027. For background, Fort Worth Municipal Court substitute judges (part-time) are appointed to two-year terms with the current terms expiring on March 31, 2027. Chapter 30 of the Texas Government Code sets out the requirements for the appointment of judges and the presiding judge and provides that the governing body shall determine the salary of a municipal judge:  Section 10-3 of the City of Fort Worth Code of Ordinances provides in pertinent part that:  Municipal court judges shall be selected and appointed or reappointed for a term of two years, commencing April 1 of even-numbered years. The appointment or reappointment of substitute judges shall be for a term of two years from the date of their appointment or reappointment and shall be initiated upon the recommendations of the chief judge, concurred in by the municipal court advisory committee Chief Judge Simón C. González made a presentation to recommend the appointments to the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee at their meeting on August 4, 2026. Following the presentation, it is anticipated that the Committee will vote to move the recommendations forward for consideration by Mayor and City Council. 2 of 6 The following recommendations of the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee are currently scheduled to be presented to the Mayor and Council by M&C at the August 11, 2026, Council Meeting. 1. Appoint Lisa J. Sofos and Brittany A. McAfee as substitute judges for the remainder of two-year terms commencing August 11, 2026, through March 31, 2027. 2. Establish pay for the newly appointed substitute judges at $64.00 per hour. Note: Related resumes for proposed appointments are attached to this IR. For questions regarding this information, please contact Simón González, Municipal Court, Chief Judge at 817-392-6717. Jesus “Jay” Chapa City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS BRITTANY A. MCAFEE BARS & COURTS OF ADMISSION TENNESSEE, December 2019 TEXAS, October 2020 •Northern District of Texas, August 2022 EDUCATION LINCOLN MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY, DUNCAN SCHOOL OF LAW, Knoxville, Tennessee J.D., May 2019 UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI, Oxford, Mississippi B.S. in Criminal Justice, Minor in English, May 2015 EXPERIENCE LAW OFFICES OF J. KENT MCAFEE, P.C., Fort Worth, Texas Attorney • February 2021 – Current •Responsible for the addition of criminal defense and juvenile law as practice areas accepted by the firm •Manages a private caseload of misdemeanor and felony adult cases and delinquent juvenile cases in the Dallas- Fort Worth metroplex and surrounding areas •Drafts legal documents on behalf of clients, including motions, requests, and petitions for expunctions or non- disclosures •Reviews discovery and discusses findings with clients •Attends weekly court dockets TARRANT COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, Fort Worth, Texas Legal Intern – Pending Texas Bar Admission • November 2019 – April 2020 •Reviewed, redacted, and organized over 30,000 pages of evidence in a capital murder case •Watched and summarized 20 hours of body camera footage for an officer involved civil suit •Assisted in the preparation of jury selection for a capital murder trial •Drafted the lesson plan and participant materials for an intimate partner violence course provided by the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement THE STANUSZEK LAW GROUP, Knoxville, Tennessee Legal Extern • Fall 2018 •Prepared case files and attended docket with the managing attorney at the Knox County Juvenile Court •Contacted clients to provide updates on case status •Assisted with the research and drafting of a petition submitted to the Tennessee Supreme Court for the amendment of Rule 13, which limits the annual compensation court appointed attorneys can receive LAW OFFICES OF GEORGE R. TRIMBER, P.C., Fort Worth, Texas Legal Intern • Summer 2017 •Attended morning and afternoon dockets in both felony and misdemeanor courts at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center •Maintained case files and organized the discovery for each respective file •Conducted initial interviews of potential new clients •Helped with the preparation of two misdemeanor trials 3 of 6 PARK PLACE MASERATI, Fort Worth, Texas Business Coordinator • 2015-2016 •Prepared the finance and insurance documents for the purchase and lease transactions of new and pre-owned vehicles •Monitored the status of pending sales transactions •Facilitated the transportation and inventory of vehicles between the company’s other dealership locations TARRANT COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT NO. 8, Fort Worth, Texas Court Intern • Summer 2014 •Assisted the court clerk with the processing of court filings and records •Oversaw the scheduling of weekly court dockets •Observed a variety of court proceedings PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS Texas Bar College Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Tarrant County Bar Association 4 of 6 1 LISA J. SOFOS Attorney at Law TX SB #24069000 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Experienced Family Law Attorney with an active child welfare practice in Tarrant County, TX. Experienced Oil and Gas Attorney with both Landman and Title Opinion expertise. Detailed document review specialist. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Law Office of Lisa Sofos, PLLC Attorney at Law, January 2014 – Current • Family Law Attorney, Tarrant County District Court – Certified Guardianship Attorney/Guardian Ad Litem o Child Welfare comprehensive case management and litigation from case initiation through Trial o Significant Trial Experience, including Jury Trial o Appointed representation of parties in Child Protection and District Courts o Court Ordered Services representation o Texas Family First representation in program under §262.402 since inception o Guardianship of the Person and Estate in Probate Court o Crossover work with CPS cases in Juvenile Court • Oil & Gas Attorney - Title Opinion & Divestiture specialization o Provide Title Opinions and detailed analysis of both recorded and unrecorded documents related to Oil & Gas ventures including: Leases, Rights-of-Way Contracts, Easements, Zoning, Permits, Probate documents, Corporate Agreements, Ownership Interests, Mergers & Acquisitions o Comprehensive land access analysis, including survey study and land mapping o Competitive and timely Lease negotiation o Divestiture Report Preparation for Corporate Oil & Gas Interests. Extensive analysis of all transactions, interests, & Well production related to the proposed sale, plus curative execution. • Document Review Litigation Attorney – numerous projects over several years, partial list provided o QC, Priv Log QC, Redaction, Global document searches for data, Multiple system platforms, primarily Relativity Tower Legal, Dallas TX Document Review Attorney, October 2021 – Current • Numerous document review projects, including: • Pharmaceutical, financial, major medical data breach, small business practice litigation reviews • Prominent aviation supplier and related service to determine liability • Review in response to DOJ whistleblower complaint • Anti-trust litigation reviews • Complex review of global energy business operations in response to federal investigation • Varied responsibility levels including Initial review, QC, Redaction, Logs Multiple Review Projects also with: • Cimplifi, Fort Worth TX Document Review Attorney, August 2024 – 2025 • Special Counsel, Dallas TX Document Review Attorney, September 2016 – January 2017, September 2017 – 2024 5 of 6 2 • V-Soft Consulting, Louisville, KY Document Review Attorney, January 2017 – September 2017 Polomsky Hughes & Associates, LLC Attorney at Law, May 2013 - January 2014 • Efficiently ran extensive Title, consistently exceeding deadline expectations • Excelled at expedient analysis of all documents related to Title & efficiently generated Curative responses to all identified issues • Successfully negotiated leases within short time frames D. LANE BROWN, Partner, Freeman Mills PC, Tyler TX Law Clerk, July 2012 - November 2012 • Effectively provided thorough analysis and preparation of Title Opinions • Timely interpreted all documents with precision while creating detailed professional Title Opinion reports • Prior Landman training (2007-2008) and Title Opinion Externship (Summer 2011) RD Davis & Associates, Inc., Fort Worth, TX Landman, March 2008 - July 2009 • Researched, analyzed, and prepared comprehensive Runsheets, Mineral Ownership Reports, and Curative for Devon Energy; Independently designed intricate and precise tract relevant flowcharts for each project Prudential Securities, Inc., Denver, Co Financial Advisor, September 1995 – May 1998 • Earned Series 6, 7, 63 and insurance licenses • Provided consistent portfolio analysis and individualized strategy application for optimal results • Traded options, in addition to stocks, bonds and other investment vehicles PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • Guardian Ad Litem Certification, annually since 2018 • CLE requirements current and ongoing • Member Tarrant County Bar Association 2021 • Technologically proficient Office, Excel, Relativity, Access and other platforms • 2016 Family Law Seminar, 2016 • Member State Bar of Texas since 2013 • Completed iTeach Program, Passed Initial Exams, KISD Substitute Teacher 2006 • Earned Series 6,7,63 & Insurance Licenses, 1995 • Strong Administrative Work History in Finance, 1989 - 1995 • Real Estate License, 1994 EDUCATION Juris Doctorate, Texas Wesleyan School of Law/Texas A&M University School of Law 2012 B.A. English Literature/Anthropology, Cum Laude, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY Semester abroad – Literature Studies, Middlesex Polytechnic, London, England 6 of 6