OFFICX OF 7’HE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTiN 

Eonorable J . Ii. Udd, Jr. 

County Attorney,, l&berg koaty 

Klngsville, Texas 

: 

of this de-sent on 

e atepa SLTB 

iuitorney of Klsbarg County, 

u alnoa 1935, have been casleoted 

kp~ inducted into the seroice? It ia not my intsntlona to raaate tb offioe hut to mal11tai0 the saoxe 

ead appoint au Arelatent Cotintp Attorney. It la 

al84 rqintentions to file for m-election at tho 

future 005lng ,prlma~iPs. 

"I d&u 8 salary of #Lts.oo peer mnth, pIas 

raoa whi#h,aso corned. Would I be autWorlzed to hire 

an Assietant County Attorney and retain ay se?lsry to 

$125.00 par tnonth and pen&E’ him to recelre ‘and draw 
Bonorubla J. E. Xi;ld, Jr., p.+a 2 

tho fees of office and request the Commlaaloaers 

Chid to allow him a'saleXy f'ros $1.00 to $138.00 

per month etl may he a&reed upon by the Commiesioaers 

Court and SLySelf, aa Ocuaty attorney. 

*I will probably ha90 to rs$@rt on or about 

May 1st and we ha?0 e n&ulsr eesr1o.a OS aoert aeeting on lOti day of April and it would bo eppreairted 

ii year offloe aoald fatilah se wlth~inf~a&ion requested prior to t&at t&w.* 

Ia ilpbloa Xo. 0-S448, a oopy or whloh 1s sno’looed 

for y&.ru convenlencs, thh departsuit held that the offiae of 

oounty attorney did not aatoaatloolly be@me vacant apork the 

induation of the inwiabaat~ into th4 Azay. It wes tarther held, 

that the ooun'ty attorney was eatltl+d .$o hir eelaoy or eompenea- . 

tian during the tom of hli qifioe or aatil a raoanoy Is @@tabllehed; Thor dopertaeat baa follo?ed'ttie itoil la aaid opiaion Ia atiroar other opinion& 

Axtiolee 331 and 3908, Vernon's AxuIotatod Civil 

Statutcf8, provide t&t OoUUty attorneys, b oousent bf the com- 

~nia8loners~ ooart ahall hare power to appo f at oae or more assi8texat8, but it ir spaoffioally preridrd in &tlole SO08 that 

the 00mmls8lonsr~~ OOW~ 6hel.l nob attempt to $nfluenoe the agpolntnbit of any potsea an an w0lstant. 

This depaartnaat held in Opinion 100. 04599, a copy 

of whiah ia enclosed, thatr 

"(1) Whare the county attoaney ha* taken some 

action SE ths oam for the 98atO in the justice court 

he would be entitled to the $5.00 fee QIS a plea of 

guilty in the jastfca aourf regardless of whether he 

was preau~nt in the justice: court at the tit* the plaa 

was entered. For example if your eortnfy attorney 

filed a eomglaint ia ~justfce court before he left to 

Join the Army he would be entitled to the 33.,00 fee 

it the defendant subsequently pleed guilty. 
. ,. 

LIonQorabLe J. X. Kidd, Jr., p@z? 3 

I 

\. 

. IC 

-(ai) It the couoty attorney h4r oot taken any 

a&ion in mch a wide asd is not preseat aiid ready 

to reppwent the State at a rsgul~sr tera of justice 

txurt aad a defendant plesda guilty at suoh mgular 

term, the couaty attorney rould riot be entitled to 

the tee. ffor uould t&c county be entitled to the 

re8. If ne rm iv due the ootmty attornsf It should 

not be e&gqd against the’ dehndant. 

‘(3) fr the defendant pl.ead guilty ia jastics 

00-t at any tim other than the regular term of such 

doart the aouaty attorney would be entitled fo a $5.00 

fee even thoagh be naa not present and had taken no 

aotion 14 the easer.* 

*+ + l fib a a o a a t or salaTiea paid to asr%at.aatn and depatbs ahall also .lm clearly ahora 

by ruohotricer, gl~irq$ the nam, position and tha . ..* ~,. 

aiaonnt psld eaoh; aad la ao event shall any offioep show any greater amount than aotuallr gsld 

any such esalstant OT dspity. The amauclt of such 

bxpensm, together with ths aoroust of aabrieo 

paid to aasiotmtsr, deputies, an8 ClsFka, ahall 

. 

In flew at the fore@lng, you am raepeattully advised that it is our Qpiltb3 that the offioe Or county attorney 

doe8 not be&me rsoant ~3012 yaw indUGtiOn into the Axa6d ;iervlcea and that you are entitled to your oompensatfoa during your 

ttPiP Or Office, OT W&ii 61 VECWUjr ia eUtabliSh&. 

It la OU;F further oplaion that yea are authariz~d to 
Eoaorsble J. ii. Ridd, Zr., gsga 4 

appoid an asalatan , under the provialons of .~tlolea 351 

and 3908, v6rnan’s innotstsd Civil Statotes, provided, of COWB6, the ~.SWlhS .daero* court or said colintg anthoritw 

suoh apgointaorat. !hc salary of sach aaeistest, when appofnted, rata&t be, 9s A out of fees earnsd by the couat$ att+lXiSY. ma aoaal IU~O&~T~* OoPrt O$ said eGunEy has RQ autbority UhRtrovYsr LO pay the salary of the aasiatant out 0r 00my rtuid8. s ;ated mother wayi the salary oi the aol ?ta lt slua bt e p a i L by the eoimty attorney out or ices 

earned b y #o a o rh fi mrr 

‘. 1’7 

, l 

‘IlouTs very truly