Friday, March 29, 2024

Lawyers vie for DA job

Posted

The governor’s appointments office has received applications from at least two additional lawyers who hope to be appointed district attorney after Rob Christian steps down from that office on Friday.

In addition to Assistant District Attorney Ryan Sinclair, whom Christian said he supports for the position, Bryan Bufkin and Stuart Neal have submitted resumes and applications.

The Hood County News was told of a fourth attorney who has expressed interest in the job but the newspaper was unable to confirm that information by press time. Texas Bar Association records show that the attorney practices law in Hurst but lives in Granbury.

The HCN filed a Public Information request with the governor’s appointments office last week and is awaiting documentation on all candidates seeking the appointment.

Christian told the HCN last month that he is stepping down effective March 1, which is Friday. After 21 years in the district attorney’s office and 17 years as the DA, he is returning to private practice.

Christian stated at that time that Sinclair, 31, and one of four assistants in that office (one has since resigned), was the only assistant DA who had expressed an interest in the leadership role. Christian expressed confidence that Sinclair would do a good job if appointed by the governor.

The district attorney position will be on the ballot next year. Whoever is appointed will have to run for election in order to keep the job.

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Bufkin is a Granbury native who graduated from Gran-bury High School in 2003. He and his wife Rachael have three sons, ages 7, 4 and 3. They attend Lakeside Baptist Church.

Bufkin graduated with honors from Baylor Law School and went on to work for a Fort Worth law firm.

In 2013, he joined the Johnson County District Attorney’s office as a felony prosecutor. He worked in that office until 2016.

He is currently with the Bufkin & Adams law firm.

Bufkin said that he submitted his name for consideration as Christian’s replacement after prayerful consideration and encouragement from others.

However, he stated that if Sinclair or anyone else is chosen for the appointment he will support them.

“From my perspective, I’m not political,” he said of the elected position. “I’m not going to say anything bad about Ryan. He’s been nothing but nice to me.”

Bufkin added that if he is tapped for the appointment “that would be wonderful,” but if he isn’t, that would be fine, too. He will simply continue representing his clients.

Neal said he has 15 years of law experience, with many of those years being in criminal law.

A former assistant in the county attorney’s office, he said he has six years of prosecution experience and five years of criminal defense experience.

Neal said that he is board certified in criminal law, a distinction held by only about 7 percent of attorneys in Texas.

He said that he views the district attorney position as “a dream job.”

From October of 2009 to August of 2015 Stuart served as Granbury’s city attorney.

He currently works for a Fort Worth law firm but continues to live in Granbury with his wife Jan and their three daughters, who range in age from 8 to 13. The family attends Acton United Methodist Church.

Both Bufkin and Neal said Monday that they have received confirmation from the governor’s appointments office that their applications have been received but they have not yet been interviewed for the post.

A phone message left at that office on Monday by the HCN had not been returned by press time Tuesday.

Neal said it is possible that the appointment will not be announced before Christian’s departure.

“From what I’ve been told, the governor operates on his own timeline,” he said.