Division Chiefs

Jennifer Balido is the Chief of the Appellate Division of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. She supervises 21 attorneys and four support staff members in their roles of representing the DA’s Office on appeal, answering post-conviction writ applications, securing subpoenas for out-of-state law enforcement agencies and courts, facilitating extraditions, responding to requests made pursuant to the Public Information Act, and helping write and promote new legislation in the area of criminal law. The Appellate Division also has an Expunction team and a Misuse of Identity team who works with attorneys and members of the public to clear criminal history, when entitled under Texas law.

Jennifer received her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and her J.D. from Texas Tech School of Law in 1990. Over the past 30 years, she has gained vast and varied trial and appellate experience working for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office and in her own private criminal law practice. Governor Rick Perry appointed her as Judge of the 203rd Judicial District Court in 2009 and as Judge of the 291st Judicial District Court in 2013, both appointments to fill unexpired terms. After returning to the Dallas DA’s Office in 2016, she served as Felony Chief in three felony courts before being promoted to lead the Appellate Division in May of 2019.

Lauren Black is the Division Chief of the Misdemeanor Division. She supervises 36 prosecutors, 12 legal assistants, and two investigators. The Misdemeanor Division is comprised of new attorneys in the office and one of Lauren’s primary responsibilities is to recruit and retain legal talent for those positions and train those new prosecutors on best practices in criminal prosecution. As a Division Chief, Lauren works with the Executive Team on the creation and implementation of policies for the office and is also responsible for taking high profile cases to trial.

Lauren grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and went on to pursue her undergraduate degree from University of Texas at Dallas. She received her law degree from Texas Wesleyan School of Law—now Texas A&M University School of Law. Lauren joins Dallas County from Rockwall County, where she started her prosecution career in 2010. She began as a misdemeanor prosecutor and last served as a felony trial court chief until Dallas County welcomed her. She has extensive trial experience prosecuting all levels of misdemeanor and felony offenses, such as: assaults, drug offenses, intoxication offenses involving serious bodily injury or death, child abuse and murder.

Lauren has a special interest in prosecuting intoxication offenses and was referred to as the dedicated expert for handling such cases in the Rockwall County District Attorney's Office. While there, she developed a telephonic warrant process that streamlined blood draw and search warrant procedures for the county. Recognized as a subject matter expert in the field, she has been requested to speak and teach across the State of Texas on prosecuting driving while intoxicated offenses.

Lauren is licensed by the State Bar of Texas and the United States Supreme Court. She currently serves as a faculty advisor and training committee member for the Texas District & County Attorneys Association. In these roles, she trains and mentors new Texas prosecutors and helps develop training curriculum for prosecutors state-wide. Lauren is passionate about mentoring the next generation of attorneys and works with the UNT Dallas College of Law as a mock trial competition coach.

Amy Derrick is the Chief of Division B of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. Division B includes the Crimes Against Children and the Sexual Assault Units. Amy supervises 22 prosecutors, 17 investigators, and 8 victim advocates. Her responsibilities also include handling high-profile or sensitive cases and working on initiatives with community partners.

Amy grew up in Southeast Texas and received her B.A. from Lamar University and her J.D. from Southern Methodist University. She joined the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in 2004. She has spent over a decade prosecuting sexual assault cases exclusively; including crimes against children, domestic violence, campus related and cold case sexual assault. In 2015, Amy formed the office’s “Sexual Assault Kit Initiative” to address the need to test, investigate and prosecute cases arising out of the forensic analysis of thousands of untested sexual assault kits across the county. This project is made possible with the award of over $3 million in federal grant funds. Amy serves on numerous community coalitions, sexual assault response teams, and legislative taskforces with the goal of strengthening the multi-disciplinary response to reports of sexual assault. Amy is a frequent trainer and presenter for law enforcement, victim advocates, Child Protective Services, sexual assault nursing (SANE) programs and for other prosecutors. She has been invited to train nationally regarding the prosecution of sexual assault and frequently at the local level and across the state.

Jen Falk is the Chief of Division 1, Bureau A, of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. She supervises felony prosecutors in 9 of the District Courts. Her responsibilities also include handling high-profile or sensitive cases and working on initiatives with community partners, as well as coordinating training for the lawyers in the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

Jen received her B.A. from Southern Methodist University and her J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston. She spent the first decade of her career at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, primarily handling violent felonies and cases involving vulnerable victims. Jen transferred to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office at the start of 2016 and has been assigned to the Sexual Assault Unit and felony court chief in multiple courts. She has presented on numerous occasions all over Texas on different topics in the field of criminal law, primarily on physical and sexual abuse of children or vulnerable victims. Jen is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, is a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow, and serves at the Co-Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association. Further, Jen is Child Abuse/Sexual Assault Track Moderator for Advanced Criminal Law hosted by the TexasBar CLE and a member of the Training Committee for the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association. In 2018, Jen was named Dallas County Prosecutor of the Year.

Cynthia R. Garza is the Special Fields Bureau Chief of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s and Chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU). The CIU primarily reviews cases concerning allegations of innocence, but it also reviews cases involving instances of wrongful conviction.

Ms. Garza graduated magna cum laude with a double undergraduate degree in Sociology and Psychology, with distinction, from Southern Methodist University in 2001. She received her law degree in 2004 from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Ms. Garza established her own law firm, practicing family and criminal law. Later, she joined a criminal defense firm where she handled criminal cases, honing her skills in appellate and post-conviction criminal defense. Ms. Garza joined the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s Appellate Division in 2008 and then joined the CIU in January 2010. She was named Chief of the CIU in July 2017, and has been involved in a significant percentage of the Unit’s exonerations.

Ms. Garza is the longest tenured prosecutor in any CIU in the nation and is frequently consulted by other jurisdictions for advice on establishing and running a CIU. She trains prosecutors in Dallas County, as well as travels around the state and country training and speaking to prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, law enforcement, students and community members about actual innocence and wrongful convictions.

Ms. Garza was named a Rising Star in 2008 and 2009 by Texas Super Lawyers Magazine and was awarded the La Cima Latina Government Leader by the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2014. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association (DHBA) and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL). She has also co-chaired committees with the Dallas Bar Association, DHBA, and DAYL.

Ms. Garza is passionate about public service and is committed to leading the CIU team with integrity, hard work and dedication.

Stephanie Fargo is the Chief of Division 2 of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. She supervises felony prosecutors in 8 District Courts. Her responsibilities include handling high-profile or sensitive cases and working on initiatives with community partners, as well as assisting with training for the Office.

Stephanie received her B.A. from the University of North Texas in 2001 and her J.D. from A&M University School of Law in 2004 where she served as the Editor in Chief of the Law Review. Over the past 16 years, she has worked in many different divisions within the District Attorney’s Office including serving as division chief to the Family Violence division from early 2016-November 2017. Then, in November 2017, she was appointed by Governor Greg Abbot as Judge of Criminal District Court 7 to fill an unexpired term. In 2019 she was hired back at the District Attorney’s office to serve as division chief over the Organized Crime division until being promoted to serve as Chief of Division 2.

Jason Hermus is the supervising prosecutor of Division 4 of the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. He supervises a dedicated team of 26 Assistant District Attorneys, 15 Investigators, and numerous support-staff colleagues.

Division 4 consists of the following divisions and units: The Specialized Crime Division investigates and prosecutes White Collar offenses, including fraud, forgery and financial crime offenses, and elder abuse offenses; the Checks Division investigates and prosecutes all bad checks cases, welfare fraud offenses, and all class C misdemeanor offenses at each of the Justice of the Peace Courts; the Organized Crime Division investigates and prosecutes high level drug offenses, and crimes committed by organized criminal individuals and organizations; the Gang Unit investigates and prosecutes organized criminal street gangs for violent and high-level criminal offenses, and the Community Response Team is an adaptive team that generally targets habitual offenders, and works closely with law-enforcement to address emerging trend crimes.

Jason grew up abroad and moved to Texas in 1989. He became a citizen of the United States of America in 1994 – one of his proudest accomplishments. He attended the University of North Texas for his undergraduate degree in Applied Arts and Sciences, with an emphasis in Political Science. He later attended Southern Methodist University for his Juris Doctor degree, graduating cum laude. He joined the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney’s Office in 2002, and has served as a Court Chief Prosecutor in numerous County and District Courts, in the Crimes Against Children Division, as the Deputy and Division Chief of the Misdemeanor Trial Division, and as the Chief Prosecutor in the Public Integrity Division. He has additionally served in the Office’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, and in the Civil Rights Unit, and as the Homicide Intake Chief Prosecutor.

In 2011, Jason was awarded the coveted “Above and Beyond” award, and in 2018 he was awarded the District Attorney's Award, recognizing his service to the Office and the community. Jason was recognized as the Dallas County 2019 Employee of the Year for Courts and Justice Administration. Jason was most recently awarded as a 2020 Prosecutor of the Year by the State Bar of Texas Criminal Justice Section.

Durrand Hill is the Chief Prosecutor of the Juvenile Division of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, a position he has held for more than 10 years. He supervises 28 attorneys, 12 support staff members and 5 investigators. The Juvenile Division prosecutes criminal offenses committed by minors. These offenses range from Class B Misdemeanors like theft to more serious crimes like robbery and capital murder. The Juvenile Division also represents the Texas Department of Family Protective Services in cases of alleged abuse or neglect of children.

Durrand is a Dallas, Texas native with 24 years of experience practicing law handling criminal, juvenile and child welfare cases. He initially joined the DA’s Office in 1995 and served until 2001 before establishing his own law practice. He rejoined the DA’s Office in January of 2007. Durrand also serves as a Deacon at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church where he is an active mentor to youth in the community through the Public School Outreach ministry. He is also active in Bible Study Fellowship and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. He is a 1995 graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas where he was valedictorian of his class. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Felicia Kerney began her career with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in 2011 after living in Costa Rica to learn the Spanish language. In 2013, Felicia was placed in a specialized unit where she prosecuted solely domestic violence cases; it was here that she came into contact with her first animal cruelty case. Felicia’s desire to protect our four-legged friends as well as educate the community about animal abuse inspired her to apply for the position of animal cruelty prosecutor and in March 2015, Felicia was transferred to the animal cruelty unit where she has been proudly serving as chief prosecutor ever since. As Felicia began to settle into her new position, she began to realize more and more that the abuse of animals was more than just that. There was a link between animal abuse, and human violence. As a result, Ms. Kerney and members of the community created the North Texas Link Coalition, an organization dedicated to educating the community about the link between animal abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse and child abuse.

In March 2017, the DA’s Office launched the first ever satellite offices to make prosecutors more accessible to the community while helping victims of domestic violence. In addition to her role as Chief Prosecutor of the Animal Cruelty Unit, Felicia manages all 12 satellite offices located throughout the County of Dallas including an after-hours office located at the Genesis Women’s Shelter.

George Lewis is the Chief of the Public Integrity/Civil Rights Division (PID) of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. He supervises four prosecutors, four investigators and one support staff member. The PID handles cases involving individuals and organizations that violate the law while operating within the public’s trust, including officer involved shootings and deaths in custody of law enforcement.

George was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He received his B.A. degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and his J.D. degree from the SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas. He joined the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in June of 2008 and has prosecuted cases in the Misdemeanor Division, Felony Trial Division, State Jail Unit, Crimes Against Children Division and Gang Unit.

In August 2015, George was named Chief Prosecutor of the Civil Rights Unit, a newly created prosecution unit tasked with the investigation, grand jury presentment and, in the event of indictment, prosecution of incidents involving police use of deadly force in the wake of several controversial police shootings around the nation.

With a passion for improving people’s lives through public service, Ellyce Lindberg, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, began her career at the Dallas County District Attorney's Office over twenty years ago. Currently, she is the chief over the Grand Jury and Intake Division, supervising the attorneys and support staff who are responsible for all adult criminal cases submitted for prosecution by law enforcement agencies across Dallas County. For the first eleven years of her career she was a trial prosecutor in the misdemeanor and felony courts in Dallas County. In 2007 she was named Prosecutor of the Year, and in 2015 she was named Administrator of the Year. She serves as the co-chair of the Dallas County Criminal Justice Advisory Board.

Robert D. Miller II is the Chief Investigator for the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Robert has been with this office 20 years and supervises a staff of eighty-four commissioned law enforcement criminal investigators. His command staff is comprised of a Deputy Chief and, four Lieutenants.

Robert received his Bachelors of Science degree in Applied Technical Leadership at the University of Maine and a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management in Richardson Texas. He is a graduate from the Central Texas Regional Police Academy, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, the LEMIT Command Staff Leadership program, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.

Robert has over twenty-nine years of law enforcement experience and specialized training along with 30 years of active and reserve service in the United States Army holding the current rank of Major in the Army Criminal Investigation Command.

As Chief Investigator, Robert oversees staff members who investigate every aspect of the most complex criminal cases which involves the handling of evidence, taking witness statements, issuing subpoenas, locating and notifying witnesses, interviewing and interrogating prisoners, writing and obtaining search and arrest warrants, and makes appropriate arrests. He is also responsible for the District Attorney’s security detail when warranted. Prior to becoming Chief Investigator, Robert served as the Deputy Chief Criminal Investigator for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Felony Criminal Investigator for the DAs Office and a Law Enforcement Officer for the Dallas County College District Police Department and the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine.

Robert has also received numerous accolades and awards during his law enforcement and military career including the Department of the Three Army’s Meritorious Service Award, Six Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the South Portland Police Chief’s Award, Commendation Award for Bravery from the Old Orchard Police Department, just to name a few.

Julie Turnbull is the Chief of the Restorative Justice Division for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. She oversees the Pre-Trial Diversion Programs and Specialty Courts for Dallas County as well as the Mental Health Division. Julie grew up in Dallas and attended The Hockaday School. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with a B.A. in English and then received her law degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. She was an assistant district attorney for Dallas County from 1994-1998 practicing in both felony and misdemeanor courts as well as the Public Integrity Division. Since 1998 she has served as the sole prosecutor for the Dallas County DIVERT Court. In addition, in 2009 she also became the sole prosecutor for the 4-C SAFPF ReEntry Court until 2016. She has presented on drug court topics at national, state and local conferences. She is a member of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) where she serves as immediate past president. As a TASC board member, she has served on the nominating committee, awards committee and has co-chaired the last five state conferences. She is also a board member for the Community Corrections Improvement Foundation.

Jerry Varney is the Administrative Chief of Division 3 of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. He supervises the Family Violence Unit and Victim Assistance Coordinators of the Victim Witness divisions. His responsibilities also include handling high-profile or sensitive cases. Jerry represents the District Attorney’s Office on Dallas’ Domestic Violence Task Force, Dallas County Fatality Review, and is a Board Member of Genesis’ Men’s Auxiliary Group, HeROs. He serves on the National Advisory Council for the Conference on Crimes Against Women, and chairs the Texas District and County Attorney's Association's Diversity, Recruiting, and Retention Committee.

Jerry is from Arlington, Texas, and earned his B.A. in Political Science from Abilene Christian University. He obtained his J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2004. He joined the Dallas District Attorney’s Office in November of 2004, starting in the Misdemeanor Division. Jerry has prosecuted cases in the Misdemeanor, Felony, Organized Crime, and Public Integrity Divisions. He has prosecuted felonies of all types, including aggravated robbery, sexual assault, murder and capital murder, and he has worked on a death penalty trial teams.

Biography pending.