by Staff of McKinneyNews.net

Jill R. Willis will serve as judge of the 429th Judicial District Court starting in January 2009.

On Monday, Gov. Rick Perry named Jill R. Willis of Allen as judge of the 429th Judicial District Court in Collin County, a newly created court that will open its doors here in January 2009.

The 429th is the ninth state district court in Collin County, and Willis’ appointment will be for a term to expire at the next general election in 2010, according to the Governor’s Press Office.

Willis will be sworn into office at 9 a.m. on Jan. 2 at the Collin County Courthouse.

Willis is a lawyer in private practice who previously worked for Strasburger & Price L.L.P., and clerked for a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas. She is a member of the Judge Paul Brown American Inn of Court, Collin County Bar Association, and Collin County Bench/Bar Foundation. She is also past chair of the Collin County Bench/Bar Conference, and a past member of the U.S. Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Committee for the Eastern District of Texas. Willis was named a Rising Star by Texas Monthly in both 2005 and 2006.

Willis received a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

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