The 323rd district court in Fort Worth handles family law cases and juvenile criminal cases. Although it is a family law court it does not hear divorces or other private family disputes. Instead it handles CPS and other child welfare disputes in Tarrant County. The 323rd district court might be most well known for the affluenza case. If CPS is involved in your custody or parenting relationship with your children then it is probable that any legal proceedings will be before the 323rd and not one of the family law district courts in downtown Fort Worth.
The 323rd district court is in North Fort Worth at 2701 Kimbo Court at the juvenile justice center. It is a smaller building than other Tarrant County courthouses and located in a semi-industrial area north of 28th street and east of interstate 35. You can find the courthouse off of Sylvania south of the Mecham business park area. This is not the downtown Fort Worth courthouses. Traffic in the area can be difficult due to the construction on I-35 and the large trucks that travel through the area. Plan on additional travel time to account for traffic and construction.
What to do if you end up in CPS litigation in Fort Worth, Texas
If you find yourself in a CPS proceeding you need to find legal representation. You may qualify for a court-appointed attorney. If not them you need to hire an attorney of your own. CPS has a large staff with representation by attorneys from the Tarrant County District Attorney. You are not prepared to fight against that level of government resources on your own. CPS has virtually unlimited resources to conduct its investigation. The agency has immense resources and trained investigators. District attorneys handle the trial work. Many have years of experience in CPS litigation in Fort Worth.
Under Texas law the state must provide an attorney to you if it threatens you with removal of your children and/or criminal charges for a family law-related crime like domestic violence or child endangerment. In Tarrant County attorneys may join the list for appointments to CPS cases. These attorneys receive pay from Tarrant County to represent you, your kids, or the court. There are specific requirements to receive appointments so these are attorneys trained to deal with CPS cases.
Nevertheless, you may choose to hire your own counsel if you can afford it. Attorneys who take appointments do not receive the same hourly rate they may charge clients so the list is not full of experienced family law attorneys. You take the risk that your appointed attorney may not have great experience in CPS or family law cases. An attorney is generally better than no attorney but you may want to consider paying for an attorney with more experience in these matters. You may lose custody of your children as a result of CPS proceedings in Tarrant County so you should seriously consider your options.