District Attorney Joe Shannon Jr. is a native Texan. He was born in Fort Worth, graduated from Arlington Heights High School and attended the University of Texas. He received his law degree from the University of Texas Law School. After graduation Joe was elected to the Texas House of Representatives at the young age of 24. He served three terms and chaired the Committee on Counties which dealt with legislation affecting county government. He practiced law with his father until he joined the District Attorney’s Office in 1972 when Tim Curry was elected.

Joe became the Chief of the Criminal Division where he prosecuted many high profile cases including capital murders involving robbery homicides as well as the murder of a Fort Worth police officer. The jury returned death penalty verdicts in both cases. He was also the lead prosecutor in State of Texas vs. Cullen Davis as well as other notable cases.

In 1978, Joe returned to private practice where he remained for twenty-one years. In 1999 he rejoined the District Attorney’s Office as Chief of the Economic Crime Unit. He supervised the investigation and prosecution of white collar and computer crime as well as public integrity offenses. The prosecution of major mortgage fraud and identity theft cases was initiated by this unit and is ongoing. He also prosecuted murder cases including the kidnap murder of Dr. Laura Lee Crane, former director of Starpoint School at TCU. Edward Lee Busby received the death penalty for this offense.

Joe was elected President of both the Tarrant County Bar Association and the Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association. He was also elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas, the state agency which supervises the activities of over 83,000 lawyers in Texas. Joe has also managed to find time to serve as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Wesleyan School of Law for the past ten years. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America and was named as a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly for his prosecution skills.

In May 2009 when then District Attorney Tim Curry passed away Joe Shannon was selected by Governor Rick Perry to serve as Tarrant County’s Criminal District Attorney for the remainder of the term. He brings energy, experience and enthusiasm to the job of chief prosecutor of Tarrant County.

Joe has three children and is the proud grandfather of six grandchildren one of whom has been accepted into law school.