 In most counties with courts at law, the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the constitutional county court has been transferred to the county courts at law.Unlike the county judge, judges of the county courts of law are required to be attorneys.The county courts at law may hear both civil and criminal matters, or hear them separately, depending on how the Legislature has structured them (Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Harris, and Tarrant counties have "county criminal courts" or "county criminal courts at law" that hear only criminal cases).