Douglas County’s judges plan to divide up the domestic and juvenile case load in January when longtime District Judge Jean Shepherd retires.

Shepherd, the county’s first female judge who was appointed in 1984, has presided over the district’s family court since it was formed in 1994, and her work has included divorces and child in need of care cases.

“Judge Shepherd, her expertise and her experience in both domestic and juvenile cases is really going to be missed,” Chief District Judge Robert Fairchild said. “None of us would claim to have the expertise that she does.”

Shepherd’s passion was deciding family issues, but Fairchild said those type of cases carry a high burnout rate for most judges.

Last week Gov. Mark Parkinson appointed Lawrence attorney Barbara Kay Huff to replace Shepherd when her term ends in January.

An order the judges signed Wednesday morning outlined these changes for district’s caseload beginning Jan. 11:

• Fairchild will no longer handle criminal cases, and felony cases will be divided among Huff and the four other judges, Michael Malone, Paula Martin, Peggy Kittel and Sally Pokorny.

• Fairchild said his administrative duties as chief judge are taking up more time due to the state’s budget crisis. He will now take on three-fifths of the major civil cases filed and all probate cases, except for adoptions.

• Martin and Malone will handle the remainder of the major civil cases.

• Kittel will now handle adoption and child in need of care cases. James George, the county’s pro-tem judge, will still hear all juvenile offender cases, and Kittel will handle appeals of those decisions.

• Divorce cases will be split between Pokorny and Huff, and a committee of judges and lawyers will begin working in January to develop guidelines for divorce cases, Fairchild said.

• Protection from abuse and stalking cases will be divided among Pokorny, Huff and Kittel.