Criminal Defense

All criminal convictions have both direct consequences, such as jail time or court supervision, and collateral consequences, like immigration problems. One of the most significant collateral consequences of a conviction is the conviction itself. Convicted criminals...

Reasonable bail, which is guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment, is probably one of the most important guarantees in the Bill of Rights. Many jurors assume that people who are in jail must have done something wrong. Parker County prosecutors know this, so they usually do...

Most people know that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The presumption of innocence is rather unique to American law. In many other parts of the world, defendants are presumed guilty until they prove their innocence. However, not everyone knows...

Generally, officers must have search warrants to seize physical evidence, such as illegal drugs. However, in many of these cases, things happen so quickly that officers do not bother with search warrants. Despite the prohibition against warrantless searches in the...

White collar crime is an umbrella term for a number of nonviolent crimes which usually involve theft of money or services. Some people think "nonviolent" is synonymous with not serious. Indeed, public and policymakers viewpoints have changed some in this area, mostly...

California passed the first sex offender registration law way back in 1947. These laws became increasingly common beginning in the 1980s, culminating with the federal Jacob Wetterling Act in 1994. Patty Wetterling, who lobbied extensively for this legislation...

Jail release is more than personal convenience. It's also more than in the best interests of your job and family. It's even more than the best thing for your mental state. If the defendant is incarcerated, it's almost impossible to mount a successful defense. Most...

Both misdemeanor and felony convictions have serious collateral consequences. Many people with such records have a hard time obtaining certain professional licenses, finding a nice place to live, obtaining student financial aid, and finding a good job. Negative credit...

In recent years, many states have all but eliminated their criminal laws which prohibit marijuana possession. On January 1, 2020, Illinois became the latest state to legalize recreational weed. However, marijuana possession is still illegal in Texas. As a matter of...

Criminal appeals are not easy to win. Typically, appeals court judges do not like to second-guess a jury's verdict. These judges are even less likely to overturn a judicial colleague's decision. Additionally, proving there was an error at trial is not enough. The law...