Criminal Trespass charges in Texas come in different levels depending on the place you’re accused of trespassing. Criminal Trespass can be a Class A, B, or C misdemeanor. Click here for a breakdown of Misdemeanors in Texas and what each level means. One of my recent clients was charged with criminal trespass. To make a
In Texas, as in other states, a criminal confession is a formal acknowledgment of guilt during a criminal investigation. This all goes back to your 5th Amendment Right to Remain Silent. When someone is suspected of committing a crime, police will begin their investigation. The investigation may start with police making direct contact with the
This is a topic which gets a lot of coverage from the media. Usually there is a horrific crime committed by someone, it makes national news, and then arrives their first day in Court. Fairly regularly, in open Court, these people will declare to the Judge that they want to “Represent Themselves” or, in legal
This is a question that gets asked pretty often so I thought it’s worth explaining. Many people use the words DUI and DWI interchangeably when these problems come up. Some states call it DWI, others call it DUI, and some states have different criminal charges for DWI vs. DUI. The differences can be quite large. DUI
This is a guest blog post by a friend of mine, Jon Clark, who is a personal injury attorney out of Austin, Texas. Personal injury cases usually include everything from slip and fall, car accidents, and wrongful death claims. Car accident cases and DWI charges often go hand in hand. Tolerance for drinking and driving
First, I know that I’ve written over and over about the role of plea bargains and probation in the criminal justice system. One post that sums it up in 3 Ways Your Criminal Case Can End. Plea bargaining and probation often go hand in hand in a criminal case. Most importantly, clients want to know
This question comes up from clients pretty often. This post is Part 1 of 2. The stakes can be high if your probation is revoked in Texas. Usually, clients call or ask me – what happens if you violate probation? My answer is the same… it depends. Many clients are fearful of the sword hanging over
This post is important. It’s a follow up to my first post on Should I Take a Plea Bargain? In that post I talked about a few considerations when you decided whether or not to take a plea. So here we are in Should I Take a Plea Bargain? Part 2. Taking a plea deal is
Every so often a client will call me or send me an email about this topic. It usually involves someone coming into contact with the police and feeling that their rights were violated. When it comes to the police and excessive force claims in Texas, there is a high hurdle to overcome. Day in and
Q: Knock, knock? A: Police Q: Poilce, who? A: We’ve got a search warrant for your home. (Kick in door) Maybe this is what people have come to expect from police when they execute a search warrant in Texas. Most people see this type of interaction on TV or in the movies. It almost always
This post is about another of the exceptions to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement. In previous posts I explained some other exceptions. The Community Caretaking exception is similar to the Fourth Amendment Exception of Exigency. However, the difference between the two is very important. Exigency usually deals with the pressing needs of law enforcement, investigating
The vast majority of criminal cases end with someone being put on some type of probation in Texas. This post is a quick summary of Probation Revocation in Texas. To find out more, go to my Probation Revocation Hearings Page. In Texas, probation is technically called Community Supervision. In a previous post I wrote about the
