San Antonio Criminal Lawyer

Texas and San Antonio Criminal Defense Attorney With More Than 32 Years of Experience Handling All Felonies and Misdemeanors. Patrick Hancock has the knowledge to build a strong defense and protect you against violations of your constitutional rights.
San Antonio Criminal defense lawyer

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There is plenty at stake if you are arrested and charged with a crime in San Antonio. The consequences of a conviction can be far-reaching, affecting not only your immediate future with fines and jail time but also negatively impacting employment, housing, education, parenting, immigration, travel, and other aspects of your life. It is critical to defend criminal charges aggressively and seek the protection of your rights, freedoms, and reputation.

San Antonio criminal defense attorney Patrick L. Hancock has over three decades of experience with the Texas judicial system handling felonies and misdemeanors. His familiarity with criminal defense strategies over the years has kept many wrongfully accused individuals out of the Texas prison system. Even if your situation seems hopeless and the evidence against you is overwhelming, by contacting us you will take the first important step to limit the consequences and potentially clear your name…

How do criminal charges affect you as a professional?

San Antonio Criminal Lawyer

Anybody convicted of a crime in Texas may face serious consequences with employment. Many a career has been ruined by the failure to properly defend criminal charges. A criminal conviction may result in a breach of your employment contract and be grounds for dismissal or the loss of your professional license.

When seeking new employment, you may need to declare your criminal record on job applications and future employers will have visibility of your record during background checks. If your offense is a sexual crime, you may even have to register on the sex offender’s database, which is a publicly accessible online registry that includes in-depth personal details that can severely damage your reputation. Certain jobs may be off-limits, depending on the nature of your conviction.

The professional and reputational damage that you can potentially suffer from a criminal charge makes it vital to defend any criminal charge vigorously. Your career could be at stake and it is unlikely that you will receive any favorable treatment from a prosecutor. If you are a professional in San Antonio, consult with the team at Hancock Criminal Defense during a free case evaluation as soon as possible after you have been arrested and charged, if not before.

What are the possible sentences for crimes in Texas?

Crimes in Texas are classified as felonies or misdemeanors. Like many states, Texas has adopted a system called “determinate sentencing”. This means that a set of sentencing guidelines helps determine the punishment that should be assigned for each crime, based on how serious it is.

This generally enables consistent sentencing practices and commits to making sure that punishments are meted out fairly across the board in all jurisdictions.

The following classifications of crimes and their associated penalties are detailed from the least to most serious:

  • Class C misdemeanor
    • Examples: Traffic citations, petty theft/shoplifting
    • Sentence: A fine of no more than $500. No jail sentence.
  • Class B misdemeanor
    • Example: DWI (first offense), prostitution, indecent exposure
    • Sentence: A fine of up to $2,000, up to 180 days in county jail, and up to three years of probation.
  • Class A misdemeanor
    • Example: DWI (second offense), assault with bodily injury
    • Sentence: A fine of up to $4,000, up to a year in the county jail, and up to three years of probation.
  • State jail felony
    • Example: DWI with a child passenger, drug possession
    • Sentence: A fine of up to $2,000, between 180 days and two years in jail, and the possibility of probation.
  • Third-degree felony
    • Example: DWI (third offense), indecent exposure to a child
    • Sentence: A fine of up to $10,000, 2-10 years in prison, and the possibility of probation.
  • Second-degree felony
    • Example: Human trafficking, sexual assault, aggravated assault
    • Sentence: A fine of up to $10,000, 2–20 years in prison, and the possibility of probation.
  • First-degree felony
    • Example: aggravated sexual assault against a child, attempted capital murder
    • Sentence: A fine of up to $10,000, 5–99 years (or life) in prison, and the possibility of probation.
  • Capital felony
    • Example: capital murder (premeditated)
    • Sentence: Life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The confidence that comes with preparation and experience

The day you are arrested and charged with a crime may very well be the worst day of your life.

Many people who are wrongly accused, unaware that they have committed a crime or who made an honest mistake that has left them in serious trouble become stressed, agitated, and fearful for the future. This is understandable. However, it helps to have the steady guidance of a seasoned criminal defense attorney who is deeply familiar with the Texas judicial system, accustomed to working with people who have been arrested for the first time, and able to provide considered legal advice at the time that it is most needed.

At such challenging times, the experience and meticulous preparation of the team at Hancock Criminal Defense instills confidence. We believe that there is always a viable defense for any crime and we are experienced enough to find it. We will pore over the evidence, including the actions of law enforcement in gathering evidence, meticulously check whether your rights were violated, and look for opportunities to expose weaknesses in the case against you.

Then, as we begin to consider your options in detail, we can discuss your chances of case dismissal, what you should plead, what you can expect at trial with a not guilty plea, whether the prosecution may be open to reducing the charges, how best to build a rigorous defense, and so on. A public defender is highly unlikely to be able to put the same level of time and commitment into advising and defending you despite their best intentions. The stakes are too high for you to gamble.

Your interests are best served with our dedicated and knowledgeable team of criminal defense professionals led by Patrick L. Hancock. In and out of the courtroom, our decades of experience in building defenses and preparing for trials means that our arguments to judges and juries are highly persuasive. We understand the San Antonio court system and Patrick L. Hancock is a familiar face within it.

Highly Recognized Criminal Defense Lawyer

Patrick Hancock has been listed among the top 100 trial lawyers in Texas by The National Trial Lawyers and has been selected for inclusion on a number of prestigious lists, including:

  • Texas Super Lawyers (2007+)
  • The Best Lawyers in America (2006+) and U.S. News Best Law Firms
  • S.A. Scene Magazine’s Best Lawyers in San Antonio

Many of the organizations that have featured Criminal Defense Attorney Patrick Hancock have rigorous peer-review processes that look at an attorney’s experience, results, client reviews, and overall reputation.

With more than 32 years of criminal law experience in San Antonio, Patrick L. Hancock is a proven and successful San Antonio criminal defense lawyer. His courtroom skills have won "not guilty" verdicts in a broad array of criminal jury trials, including acquittals for individuals who have been accused of a variety of crimes including

  1. sexual assault
  2. capital murder
  3. manslaughter
  4. online solicitation of a minor
  5. drug possession
  6. domestic violence
  7. aggravated assault
  8. DUI DWI defense

Handling Sexual Offenses, Drug Possession and Other Crimes

We are committed to an uncompromising level of service during every stage of the criminal defense process, no matter what challenges you face.

Sexual Offenses

including sexual assault, and aggravated sexual assault. Criminal charges may also involve indecency with a child, Internet sex crimes, online solicitation of a minor or continuous sexual assault.

Drug crimes

Including drug possession or delivery of a controlled substance. We handle cases involving prescription drugs, marijuana, cocaine, meth, or other narcotics..

DWI / DUI

including felony DWI, intoxication assault and intoxication manslaughter. Patrick L. Hancock has defended clients facing DWI charges for more than 32 years.

Free, Confidential Consultation. Call for a Prompt Response.

If you are being investigated or have been arrested and charged with a crime in Texas, you need the very best criminal defense attorney in San Antonio.  Contact the Law Offices of Patrick L. Hancock by email or by phone at 210-223-8844.

Winning Results

DWI – not guilty verdict at trial
Texas v. GK, County Court, San Antonio

Capital murder – not guilty verdict at trial
Texas v. WCL, District Court, San Antonio

Murder – not guilty verdict at trial
Texas v. CH, District Court, San Antonio

Vehicular manslaughter – not guilty verdict at trial
Texas v. JP, District Court, San Antonio

Capital murder – case dismissed
Texas v. JC, District Court, San Antonio

Sexual assault – not guilty verdict at trial,
Texas v. FM, District Court, San Antonio

Murder – case dismissed
Texas v. JK, District Court, San Antonio

Solicitation of capital murder – case dismissed
Texas v. CP, District Court, Beeville

Capital murder – case dismissed
Texas v. JC District Court, Austin

Intoxication manslaughter - case dismissed,
Texas v. RP, “no billed” by grand jury, San Antonio

Vehicular manslaughter (road rage) – “no billed” by a grand jury, case dismissed
Texas v. GL, San Antonio

Contact Us Today

If you are convicted of a crime, you could lose your freedom, your job, your reputation and possibly your family. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to present the most aggressive and best criminal defense possible.

The best decision of my life was hiring Pat Hancock to represent me. He saved my life. Without him I would have gone to prison for as long as 10 years.

– Jules

Criminal Defense Attorney in San Antonio TX

Handling Sexual Offenses, Drug Possession and Other Crimes

When you face criminal charges, you are going to need an experienced and aggressive criminal defense lawyer who has a solid reputation and proven track record of results. You need an attorney with years of legal experience focused entirely on criminal law. Contact San Antonio lawyer Patrick L. Hancock by email or call 210-223-8844 for a free, confidential consultation.

Patrick L. Hancock understands that the criminal justice system can be confusing and often intimidating process. He will work hard to develop a strong defense for the criminal charges against you, including charges for alleged: