San Antonio Criminal Lawyer

How do criminal charges affect you as a professional?

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.