Attorney Biography
People often ask me what separates your firm, or you as a lawyer, from this other lawyer or law firm up the street. While you are trying to "sell" yourself and your services in a client meeting, on your website, or over the phone during a telephone consultation that is a difficult question to answer sometimes. Both my amazing office manager, Jessica, and my children mock me for the way, out of habit, I quickly rattle off my impressive number of years practicing criminal law, my former prosecutor experience, and the over 100 jury trials along with the difficult verdicts and the recent results in the relevant county rather than answering a pretty straight forward question.
The truth is none of that separates me from the many great lawyers in Central Texas. The great ones are going to have the background, they are going to have the trials, and they are going to get the results. This is a results driven profession.
I think what truly separates me - and the people that work with me at my firm - from other firms - is that we care about our clients from top to bottom. It can be difficult and uncomfortable explaining complex situations to clients sometimes when all they want to hear is "not guilty" or "case dismissed" because often times in our world the client hires you to make the problem go away not actually confront or deal with it.
I was reminded of this the other day when something I wrote back in 2014 popped up on my Facebook Timeline. A client had been sober for 10 years and it was the anniversary of her sobriety. I handled her case, and I achieved a great result. During my representation, I also had a very uncomfortable talk where I suggested that she might need some help and pointed her in the right direction. On the 10th anniversary of her sobriety, she sent me a note, which she does every year on the anniversary of her sobriety, and this was the response I posted.
"Many people that walk into my office are worth saving and when I say saving, I don't necessarily mean getting all of the charges dismissed, but I do fight to get the charges dismissed because that is my duty, that is what I swore to do. I swore to represent my client, within the confines of legal ethics, to the best of my ability.
That being said, my proudest moments as a defense attorney are not necessarily the cases I have won because innocent is such a strong word and not always the case with respect to the case we just won. The cases that make me the proudest are the one's where I make a difference. I help an alcoholic or drug addict find sobriety, I help guide a person through difficult circumstances in their lives outside of court because there is no one there to guide them, cases where I help people keep their jobs, and even the cases where I have helped guide a very sick person to come to grips with what he or she has done.
The long letters, occasional newspaper write up, and website reviews, while all appreciated and important to my continued success usually take a back seat in my mind to a simple, softly spoken, thank you. That is what I tell my kids that I do and that is how when I am not suffering from insomnia, I sleep just fine. Good people make mistakes that have criminal consequences all of the time. And with the truly reprehensible, all you usually can do is damage control and sometimes just try to keep them alive. All I can do is try to help these good people through the very difficult criminal justice process and hopefully we are both better for it..."
I want to be your lawyer. I want to help guide you through one of the most difficult situations of your life.
I pride my firm as having the type of people who jump in the hole and help you find your way out. Call the office anytime at 512-457-5200 or reach me personally on my cell at 714-403-9120.