Clearing my criminal record...

Since I am criminal defense attorney in Houston, Texas almost daily I get some form of the following question… I got probation a while ago and I want to know how I can get it off my record. First, it must be determined what type of probation you received. There are two types of probation in Texas. “Regular Probation” is a conviction and can not be “cleared” from your record. Second, some deferred adjudications may be “cleared” from your record. The instrument used to “clear” a deferred adjudication from your record is called a Motion for Non Disclosure. Some deferred adjudications may be “cleared” immediately after sucessful completion. Others may take as long as five years and some are never eligible for a Motion for Non Disclosure. Please keep in mind that most government agencies will still be able to see that deferred.

There a lot of attorneys that tell their clients that a deferred adjudication is not a conviction. This is correct, but anyone with access to public records will find your deferred adjudication until you have your Motion for Non Disclosure granted by a court. Therefore, if possible get your Motion for Non Disclosure filed as soon as possible, if you are eligible.

If you need assistance with clearing your record in Houston, Harris County, Texas please contact our law firm at (713) 225-1038 or visit our website at www.mmalaw.com.

The police are knocking at my door...I think I am a suspect.

Mr. Y came into our office because the police has been trying to get in touch with him. He had an idea what it is concerning, but was not sure if he should explain to the police what happened. The short answer is Do NOT SPEAK TO THE POLICE WITHOUT TALKING TO AN ATTORNEY FIRST.

As a Criminal Defense Attorney in Houston I come across people that do not follow this advice and pay dearly for it later.  For some reason, people think that they can explain their way out of situation by talking to police.  Typically, people end up getting charged for a crime that the police did not have enough evidence for a conviction before they started talking. Keep in mind that in the United States you have the right not to incriminate yourself. Use that right before talking to the police and you will make your life much easier.

 After speaking to us Mr. Y took our advice and was never charged with a crime.

If you need assistance with your criminal case in Houston, Harris County, Texas please contact our law firm at (713) 225-1038 or visit our website at www.mmalaw.com.

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Getting your bond reduced in Harris County Texas

In a lot of instances a court will initially set a very high amount in a case. For example, in a theft case where the value of the alleged property that was stolen is one hundred thousand ($100,000) the court will routinely double that amount and set the bond at two hundred thousand ($200,000). However, if you hire a lawyer before raising the money to bond the person out of jail the lawyer should be able to go to the court and have the bond reduced to a more reasonable amount. In the above scenerio a lawyer would be able to save you thousands of dollars when making a bond. Typically, a bonding company will charge you a 10% fee for bonding someone out of jail. The two hundred thousand dollar bond will cost you twenty thousand dollars and the one hundred thousand dollar bond will cost you ten thousand dollars. Thus,hiring an experienced criminal defense attorney in Houston will pay for itself by getting the bond reduced in addition to all the other things they can do for you.  This is an example of where this was done.

If you need the assistance of a Houston Criminal Defense Attorney with your criminal case in Houston, Harris County, Texas please contact our law firm at (713) 225-1038 or visit our website at www.mmalaw.com.

Getting a bond when there is warrant out for your arrest without going to jail.

Here is a question that Houston Criminal lawyers get asked routinely: "There is a warrant out for my arrest...I do not want to go to jail."  "What should I do?"  This is a situation everyone would like to avoid. There are several proactive steps one can take when this occurs. The first thing I would do is contact a bonding company so that I could do what is called a "non arrest bond." If you contact a bonding company and they do not know what that is move on because they probably can not help you. I would hate to pay anyone to be their first case.

The proper way to avoid this situationA "non arrest bond" is straight forward. This type of bond allows you to avoid any jail time while waiting for someone to bond you out if you get arrested. If you talk to anyone that has spent as little as a few hours in jail they will tell you do not want to be waiting in jail for someone to bond you out. Thus, the non arrest bond allows you to skip the booking process. The bonding company will take your information and  give you a court date to appear with your attorney. If you do this you will be one of the lucky people that will not be hassled by the police and potentially giving them information that you would later regret.

If you need assistance with your criminal case in Houston, Harris County, Texas please contact our law firm at (713) 225-1038 or visit our website at www.mmalaw.com.

The Harris County Courts have their own schedule that they follow.  This is their posted schedule.