How Do I Find Out if I Have A Warrant Out For My Arrest?

October 28, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

Here is the link to search for warrants in Collin County.  Here is the link for warrants in Dallas County.  Tarrant County wants you to contact the individual municipality where the warrant originated.  Denton County also makes you contact them for warrant info.

There is a database for warrants nation-wide, but unfortunately it’s not public.  Checking for warrants can be a pain-staking process if you suspect you have a warrant for your arrest but aren’t sure.  The counties which make you call them to inquire doubtlessly do it in an effort to draw folks who have a warrant into their spider-web.  My guess is it backfires because many people are too scared to call.

The vast, vast majority of arrest warrants are for mundane purposes such as traffic tickets or probation revocations (I love my readers, but I don’t do traffic tickets – so please don’t call me for those!).  Most warrants simply sit there unless or until someone gets pulled over or has some other type of benign law enforcement contact which results in them being run for warrants.

Can Warrants Be Hidden on Purpose?

Yes.  Law enforcement can issue warrants and have them be sealed.  They might do it if there is an on-going investigation of a conspiracy they don’t want to spoil – and then they arrest everyone at once.  The FBI, DEA and other federal law enforcement agencies do this frequently.  Another reason could be they want to arrest someone in person for whatever reason.

Pocket Warrants

Police can also get an arrest warrant but not enter into the national or local databases.  We might see these in cases like sexual assault or injury to a child.

They keep it in their “pocket” in an effort to arrest and immediately interview a suspect.  Think of it this way — if they have a murder suspect and they get a warrant from a judge — if they enter it into the national database, they risk having someone from another agency arrest the suspect at 3 a.m.  This could give the suspect several hours to “lawyer up” and not participate in an interview or interrogation.  The pocket warrant allows the officer to pick the exact time, place, and manner of arrest.

What Should I Do if I Have a Warrant for My Arrest?

You have to turn yourself in.  Most people don’t like hearing this.  Warrants don’t go away on their own and it’s very rare to be able to get a warrant thrown out before arrest.  Most judges and prosecutors have policies in place they won’t even deal with you unless the warrant is taken care of first.  And here’s what I tell my clients — if they don’t take care of the warrant on their own terms, then the warrant will be executed against them at the worst possible time.  Maybe while they are on a dream date.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is designated as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

 

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Posted by Jeremy Rosenthal, Esq.

Can Our Own Expert Actually Hurt Us?

October 12, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

The legal system encourages the accused to utilize expert witnesses and professionals to evaluate and advise during the investigation and defense of a case.

A lawyer has a duty to thoroughly investigate a case they are defending and it can be ineffective assistance of counsel not to do so.  But let’s be clear – none of those duties are contingent on whether the lawyer thinks his client to be guilty or innocent.

Experts are Subject to the Attorney Client Privilege

An expert hired by the defense is part of the defense team.  That means what they learn is privileged which makes it safe to learn bad facts the prosecution might not know.

Let’s use an example from a DWI case:

The police draw defendant’s blood, put it in a tube sealed and marked with a number then shipped to a lab where it goes into the mail room where some guy sorted it while he was on his phone then sent it to the analyst who only has 100 other samples to juggle that morning…. and then the result comes back looking much higher than the lawyer thinks it should be.

The lawyer can do a DNA test on the blood to see if they have the right person.  But there is a big worry the DNA will match and defense just actually just found better evidence our own client is guilty than the prosecutor already has?!?

The rules protect this type of investigation and it’s actually possible to have blood retested or tested for DNA without the prosecution’s knowledge.  Also, whatever Defense expert learns is privileged.

In the event the gamble worked – and it’s not Defendant’s blood — Defense expert can then testify about it on the witness stand before the Judge or Jury.  Doing this would waive any privilege the expert had as part of the defense team.

In other words – the bad facts Defense expert learned can be kept secret or made public.  Defense lawyers wouldn’t investigate their cases as thoroughly if they were worried learning bad facts would only assist in convicting their client.

Using an Expert to Evaluate – Not Testify

A good expert is one who is faithful to their discipline – not a particular outcome in any given case.

It is common for me to reach out to an expert and have them do an evaluation of a case only for them to tell me, “Jeremy I don’t think you want me to testify about this case.”

The expert can still assist by giving technical support as to how defense might handle a prosecution witness or by steering defense away from problematic defensive theories.

They Can Still Hurt Us Even if They Testify

Calling an expert witness is always a judgment call.  Because the witness is loyal to their discipline and not the outcome – we have to recognize when Defense calls them to the stand — the privilege is essentially waived.  Everything which went into their evaluation and opinion is discoverable by the prosecution.

This means the prosecution can draw out either harmful facts or data which can be used to undermine our defense.

The question is whether after balancing the harm versus benefit – it still makes sense to call an expert witness.  This is where your lawyer’s experience is crucial.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is board certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is designated as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

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Hiring Expert Witnesses for Your Case – What You Should Know

October 11, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

Expert witnesses are an important part of trial advocacy.

What is an Expert Witness?

A person with specialized knowledge of a particular is allowed to testify provided they comport with other rules surrounding reliability in both Texas and Federal Courts.

Judges have a detailed legal framework they must follow to determine if a particular expert may testify in a particular case.

Experts can testify in applied scientists such as DNA or blood analysis, areas such as computer forensics, cell phone tower triangulation, and in soft sciences such as therapy or domestic violence, and even in areas such as accounting, plumbing, or as in the movie “My Cousin Vinny,” — independent rear suspension cars made in the 1960’s.

Do I Really Need an Expert Witness?

Follow your lawyer’s recommendations here.

The defense can establish their own trial theory either through their own witnesses and experts or through the prosecution’s witnesses and experts.  Prosecution witnesses and experts are predictably uncooperative with us and some of their experts will easily admit to shortcomings in the state’s case and others won’t.  There is no substitute for the clarity and power a good expert witness can provide on your side.

There are risks to proffering an expert witness in your defense.  A good expert witness should be loyal to their discipline – not necessarily to you winning your case.  This helps them be credible.  But this also means your expert may have to admit to facts which can hurt your case when the prosecutor asks… and sometimes those could be facts and analysis the prosecutor was never aware of in the first place.

Ultimately the complexity of certain issues often dictates.  Trial is teaching the jury a theory.  That can be hard with a state’s expert who sees it as their job to make sure you lose.  A good expert witness on your own side is often necessary.

Why is an Expert Witness Paid?

I don’t work for free and neither do you.  I haven’t met anyone who does.

The fact a defense expert witness is paid and how much are typically good fodder for prosecutors on cross examination.  If you think about the fact they’re paid – it’s actually a good thing.  That is because testifying is their livelihood and for that reason they wouldn’t jeopardize it by saying crazy or quack science when a court reporter allows everyone in the State to know how they testify.

The Court Can Pay For Your Expert

The Court can pay for someone’s expert witness in certain instances — even if the lawyer is retained privately.  The expert must be willing to accept the court’s payments which are typically lower than on the private market and the Court will underwrite and evaluate Defendant’s financial status.

Ask your lawyer about Court assistance for experts if money is tight.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is designated as a Texas Super Lawyer by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

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What is the Difference Between a Flat Fee and a Retainer When Hiring a Lawyer?

October 10, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

jeremy@texasdefenselawyer.com

(972) 369-0577

This is a common question.

Remember a lawyer is selling their time.  Both a flat fee and retainer are different ways the lawyer sells that time.  These are actually topics of much debate in the legal community and are a bit more complex than meets the eye.

Abraham Lincoln said the legal fee is important because “It lets the client know he’s got a lawyer and the lawyer know he’s got a client.”

Important Reasons Which Go Into a Fee Amount 

A lawyer’s time is not an unlimited resource and some lawyers are justified in charging more for their time than others based on complexity of the matter and that lawyer’s experience.

Also, when a lawyer accepts your case – the lawyer is also limiting themselves because the lawyer now can’t sell time to (1) a different paying client because there are only so many hours in a day or (2) other potential clients he or she cannot legally represent because they would be conflicted from representing by virtue of their representation of you.

Flat Fees

A flat fee sounds a bit more self-explanatory than a retainer but there are still restrictions and issues with lawyers charging flat fees.

The advantage of the flat fee is it is clear-cut and caps the client’s potential financial output.  The disadvantage is the client could over-pay if the case is more resolved more quickly than anticipated.

Flat fees must still be justifiable at the end of the day.  Common sense still applies.  Where a client pays a lawyer gobs of money on day one and the client terminates representation on day two – the lawyer simply cannot justify keeping anything other than the amount he’s actually earned, if any.

Retainers

A retainer is money paid to the lawyer which the lawyer sets aside in a trust account.  The money legally remains the client’s property unless or until the lawyer earns it.  Once they earn it, they can then draw it from the account.

If the lawyer does not earn all of the money you deposited in trust then the client is entitled to a refund of the unused retainer.

The upside of a retainer is obvious.  The downside of a retainer is once the retainer has been expended, it typically needs to be refilled.

I compare a retainer to a tank of gas.  Sometimes it takes a half a tank to get to the destination but sometimes it could take 3 tanks.

Is A Flat Fee Better or is a Retainer Better?

It depends on the case in my mind.  You don’t want your lawyer to be paid too much and believe it or not — you really don’t want them to be paid to little either.

In a criminal defense practice there are many cases we handle very routinely where our time is predictable and as the lawyer, we’re willing to take the risk on a flat fee because we know from experience the amount of time we’ll be spending on a certain case falls in within an acceptable range.  Those tend to be misdemeanors like DWI, domestic assault, or theft cases to name a few.

Retainers are a flexible way to handle cases where our time output will be a bit more difficult to predict.  Those would typically be cases like sexual assault, felony drug possession, or white collar charges such as embezzlement or money laundering.  A retainer also assists when we need to pay other client expenses such as investigators or expert witnesses which we’ll need to involve from time to time depending on the case.

The retainer, then, is a good way of making sure the fee is just right on more complex cases where a flat fee may just be far too high or far too low.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is Designated as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

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Your Right to a Speedy Trial – and The Effect of the COVID Pandemic

October 8, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

jeremy@texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

This could probably be a full blown law review article but I’ll stick to good blogging etiquette – long enough to cover the basics and short enough to keep interest.

These days I sound like a broken record with my clients.  “We’re not able to have your jury trial yet.  We need to reset your case again.  Sorry.”

Many of my clients don’t want a speedy trial and many are happy to put off their prosecution indefinitely.  Everyone is different and their circumstances are different so I can see it both ways.  The Constitution guarantees a right to a speedy trial for no other reason that it takes away a possible prosecutorial ploy to ruin someone’s life by just maintaining a cloud of suspicion over a person without ever having to prove their case.

I find courts and prosecutors still struggle with their own understanding of what a speedy trial is or isn’t.  Unfortunately my experience is Courts and prosecutors generally don’t take speedy trial issues very seriously and only see it as an arbitrary escape hatch for a criminal to avoid responsibility.  Our challenge is to show the Court why the Constitution means what it says and says what it means about speedy trials in every case.

How Speedy Trial Works under the Law

The cornerstone case for speedy trial for both State and Federal purposes is called Barker v. Wingo.  That case weighs four separate factors in determining whether there has been a violation of someone’s rights to a speedy trial.

The Barker v. Wingo Factors (Quickly)

The Court Weighs:

  1.  The length of the delay;
  2.  The reason for the delay;
  3.  The time and manner in which Defendant asserted their right;
  4.  The degree of prejudice Defendant has suffered because of the delay.

Prejudice suffered can be anywhere from the natural stress and anxiety which comes from being criminally prosecuted to things which more directly impact the case such as witnesses being more difficult to find or memories about an event fading.

Another big factor is the reason for the delay.  Courts typically try and calculate who is at fault for how much of the delay.  In Barker v. Wingo, the accused was a co-defendant in a homicide.  The prosecution wanted to convict the other person first so they sought 13 or 14 continuances on Barker’s case for strategy reasons.

COVID Delays

We won’t know how the Courts will construe speedy trial delays under Barker for the purposes of the pandemic.  I don’t think they can blame the defense, obviously, for the delay – but the question is whether the Courts will attribute the delays to the government because of of public safety?  Could courts turn around and try to blame Defendant for asserting rights such as the right to confront witnesses in person – or not having a judge trial instead of a jury trial?  It’s hard to know.

Stay Tuned

In 2021 and almost certainly beyond – we are looking to have a major backlog of court cases which will need to be resolved.  Courts have often been dismissive of speedy trial issues but the issue may have a resurgence.

What Lawyers Should be Doing Now

There is really no reason a lawyer shouldn’t file a speedy trial demand in each of their cases set for trial during the pandemic.  Those speedy trial demands can always be waived, but it helps establish the third prong – that the defense is trying to assert their right early in the process.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

 

 

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