What Constitutes a Win?

February 20, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

Winning

From time to time I’m asked what my win-loss record is.  It’s a fair question, I suppose, from someone whose not around defense lawyers all-day every-day.

The question assumes all cases are equal in complexity, difficulty – and all people facing the dilemma of a criminal cases have the same tolerances for risk or life pressures which affect their decisions.  So I like to joke “last year, I made the playoffs.”  It normally gets a chuckle – but the person typically gets the point.

A sexual assault allegation where consent is blurred by alcohol consumption is much different than a bank robbery caught on tape.  Also the pressures facing a pilot arrested for a DWI and the loss of a lucrative livelihood aren’t the same as a college student studying for an MBA who got arrested for marijuana.  My goal is to clear everyone’s record who comes into my office – but not all cases are equal.

It’s unethical for any lawyer to guarantee results.  This makes sense because we are in the profession of quantifying unpredictable variables.  I know what the law says should happen — but unless I’m actually both your lawyer and the judge in a case, I can’t guarantee it will happen.  I know how the prosecutor will likely approach your case — but until I’m both the prosecutor and your lawyer in a case, I can’t guarantee what will happen either.  And then there are juries.  Don’t even get me started with them.

So what constitutes a win is often relative.  Make no mistake — I hate losing and I’ll always do my best to completely clear my client’s record in every case.  Sometimes it can be a really tall mountain.  If it is a bad felony charge we can often get it reduced if winning is too unrealistic.  If we can’t win a case which might result in losing a job or even a career – then we can often get the charges reduced to something my client can live with.  I’m in a tough business.  There are cases which come in my door where a great outcome is simply less time in prison.

The one thing a lawyer can always guarantee is how they treat you and their effort.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is an attorney licensed to practice in the State of Texas and is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

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How Long will my Court Case Last?

January 29, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

It depends on what type of case, where the case occurred and the court to which it is assigned.  Some cases have a tendency to be fast and others are typically slower.  The biggest single factor is typically evidence which must be analyzed such as lab evidence or computer forensics.  Cases without those components have less impediments.

This said, other complex cases obviously drag on a bit too.

Slower Cases:

  • DWI with blood draws
  • Drug Cases other than Marijuana
  • Computer Charges
    • Online Harassment
    • Hacking
    • Possession of Child Pornography
  • Sex Charges
    • Sexual Assault
    • Sexual Assault of a Child
    • Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child
  • White Collar Theft
    • Embezzlement
    • Money Laundering
  • Engaging in Organized Criminal Activities
  • Crimes against persons which  have complex medical records/ issues

 

Quicker Cases:

  • Assault
    • Assault/ Family Violence
    • Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
  • Retail Theft
  • Possession of Marijuana
  • DWI without blood testing
  • Criminal Mischief
  • Crimes against persons (without medical records)

 

Just how Quick (or Slow) will a Particular Case Be?

You can expect most Collin County Misdemeanors to last between 6 and 12 months from the date of arrest until a trial/ dismissal/ or plea bargain.  Felonies tend to be more complicated so those usually take longer.

Most of our courts have efficient dockets – meaning the cases move relatively quickly.  Some courts might have a glut of cases for various reasons and by luck-of-the-draw your case may take more time.

Other jurisdictions such as Dallas County simply have more real-world issues to contend with such as insufficient funding, high turn-over with court staff, or inexperienced prosecutors which can compound delays.  It should be no surprise that in general the bigger the county, the slower the case may be.

What Control do We Have in How Fast or Slow a Case Takes?

Some.  We can’t control how long an investigation, grand jury, or prosecutor takes to do their job… but we can control whether or not any delays are because of us.  Some clients want a case to move quickly and others prefer the case take a while for their own reasons.  We can do our best to affect either.

What About My Right to a Speedy Trial?

Analysis for speedy trial is multifaceted and analyzes more than merely calendar time.  Part of the analysis is about the reaons for any delay, whose fault delay may be (the prosecutor, the defense, or in many instances — the Judge).  Another component of the analysis is what degree of harm was suffered by Defense by the delay?  Stress and anxiety are parts — but the loss of evidence (such as a witness moving) could play a role too in speedy trial analysis.

“Tough-on-Crime” Courts have done much in Texas to gnaw away much of Speedy trial rights and privileges… so normally trying to have a case dismissed for lack of speedy trial isn’t typically my first preference.

Bottom Line

You won’t get a really sharp estimate for how long your specific case will take on the internet.  Sorry!  You’ll just have to run that question by a lawyer who is familiar enough with all the players and factors involved.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is an attorney licensed to practice in Texas.  He is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He was Designated as a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters in 2019.

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What does it Mean when a Crime is “Aggravated”?

January 18, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

It typically means “worse” or “heightened.”

The term ‘aggravated’ is applied to many different criminal charges and there is no uniform definition as to what allegation renders a charge ‘aggravated’ in any specific case.  One constant is an ‘aggravated’ allegation normally kicks the punishment range up a notch or more.  It can also affect parole eligibility if someone is sent to prison.

 

Here are the most common “Aggravated” offenses in Texas:

Aggravated Assault – Assault where someone either uses or exhibits a deadly weapon.  It can also mean assault which results in serious bodily injury.  See Texas Penal Code 22.02.

Aggravated Sexual Assault – Sexual assault is generally where a person conducts one of a number of prohibited sexual acts to another (Tex.Pen.C. 22.011).  Aggravated sexual assault can be committed where defendant inflicts serious bodily injury on the victim, assaults a person younger than 14, or a disabled or handicapped person.  Tex.Pen.C. 22.021).

Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child – sexual assault committed against a child younger than 14 years old.  Sexual assault of a child is committed where a child is between the ages of 14 and younger than 17.

Aggravated Perjury – perjury is making a false statement under oath.  It could be in an affidavit or an official document of some sort.  Aggravated perjury is a false statement during a court case which is considered material in nature to the proceedings.  Perjury is typically a Class a misdemeanor.  Aggravated perjury is elevated to a third degree felony.

Aggravated Robbery – Robbery is typically defined as theft plus assault regardless of how minor either is.  Aggravated Robbery is where a person uses or exhibits a deadly weapon in the commission of the robbery, causes serious bodily injury, or places in fear of imminent bodily injury of a person over 65 years of age or a disabled person.  Robbery is a 2nd Degree felony and aggravated robbery is a 1st degree felony.

Aggravated Kidnapping – Kidnapping is abducting a person.  Aggravated kidnapping is where someone is abducted with the intent to be held for ransom, intent to be used as a human shield, intent to sexually violate, or with intent to terrorize.

Aggravated Promotion of Prostitution – This offense is for those who invest in, finance or promote prostitution of two or more persons.  See Tex.Pen.C. 43.04.

Aggravated Promotion of Online Prostitution – Promotion of prostitution done in a fashion which is online.  Tex.Pen.C. 43.041.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is licensed to practice in the State of Texas. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice.

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How Smart Phones Have Revolutionized Criminal Law

November 15, 2019

By Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

(972) 369-0577

texasdefensefirm.com

Smart phones have revolutionized trial practice in the 21st Century.

How?  Because everyone old enough to be charged with a crime carries around a box of evidence with them.  The smart phone can tell who you talk to,  what messages you send to others, where you’ve been, what you’ve bought, and scariest of all — when you combine all these things — they tell others what you’re thinking.

And that’s not just you carrying around this box of evidence — it’s everyone.  I saw a commercial the other day which suggested we have more information about us in our phone than in our entire house!cell-phones-smartphones

So how do we make smart phones work for the defense?  It helps us get to the truth — which is virtually never as one-sided as the prosecution believes.  We can establish alibis, witness bias and witness motive — and that’s just the beginning.

Compulsory Process under the 6th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows us to subpoena records and smart phone data either directly from an adverse witness or from third-party providers such as Facebook, Instagram, or SnapChat.

In complicated trials and cases — it always makes sense to make smart phone technology one of the core foundations of an investigation.  We might know we know certain facts in a particular case — and smart or cell phone technology help us turn those facts into concrete instead of risking a swearing match.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a licensed attorney in the State of Texas.

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Posted by niftybrady

10 Principles of Defending People: #6 Investigate

June 5, 2018

By Collin County Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

Here are the previous articles I’ve written about principles of defending people in this series:

Investigation is critically important in criminal defense and in many ways it is one of the central reasons we’ve been hired.  The chief sustained complaint for ineffective assistance of counsel claims is failure to investigate.

In sum, I’ll use a quote again I just used the other day… “the harder I work, the luckier I get.”  This is squarely the truth in investigating a case.

 

What Constitutes a Thorough Investigation?

It obviously depends on the case.  Not every case is capital murder.  The list of what needs to be done to investigate in some cases can be endless.  Examples of research needing to be done includes (but certainly isn’t limited to):

  • Thorough interviews of witnesses (including your own client);
  • Reviewing the background of witnesses (including your own client) such as criminal history, lack of criminal history, mental health issues, or even school records;
  • visiting the scene of the accusation;
  • inspecting physical evidence in possession of the police;
  • independent lab analysis or confidential re-testing of certain evidence;
  • Hiring an expert witness to assist with complex issues;
  • Reviewing public documents such as previous court records;
  • Investigating cellular data and social media such as text messages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, etc.;

Pursuing a Theory

A major difference between a Defense investigation and a police investigation is the theories we pursue.  A Defense investigation shouldn’t be scatter-shot.  It needs to be focused towards a particular theory or theories in a particular case.  Police investigations tend to have theories too… but their theory is almost always that Defendant is guilty.

Why Don’t Some Lawyers Investigate?

There are multiple reasons.  First, is lawyers didn’t go to investigation school, they went to law school.  An investigation is something most lawyers learn by doing which might suck for you if you’ve hired one that’s still learning.

Second, many lawyers are afraid of what they’ll find.  They buy in to their client’s guilt and are worried if they dig up bad facts for their client then they’ll end up making the situation worse for their client.

Final reasons might include their lawyer is too busy, not resourceful enough, or tragically are indifferent.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas.

 

Leave a Comment » | Assault, Civil Liberties, crimes against children, Divorce related crimes, Homicide, Interference with child custody, Murder, sex cases, sex crimes, Trial Advocacy | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Jeremy Rosenthal, Esq.

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