We Navigate Texas Juvenile Law to Safeguard Your Child’s Future
Juvenile Law refers to a unique, complex, and highly-specialized legal system which come into play when children are charged with offenses that would normally be decided in adult criminal courts.
Many young adults and their families are unaware that significant punishment outcomes are possible in the Texas juvenile justice system. It is often incorrectly assumed that a juvenile’s records will be “sealed” once that individual becomes an adult. There are specific rules and limitations on sealing.
Teenagers are often searched or interrogated by law enforcement without an attorney. They are pulled out of class at school or stopped on the street and questioned. Parents are rarely notified. While juveniles are afforded the same rights under the Constitution as adults, they are often intimidated into thinking they do not have rights.
Who we are
Bill Connolly is the only attorney in Texas that is Board Certified in Family Law, Child Welfare, and Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is a former adjunct Professor of Juvenile Law. Retired Senior District Judge Mike Schneider presided over thousands of juvenile cases in the 315th Juvenile District Court and was a member of the Harris County Juvenile Board from 2006-2018. Both Connolly and Schneider have served as Chair of the Juvenile Law Sections of the Houston Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas and have successfully handled thorny and high-profile juvenile matters from misdemeanors to capital murder.
What we have done
At CSS, we are skilled in handling all forms of complex juvenile proceedings from deferred prosecutions to certifications (juveniles facing transfer to adult criminal court), transfer hearings (juveniles facing transfer to adult prison), trials (court or jury) and appeals. Some representative case resolutions handled by CSS include:
Successful defenses of murder cases;
Drastic reduction of felony charges and dispositions;
Case Dismissals;
Successful defenses in drug possession cases;
Successful defenses of aggravated robbery cases;
Successful defenses of attempts to certify juveniles to stand trial as adults;
Successful defenses to Motions to Transfer to Adult Probation and Motions to Transfer Determinate Sentence from Texas Juvenile Justice Department to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
Successful reversal of juvenile cases on appeal or Mandamus;
Creative case dispositions; and
Sealing of files and records.
Range of Punishment
In Texas, juvenile law applies in cases where, at the time of an alleged crime, the accused was at least ten (10) years old, but not yet seventeen (17), and includes offenses ranging from Class B misdemeanors to capital murder. Punishment ranges from probation to up to forty (40) years in juvenile custody and possible transfer to adult prison. Unlike most states in the U.S., juveniles in Texas have a right to trial by jury on the determination of whether they engaged in delinquent conduct (guilt or innocence). There is also a right to a trial by jury on the issue of disposition (punishment) in the most serious felony cases.
The general purpose of a specialized juvenile justice system is supposed to be rehabilitative, and not merely punitive in nature. However, in Texas, the consequences (punishment) can often include decades-long sentences, “certification” to stand trial as an adult, transfer to the adult prison or parole system, sex-offender registration—and in some cases, court records that can never be sealed.
Why Choose Our Experienced Team
If your child is being investigated, or has been suspected, detained, interrogated, or charged in a juvenile delinquency proceeding, Bill Connolly and Mike Schneider and the firm of Connolly Schneider Shireman, LLP offers representation with a deep understanding that our clients have their whole life in front of them. If your child’s rights require immediate protection, our attorneys can step in to salvage the present and safeguard their futures.
