Category: Criminal Defense

Should you be facing the possibility of a criminal trial, you will need to decide whether or not you want a jury trial or a bench trial. The basic difference between the two is easy enough to state. A jury trial is when a criminal case is presented before a jury and the...

While the focus on many shows about the criminal justice system may be on the courtroom battle, most criminal cases end up getting settled out of court, before the need for a full-blown trial. This is because the defendant and prosecutor have come to a plea bargain regarding the criminal defendant. What exactly...

Burglary is a serious crime in Texas. Nonetheless, a skilled criminal defense attorney may be able to get the charges dismissed, help you plead guilty to a lesser offense like criminal trespass (which is a misdemeanor rather than a felony) or win your case at trial. At Navarrete & Schwartz, P.C. in Southwest...

Voir dire refers to the jury selection process, a critical step in any criminal case going to trial. Those selected as members of a jury will decide the fate of the criminal defendant. The importance of voir dire cannot really be understated. Let us take a moment to walk through what happens during this...

Mail fraud is one of the most commonly charged federal crimes. This is due to the fact that it is so broadly applicable. The penalties that await those convicted of mail fraud are severe. Large fines and up to 20-years imprisonment may be imposed. If the mail fraud involved benefits related to a presidentially...

What is the Castle Doctrine and when might it apply in a Texas criminal case?

Texas’ so-called Castle Doctrine has become a topic of interest for people across the country due to the widely followed criminal case against Amber Guyger. Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was charged with murder after shooting unarmed Botham...

In the State of Texas, burglary is the unlawful entering or remaining in a public or private structure with the intent to commit a felony, theft, or assault inside. To be convicted of burglary, it must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that there was not only an unlawful entry, but that the defendant...

Put simply, a felony is a serious crime. Defined by its punishment, a defendant charged with a felony faces state prison or jail time. This is in contract to misdemeanor crimes which are punishable by up to one year in local or county jail. For a felony, the jail term could be anywhere from...

Texas pretrial jailing practices have recently come under fire. There have been a string of critical federal court rulings. Additionally, there have been multiple jail deaths and the murder of a state trooper drawing attention to Texas bail and pretrial jailing practices. Two of the most largely populated counties in Texas have bail practices...

In March of 2016, Austin’s City Council passed the Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance. This ordinance is referred to as the “Ban the Box” Ordinance because it removes the check box that asks if a job applicant has a criminal record. It prohibits most employers from asking questions about an applicant’s criminal history until after...