Juvenile Law

 JUVENILE LAW ATTORNEY IN TYLER, TX

Your Trusted Advocates in State Legal Matters

If your child is facing criminal charges it can deeply impact their life now and in the future.

You need a professional in your corner. The ideal lawyer or firm knows the law, the local prosecutors and judges, and how to get the best result for your child.

Parents sometimes think that they can act as their child’s legal representative in court. However, as a parent, you cannot represent your child in juvenile court in Texas. A licensed attorney must represent your child.

A juvenile lawyer is someone who has experience in defending minors, children 10-17 years old, facing criminal charges. The attorney you hire needs to understand how to build a strong defense to avoid your child being placed in detention or a treatment facility.

Detention or treatment placement often results in a child struggling down the road due to the trauma they experienced while in the detention facility.

If at all possible, your attorney should work to avoid detention, placement, or adult certification. Juvenile adult certification is the process of a juvenile being certified as an adult to stand trial.

Having a skilled juvenile lawyer is necessary.

• Experience and expertise. A qualified lawyer has the experience and knowledge to effectively guide you through the legal process and build a strong defense.
• Protecting Your Child’s Rights. Your lawyer understands your child’s rights and ensures they are upheld throughout the proceedings. They can advise your child on responding to questions and help to ensure their statements are not misconstrued.
• Advocacy and Negotiation. An experienced lawyer can advocate for alternative solutions to detention, such as diversion programs or community service. They can negotiate with prosecutors to reduce charges or seek favorable outcomes. An attorney can also help you build a rehabilitation plan to prove to the prosecution that detention or inpatient treatment is not needed for your child. Also, in certain situations, attorneys can fight adult certification if there was a lack of diligence on the part of the prosecution or there were timing issues with when a crime was charged.
• Minimizing Long-Term Consequences. Even seemingly minor offenses can have lasting repercussions on your child’s future, such as impacting college admissions or future employment opportunities. A lawyer can work to minimize these potential long-term effects.

Time is of the essence when securing legal representation for your child. Ideally, your child should have an attorney before a detention takes place. By statute, detention hearings take place within 48 hours of an arrest in Texas.

Also, these hearings will be repeated every 10 days to prove the child’s continued detention is necessary. If the court determines that any of the following are true they may continue the detention of the juvenile:

1. There is reason to believe that the child may flee or be removed by someone from the county where the court having jurisdiction is located;
2. The child does not have a parent or guardian providing suitable care, protection, or supervision for the child at the time of the detention hearing;
3. The child is likely to be dangerous to himself or others in the community if they are released from detention; or
4. The child is delinquent in the eyes of the law for having already been convicted of a crime that is punishable by jail time and is likely to commit further criminal offenses if released from detention.

Parents must attend the detention hearing of their child in order for them to be released. Ideally, an experienced attorney is with you from the detention hearing until the end of the case.

If your child was not detained, you will also want to hire a lawyer quickly so that the probation department does not violate your child’s rights prior to the case going to court.

In the juvenile system in Texas, probation officers often act as liaisons between the court and families. Due to probation officers being State of Texas employees, this relationship can be

confusing and difficult to properly navigate.

An attorney should protect the juvenile’s rights in this relationship while making sure the juvenile remains compliant with the expectations of the Juvenile Court in cooperating with the probation officer.

Common Juvenile Offenses in Texas

• Theft
• Underage Drinking and Driving (DUI)
• Assault
• Vandalism or Criminal Mischief
• Minor in Possession of Alcohol (MIP)
• Drug Possession
• Possession of Controlled Substances (Vape Pens)
• Disorderly Conduct
• Truancy