Discreet and aggressive defense for accusations that change lives.
Sex offense allegations carry consequences beyond almost any other category of criminal charge. Even an arrest can affect employment, housing, family relationships, and professional licensing. The cases require defense work that is both legally rigorous and personally discreet, conducted with respect for the gravity of the situation on all sides.
Texas law covers a range of sex offenses including sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, indecent assault, indecency with a child, continuous sexual abuse, sexual performance by a child, and online solicitation. Each has its own elements and penalty range, with many in the first-degree felony category carrying 5 to 99 years or life in prison.
Separate registration requirements under Chapter 62 of the Code of Criminal Procedure apply to most sex offense convictions and to certain deferred adjudications. Registration is not a separate sentence but a long-term consequence that affects where the registrant can live, work, and travel.
Many sex offense cases involve extended pre-arrest investigations. Police interviews, child advocacy center forensic interviews, sexual assault nurse examinations, DNA collection, and digital evidence preservation all happen before any formal charges. Decisions made during this investigative window often shape the entire case.
If you are aware that you are under investigation for a sex offense, the most important thing you can do is stop talking and get counsel involved immediately. Statements made during the investigation, even statements intended to clarify or explain, are routinely used at trial in ways the speaker did not anticipate.
Sex offense trials require careful jury selection, thoughtful cross-examination of complaining witnesses, expert witnesses on memory and suggestibility when appropriate, and a strategic decision about whether the defendant should testify. Each decision affects the others.
We approach these trials with the seriousness they require. The defense is not about attacking the complaining witness personally. It is about testing the state's evidence and presenting the alternatives the state's investigation may have ignored.
False sex offense allegations exist. They arise in custody disputes, in retaliation contexts, in misidentification cases, and in situations where consensual conduct is later recharacterized. Defending against false allegations requires both legal skill and sensitivity, because aggressive defense in the wrong context can alienate a jury.
The work involves examining the timing and context of the allegation, identifying inconsistencies and motivations, and presenting the evidence that supports the defendant's account without making the proceedings into a personal attack on the complainant.
Sex offender registration in Texas can last ten years or for life, depending on the offense. Restrictions on residence, employment, internet use, and travel apply during the registration period. Some registrants are eligible for early termination, deregistration, or reduction of registration tier in specific circumstances.
Negotiating outcomes that avoid registration entirely, where the facts allow, is often the single most important objective in a sex offense case. The collateral consequences of registration can exceed the direct punishment in their impact on the person's life.
Talk to an attorney who handles these cases regularly. Consultation requests are reviewed personally and treated with full confidentiality.
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