Practice Areas
FELONY
If you have a pending felony case in Dallas County or any of the neighboring counties, you need experienced attorney who is knowledgeable about felony criminal defense representation.
Under the Texas Penal Code, there are five types of felonies, list below are those classifications along with their range of punishment:
Capital Felony Case - either life in state prison, or the death penalty.
- 1st degree Felony Case - 5 to 99 years in prison, and a fine up to $10,000.
- 2nd degree Felony Case - 2 to 20 years in prison, and a fine up to $10,000.
- 3rd degree Felony Case - 2 to 10 years in prison, and a fine up to $10,000.
- State jail Case - 180 days to 2 years in state jail, and a fine up to $10,000.
In Texas, a felony is defined as any criminal offense for which a a jail term of greater than one year, or a fine greater than $4,000, can be imposed. Felony charges arise when an indictment is handed down by a grand jury. Felony cases are heard in Criminal District Courts located in that County where the alleged crime took place.
If you have been charged with a Felony Case, you need an experienced Felony criminal defense lawyer. I will aggressively defend you, and use every lawful means possible to get you the best possible outcome in your case.
Call (281)734-1680 or submit a contact form Here to find out I can help.
misdemeanor
Have you been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor in Dallas County or one of the neighboring counties? Navigating the legal labyrinth can be a challenge. Don’t go it alone. As an experienced criminal defense attorney, I am here to guide you through the complexities of the legal system. With unwavering dedication, I will fight to protect your rights and strive to achieve the best possible outcome for you. Let’s face your legal challenges together. Although less serious than felony offenses, misdemeanor charges can still result in large fines and even could result in a lengthy term of incarceration in county jail.
The Texas Penal Code, separates misdemeanors into three categories with the following punishment range as shown here:
- Class “A”- punishable by up to 1 year in jail, a fine up to $4,000.
- Class “B”- punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a fine up to $2.000.
- Class “C”- punishable by no jail time, but a fine up to $500.
You need to protect yourself now and against future consciences. Some types of misdemeanor charges can affect your life down the road. Some examples are theft cases are considered crimes showing moral turpitude, meaning they demonstrate a lack of morality. This can have an effect on your current and future employment. Your ability to rent an apartment or house to name a few. Cases involving family violence can have consciences on purchasing and owning a firearm. Other misdemeanor cases can result in the lose of your driving privileges.
If you have been charged with a misdemeanor, you need an experienced misdemeanor criminal defense lawyer. I will aggressively defend you, and use every lawful means possible to get you the best possible outcome in your case.
Call (281)734-1680 or submit a contact form Here to find out I can help.
occupational license
In Texas, a person can obtain an occupational license which is a restricted driver license if your regular driving privileges have been suspended. If you hold a commercial driver license that is suspended you can get an occupational driver license, but it is NOT valid to drive any vehicle that is classified as a commercial vehicle under the Texas Transportation Code. If you have been charged with or convicted of DWI, or you have received a certain number of traffic ticket convictions within a specified time period, you may be classified as a habitual violator (https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/traffic-offenses) by the Texas Department of Public Safety and they may suspend your driver license.
If your license has been suspended and you receive other conviction(s) for DWLS (driving with a license suspended) or DWLI (driving while license invalid), this most likely will lead to your license being suspended for an additional period of time.
Driving with a suspended license is a crime in Texas, which could be punishable by time in jail. An occupational license allows you to continue driving, while avoiding the possibility of arrest. Occupational licenses are limited, in that an occupational license holder can only drive for limited purposes, at specific times of the day, and to and from certain locations.
In most cases, an occupational driver license will allow you to drive legally to work, school, doctor appointments, church and to obtain groceries (these purposes are thought to be necessities). It cannot be used to drive to the movies, sporting events or anything that would be classified as leisure or entertainment purposes. The court would deem these as NOT necessities. Some other restrictions that apply for an occupational license holder is they can only drive in their county of residence, and those counties adjacent to it (meaning bordering their county of residence). Also, an occupational license limits the ability of its holder in that you can only drive a maximum of 12 hours per day or what the court orders. In many instances, you are usually allowed to select the hours you wish or need to drive. Those hours need not be consecutive.
Call (281)734-1680 or submit a contact form Here to find out I can help.
Traffic Ticket Violations
You need an Experienced Attorney to represent you.
Traffic ticket convictions can lead to dire consequences, such as increased insurance rates, driver license suspension and inability to renew your driver license. Many people who receive a traffic ticket think that if they simply “pay the ticket,” all is good, NOT TRUE!
By just paying the ticket some of the consequences you might be facing are: your insurance premiums going up (usually for the next 3 years), possibly not being hired for a job that requires a “good driving record” and many more.
Anytime you just “pay the fine,” you receive a conviction that goes on your driver license record in Austin. Even though the State of Texas has repealed the Driver Responsibility Program (https://www.dps.texas.gov/news/driver-responsibility-program-repealed) which they use to impose fees, commonly known as surcharges, for drivers who were convicted of certain traffic tickets on September 1, 2019. There are still consequences for having a conviction on your driving record. The point system for violations on your driver license is not really a concern in Texas because it has per say, been done away with. Your driver license can still be suspended for many reasons such as receiving too many violations during a specified time period as stated here. (https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/traffic-offenses)
If you receive a letter from Texas DPS stating that your driver license is going to be suspended you must act quickly. You have 20 days from the date of notification to request a hearing to prevent the suspension from taking effect. Call us immediately so this time sensitive deadline is not missed.
Having the right attorney is crucial.
Warrants
Let’s say you get a traffic ticket and you miss your court date which was stated on the ticket. Maybe you misplaced it, you were out of town, the dog ate it, or it just slipped your mind; Stuff happens.
Now you received a notice in the mail that says a warrant for your arrest will be issued if you do not call the court and pay them immediately. Or better yet, the notice says a warrant for your arrest has been issued and you need to call the court right now and pay it or you will be arrested and taken to jail.
If you do this, there will be a conviction on your record and a really good chance you will pay much more than the original ticket. In additional to the original ticket, the court could issue a VPTA charge. This is a Violate Promise to Appear charge. Remember when the officer told you when you signed the ticket that “By signing, it was not an admission of guilt, only your promise to contact the court before the date on the ticket.” Not only do you have the original charge that the ticket was issued for, but now a VPTA charge, which has additional costs.
Never pay the court without contacting the Beacham Law Firm first. In almost every case, I can post bonds and have the warrants lifted so you will not be arrested. This will get your case back on the court’s docket so I can handle it and achieve the best results for you.
This is why you need to call the Beacham Law Firm and have an experienced and knowledgeable attorney represent you.
Commercial Drivers (CDL or CLP)
Whether you are in your commercial vehicle or your personal vehicle, the law does not care. You are not eligible for a defensive driver safety course or a deferment to prevent it from showing up on your driver record. Don’t jeopardize your livelihood! If you are a commercial truck driver who has been issued a traffic citation, call the Beacham Law Firm. I will work hard to get the best possible results for your case. Call now to protect yourself, your family, and your job; (281)
Call (281)734-1680 or submit a contact form Here to find out I can help.
What disqualifications could be imposed on a commercial driver license holder can be found here. ( https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/commercial-driver-license-cdl-disqualifications )