If you are arrested, call your family immediately, and give them our office number. Make sure they call our office before the bond
company. In many cases, we can help bond you out and even apply some of the money to your attorney fees. In felonies, we may be able
to get your bond reduced first, and save you money up front. We may be able to refer you to a bond company with a lower rate than
others, or one who will put you on a payment plan. (If you do not get a call back from our office within the hour, then we suggest
that you go ahead and call a Bail Bond company).
When you do come to the office to talk about your case, please be completely
honest about your situation. You must let us know if there is some evidence that makes you look guilty, even if you are innocent.
And you must let us know if you have prior offenses as well. It will only hurt your case if we have to find these things out from
the prosecutor later and are not prepared to explain it.
We can thoroughly review your case, tell you what your options are,
and then give you advice as to how to proceed. We will keep you informed of the steps we plan to take at the critical stages of your
case. We will explain to you the pros and cons of plea bargaining vs. going to trial. We will give you our honest opinion about your
chances of success. (Another word of warning -- there are no guarantees in any case, so beware of attorneys who "promise" they will
get you off in exchange for a big fee up front).
We will fight hard to protect your rights, and keep you informed of the progress
as the case moves along. Finally, we will not pressure you into "making a deal" at the last minute as some attorneys out there do.
The decision is too important for that -- you must be the one to decide your fate.
The Gordon Law Firm, P.C. | Ph: (210) 531-9700 | Fx: (210) 732-0158 | Email: Lawgordon@aol.com
Important: Click here to read a Disclaimer in regards to the following information.
Some people have the mistaken impression that their criminal record will disappear after a certain number of years. This is simply
not true. Under Texas law, a conviction will stay on your record for the rest of your life. Some think that their record is already
cleared because they got “deferred adjudication” on their original charge. This is not really true either, because although a successful
“deferred adjudication” will help you to avoid an actual conviction on your record, it will not erase the fact that you were arrested
and charged in the first place.
In certain cases a person can get their record “expunged”. This means that their record is completely wiped away, and they can legally deny that the charges ever existed. The eligibility requirements are very strict and are generally limited to cases where the original charge was dismissed because of a mistake or because they were false. You are not simply eligible just because you got “probation” or even “deferred adjudication”. You should be eligible if the charges were reduced to a “Class C” misdemeanor.
If you are not eligible to have your record “expunged”, you might still be able to get your records “sealed.”by obtaining an “Order
of Non-Disclosure.” If it is a juvenile record, it is basically an automatic right. If it for a charge that you picked up after age
17, then it is more difficult.
You are generally eligible if you received a “deferred adjudication” for the charge AND it has
been at 2 years (for misdemeanors), or 5 years (for felonies) since you successfully finished your probation. However, you must also
show that you have not gotten any new convictions in the meantime. Some charges are not eligible for the “non-disclosure.”
Keep
in mind that a “non-disclosure” is not quite as good as an “expungement.” The order does prevent the average person from finding out
about your record, but does not prevent law enforcement and certain other government agencies from being able to look up your record.
Also, note that there are numerous private record keeping agencies out there that may only update their records once a year, so it
could be awhile before the full effect of the “non-disclosure” protection kicks in.
Attorney Stephen H. Gordon - Voted Texas “Super Lawyer” in 2007 by “Scene in SA” Magazine.
HONEST. HARD-WORKING. HERE TO HELP.
Stephen H. Gordon - Attorney at Law
5820 IH-10 West, Suite 400 - San Antonio, Texas 78201
Ph: (210) 531-9700
| Fx: (210) 732-0158 | Email: Lawgordon@aol.com