Domestic Abuse / Family Violence
Harris County Domestic Assault Lawyers
The attorneys of James Sullivan & Associates, located in northwest Houston, are experienced in defending individuals in family violence cases. You can contact the firm and have a free telephone consultation with a trial attorney. Call 281-546-6428 to get the information you need to move forward.
Convictions for Family or Dating Violence Have Severe Consequences
Depending on the circumstances, the prosecutors can charge Assault Family Violence either as a:
· misdemeanor, or a
· felony.
A Class A Misdemeanor Assault means that a person caused bodily injury (or pain) to their partner. If the person used a deadly weapon in the domestic assault, then it is a Felony Aggravated Assault. If the person choked their partner or impeded their breathing, then it is also a Felony. No matter the level of the criminal offense charged, you can expect the court to order you out of your home and have no contact until the case is resolved with your partner, spouse or family member.
Consequences for those who are found guilty of assault family violence may include:
· Jail or prison time
· Community Supervision (Probation)
· Fines
· Community service
· Inability to own or purchase a firearm
· Protective orders and limitations on parenting time
· Anger management or BIPP counseling
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has a Family Criminal Law Division that focuses solely on domestic violence. The prosecutors immediately call the alleged victim to get their statement as to what happened. The prosecutors lock in the emotional stress of the event by obtaining their immediate statement. However, facts tend to change and the importance of the incident significantly lessens frequently after a short cooling off time.
Arrested for Assault Family Violence? Contact James Sullivan & Associates at 281-546-6428.
Defending a Houston Assault Family Violence Charge
Assault against a family member is very serious and can have far reaching consequences. The accused may be permanently barred from working in certain industries. The accused may be denied housing in apartment complexes. If you are charged with assault family violence, you should seek legal advice from experienced criminal defense lawyers.
The defense lawyers of James Sullivan & Associates fight to get their client’s assault family violence charges dismissed or won at trial. Other domestic assault lawyers may choose to arrange a plea bargain for their clients; however, this may not be in the client’s best interest. While it is true that a defendant who successfully completes a deferred adjudication probation will not have a conviction on their record, it is also true that if that person ever gets arrested again for assault family violence then he or she will be charged with a third degree felony and if found guilty could be sentenced to between 2 to 10 years in prison.
Negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors should be the last resort. A good domestic assault lawyer will first investigate the case, interview witnesses, analyze physical evidence and review witness statements in the offense report for inconsistencies. Such a defense attorney will also consider possible motives for making false allegations, such as jealousy, revenge or child custody issues. Even in cases of actual physical injury, it may be possible to negotiate a case dismissal with completion of a counseling program.
Need Legal Advice? Call James Sullivan & Associates at 281-546-6428.
Contact a Houston Assault Family Violence Lawyer
The best way to resolve the case is by first talking with an Assault Family Violence Attorney. Houston Criminal Lawyer James Sullivan will consider the merits of your case and give you an honest evaluation. He will aggressively defend you. He gets results and fights cases at trial. His legal fees are affordable, reasonable and fair.
James Sullivan graduated from the Trial Lawyers College founded by Legendary lawyer Gerry Spence and was invited to join The National Trial Lawyers organization. Sullivan has a proven record of defending people from all walks of life, faiths and countries in courts throughout Texas. This is one of his many client reviews on AVVO:
My 19 year old son was charged with Aggravated Assault of a Family Member in February 2017. Thanks to Attorney Jim Sullivan his case was dismissed by the grand jury only 3 months later.
My son had gone to a party with his girlfriend and a massive fight broke out. Both were pulled in and had to defend themselves. During this fight my son’s girlfriend fell and hurt herself pretty badly, but because they had been drinking she did not realize it at the time. After the fight was over they decided to go home, but thankfully another boy realized that they could not drive and offered to drive them home in my son’s truck.
When they arrived at my home the boy noticed that my son’s girlfriend was bleeding and accused my son of beating her. Of course my son had not done such a thing and both he and his girlfriend began to defend him. The boy would not listen and slashed my son’s truck tire and proceeded to call the police.
The boy left and the situation started a fight between my son and his girlfriend. Both suffer from depression and she is also bi-polar. My son took his knife out and threatened to kill himself. Sadly this was not the first time that my son has attempted to kill himself. When the police arrived they arrested my son and charged him with aggravated assault. The girlfriend screamed and yelled at them that my son had done nothing to her, but they did not listen. I understand that the scene they pulled up on may have caused them to believe that my son had hurt his girlfriend, but he hadn’t.
I was terrified of the consequences and googled attorneys in my area. Jim Sullivan popped up and I began to read all the reviews. I found his website and proceeded to read his bio. He specializes in aggravated assault cases and is a Christian. I was sold immediately so I reached out to him. After speaking with him the first time his main concern was my son’s well-being and his depression. That is when I immediately knew that I had contacted the right attorney.
About a month after hiring Jim Sullivan, my son got himself in trouble again. He was out one night and hit a parked car with his truck. He was afraid and made the wrong decision to not stop to give his information. He went to a friend’s house and the police were able to track him down and arrest him. He was charged with Failure to Give Information, a misdemeanor. At this point Jim rushed to finish preparing and turn in a defense packet on the first case and began working on this new case. Jim managed to persuade the prosecutor to dismiss the new case in exchange for my son performing 40 hours of community service and taking a decision making class.
And then we waited for the felony case to be presented to the grand jury. During this time my son continued to go out with his girlfriend, not realizing that he had a 90 day protective order against him instead of a 60 day like he believed because of the first case. The prosecutor made Jim Sullivan aware of the situation and Jim convinced him not to press further charges. By the grace of God, my son did not incur any further charges. Finally, we heard the good news that the grand jury dismissed the felony case.
Jim Sullivan was a godsend during a time that was most critical to my son’s future. I know how devastating these charges could have been, but Jim immediately invested himself in my son and his welfare. Unfortunately I have had previous experience with the criminal court system in Harris County and never have I encountered an attorney who not only took the time to work on the case, but also took the time out of his busy schedule to show he cared. Jim always took the time to speak to my son about his actions and his future. He recommended books and documentaries for my son to read and view. He always had positive words to say to my son. I highly, highly recommend Jim Sullivan. He is not only a brilliant and gifted attorney, but also a great man who shows compassion and understanding for those that make mistakes.
–Posted on May 24, 2017
Call James Sullivan & Associates for a free phone consultation at 281-546-6428 about your family violence charges in Harris County and Fort Bend.
Our law firm defends clients charged with crimes in district courts and county criminal courts, including domestic violence (assault of a family member), drug possession or drug delivery, violent crimes, and juvenile delinquency.
