Many people hold the misconception that homicide and murder are the same thing; but from a legal standpoint, these terms should not be used interchangeably.  There are different types of homicide depending on several factors, such as how the homicide was committed, whether it was intended or not, and the circumstances under which it occurred.  The most severe punishments for homicide charges include life imprisonment and the death penalty.

At both the state and federal levels, an offense is categorized and treated as an underage/juvenile only when it has been committed by a minor.  Regardless of the type, an underage or juvenile offense can severely damage your child’s future, career, and employment opportunities.  In addition, the emotional and psychological effects, and distress suffered by a minor can be fatal when a competent attorney does not manage the case.

A robbery offense constitutes taking another’s property without their consent, and with no use of violence either by deception or by physically stealing it. A misdemeanor theft conviction often involves only low fines because the majority of misdemeanor charges do not result in any term of imprisonment.  In other cases, the convict may have to pay restitution to the victim.

Misdemeanors are crimes considered and treated less severely than felonies.  A single crime, according to the intentions, circumstances, and consequences, may be categorized as a misdemeanor or a felony.    Although misdemeanors and felonies are classified into degrees, the distinction between the two consists on the fact that misdemeanors are considered crimes of “low seriousness” while felonies are considered crimes of “high seriousness.”

Depending on the circumstance and severity of the misdemeanor, a lack of adequate legal representation can cause such an offense to become a felony, and therefore, to be treated and penalized as a felony.  This may greatly affect you because the penalties are greater than those of misdemeanors.

Domestic Violence, also known as Domestic Abuse, refers to any action that inflicts physical, emotional, or psychological harm to another in an intimate relationship, such as dating, marriage, relative, or cohabitation.  Although domestic violence charges may be brought upon an individual if it occurs just once, patterns of abusive behaviors are more common and more likely to be punished severely.

Federal crimes are defined as offenses that violate the laws of the United States. As opposed to state or local offenses (defined by state and local law), federal crimes have a broader scope that transcends local communities and affects the national interest.  Federal prosecutors, also known as United States Attorneys, manage federal crimes and the penalties that surpass the severity of state sentences.

White collar crimes are typically committed by professionals or individuals with an educated background, such as managers and executives, or other individuals with high-profile positions, such as politicians. These are often committed for monetary gain and involve stealing money or creating fraudulent documents. Some common white collar crimes include bank fraud, forgery, theft, bribery, blackmail, embezzlement, insider trading, money laundering, tax evasion, and insurance fraud.

Individuals in these cases are typically charged with various health care fraud-related crimes. These include conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.  The charges are based on a variety of alleged fraud schemes involving various medical treatments and services, including home health care, psychotherapy, physical and occupational therapy, durable medical equipment (DME) and prescription drugs.

One of the most valuable rights a person charged with a crime has is a right to a trial. But what happens when errors are made in the trial that affect the outcome? Just as valuable is the right to trial is the right to appeal. Every person who is convicted of a crime in Texas has the right to appeal their conviction. For a majority of those people, that right is waived when they enter their plea pursuant to plea bargain agreement. However, where there is a trial, there is often an appeal.