Texas Misdemeanor Defense

Texas separates misdemeanors into three classes. The class determines the maximum penalty and where you serve any sentence. In every category, a conviction creates a public criminal record that employers, landlords, and licensing boards can see.

• Class A misdemeanor: up to 1 year in county jail and up to a $4,000 fine.
• Class B misdemeanor: up to 180 days in county jail and up to a $2,000 fine.
• Class C misdemeanor: fine only, up to $500, but still creates an arrest record.

Even when the law treats a charge as minor, the consequences for you may not be. The defense begins by understanding what the prosecution must actually prove and where the evidence breaks down.

• DWI (first offense)
• Assault and family-violence assault
• Theft under $2,500
• Possession of marijuana under 4 ounces
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Public intoxication and disorderly conduct
• Criminal trespass
• Resisting arrest
• Driving with license suspended

A guilty plea may seem like the fastest way to put a misdemeanor behind you. It is rarely the smartest. The collateral consequences of even a Class C conviction can outlast the case itself.

A criminal record can disqualify you from professional licenses, public housing, financial aid, immigration relief, and many private-sector jobs. For some clients, expunction or non-disclosure can be negotiated as part of the resolution. Those options disappear once you plead.

Every case starts with the facts: what police observed, what they recorded, what they cannot prove, and what procedural mistakes were made. From there, we negotiate from a position of strength, pursuing dismissal, deferred adjudication, pretrial diversion, or trial when those alternatives are not on the table.

If you have been arrested or cited for a misdemeanor in Dallas or anywhere in Texas, call (214) 526-1100 today.