Thursday

Grand Jury

Houston Felony Attorney James Sullivan has a proven record in getting felony cases no billed (dismissed) by the Grand Jury in Harris and surrounding counties.  

When a person is accused of a felony offense, there may be the possibility of his defense attorney winning his felony case at the Grand Jury level. Depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, this may or may not be a viable option, so it is important to talk to an experienced criminal defense attorney. With this strategy, the accused in effect has two chances to win his case before a jury:
(1)    Grand Jury and, if indicted,
(2)    Jury Trial

If the Grand Jury votes that probable cause (i.e. a probability) does not exist to believe that the accused committed the offense, the case is no billed (dismissed). If the Grand Jury votes that probable cause does exist, then the case is true billed (indicted). If a case is indicted, then the accused may have to have a Jury Trial in order to get the best result. A Jury Trial is more expensive and involves much more time and legal work.

Because prosecutors in Harris County generally seek to present felony cases to the Grand Jury between the first and second court setting, it is extremely important to hire a defense attorney right away.  Unless a defense attorney requests that the prosecutor hold the case from the Grand Jury in order to prepare a defense packet, the prosecutor will seek an indictment from the Grand Jury soon after the felony charge is filed.

NOTE: In smaller counties, prosecutors usually present the alleged facts of the case to the Grand Jury to secure an indictment instead of filing charges first.  This means that--as soon as a person knows that he is being investigated for a criminal case--he needs to hire a good defense attorney.  Recently, Sullivan was hired by a man in Montgomery County who was being investigated for molesting his nephew.  Sullivan called the DA's office and asked them to hold the case from the grand jury so that he could prepare a defense packet.  Two months later, his case was no billed by the Grand Jury.  He was so grateful he wrote and posted this review on AVVO--
I cannot thank you enough for your help with my case in Montgomery county. It was a very serious accusation against me.  My teenage nephew falsely accused me of molesting him.  You took our initial call on a weekend and assured us then that everything would turn out fine. You explained that it was very important for a good attorney to get involved before indictment because you believed a good defense attorney could get the case no billed by the grand jury.  And, that's exactly what you did.  You are very talented and professional at what you do. I cannot thank you enough for standing beside me, believing in me and and most importantly, your confidence. You are truly a super lawyer. ~K.M.
Once an accused is indicted, this option is no longer available. Therefore, time is of the essence in retaining an experienced defense attorney.

Since 1994, Houston Criminal Lawyer James Sullivan has worked to over 100 felony cases no billed by the Grand Jury.  


Attorney Sullivan is an experienced criminal defense attorney serving Greater Houston and Texas since 1994.  

Call James G. Sullivan and Associates at 281-546-6428 for a free confidential consultation.

Our Houston criminal lawyers defend 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.