Tuesday

Harris County Juvenile Attorney James Sullivan Defends Troubled Teens in Court

Houston Texas Juvenile Defense Trial Attorney James Sullivan is a recognized expert in juvenile law and fights to defend children accused of delinquency offenses. Since 1994, Jim Sullivan has fought to defend over 1,000 children. He has defended children in juvenile court on virtually every kind of delinquency case, ranging from misdemeanor possession of marijuana to felony murder. He has won felony jury trials in all three Harris County Juvenile District Courts, a rare distinction.

Attorney James Sullivan is Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2004. He is a recognized expert in the highly specialized area of juvenile law. In  the state of Texas, there are only 68 lawyers board certified in Juvenile Law.

Juvenile Law is different than criminal law. Many criminal defense lawyers advertise that they are also juvenile defense lawyers, yet they may never have tried a juvenile case to a jury. In order to hold oneself out as a true expert in Juvenile Law, a lawyer has to be Board Certified in juvenile law. To become Board Certified in a specialty area, an attorney must
  • have been licensed to practice law for at least five years,
  • devoted a required percentage of practice to a specialty area for at least three years,
  • handled a wide variety of matters in the area to demonstrate experience and involvement (including at least 3 jury trials, 5 non-jury trials and 3 certification hearings),
  • attended continuing education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date,
  • been evaluated by fellow lawyers and judges, and
  • passed a 6-hour written examination.
The parents of children caught up in the juvenile justice system are very concerned about how their child’s misdemeanor or felony delinquency case could impact their future. This is a very valid concern. Colleges and universities have access to juvenile records. Clearly, a juvenile delinquent is less likely to receive a highly coveted admission to a top school. Also, law enforcement has access to juvenile records.  When juveniles are stopped by the police, they may be treated differently when the police know that they have a record. There are several other ways that a juvenile record could impact your child.

James Sullivan is appreciative of the clients that take the time to write a review.

Last year our teenage son got into serious trouble and we needed representation for him. We initially hired a different attorney but after seeing Jim Sullivan’s demeanor in court representing someone else, we switched to him immediately. Our son was being held in juvenile detention and was charged with terroristic threat and criminal mischief. Out of jealousy, he had texted threats to his then girlfriend when he learned she was with another guy. Our son is not a violent person and would not have harmed the girl, but words do have meaning and his impulsive act got him in trouble. 
Jim Sullivan was able to get our son released back to us under strict rules of supervision. He had to stay at home and under our supervision when he was not in school. As it happened, this court order was a blessing in disguise because it helped clear him from more serious false charges. 
A few weeks later our son was falsely accused of assault against a prior ex-girlfriend at a time when he was at home with us. At about the same time, another girl claimed our son had sent her threatening text messages at school. We later learned she had been misled by a boy at school. Despite our insistence to the officer that our son was innocent, he was re-arrested on new charges of assault and terroristic threat. Our son was devastated. We didn’t think we could get him out of detention again. 
Jim Sullivan told us he had never heard of a child being released on PAT Team supervision for a second time after picking up new charges, but he would do his best. Jim did tell us about a previous case that he had quickly taken to a jury trial and won for a client after the same judge wouldn’t release his client from detention. In hindsight, it was 
Our son was visibly distraught when he was brought before the judge. Jim told the judge he could prove our son’s innocence and that if the DA did not dismiss the new charges then he would be asking for the earliest possible jury trial. Jim asked the judge to release our son with an ankle monitor, and incredibly the judge did so. Jim’s earnestness, experience and reputation made the difference. 
After Jim Sullivan the offense report of the assault charge, he said it was clear our son was set up and that the girls all knew each other. The girl who was assaulted didn’t even report it. Instead, it was our son’s recent girlfriend who first had him arrested that did so. I mean, what are the odds? We believe the girl was assaulted by her then boyfriend and was pressured by him to blame our son instead. The girl’s story was so incredulous, the details so over the top that it belonged in a soap opera. Jim referred to these girls as the Pretty Little Liars after the Netflix show. 
Jim Sullivan worked for nine months on our son’s cases. He hired investigators to interview witnesses and subpoena records. He combed through witness statements and phone records, identifying discrepancies in them. He arranged for our son to take a polygraph test which he passed. Jim came to court ready to fight for our son. He said if the prosecutor did not dismiss the two new charges that he was ready to fight them at a jury trial. In the end, the prosecutor backed down and agreed to dismiss them. Our son received probation at home for the first two cases. At age 18 our son can get all of his juvenile records sealed. 
Jim Sullivan has an extensive list of contacts within the juvenile system that enabled him to get things done quickly and correctly. He gave us very good advice and made excellent decisions regarding the handling of our son’s cases. His knowledge of the law is impressive, and he has an established reputation within the Harris county juvenile system as an honest and capable attorney. Most importantly, Jim helped our son. He spent a lot of time with him, comforted him in very difficult times, and made us all feel optimistic in some rather distressing situations. ~Anonymous (Avvo review)

If your child needs a juvenile defense lawyer, call Attorney James Sullivan at 281-546-6428 for a free 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.