Search & Seizure
Traffic stops, warrants, homes, phones, vehicles, statements, and physical evidence should be reviewed for constitutional and statutory issues.
Dallas–Fort Worth Felony Defense Attorney
A felony charge changes the stakes.
The defense starts before trial.
Defense for Texas felony allegations from state jail felonies through first-degree charges, including enhancement issues, bond conditions, search and seizure, witness evidence, digital evidence, negotiations, and trial preparation.
A felony case is not defined only by the accusation. The degree of the offense, prior record, enhancement allegations, admissibility of evidence, credibility of witnesses, and collateral consequences can all change the strategy.
State JailSeparate felony category
Third Degree2–10 years generally
Second Degree2–20 years generally
First Degree5–99 years or life generally
Dallas–Fort WorthServing North Texas
At a Glance
What makes a Texas criminal charge a felony?
Texas divides felonies into state jail, third-degree, second-degree, first-degree, and capital felonies. The classification is set by the offense statute and can be affected by enhancement provisions. The degree matters because it changes the punishment range and often the long-term consequences of a conviction.
What Changes The Case
The indictment is the beginning of the analysis—not the end.
A felony defense should test both the underlying allegation and every fact the State relies on to increase exposure.
Witness Credibility
Prior statements, video, motive, bias, inconsistent accounts, identification procedures, and physical evidence can affect whether a witness's story holds up.
Digital Evidence
Phones, location data, messages, social media, surveillance, downloads, and account ownership increasingly shape felony investigations and prosecutions.
Enhancements
Prior convictions and offense-specific facts can increase the punishment level. The State still has to establish the enhancement it alleges.
Forensic Evidence
Laboratory testing, DNA, toxicology, firearms evidence, fingerprints, medical records, and expert conclusions should be examined rather than treated as self-proving.
Immigration Consequences
For noncitizens, the exact offense and disposition can affect removability, admissibility, detention, naturalization, and future immigration relief.
Punishment & Enhancements
The charge level on day one may not be the final exposure.
Texas felony punishment ranges vary substantially by degree. Enhancement statutes can also increase punishment based on qualifying prior convictions or other statutory facts. That makes the prior record, charging instrument, and exact enhancement paragraphs part of the defense analysis from the beginning.
01What felony degree is actually alleged?
02Are enhancement paragraphs included?
03Do the alleged prior convictions legally qualify?
04What collateral consequences would follow each proposed disposition?
What To Do Now
Four priorities after a felony arrest or investigation.
Do not discuss the facts casually.
Statements to police, witnesses, friends, family, or online can become evidence. Preserve the ability to review the case before explaining it publicly.
Preserve favorable evidence.
Video, messages, location data, receipts, photographs, medical records, and witness information can disappear if they are not identified early.
Understand bond conditions.
Contact restrictions, GPS, travel limits, testing, firearm restrictions, and reporting requirements can create additional exposure if violated.
Review immigration effects before any plea.
For noncitizens, a negotiated criminal outcome should be evaluated for federal immigration consequences before it becomes final.
The Defense Process
Investigate. Challenge. Negotiate. Prepare for trial.
Felony defense should develop leverage from the evidence rather than assume the charging decision is fixed.
Secure Discovery
Obtain reports, video, statements, forensic material, warrants, photographs, digital evidence, and the charging documents.
Test The Evidence
Evaluate suppression, credibility, identification, forensic reliability, affirmative defenses, lesser offenses, and weaknesses in the State's theory.
Assess Exposure
Determine the actual punishment range, enhancement risk, collateral consequences, and realistic resolution options.
Build Toward Resolution
Use the developed record to pursue dismissal, reduction, negotiated resolution, motions, or trial as the facts support.
Felony Defense & Immigration
The shortest criminal sentence is not always the safest immigration outcome.
For noncitizens, federal immigration law can treat criminal dispositions differently from Texas criminal law. Offense elements, plea language, sentence, drug or violence allegations, loss amount, victim relationship, and immigration history may all matter. Criminal and immigration strategy should be coordinated before accepting a plea.
Frequently Asked Questions
Texas felony-defense questions.
What is the punishment range for a third-degree felony in Texas?
Texas Penal Code §12.34 generally provides imprisonment for 2 to 10 years and permits a fine not to exceed $10,000, subject to other applicable law and enhancements.
What is the punishment range for a second-degree felony?
Section 12.33 generally provides imprisonment for 2 to 20 years and permits a fine not to exceed $10,000.
What is the punishment range for a first-degree felony?
Section 12.32 generally provides imprisonment for life or for 5 to 99 years and permits a fine not to exceed $10,000.
Can prior convictions increase a felony punishment range?
Yes. Texas Penal Code §12.42 contains repeat- and habitual-offender enhancement provisions. Whether a prior conviction qualifies and what enhancement applies depend on the specific record and current charge.
Can a felony charge affect immigration status?
Potentially. Immigration consequences depend on the exact offense, record of conviction, sentence, underlying facts relevant under federal law, and the person's immigration history.
Confidential Consultation
Facing A Felony Charge Or Investigation?
Tell us the charge being investigated or filed, whether an arrest or warrant is involved, the next court date, any bond conditions, and whether prior convictions or immigration consequences may affect the case.
Get defense counsel involved early.
Felony cases can involve serious sentencing exposure, enhanced penalties, forensic evidence, witness testimony, search-and-seizure issues, and long-term consequences beyond the courtroom.
Request a Consultation → Call 833-FOR-PIRIContacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.