Harris County Juvenile Lawyer
Houston Juvenile Defense Trial Attorney James (Jim) Sullivan is a recognized expert in juvenile law and fights to defend children accused of delinquency offenses. Since 1994, James Sullivan has fought to defend thousands of children accused of delinquency. He has defended children in juvenile court on virtually every kind of delinquency case, ranging from misdemeanor possession of marihuana to felony murder. He provides a strong legal defense.
Attorney James Sullivan is Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is a recognized expert in the highly specialized area of juvenile law. In Texas, there are only 38 such lawyers Board Certified in Juvenile Law in private practice. The other 27 board certified lawyers work for the government.
James Sullivan graduated from Baylor University in 1990 with a degree in Journalism, the ideal degree for investigating, discovering and telling winning stories in court. In 1993, Sullivan graduated from South Texas College of Law, which is nationally recognized as the top law school for trial advocacy.
James Sullivan later graduated from Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming. Founded in 1994, it is the most selective and prestigious trial advocacy program in America. The methods taught at TLC are not taught anywhere else. The 1,150 graduates form an extremely unique community of the most accomplished trial lawyers in the United States.
Juvenile Law Is Not Criminal 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, 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.
If your child needs a juvenile defense lawyer, contact Attorney James Sullivan at (281) 546-6428 for a confidential consultation.
