San Antonio Juvenile Lawyer

Mr. Collins is a board certified attorney in both juvenile and criminal law. As a former juvenile prosecutor, and now as a juvenile defense lawyer, he has handled juvenile cases including capital murder, murder, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated robbery and indecency with a child. He is an experienced and aggressive advocate that defends juveniles with a passion. He knows that defending juveniles is a complex and multidisciplinary practice that involves knowledge of criminal, civil, and family codes and procedures. Juvenile law requires an extensive familiarity with other issues as well such as the psychological and psychosocial development of adolescents. All of these factors must be thoroughly evaluated for successful juvenile defense.

Two of the topics that frequently arise in juvenile law are deferred prosecution and pre-trial diversion. These are legal scenarios that enable a juvenile to avoid an adjudication (and hence juvenile record) by agreement with the prosecutor. Other matters to be explored include a wide range of pretrial matters and motions, including juvenile confessions, search and seizure issues, mental illness and retardation proceedings, as well as special education and other school issues. All of these areas, should also be considered in light of the access to and confidentiality of juvenile records and proceedings.

There are also two areas of the juvenile law that permit more serious adult type penalties for juvenile delinquent conduct. One is certification and transfer hearings that can result in juvenile jurisdiction being waived and the juvenile transferred as an adult for prosecution purposes. This means a juvenile could receive real penitentiary time in adult prison. The second area is determinate sentencing. The family code sets out certain offenses that are aggravated and can result in penalties of up to 40 years. Initially, the juvenile will stay in the juvenile system, but at 18 he or she can be transferred to adult prison to receive the balance of the sentence. Mr. Collins has experience in both of these categories of juvenile law, and will fight for your child’s rights in these difficult proceedings.