Juvenile - Adult Criminal Court Crossover Case Study

Criminal Defense Case Study

Matter:

Juvenile - Adult Criminal Court Crossover Case Study

Service:

N/A

Summary:

16 year old Juvenile client charged as a primary accomplice with Burglary of a Habitation/Home Invasion, with firearms being the primary target. Client was IQ intelligent from a good supportive family, had an engaging personality when he chose to use it, and he had a number of things going for him in his life. But, as happens sometimes, the choices he was making weren't particularly sound.

Result:

We were able to communicate the client's good points to the prosecution and probation departments; we got a significant break when the complaining witness filed an affidavit of non-prosecution, and client, to his credit, kept his nose clean for a while - all of which led to an agreed reduction of the charge and no formal punishment being assessed by the court.


Before we actually received the result above in juvenile court, client decided he wasn't done with the poor choice world, and so got himself arrested for another burglary - this time as a 17 year old. Under Texas law that qualified him as an adult in Criminal District court. Having a felony conviction on your record as you're just starting out into the adult world is not a pleasant thing to contemplate, and his future was in some jeopardy.


Fortunately, we ran into yet another reasonable prosecutor on this case. He worked with me and the client's family, and we were able to put together a plan for a diversionary track. Essentially this meant that client would be on a pre-disposition form of probation for about a year, complete various conditions, and stay the course and out of trouble throughout. His family played a huge supportive role, client grew up and met his responsibilities, and the upshot was a felony dismissal with no criminal conviction. He'll have a clean slate, and be off paper entirely in about 10 months.

Highlights:

Sitting down with client and his mother near the end of his diversion period, and having an honest chat with a young man about how he needed to change his conduct and step up - and then seeing him respond.

View Client's Testimony

References:

Please call us at 214-363-1828 or email us at info@meililaw.com for further details and contact information.

I contacted Col. Meili as a fellow practitioner to gain some context and perspective on a pretty complex set of issues. Because I practice in a different field of law, Col. Meili's extensive expertise was invaluable and he was more than generous with his time. A skilled and dedicated professional who cares deeply about obtaining the best possible outcome for his clients, Bill's a leader in this field.

- Steffen Chapin


After an exhaustive search of military attorneys, I came across the name of Bill Meili. From my first email exchange and telephone call, I knew that Bill was the right person to handle my case. I had discussed my unique circumstance with a handful of other attorneys who felt it may be too difficult to achieve the outcome that I was seeking - but Bill was interested in me and my case, and wholeheartedly believed that we had the ball in our court. I could tell that Bill cared about me as a person and soldier, not just viewing me as a paycheck.

- Anonymous