Thanks to all the other co-sponsors of yesterday’s WOW Youth Expo who joined Blizzard and Zimmerman Attorneys in sponsoring the event. We were truly impressed with all the students from across the Big Country who we talked to whether they were interested in law, or just looking at what career options are available to them….
The U.S. Constitution guarantees your right to an attorney in a criminal case. This right extends to state prosecutions through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. The Texas Constitution article I also provides this right. This doesn’t mean you must be provided an attorney at no cost. What this right grants you is…
In many cases, no one has retained counsel for you absent some heads up that the charge is pending, and you had time to reach out to a lawyer. You can expect to see your attorney in short order through the attorney appointment process. Appointed counsel should do the same despite the disparity in pay….
Conflicting responsibilities are part of the nature of practicing law. Good attorneys know that failing to deal with impermissible conflicts of interest lead to difficult ethical problems in their practice. Attorneys must recognize conflicts of interest under Rule 1.06 and take appropriate action. The lawyer must at a minimum withdraw and communicate that the representation…
According to Author Vincent R. Johnson, Professor of Law, St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas in a 2003, article titled “Absolute and Perfect Candor” To Clients, he stresses the importance of answering the question of how often a lawyer must communicate with you. In his article, he argues that a lawyer’s duty…
If you don’t like your attorney then you always have a right to fire them. You have a right not only to retain counsel but to choose counsel. Some of the factors weighed on appeal in deciding if the defendant was denied the right to counsel of his or her choice when forced to trial…
The handling of client funds and property are a big concern of lawyers. Conflicting responsibilities are part of the nature of practicing law. Good attorneys know that failing to deal with impermissible conflicts of interest lead to difficult ethical problems in their practice. Attorneys must recognize conflicts of interest under Rule 1.06 and take appropriate…
When you must be granted an appointment is dependent on the population size of the county in which the court sits. Under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Arts. 1.051(c), the court has three work days to provide you with an attorney after; judicial proceedings have started, you are deemed indigent, and you requested a…
According to the courts if you’re considered an indigent defendant you’re entitled to an appointed attorney. Under federal law the right to appointment is dependent on a deprivation of liberty. In Alabama v. Shelton, a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court case where the defendant plead guilty and granted probation in lieu of a jail sentence was…
Leo Figueroa is executive director of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) and he recently spoke about the importance of Board Certification on a State Bar of Texas Podcast. Attorney Jacob Blizzard is the managing partner of Blizzard and Zimmerman Attorneys and he’s one of only 87 attorneys out of 100,000 attorneys in Texas…
