In Texas, a juvenile conviction can be used to enhance the punishment for a subsequent adult conviction under certain circumstances. This is known as “prior conviction enhancement.” Under Texas law, if a person is convicted of a felony offense and they have previously been convicted of a felony as a juvenile, the prior juvenile conviction […]
As we slog through the dog days of summer here in Texas, it’s hard to imagine that the Fall is on it’s way. But schools are starting back, football is returning to Sundays, and cooler weather will soon follow. Every other year there’s one more thing that September 1st marks in the Lone Star State: […]
Last Thursday, September 17th was Constitution Day. (I meant to blog about this earlier, but I got hit by some nasty RansomeWare. More on this in my next blog post!) To celebrate, Houston criminal defense attorneys Jen Gaut, Gemayel Haynes, Grant Scheiner and I organized a new tradition: we read parts of the Constitution on […]
Another police interaction video has gone viral this week. This time it wasn’t a cell phone camera. Instead, the video comes from the Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper’s own dash-mounted camera. The video shows Sandra Bland, a black woman, being pulled over by white State Trooper, Brian Encina for allegedly failing to signal […]
On Thursday, July 2, 2015 attorneys representing the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association gathered on the steps of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center to read the Declaration of independence. This was the sixth year of the Independence Day tradition. In attendance were past presidents of HCCLA, Robert Pelton, David Mitcham, Danny Easterling, Rob Fickman, Mark […]
By now, you’ve seen the video. McKinney Police Department Officer, Cpl. Eric Casebolt, a white man, throws a 15-year-old girl named Dejerria Becton to the ground at a pool party, then pulls a gun on two boys. All of this in a relatively well-to-do Dallas suburb. The video was shot with a cell phone camera by a 15-year-old […]
The Death of Freddie Gray On April 12, 2015 Lt. Brian Rice was on bicycle patrol with two young officers of the Baltimore Police Department, Garrett Miller, 26, and Edward Nero, 29. All three are white. Lt. Rice made eye contact with 25 year old black man, Freddie Gray, and by all accounts, Gray ran. […]
Our law office works hard to protect our client’s rights and treat them all like family. It can be hard work. So whenever we are recognized, it’s a very satisfying thing. In a ceremony with almost three hundred businesses represented, the Law Office of Philip M. Gommels was one of only four Houston law firms […]
