Austin

Being arrested or accused of a crime can put your freedom, career, family, reputation, and future at risk. Suddenly, you may be dealing with police questions, court dates, bond restrictions, and decisions that could affect your life for years. BRCK Criminal Defense Attorneys exists to guide people through that uncertainty, fight for what comes next, and fulfill our mission of Helping People Move On With Their Lives.

BRCK represents people facing criminal charges in Austin and throughout Travis, Hays, and Williamson Counties. Criminal defense is not one of many services we provide. Our practice is 100% criminal defense.

Our attorneys bring more than 50 years of combined criminal defense experience to the firm. We investigate allegations, scrutinize the State’s evidence, identify weaknesses in its case, and pursue every legitimate opportunity for a dismissal, reduction, acquittal, or other favorable resolution.

No two criminal cases—and no two clients—are exactly alike. Our job is to understand what happened, determine what prosecutors can actually prove, and build a defense around the facts, evidence, and priorities of the person whose future is at stake.

When you hire BRCK, you are not simply hiring an attorney to appear at your next court date. You are hiring a criminal defense team.

Attorneys, paralegals, investigators, and support staff work together to examine evidence, prepare cases, communicate with clients, and develop defense strategies. That collaborative approach allows us to bring different perspectives and experience to difficult legal problems while helping clients understand what is happening throughout the process.

The State has police officers, prosecutors, investigators, forensic resources, and the machinery of the criminal justice system behind it. You should not have to respond with one person working in isolation.

We believe preparation matters. Communication matters. Details matter. From the initial investigation through negotiations, motions, trial preparation, or another resolution, our goal is to identify every legitimate way to protect the client and challenge the case against them.

Texas criminal charges range from misdemeanors that may initially seem manageable to serious felony accusations carrying the possibility of years in prison. Even a relatively low-level charge can create consequences for employment, professional licensing, education, housing, firearm rights, immigration status, personal relationships, and reputation.

BRCK represents clients across a broad range of Austin-area criminal matters, including:

DWI and DUI

A DWI arrest can threaten your driver’s license while also exposing you to fines, probation, jail, and a permanent criminal record. Our Austin DWI lawyers examine the reason for the traffic stop, field sobriety testing, body-camera footage, breath or blood evidence, police procedures, and every other part of the State’s case.

Drug Charges

Possession, manufacture, delivery, and other controlled-substance allegations can carry severe consequences under Texas law. Our Austin drug crime lawyers investigate traffic stops, searches, seizures, laboratory testing, disputed possession, alleged drug quantities, and whether the evidence actually connects the accused person to the substance.

Domestic Violence and Family Violence

Family violence accusations can affect much more than the criminal charge. Bond restrictions, protective orders, firearm restrictions, employment concerns, housing arrangements, and family relationships may all be involved. Our Austin domestic violence lawyers examine the circumstances surrounding the accusation rather than assuming that an arrest report tells the complete story.

General Criminal Defense

BRCK also represents people facing assault, theft, weapons charges, white-collar allegations, probation violations, warrants, and many other misdemeanor and felony accusations. Our Austin criminal defense lawyers work to protect clients throughout every stage of the Texas criminal justice process.

The period immediately following an arrest can be confusing and frightening. Understanding what may happen next can help you avoid decisions that make an already difficult situation worse.

Booking and Magistration

After an arrest, a person may be taken into custody, booked, and brought before a magistrate. The magistrate may address probable cause, bond, release conditions, the right to counsel, and other preliminary matters.

What happens during these first stages does not determine the ultimate outcome of the case, but it can affect when someone is released and what restrictions they must follow.

Bond and Release Conditions

Release may come with conditions based on the charge and surrounding circumstances. Those conditions can restrict travel, contact with certain people, alcohol or drug use, firearm possession, driving, or other activities.

Some defendants may also be required to report to pretrial services, submit to testing, wear a monitoring device, or comply with additional court orders. Violating a condition of release can result in new allegations, bond modification, or the person being taken back into custody.

Investigation and Case Preparation

An arrest does not necessarily mean the investigation is over. Police and prosecutors may continue gathering witness statements, forensic evidence, digital records, surveillance footage, medical records, photographs, and other information.

The defense should not simply wait for the State to finish building its case. Early investigation can preserve evidence, locate witnesses, clarify disputed events, and uncover information that may become harder to obtain as time passes.

Charging and Court Proceedings

The case will generally be handled in the county where the alleged offense occurred. Misdemeanor and felony accusations follow different procedures and may be assigned to different courts.

Felony allegations may be presented to a grand jury before an indictment is returned. Misdemeanor cases ordinarily proceed without a grand-jury indictment, although prosecutors must still establish the elements of the alleged offense.

Negotiations, Motions, Trial, or Another Resolution

Not every case follows the same path. Depending on the evidence and circumstances, a defense may involve presenting information to prosecutors, seeking a dismissal or reduction, challenging illegally obtained evidence, filing motions, negotiating a resolution, or preparing the case for trial.

The right strategy depends on the facts. It should not be dictated by a predetermined formula or an assumption that every case will end with a plea agreement.

A police report is the government’s version of what happened. It is not a verdict.

Witnesses can be mistaken. Statements can be incomplete or taken out of context. Video may contradict an officer’s written account. A search may raise constitutional issues. Scientific testing can be challenged. Evidence found in a shared vehicle, home, or other location may not establish who possessed it.

That is why our attorneys examine the evidence rather than simply accepting the allegations as true.

Depending on the case, that examination may include:

Individual pieces of evidence must also be considered together. A witness’s statement may conflict with video. An officer’s conclusions may not match the physical evidence. Prosecutors may have evidence that an event occurred without being able to prove who was responsible or what that person intended.

Sometimes the most important part of a case is not what appears in the police report. It is what was omitted, misunderstood, improperly obtained, contradicted, or simply cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Texas criminal law applies statewide, but Austin-area criminal cases are handled locally.

Greater Austin does not operate as one unified criminal court system. A case arising in Travis County may proceed differently from one filed in Hays County or Williamson County. Each county has its own courts, clerks, prosecutors, pretrial procedures, dockets, specialty programs, and practical expectations.

Travis County maintains separate systems for misdemeanor and felony criminal matters, with misdemeanor records maintained by the County Clerk and felony records maintained by the District Clerk. Hays County’s Courts at Law hear Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases, while felony criminal matters fall within the jurisdiction of its district courts. Williamson County prosecutes adult misdemeanor cases through its County Courts at Law, while felony criminal cases are handled in district courts.

Local experience does not change the law or guarantee a particular result. It helps the defense understand the actual system in which the case will proceed, anticipate what may happen next, prepare for county-specific practices, and communicate more clearly with the client.

BRCK represents clients throughout all three counties served by our Austin office, adapting the defense to the allegations, evidence, court, and circumstances of each individual case.

Our Austin office represents people facing criminal charges throughout:

Where the arrest occurred matters. It can determine which law-enforcement agency investigates, which prosecutor reviews the allegations, which clerk maintains the case, which court hears it, and which local procedures apply.

Whether an accusation begins with a traffic stop, a family dispute, a search, a workplace investigation, or an unexpected arrest, getting legal advice early can help you understand the system you are entering and the options that may be available.

When your freedom and future are at stake, choosing a criminal defense firm is an important decision.

100% Criminal Defense

We do not divide our attention among divorces, personal injury claims, business disputes, and criminal cases. BRCK focuses exclusively on defending people accused of crimes.

More Than 50 Years of Combined Experience

Our attorneys bring decades of combined criminal defense experience to the firm. That experience informs how we investigate allegations, evaluate evidence, communicate with prosecutors, prepare motions, advise clients, and approach the courtroom.

A Team Approach

Your case does not depend on one person working alone. Our attorneys and staff collaborate to identify issues, gather information, prepare strategy, and keep the case moving.

Clear and Consistent Communication

You should not have to chase your attorney for basic information about your own case. We work to keep clients informed about court settings, case developments, evidence, and the decisions they may need to make.

Preparation for Every Possible Path

Some cases can be resolved without a trial. Others require extensive motions, difficult negotiations, or a courtroom fight. We prepare with those possibilities in mind rather than assuming from the beginning how a case will end.

Should I talk to police if I believe I can explain what happened?

You have the right to remain silent and the right to speak with an attorney. A statement intended to clear up a misunderstanding can instead provide investigators with evidence, reveal information they did not previously know, or be interpreted differently than you intended.

If police want to question you about suspected criminal activity, speaking with a criminal defense lawyer first can help you understand your rights and avoid making an uninformed decision.

Does being arrested mean I will be convicted?

No. An arrest is an accusation, not a conviction. Prosecutors must still prove the elements of the alleged offense, and the defense may challenge the evidence, police conduct, witness credibility, forensic testing, or the legal basis for the charge.

Depending on the facts, a case may result in dismissal, a reduced charge, a negotiated resolution, an acquittal, or another outcome.

Can an Austin criminal charge be dismissed?

Dismissal may be possible in some cases, but no attorney can ethically guarantee a particular result. Weak evidence, constitutional violations, unreliable witnesses, unavailable evidence, legal defects, forensic problems, or other circumstances may affect whether the State can continue prosecuting a case.

BRCK evaluates every case for legitimate opportunities to challenge the allegation and pursue dismissal.

Where will my Austin-area criminal case be handled?

The case is generally handled in the county where the alleged offense occurred—not necessarily the county where the accused person lives or where the law firm’s office is located.

A Travis County case will proceed through the Travis County system, while allegations arising in Hays or Williamson County will be handled through their respective courts. The specific court depends on the charge, its classification, and local court assignments.

What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony in Texas?

Both misdemeanors and felonies can create serious consequences, but felonies generally carry substantially greater potential punishment. The classification depends on the alleged offense and surrounding circumstances, including factors that can increase or reduce the level of the charge.

Even a misdemeanor conviction can result in jail, probation, fines, a permanent record, and collateral consequences affecting employment, licensing, housing, or other parts of a person’s life.

When should I contact an Austin criminal defense lawyer?

As early as possible. You do not necessarily need to wait until formal charges have been filed.

If you have been arrested, contacted by investigators, asked to provide a statement, learned that a warrant may exist, or believe criminal accusations are coming, an attorney may be able to begin protecting your interests before the case advances further.

A criminal accusation can make it feel as though the rest of your life has suddenly stopped.

It has not.

There may be evidence to preserve, allegations to investigate, defenses to develop, and decisions to make. There may be weaknesses in the State’s case that are not visible in the arrest report. Most importantly, there is still a path forward.

BRCK Criminal Defense Attorneys helps clients understand that path and fights to protect what comes next. If you or someone you care about has been arrested, charged, or placed under investigation in Austin, Travis County, Hays County, or Williamson County, contact BRCK to discuss the situation.