DALLAS CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW OFFICE

The Trump Administration has announced that it wants to increase security at our borders. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may therefore become more aggressive in searching people and things that cross the border. So what are the limits on what ICE agents can do, and what can you do if your rights are violated? asks John Helms Dallas criminal defense lawyer. The main limit...

I am a criminal defense attorney. I am not an immigration lawyer, but I often handle criminal immigration cases. Confusing? It is for many people who contact me. This paper explains the differences.   A criminal defense lawyer like me defends people who are accused of a crime.  A crime is usually something that can result in jail time, or at least a fine. In order to prove someone guilty ...

Many people who are accused of a crime wonder how their criminal record, or lack of it, will affect their case. Normally, your criminal history does not affect whether you are guilty or not guilty of a crime with which you have been charged. Contrary to some people’s belief, you do not generally get one free crime before you can be found guilty, adds John Helms Dallas criminal defense lawye...

In some situations, the police arrest people, and the arrested persons can be charged with a crime, based on little more than someone accusing them, reports Dallas criminal defense lawyer John Helms. When this happens, the arrested person and their loved ones justifiably ask: Is this legal? How could this happen? Isn’t everyone innocent until proven guilty? In my experience, these situati...

On December 14, 2016, Texas' highest criminal court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, reversed the convictions of a husband and wife who were convicted at trial of bribery of a judge, reports Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms. In State of Texas v. David Cary and State of Texas v. Stacy Stine Cary, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that the evidence at trial was insufficient to prove br...

Federal drug sentences can be harsh says John Helms federal drug defense attorney. For many defendants, despite what their lawyer has told them, the reality of a long sentence sometimes does not really sink in until after the judge actually announces the sentence in court. Until the judge says those words, they may convince themselves that what they are being told just won’t happen to them....

If you or a loved one has been charged with illegal reentry into the United States after a prior deportation, you are probably wondering what Donald Trump's election as President will mean for the sentence you or your loved one could receive if there is a conviction says John Helms Dallas criminal immigration attorney. After all, a key part of Mr. Trump's campaign has been hostility to thos...

I get a lot of calls from people who understandably want to help their loved ones who have been convicted of a crime, says John Helms a top criminal appeals attorney based in Dallas, TX. For most people, criminal appeals are a complete mystery. Not surprisingly, most people have no experience with them and know very little about them. This is a basic guide for people who are interested in h...

In many federal drug cases, a defendant's best option is to cooperate with the Government in order to try to earn a reduction in their sentence for "substantial assistance" to the Government, reports drug trafficking lawyer John Helms. The reduction occurs if a prosecutor asks the judge to sentence the defendant below the range called for by the federal Sentencing Guidelines and if the judg...

Many drug trafficking cases involve law enforcement executing a search warrant. They do this to find evidence of drug trafficking, usually in a house or a place of business where drug trafficking might be happening, offers John Helms Dallas drug trafficking lawyer. The evidence could be the drugs themselves, but it could also be indications of drug trafficking like drug ledgers or "pay and ...