Experienced Lawyers to Handle Your Appeal or Post-Conviction Matter

Appeals

Being able to identify the key issues mishandled in the lower court and making a persuasive appellate argument, both orally and in writing, is an art. We represent clients on appeal regardless of whether we were their counsel at trial. We file appellate briefs in the state intermediate Courts of Appeal statewide and litigate petitions for discretionary review in the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin. We also file briefs in the courts of other states and the federal and military Courts of Appeals nationwide. Finally, we prepare petitions for writs of certiorari and briefs in the United States Supreme Court. If granted, we orally argue the cases in addition to filing written briefs. In most cases, we are limited to the record of trial on appeal.  However, contact us about your appellate issue and we will give you individualized advice about how to best handle your appeal.  In every jurisdiction, there are strict deadlines for filing appellate briefs and other documents.  If you have been convicted of a crime, contact us now so that we may begin preparing for your appeal.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

After all appeals are exhausted, we investigate and prepare writs of habeas corpus in state and federal court. Generally, a person may only file one writ in each court, and must establish a constitutional violation in order to succeed. We are not limited to the trial record for a writ, and may introduce new issues and evidence. There is no deadline in Texas to file a state writ, but there is a one-year statute of limitations for federal writs; in other words, the writ must be filed in federal court within one year of the case becoming final. If a state writ is filed during that year, the time that the state writ is pending does not count toward the one-year deadline.  As with any important matter, contact us immediately so that we can determine the best way to handle your post-conviction case.

How to Proceed

If you have been convicted of a criminal offense and need to appeal or begin writ of habeas corpus proceedings, you need to act now to preserve your rights.   Contact the criminal defense lawyers at the law firm of Zimmermann, Lavine, Zimmermann, & Sampson, P.C. today to schedule an initial consultation.

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