Fort Bend County Juvenile Lawyer
James
Sullivan is Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal
Specialization. In Texas, there are only 38 lawyers such
certified lawyers in private practice.
James Sullivan also attended the Trial
Lawyers College in Wyoming founded by legendary lawyer Gerry Spence.
Juvenile Law Is Not Criminal Law
Juvenile Law is different than criminal
law. Many criminal defense lawyers advertise that they are also
juvenile defense lawyers, yet they may never have tried a juvenile case
to a jury. In order to hold oneself out as a true expert in Juvenile
Law, a lawyer has to be Board Certified in juvenile law. To become
Board Certified, an attorney must:
- have been licensed to practice law for at least five years,
- devoted a required percentage of practice to a specialty area for at least three years,
- handled a wide variety of matters in the area to demonstrate experience and involvement (including at least 3 jury trials, 5 non-jury trials and 3 certification hearings),
- attended continuing education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date,
- been evaluated by fellow lawyers and judges, and
- passed a 6-hour written examination.
The
parents of children caught up in the juvenile justice system are very
concerned about how their child’s misdemeanor or felony delinquency case
could impact their future. This is a very valid concern. Colleges and
universities have access to juvenile records. Clearly, a juvenile
delinquent is less likely to receive a highly coveted admission to a top
school. Also, law enforcement has access to juvenile records. When
juveniles are stopped by the police, they may be treated differently
when the police know that they have a record. There are several other
ways that a juvenile record could impact your child.
If your child needs a juvenile defense lawyer, contact Fort Bend Count Juvenile Attorney James Sullivan at (281) 546-6428 for a free confidential consultation.
