How I got here
I was born and raised in Orange. I went to Texas A&M University School of Law, then practiced in Dallas for a stretch, which is where I learned what a high volume criminal docket does to people who do not have someone paying attention to their file.
I came home in 2016 and opened this firm. In 2026 I opened a second office in Conroe to serve Montgomery County.
The part that makes this practice different
Somewhere along the way I got tired of the way intoxication cases get tried. The State puts up a number, an analyst says the number is reliable, and the defense argues around the edges because nobody in the room actually understands the instrument.
So I went and learned it. I completed the American Chemical Society's forensic chromatography program and hold the ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist designation, which a small number of attorneys nationally have earned. It is a working knowledge of headspace gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, calibration, quality control, and where the failure modes hide.
It is scientific training. It is not a board certification, and I am not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. What it means practically is that when the discovery arrives I read the chromatograms and the batch records myself instead of paying an expert to tell me whether there is anything worth fighting about.
How I run a case
I keep the caseload small enough that clients get me on the phone. That is a real business constraint and it costs me money, and I have decided I am fine with that. If you hire this firm, you are not going to meet your lawyer for the first time in a hallway.
I prepare files as though they are going to a jury, because the offers you get depend entirely on whether the prosecutor believes you might actually try it. Most cases still resolve. They resolve better this way.
I will also tell you when you are wrong. Some clients do not love that. It is more useful than the alternative.
Practice
- DWI, felony DWI, intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter
- Drug DWI and prescription medication cases
- BWI on the Sabine and on Lake Conroe
- Underage DUI and minor alcohol offenses
- Drug possession, all penalty groups
- General criminal defense, felony and misdemeanor
- Personal injury, including motor vehicle, commercial truck, and wrongful death
Credentials
- Juris Doctor, Texas A&M University School of Law
- Licensed to practice in the State of Texas
- ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist, American Chemical Society program in forensic chromatography
- Founder, Mitchell Law Firm, PLLC, Orange, Texas, 2016