Houston Criminal Defense Attorney Michael D. Mercer — Every Charge We Defend

Criminal defense lawyer Michael D. Mercer defends all misdemeanor and felony charges in Houston, Harris County, Texas and the surrounding counties. Attorney Mercer focuses 100% of his practice on criminal defense and is familiar with all types of criminal charges. Take advantage of our free consultation services and speak with criminal defense attorney Michael Mercer today. Learn the defenses you may have available to fight the charges against you. Criminal attorney Michael D. Mercer will show you what to expect as you make your way through the pretrial and trial processes.

This page is the index. Every charge family below has its own full page — the statute, the penalty ladder, where the State’s checklist breaks, and the record behind the defense. Since 2012, this firm has defended more than 3,000 cases from the office at 917 Franklin, three blocks from the courthouse at 1201 Franklin where every Harris County criminal case lives — and the vast majority of those cases ended dismissed. The consultation is free, any hour: (713) 208-7682. The lawyer who answers is the lawyer who appears. Se habla español.

01 · THE INDEX — EVERY DEFENSE AREA, WIRED

Criminal Defense Areas

Assault

Assault Lawyer · Assault on a Family Member · Assault Family Violence · Aggravated Assault Attorney · Assault by Impeding Breath or Choking

DWI & Alcohol Related Offenses

• DWI First Offense
• DWI Second Offense
• DWI Third Offense or More
• DWI Penalties
• DWI Expunctions-Expungements
• Intoxication Assault
• Intoxication Manslaughter
• Driver’s License Suspensions

Weapon Charges

Felon in Possession of a Weapon · Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon

Drug Charges

• Distribution Charges
• Manufacture and Delivery Charges
• Marijuana Attorney
• Possession of Controlled Substance
• Prescription Drug Charges
• Federal Crimes

Theft

Theft Lawyer · Shoplifting

Violent Crimes

• Rape
• Aggravated Robbery
• Assault and Battery
• Sexual Assault
• Injury to a Child
• Kidnapping

Sexual Assault and other Sex Crimes

• Aggravated Sexual Assault
• Failure to Register as a Sex Offender
• Indecency with a Child
• Indecent Exposure
• Possession of Child Pornography
• Prostitution
• Sexual Assault of a Child
• Statutory Rape

Misdemeanor Lawyer

Class A and Class B Misdemeanors · Prostitution · Shoplifting

Expungements & Petitions for Non-Disclosure

• How to Get Your Record Expunged in Texas
• Do you Qualify for Expungement in Texas?
• Do I need an expungement lawyer?
• DWI Expungements
• Expungement process
• Felony expungements-expunctions
• How to get my criminal record expunged?
• Can I expunge my record?
• How long does the expungement process take?
• How much does it cost to clear my record?
• Petitions for Non-Disclosure
• Which Offenses can I get expunged?

The process, wherever the charge came from

The First 48 Hours After a Harris County Arrest · Harris County Criminal Courts · Charged Here, Living Out of State · Case Results

The quick list

Assault Lawyer · Assault on a Family Member · Aggravated Assault Lawyer · Drug Charges · DWI Lawyer · Expungement Lawyer · Marijuana Lawyer · Misdemeanor Lawyer · Theft Lawyer · Weapons Charge Lawyer

02 · THE DOCTRINE — HOW EVERY ONE OF THESE CASES DIES

One Rule Runs Every Page Above

Every criminal charge in Texas — from a Class C threat to a first-degree felony — is a checklist the State must complete beyond a reasonable doubt (Tex. Penal Code §2.01). Once a charge is filed, only the State can dismiss it, in writing, with the judge’s consent (Code of Criminal Procedure art. 32.02). The State doesn’t dismiss out of mercy. It dismisses when it can’t win.

The system’s own FY2025 ledger says how often that happens: Texas courts dismissed 172,741 of 377,733 disposed misdemeanor cases — 45.7% — and 83,874 of 314,970 felony dispositions, about one in four (Office of Court Administration). Every page in the index above maps where its particular checklist breaks: the stop, the search, the element, the value, the lab, the witness nobody interviewed.

03 · THE MACHINE — ONE PIPELINE, ONE BUILDING

Wherever the Arrest Happened, the Case Comes Downtown

An HPD unit inside the Loop, a sheriff’s deputy in the belt through Spring and Cypress, a constable’s precinct, a DPS trooper on I-45, or a city department in Pasadena, Baytown, Humble, Katy, or Tomball — every Harris County case is booked at the Joint Processing Center at 1200 Baker Street, sees a magistrate within 48 hours (CCP art. 15.17), and lands at 1201 Franklin: sixteen County Criminal Courts at Law for the misdemeanors, twenty-nine felony district courts above them. Our office at 917 Franklin is a four-minute walk from its doors.

Cross a county line and the statutes don’t change — the courthouse does: Fort Bend’s courts sit in Richmond, Montgomery County’s in Conroe, Galveston County’s on the island, Brazoria’s in Angleton. We defend in all of them, and the record travels.

THE CALL

Start With the Page That Owns Your Charge — or Start With the Call

If you know the charge, the index above opens the page that takes it apart. If all you have is a phone and a court date, start with the free consultation: (713) 208-7682, any hour. Flat fees and payment plans are printed on the official State Bar of Texas record — 14 years of practice, zero disciplinary history — and the number reaches Michael D. Mercer’s personal cell, not a call center. Se habla español.

Straight answers

What does a criminal defense lawyer actually do in the first week?

Reads the charging instrument against the current statute, works the bond and its conditions (individualized by law within 48 hours of arrest, CCP art. 17.028), sends preservation letters before video loops overwrite, and puts your side in front of the intake decision while it’s still a decision. Every page in the index above describes that first week for its own charge family. → The first 48 hours, hour by hour

Which page do I need if I don’t know what the charge is called?

Read the charging paper, not the arrest story — the statute number on it picks the page: §22.01 is assault, §22.02 aggravated assault, §49.04 DWI, Chapter 481 drugs, Chapter 46 weapons, §31.03 theft. No paper yet? Bring what you have to the free consultation and we’ll read the county’s own records with you.

Can the person who called 911 drop the charges?

No — once filed, only the State can dismiss a criminal case, by written motion with the judge’s consent (CCP art. 32.02). The complainant’s wishes are input, not a decision. Done right, through counsel, they still matter — one of our family-member cases was dismissed on the complaining witness’s own request. → How charges get dropped, lawfully

Do I need a lawyer if I’m innocent?

Innocence is a fact; dismissal is a process. The State does not investigate your side — it proves its own (§2.01 puts the whole burden on the prosecution). Someone has to make the checklist fail on the record, and the earlier that work starts, the more evidence still exists to do it with.

What does a criminal defense lawyer cost in Houston?

We publish the structure most firms won’t: flat fees and payment plans, on our State Bar record. The consultation is free and ends with the realistic range for your exact charge — a Class C, a Class B DWI, and a third-degree felony price differently and honestly. → Ask the fee question straight

I live out of state. Can you handle my Harris County case?

Yes — clients in New York and beyond have had Harris County cases finished and dismissed without traveling back; in many settings we appear so you don’t have to. The courthouse is three blocks from our office, not from yours. → Charged here, living elsewhere

¿Se habla español?

Sí. La representación completa en español está en nuestro perfil oficial del Colegio de Abogados del Estado de Texas — la consulta es gratis, confidencial, a cualquier hora: (713) 208-7682. El abogado que contesta es el abogado que aparece en el tribunal.