Houston Family Violence Attorney

It is absolutely imperative that you hire an experienced Houston Family Violence Attorney do defend your case. In many cases, the first opportunity for an accused to tell his/her side of the story comes in court. Anyone facing family violence charges should consult an experienced criminal defense attorney who is familiar with the defenses to family violence charges in Houston:

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• self-defense- under Section 9.01 of the Texas Penal Code, an actor is justified in using force if he/she reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to protect against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful force;

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• consent-the use of force against someone who consents to that use of force is not considered an assault. An injury that occurs as a result of a wrestling match between roommates would fall under the consent defense to domestic violence charges;

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• mutual combat-this defense is similar to the defense of consent and arises out of a consensual "mutual combat" situation. An assault in which both parties sustained injury indicates mutual combat;

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• lack of evidence-under Texas law, the prosecutor must prove every element of a domestic violence case beyond a reasonable doubt. If even one element of the domestic assault is not proven, a jury is required to return a not guilty verdict.

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For anyone charged with domestic violence, domestic assault or assault family violence, you need an experienced Houston family violence attorney to defend your case. Contact one of the top criminal defense attorneys at Mercer & Keirnan immediately after being charged in order to preserve any evidence and defenses to a domestic violence charge. Retaining surveillance video before it is destroyed can mean the difference between winning and losing your family violence case.