Six Things You Need To Know About Criminal Grand Jury Proceedings

We had a nice result come down in a Grand Jury proceeding last week.  The charge was  Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Family Violence.   I started thinking about the process my investigator and I took with this case generally, and distilled those thoughts below.

Six Things You Need to Know About Criminal Grand Jury Proceedings:

1.         All adult felony charges must first be reviewed by a grand jury before further prosecution takes place — and some juvenile felony charges will be reviewed by a grand jury;

2.         In most jurisdictions around the country, grand jury procedure allows the person charged to present a written case to the grand jury for its consideration before the vote to indict or no-bill.  And in many jurisdictions, the grand jury wants to hear from the accused;

3.         The single most important thing you can do to help a grand jury make the right decision is to retain experienced legal counsel immediately.

4.         Presenting your case, with the help and guidance of an attorney experienced in Grand Jury practice and procedure, can pay huge dividends.

5.         Grand Jurors, almost universally, want to do the “right thing” with any given case they review.   By having your attorney properly present your case, you help the Grand Jury reach the right decision….which ultimately helps you immeasurably.

6.         A Grand Jury No-Bill  (vote not to indict) often leads to a successful expunction.

I’m a former Grand Jury prosecutor, and learned how to do this work from the inside years ago under the mentorship of one of the best prosecutors Dallas County ever turned out.  Now, given the perspective afforded me by more than twenty years in private practice, I don’t think there’s a better way to win a client’s freedom and clear (expunge) his or her name and record, than through a proper presentation to a Grand Jury.

Please call me, and we can discuss your individual situation in detail.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

William C. Meili

Attorney and Counselor at Law 6116 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1090 Dallas, TX 75206

214 363-1828 0830 to 1730 Monday thru Friday.

214 536-3888 For emergencies, after-hours and weekends, or email at info@meililaw.com