Former prosecutors · State and federal criminal defense · All across Texas

Texas criminal defense. Handled by former prosecutors.

Every lawyer at this firm is a former prosecutor. Together they have handled more than 7,000 criminal cases in courtrooms across Texas, first for the State and now for people who have been charged. Early legal representation preserves more options, from the first hearing through trial. The first consultation costs you nothing.

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  • Calls answered 24/7
  • Payment plans
  • Hablamos español

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4.9 from 145+ Google reviews in El Paso 5.0 ★ in San Antonio Every lawyer here is a former prosecutor 7,000+ criminal cases Selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list
CAUSE NO.__________
The State of Texas
v.
§
§
§
In the District Court
_____ Judicial District
_____ County, Texas

ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT:
This is a Texas court caption. It is the first page of every criminal case file.
7,000+criminal cases our lawyers have handled
4.9★from 145+ Google reviews in El Paso
5.0★our Google rating in San Antonio
24/7calls answered, and the first call is free
Associated Press ABC CBS NBC FOX CNN Univision USA Today Outlets that have covered our attorneys’ cases.
  • Super Lawyers · Rising Stars
  • State Bar of Texas · No. 24115478
  • Admitted · all 4 Texas federal districts + New Mexico
  • Countless cases dismissed
  • 30+ years of courtroom experience

Questions families ask us

Charged with a crime in Texas?

These are the three questions that almost every caller asks us first. Here are the plain answers to all three.

Understanding potential penalties

That depends on the charge, on the county, and on what the State can actually prove. Early in every case, the court holds a magistration hearing, where the charge is read and conditions of release are addressed. That hearing goes better when a defense lawyer is already working on the case, and we provide legal representation during magistration and bond hearings. The sooner you call us, the more we are able to do.

Call (210) 401-1000. The first call is free.

How much is this going to cost me?

The first consultation is free, and we offer payment plans. Our clients describe those plans themselves in public Google reviews: willing to work with your budget… he does payment plans. Please do not let the cost stop you from calling us today.

Call (210) 401-1000. The first call is free.

Can the case be dismissed?

Many cases are dismissed. In Texas, a dismissal is a one-page motion signed by a prosecutor who has decided that the case cannot be proven, and the judge then drops the charge. We spent years as the prosecutors who had to make that decision, so we know what makes a prosecutor give up on a case. Some recent results are listed further down this page. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Call (210) 401-1000. The first call is free.

If you’re calling for someone

Calling on behalf of a family member? You don’t need to know everything.

Many of the calls we answer come from a mother, a wife, or a brother who wants to know what comes next. Here is everything we need in order to start working.

Have these four things ready

  1. Their full legal name
  2. Their date of birth
  3. The county where the charge was filed
  4. What they are charged with, if you already know

If you do not have all four, please call us anyway. We find people in the county system every week.

If police want to talk

Please do not explain anything, and please do not try to make a deal. Say one sentence, and repeat it if you need to: “I want my lawyer.” After that, call us at any hour.

Anything a person says to investigators before a lawyer is present can be used against them later in court. That is why the safest thing to do is to say nothing until your lawyer is with you.

Magistration comes first. Under Texas law (Code of Criminal Procedure article 15.17), a magistration hearing is held early in every case. The charge is read and conditions of release are addressed. The earlier a defense lawyer starts working, the more that first hearing can do for you.

Case results

Countless cases dismissed. Updated August 2026

The results listed below are only the outcomes that our own clients describe in public Google reviews. The full record of the firm is much longer than this list.

Aggravated assault with a deadly weaponEl PasoDISMISSED
Family violence + criminal mischief in 6 monthsEl PasoDISMISSED
DUIEl PasoDISMISSED
Two aggravated-assault sentences to time servedEl PasoREDUCED
Family violence + probation violation in 2 monthsEl PasoDISMISSED
Misdemeanor + felony charges both casesEl PasoDISMISSED

As reported by clients in public Google reviews. Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Google reviews

What our clients say.

4.9

145+ public Google reviews in El Paso · 5.0★ in San Antonio

Read them all on Google →

★★★★★

“Best attorney in town! He has knowledge and experience as a former prosecutor, he knows the judges, and he got my case dismissed. Such a relief!”
Jon K · Google review, 2026

★★★★★

“I had an aggravated assault w/ deadly weapon charge and he got it dismissed! … I had complete trust in him the second we met when before I was so scared and stressed.”
Corrie May Lowery · Google review, 2026

★★★★★

“He got my cases dismissed in 6 months! … He’s also willing to work with your budget and he does payment plans. I am very satisfied with the outcome.”
Jadrien Granillo · Google review, 2026

★★★★★

“Out of the five law offices I called in El Paso, his was the only one that picked up immediately — no games, no runaround. … You don’t feel like just another case file with him — you feel like a person being taken seriously.”
Irving Miramontes · Google review, 2025

★★★★★

“Esta atento en todo desde el primer dia el estuvo ahi para mi hijo y para nosotros … El estuvo siempre dia y noche contactandose conmigo y no cualquier abogado lo hace.”
Beatrice Alvarado · Google review in Spanish, 2026
“We prepare every case for trial from the first day.” The firm’s standing rule

Free consultation · Calls answered 24/7 · Payment plans · Hablamos español

Call now · (210) 401-1000

Former prosecutors

Every lawyer at this firm prosecuted cases for the State of Texas before defending them.

Both of our attorneys spent years working inside Texas district attorney’s offices, which are the government offices that bring criminal charges. They wrote the charging documents, they weighed the evidence, and they decided which cases the State could prove. They use that same experience now to defend people, and on serious cases they try them alongside other former prosecutors across Texas.

Adam Setra, founding attorney of West Texas Trial Lawyers
Adam Setra

Adam Setra

Founding attorney · former prosecutor

  • Former El Paso County prosecutor at the 34th Judicial District Attorney’s Office
  • Licensed to practice in Texas, Bar No. 24115478
  • Admitted in all four federal districts of Texas and the District of New Mexico
  • Selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list
Salah George Alhanna, trial attorney of West Texas Trial Lawyers
Salah George Alhanna

Salah George Alhanna

Trial attorney · former prosecutor

  • Seven years as a Texas prosecutor
  • Born and raised in El Paso. He went to El Paso High School, UTEP, and SMU Dedman School of Law
  • Led the criminal defense practice at the Alhanna Law Firm before joining in 2026

How the State builds its case

The DA’s office is already working on the case.

It is time for the defense to start working too. The column on the left shows how a Texas prosecution actually moves from one step to the next. The handwritten notes explain what we do at each step.

01The State’s file

Offense report

Written by the officer, hours after the event, from one point of view. It becomes the State’s version of the story.

We read these reports the same way we once wrote them, and we look for what the officer left out.

02The State’s file

Magistration under article 15.17

Early in the case, the court holds a magistration hearing, where the charge is read and conditions of release are addressed.

Bond hearings are won with preparation and not with luck, so this is the hearing we get ready for first.

03The State’s file

Charging decision

A prosecutor decides which parts of the case the State can prove and which parts it cannot prove.

We made that exact decision for years, so we know what makes a case fall apart.

04The State’s file

Discovery under article 39.14

The Michael Morton Act requires the State to open its file to the defense. That file includes reports, video, lab work, witness statements, and everything else that matters to the case.

We log and index every page, every video, and every deadline, and then we use them.

05The State’s file

Trial posture

Most defense files are put together with a guilty plea in mind, and prosecutors can tell when that is the plan.

We prepare for trial from the first day, and that changes every offer the State makes after that.

What we defend

Charged with DWI, drug possession, or another crime?

We handle state and federal cases, from misdemeanors up to homicide, in El Paso, in San Antonio, and in courtrooms across Texas.

FILE 01

DWI / DUI

The traffic stop, the breath test, and the blood draw can each be challenged in court.

Texas allows 15 days to request the license hearing that can protect your driver license.

FILE 02

Drug crimes

These cases run from simple possession up to trafficking. The legality of the police search is often the whole case.

FILE 03

Assault & family violence

These charges go forward even when the other person wants them dropped, because that decision belongs to the prosecutor. You need your own lawyer from the start.

FILE 04

Sex crimes

One accusation of this kind can change a person’s whole life. We defend these cases quietly, and we prepare them completely.

FILE 05

Homicide

The State puts every resource it has into a homicide case, so we prepare the defense for trial from the first week.

FILE 06

Federal crimes

Admitted in all four federal districts of Texas and in New Mexico.

FILE 07

White collar

Fraud, embezzlement, and financial investigations. These investigations usually begin long before charges are filed.

FILE 08

Car accidents

We take a limited number of serious-injury crash cases, and we prepare them for trial.

The DA’s office is already working on the charges. It’s time we started working on the defense.

Call now · (210) 401-1000

Where we stand

We practice across Texas, and we have offices in El Paso and San Antonio.

We handle cases in state and federal courtrooms all over Texas. El Paso is one of only two Texas counties on Mountain time, which means our two offices do not read the same hour on the clock. Wherever in Texas you are calling from, someone here answers.

MT CT El Paso San Antonio Midland · Odessa Lubbock Pecos Fort Stockton Del Rio

El Paso office

--:--

MOUNTAIN TIME

San Antonio office

--:--

CENTRAL TIME

Whatever time it is where you are reading this, someone answers the number on this page.

El Paso

1005 North Mesa
El Paso, TX 79902
(915) 279-0000

San Antonio

40 NE Interstate 410 Loop, Suite 100 OFC G10
San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 401-1000

Also serving

Midland · Odessa · Lubbock · Big Spring · Andrews · Fort Stockton · Kermit · Monahans · Pecos · Del Rio

West Texas, after dark

How cases actually end

Our number one goal: get the case dismissed.

In Texas, a dismissal is a one-page motion signed by a prosecutor who has concluded that the case cannot be proven. We spent our careers as the people who made that decision. Our job now is to build the file that leads a prosecutor to sign it.

FiledDistrict Clerk

Cause No. __________

The State of Texas v. ______________

In the District Court, ________ County, Texas

Motion to Dismiss

NOW COMES the State of Texas, by and through her Assistant District Attorney, and respectfully moves the Court to dismiss the above-styled and numbered cause, for the reason that the evidence is insufficient to prove the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assistant District Attorney

The document above is an illustration of a standard Texas dismissal form. It is not the record of any specific case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Start with one phone call

Talk to a lawyer today.
The first consultation is free and confidential.

(210) 401-1000

Please do not talk to the police unless a lawyer is with you. We answer the phone at every hour of the day and night, the call costs nothing, and what you tell us stays private. If we are in a courtroom when you call, leave one message and we will call you back.

Le atendemos completamente en español. Llame al mismo número las 24 horas del día.

4.9★ from 145+ public Google reviews · Free consultation · Calls answered 24/7 · Payment plans

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Send us your case in writing instead.

Fill in these three boxes and press the button. Your message comes straight to the firm, we read it, and we call you back. It is confidential and it costs nothing.

Confidential · No obligation · We answer 24/7

San Antonio

40 NE Interstate 410 Loop, Suite 100 OFC G10, San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 401-1000

El Paso, our principal office

1005 North Mesa, El Paso, TX 79902
(915) 279-0000

Hours

We answer calls 24 hours a day · Every call is private
English and Spanish

Call a lawyer now · (210) 401-1000