Emergency? Call Now If law enforcement has contacted you in San Antonio or Bexar County, or you are already facing charges, you need clarity fast. What does a criminal defense attorney actually do, and when should you hire one? The short answer is now. The longer answer is this guide, which walks you through what skilled defense looks like in Texas from the first call through resolution, and why experience and Board Certification matter when the stakes could not be higher.
Mario Del Prado has more than 35 years of criminal trial experience and is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. When your liberty and reputation are on the line, proven courtroom skill, strategic judgment, and early intervention can change outcomes.
From First Call To Resolution, Your Advocate At Every Step
The defense begins the moment you reach out. Early actions can preserve evidence, shape charging decisions, and protect your rights.
- Immediate assessment: Your lawyer will ask what happened, who is involved, and what law enforcement has already done. You will get clear instructions on what to say, what not to say, and how to avoid further risk.
- Contact with law enforcement and prosecutors: Counsel handles communications so you do not have to. If officers keep calling, your attorney steps in, asserts your rights, and stops improper questioning.
- Evidence preservation: Time-sensitive evidence gets secured quickly, including surveillance video, phone data, vehicle telematics, social media content, 911 recordings, and body camera footage. Witnesses get interviewed while memories are fresh.
In Bexar County, early advocacy can affect bond, conditions of release, and even the type of charges filed. The best time to hire counsel was yesterday, the second best time is right now.
Protecting Your Constitutional Rights In Real Time
A core role of your attorney is to guard your rights under the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.
- Search and seizure: Your lawyer scrutinizes stops, detentions, warrants, and any claimed consent. If police crossed the line, a motion to suppress can exclude illegally obtained evidence.
- Miranda and statements: If you were in custody and interrogated without proper warnings, or if your right to remain silent was ignored, your statements can be challenged.
- Due process and confrontation: You have the right to confront witnesses and to fair procedures. Your attorney enforces these rights at every stage.
In Texas, magistrate warnings and bond conditions often come fast. Counsel ensures you are properly advised, seeks reasonable bond, challenges overly restrictive conditions, and protects you from missteps at the earliest hearings.
Investigation That Challenges The State’s Story
Prosecutors build a narrative. Your lawyer builds the truth. A seasoned defense team tests every assumption.
- Discovery review: Police reports, lab results, forensic analyses, digital extractions, and prior statements are examined to spot inconsistencies and legal issues.
- Independent investigation: Defense interviews, scene visits, timelines, cell site mapping, expert consultations, and alternative explanations are developed to create reasonable doubt or support dismissal.
- Strategic focus: If an identification is weak, if lab methods are flawed, or if the stop was unlawful, the defense builds around those weaknesses and pushes for exclusion or dismissal.
Strategic Motions That Shape The Case
Motions are not paperwork, they are weapons. Your attorney may file motions to suppress evidence, exclude unreliable experts, compel disclosure, limit prejudicial material, or dismiss the case for legal deficiencies. These motions can change leverage in negotiations and can result in outright dismissal or critical evidentiary rulings before trial.
Negotiations With Prosecutors, Grounded In Trial Readiness
Should you hire a criminal defense attorney if you plan to plead? Yes, because negotiation without leverage rarely produces the best outcome. Effective negotiation comes from trial readiness. Prosecutors respond to demonstrated weaknesses in their case, not to promises. A defense built for court often yields better offers outside of court, including dismissals, reductions, or diversion where available.
Trial Advocacy When Your Future Is On The Line
Not every case goes to trial, but you need a lawyer who tries cases. Trial advocacy includes jury selection tailored to your facts, cross-examination that exposes gaps and bias, and a clear defense theory the jury can follow. With more than three decades of courtroom experience, Mario Del Prado treats every contested case as if it will be decided by a jury, because that posture drives results.
Sentencing And Mitigation, If Needed
If you plead or are found guilty, the fight is not over. Your attorney presents mitigation that can mean the difference between prison and probation, or between harsh terms and measured ones. Mitigation can include treatment records, military service, employment history, family responsibilities, letters of support, expert assessments, and restitution planning. In Texas courts, a thoughtful mitigation package shows the court who you are, not just what is in a police report.
Ethics And The Presumption Of Innocence
Why do criminal defense lawyers defend the guilty? Because the Constitution requires the state to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and because the presumption of innocence protects everyone. Defense lawyers do not condone crime, they enforce the rules that keep the system fair for all. Many clients are not guilty of the charged offense, are overcharged, or face unreliable evidence. Even when evidence is strong, the law still requires fair process, lawful policing, and proportionate punishment. A defense lawyer’s job is to insist on those principles and to protect your future.
Local Knowledge Matters In Bexar County
Every courthouse has written rules and unwritten practices. Knowing both matters. In Bexar County and San Antonio, procedures around intake, magistrate hearings, body camera requests, and motion settings affect strategy. An experienced local attorney knows how to obtain video quickly, how to sequence motions for maximum impact, and how to address bond and protective order issues in ways that keep you working, parenting, and living your life while the case is pending.
When To Hire A Lawyer, And Why Waiting Hurts
Should you hire a criminal defense attorney now? Yes. Here is why delay is dangerous:
- Evidence disappears: Videos loop over or get deleted, vehicles get repaired, and witnesses scatter.
- Prosecutors get a head start: The state collects statements and locks in narratives while you wait.
- Early hearings set the tone: Bond conditions, no-contact orders, and initial deadlines are hard to unwind later.
- Avoid self-inflicted damage: Without counsel, you may unknowingly consent to a search, give a harmful statement, or violate a condition.
The best time to contact a lawyer was yesterday, the second best time is now.
Why Choose Mario Del Prado
- Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
- Board Certified Criminal Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
- Former Chief of the Criminal Trial and Major Crimes Divisions at the Bexar County DA’s Office.
- More than 35 years of criminal trial experience in Texas courts.
You get meticulous investigation, strategic motion practice, trial-tested advocacy, and clear communication from day one through resolution. The firm handles serious felonies and misdemeanors in state and federal court, and guides you through the process with professionalism and discretion.
Practical Guidance If Police Contact You Today
- Stay calm and be polite.
- Identify yourself if required during a stop.
- Do not consent to searches you do not wish to allow.
- Clearly state, “I wish to remain silent. I want a lawyer.”
- Contact counsel immediately.
Do not contact accusers or try to “explain things” to investigators. Let your attorney communicate for you.
Ready To Protect Your Future
If you are under investigation or charged in San Antonio or Bexar County, get trusted help now. Speak with a Board Certified trial lawyer who understands the local courts, the Constitution, and the stakes for your life and livelihood. The best time to hire a lawyer was yesterday, the second best time is now.
For more about our approach to criminal defense, visit our homepage as your starting point. If you need a seasoned advocate today, consult a criminal defense lawyer san antonio tx for immediate guidance aligned with your case and goals. If your matter is in federal court, you may also need a federal criminal defense attorney who understands the distinct procedures and sentencing landscape.
Summary
A criminal defense attorney protects your rights, your liberty, and your future from the first call through resolution. That work includes early investigation, constitutional challenges to searches and statements, strategic motions, negotiations grounded in trial readiness, vigorous trial advocacy, and thoughtful mitigation at sentencing. Defense lawyers stand between you and the full power of the state, honoring the presumption of innocence and demanding proof that meets the law. In San Antonio and Bexar County, timely action, local knowledge, and Board Certified trial experience can make all the difference. Contact Del Prado Law Firm now to protect what matters most.
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