Appellate Law

Immediately after you have a trial or plead guilty, you have little time to file a notice of appeal or a motion for a new trial.  

Motion for New Trial

A motion for new trial is what you need to file if you find evidence outside the record (such as ineffective assistance of counsel or prosecutorial misconduct) shortly after your case concludes.  By having a hearing on the motion for new trial and getting this evidence into the record, the court may grant you a new trial.  If the trial court denies your motion for a new trial, you can directly appeal the trial court's ruling to the court of appeals.  If you miss the window to file a motion for new trial, you need to look into filing an application for a writ of habeas corpus.  

Direct Appeal

If want to appeal your conviction based on error of the trial court, such as an incorrect ruling that ultimately had an effect on your case, you need to file a notice of appeal right away and be prepared to take your case to one of the fourteen courts of appeals in Texas.  If the court of appeals affirms the trial court's ruling, you may file a petition for discretionary review to the Court of Criminal Appeals (the highest appellate court for criminal matters in Texas).  If the Court of Criminal Appeals denies relief, the next step (depending on what arguments you make in your appeal) is to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.  

If you or a family member wants to appeal a criminal conviction or a judgment of the trial court, set up your free consultation.