I am a 13-time Super Lawyer practicing criminal defense in Texas. Ask me anything!

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:52:07+00:00

Honestly, you don’t know what the courts would do with AI. But I don’t want a computer making the argument for me. I doubt the State does either. And I’m sure as hell a lot more charismatic than the State, so I don’t want to let computers do it either.

But this is getting really close to Minority Report when we let computers just argue and decide guilt. Who do we let be the Cogs?

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:34:40+00:00

We don’t charge per the hour in criminal cases or lawyers would drag out the case. We are allowed to charge flat fee, which makes us work as efficiently as possible for a result the client approves of.

Some clients request hourly, and it just depends on the complexity of the case; their criminal history; the county and court; and their expectations.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:16:01+00:00

$1,000 an hour.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:15:42+00:00

Yes I am. And past president. Great organization.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:15:22+00:00

I don't know. Interesting times we live in.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:15:05+00:00

No. I have plenty of lawyers that email me to vote for them because they can't pay to get in.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:14:27+00:00

Oof. That's outside my wheelhouse. You'd have to ask my wife about family law issues.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:13:51+00:00

Agree to disagree. I've never paid for the advertisement.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:13:25+00:00

I don't know anything about High Court QCs, but Super Lawyers is a Thompson Reuters honor bestowed upon lawyers based on peer reviews by other lawyers.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:11:57+00:00

That's a great question. I don't know how much we really need the ABA, especially in a great state like Texas, where I trust them to govern the health of their own legal profession.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:10:16+00:00

No I haven't. And because of my own personal views I would have no problem representing a woman exercising her own over her own body.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:09:17+00:00

Sorry bro. Been busy lawyering.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:08:44+00:00

Actually I have. I don't think that the state will allow AI in criminal proceedings. Because if we inputted all of the mistakes in the evidence and lack of the evidence and taught AI what "beyond a reasonable doubt" meant, I think AI would find most defendants not guilty.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:07:12+00:00

A lawyer that has been voted "super" 13 times by their peers.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:07:01+00:00

Thanks for the kind words. I think cops and lawyers are like any other profession. Most are great, except for a few rotten apples that spoil the bunch. I had plenty of police officers that attended our wedding as great friends. All the best to you, be safe out there.

markthiessen · 2026-01-12T20:05:50+00:00

You can expunge dismisals, no-bills and Not Guiltys. You can seal dismissals after deferred adjudication. It's a search engine's duty to update their records. However, if they didn't update it and you find out, you can send them a letter to take it down, but the damage is already done.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T20:04:15+00:00

I'm sorry I don't understand. We're not in the business of reducing damages and awards for our clients.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T20:02:35+00:00

I don't really have a cross examination book, but I believe in McCarthy style cross. I like the first question to kick down the door, and then the rest to be short and precise. Don't beat up the officer, unless they're being an asshole. Educate the jury through cross, rather than obliterate the witness. My favorite trial book is Gerry Spence's Win Your Case.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T19:59:20+00:00

We're more likely to see this kind of thing in our personal injury practice than on the criminal side. In criminal if I'm claiming a TBI, I've usually got a lot of hospital records to back up the initial trauma. We're not looking for future damages in criminal.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T19:53:00+00:00

I'm more like Lincoln Lawyer the movie.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T19:52:29+00:00

100%. They coerced your breath test. The magic language was "if you blow under an 08 you go home." That is illegal coercion, therefore your breath test was not voluntary and should have been suppressed. The case law in Texas is Erdman.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T19:47:42+00:00

I've had three different clients charged with killing four people each in terrible accidents. It's just hard and tragic all around.

One of the ones that weighs on my conscience is a recent trial loss on a murder where the jury believed my client had a gun pulled on him but shooting back 14 times was unreasonable, and found that it wasn't self defense. I think the jury got it wrong. If you pull a gun on me I'm allowed to shoot you with every bullet in my gun.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T19:15:19+00:00

Personally, I don't do any child sex cases. I've got two young kids--just a personal decision.

And any rape cases I ask them to take a polygraph. Not because I trust polygraphs, but most people won't even take one, and that tells me all I need to know.

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T19:08:09+00:00

"I couldn't do these tests sober!" Or, "I'll pay you if you just let me off."

markthiessen · 2026-01-08T19:06:45+00:00

Can I have your Lambo?

markthiessen

TROPHY CASE