Houston · Harris County · Across Texas
When Your Freedom & Reputation Are on the Line, Experience Is Your Only Defense.
35+ Years of High-Stakes Criminal Defense in Harris County. Former Chief Prosecutor. Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist.
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If you are reading this
You have probably just found out.
An investigator left a card. A subpoena arrived at the office. Someone in HR asked a question that did not sound casual. Or the charge is already filed and you have spent the night working out who has to be told.
The fear is rarely only about prison. For most people who call this office it is about their name — the practice, the license, the board seat, the children's school, the version of this that stays searchable for twenty years. That fear is reasonable, and it changes what a good defense actually looks like.
The most useful call is the early one, before anybody has spoken to an investigator without a lawyer in the room. If you are wondering whether it is too early to call, it is not.
Why Bill Stradley
Four reasons clients call him first.
Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law
Fewer than 1% of Texas attorneys hold Board Certification in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Bill has maintained this elite designation for over two decades.
Former Harris County Chief Prosecutor
Knowing how the prosecution builds a case gives you a distinct advantage. Bill understands the tactics, evidence evaluation, and weaknesses in prosecutorial strategies.
Pre-Charge Defense & Investigation Focus
The best time to win a case is before indictment. Bill specializes in early intervention to prevent charges from being filed whenever possible.
Personalized, Direct Representation
You work directly with Bill Stradley—not junior associates or paralegals. Direct access to your lead attorney when it matters most.
What he handles
Serious matters, state and federal.
Felonies and misdemeanors in Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties — and serious cases throughout Texas.
Pre-Charge Investigations & Grand Jury Defense
Intervention during the investigation, while the decision to charge is still open — through the grand jury that decides whether it goes forward at all. This is the work that keeps a matter from becoming a public record, and it is the reason to call early rather than late.
Complex Felony & State Defense
The state felony charges where the exposure is real, tried in Harris County and the surrounding counties by someone who has stood on both sides of the courtroom.
Federal Offenses & White Collar Crimes
Investigations and prosecutions in federal court, including matters that begin as a subpoena or a target letter rather than an arrest, and allegations that run alongside a license, a board, or an employer.
Drug Offenses & STAR Court Litigation
Possession and distribution charges, and the specialty drug-court track, where the right early strategy can change what the rest of the case looks like.
DWI & Intoxication Offenses
Driving while intoxicated and related charges, where the evidence is often technical and the first thirty days after an arrest matter most.
In their words
What former clients have said.
Published on the firm's existing site. There are no invented outcomes on this page and no promise about yours — no honest lawyer can make one.
“You are the ultimate attorney… the finest human being I have ever met.”Former client
“Without a doubt the most compassionate, loyal, non-egotistical lawyer.”Former client
“We were in a horrific and unimaginable scenario, and Bill led us safely through it.”Former client
“Your professionalism, honesty and kindness were such comforts.”Former client
“My sincere compliments to you on the excellent lawyering you did.”Former client
“My son is a teenager, and he felt very comfortable with Bill.”Former client
Questions
The ones people actually call about.
Should I talk to the investigator?
Not before you have spoken to a lawyer. People who are entirely innocent routinely make their situation worse in that first conversation, because they are trying to be helpful and do not know what the question is actually for. Being willing to cooperate and cooperating unadvised are two very different things.
Is it too early to call if I have not been charged?
That is usually the best moment, not too early. Once charges are filed, a great deal has already been decided. While the investigation is still open, there is a decision left to influence.
Will this become public?
It depends on the stage and the charge, and nobody can honestly promise you otherwise. What can be said is that keeping a matter out of the public record is treated here as part of the objective rather than a bonus, and that shapes which strategy gets recommended.
What does hiring a lawyer early actually change?
It puts someone between you and the investigator, it preserves the decisions you have not made yet, and where charges have not been filed it creates the chance to argue against filing them at all — to the people who make that call, in the language they use.
Will I be handed to somebody else?
No. The caseload is kept small precisely so that does not happen.
Speak to Bill
One number, and it reaches him.
If it is the middle of the night and you are deciding whether to call in the morning — call in the morning. Do not speak to anyone official before you do.
1545 Heights Boulevard, Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77008
The Law Building, 16th and Heights
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