# Juvenile Defense [areas-hero](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/areas-hero.webp) service San Antonio Juvenile Defense Attorney ## One Bad Decision at 15 Shouldn't Close Doors at 25 The call may come from a school office, a police station, or the detention center on Mission Road, and in an instant, you are facing questions you never expected to ask about your child. What happens now? What will this mean for school, sports, opportunities, and the future you have spent years helping your child build? For parents, the fear can be overwhelming, but you do not have to navigate the juvenile justice system alone. Attorney Austin Hagee once prosecuted cases for the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office. Today, he uses that experience to defend children and guide parents fighting to protect their child’s future. [Get a Free Confidential Consultation](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/contact/) 295 reviews - Austin Hagee Law Firm - / - San Antonio Juvenile Defense Attorney article - Your child is not the first good kid to end up in this position, and an arrest is not a verdict. What happens over the next few weeks matters more than what happened on the night in question, because early decisions determine whether this becomes a paragraph in a file or a permanent obstacle to college admission, financial aid, military enlistment, and a first real job. - main - prose - A Former Prosecutor Who Knows How the Other Side Thinks - Texas handles these cases outside the adult criminal courts, and that distinction shapes everything about how a successful defense works. - Conduct committed between the ages of 10 and 16 falls under the Juvenile Justice Code, which is civil rather than criminal. Instead of finding someone guilty of a crime, a court finds delinquent conduct. Instead of a sentence, the court will order a disposition. Despite the use of different wording, the stated purpose is rehabilitation, and that often opens doors that do not exist in adult criminal court. - Parents routinely get two points wrong, and both are important to understand. A 17-year-old is considered an adult in Texas criminal court, with no juvenile protections at all. Even though the goal is rehabilitation, the consequences can be significant: a disposition can range from a warning at the low end to commitment with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department at the high end (sending the youth to a state residential facility), with a determinate sentence reaching decades into the 17-year-old's future for the most serious offenses. - main - prose - The Juvenile System Runs on Different Rules - Most of the cases parents bring us involve a vape pen. Texas classifies THC oil and concentrate as a felony-level controlled substance, so a cartridge in a backpack is a far more serious allegation than the same amount of marijuana flower would be. That single fact catches families off guard more than anything else we handle. - Beyond that, we defend: - Marijuana and other drug possession - Alcohol offenses, including minor in possession and public intoxication - Assault, including school fights and family arguments - Theft and shoplifting - Vandalism and criminal mischief - Weapons allegations, including a firearm at or near a campus - Truancy and Class C citations in municipal court - Evading arrest - main - bullets - Charges We Defend [Request a Free Consultation](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/contact/) - main - internalcta - h2 - Not Sure How Serious This Is? - Tell us what your child is accused of, and we will explain what the State can actually do and how we can defend against it and protect your child’s rights and future. The consultation is free and confidential. - Getting ahead of the DA's case is the first step. The window when a prosecutor is still deciding what to do is when our defense does the most good. This means that it's imperative that you contact us immediately so we get to work right away. - Push for Diversion or Deferred Prosecution - Bexar County has programs that resolve a case without a finding of delinquent conduct. Eligibility depends on the offense, the child's history, and how the file looks when the prosecutor reviews it, which is something we can influence. - Attack the Search - Backpacks, cars, lockers, and phones all have rules attached, and school searches follow different standards than police searches. When the evidence came in improperly, we move to suppress it. - Test the Evidence - With vape and THC allegations, what the substance actually is and how it was weighed are both open questions, and roadside or school-level testing cannot answer them reliably. - Fight Certification - For the most serious felony allegations, prosecutors can ask the court to move a case to adult court, which is available from age 14 for capital, aggravated controlled substance, and first-degree felonies, and from age 15 for lesser felonies. Keeping a case in juvenile court is often the single most valuable thing a defense can accomplish. - Handle the School Side - Covered below, and frequently the part families are least prepared for. - Set Up the Record Sealing - We identify the path to clearing the record before the case ends, not years later. - main - prose - How We Defend Your Child - main - prose - h2 - Schools run their own process, on their own timeline, and it does not wait for the court. - Once a district learns about an arrest, it can change your child's placement or start expulsion proceedings, even when the alleged conduct happened nowhere near campus. Those hearings have their own rules and their own deadlines, and the outcome can affect graduations, athletics, and transcripts regardless of what the juvenile court eventually decides. We represent students in those school hearings alongside the criminal case, because winning one and losing the other still costs your child a year. - main - prose - The Consequence Nobody Warns Parents About - Everything moves faster at the beginning than families expect. - If your child is detained, the detention hearing comes almost immediately: by law, no later than the second working day after being taken into custody, or the first working day when the detention started over a weekend. You are entitled to notice, and you should be in that room. The judge decides whether your child goes home to you or stays at the Juvenile Detention Center while the case proceeds, and this early hearing is also our first chance to present mitigation and exculpatory evidence to the prosecutor before anyone commits to a position. - Bexar County hears these cases in three juvenile district courts, the 289th, 386th, and 436th, at the Juvenile Justice Center. From detention, a case moves through pretrial conferences where discovery is resolved and defense motions are argued, including motions to dismiss for insufficient evidence and motions to suppress. If the case does not resolve, it reaches an adjudication hearing, which functions like the guilt phase of a trial. Your child has the right to a jury there, and a jury verdict must be unanimous. When a court does find delinquent conduct, a separate disposition hearing decides what happens, and we present evaluations and mitigation at that stage. - Class C citations, including truancy and most traffic matters, go to the City of San Antonio's juvenile municipal court instead. Note that a child under 17 must appear there with a parent or guardian, even when an attorney is involved, and a 16-year-old who skips the setting can have a warrant issued. - main - prose - What Happens After the Arrest - A juvenile record is not automatically private, and it does not always vanish at 18. Some records are restricted automatically under the Family Code. Others require a petition to seal, and the timing depends on the offense, your child's age, and how the case ended. Parents often assume this happens automatically and find out otherwise when their child applies for a job, a professional license, or military enlistment. We tell you at the outset which category applies and handle the sealing when your child becomes eligible. More on expunction and record sealing . - main - prose - Clearing the Record Afterward [Get a Free Confidential Consultation](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/contact/) - aside - paycard - h2 - flush - Your Child Was Arrested in Bexar County? - A former Bexar County prosecutor will tell you plainly what the State can do and what we would do about it, on a free and confidential call. - Available 24/7 for new inquiries ## Real Results: 350+ Cases Dismissed for Our Clients Every dismissal is a record that never had to follow someone into adulthood. - Dismissed — Charge: Possession of Controlled Substance PG 2 (Vape Pen) — January of 2026 - Dismissed — Charge: Juvenile – Assault – Bodily Injury — March of 2025 - Dismissed — Charge: Possession of Marijuana — October of 2025 - Dismissed — Charge: Theft > $100 > $750 — March of 2025 [See What's Possible in Your Child's Case](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/contact/) Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different. [cta-portrait](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/cta-portrait.webp) [cta-portrait-mobile](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/cta-portrait-mobile.webp) ## Top-Tier Defense Shouldn't Be Out of Reach No parent budgets for this. We quote a flat fee in writing before you hire us, then finance it ourselves with a low initial payment and monthly terms, so the decision is about your child, not your bank balance. [Ask About Payment Options](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/pay-online/) Available 24/7 for new inquiries ## Why Parents Choose Austin Hagee Law Firm inner - inner-1 - He Knows How the State Will Use the Evidence - Austin evaluated cases from inside the District Attorney's Office. He knows what moves a prosecutor toward diversion and what pushes them the other way. - inner-2 - Vape and THC Cases Are Our Territory - These allegations make up a large share of the juvenile cases we handle, and the defenses are technical: what the substance is, how it was weighed, and whether the search was lawful. - inner-3 - You Stay in the Room - Some firms talk to the parent once and then go quiet. You get direct access, plain answers, and a say in the strategy. - inner-4 - Reachable When It Happens - Arrests do not respect office hours. New client inquiries reach us any hour, any day. article text - You will not have to chase us for information. We explain the options in plain language, including the ones we do not recommend and why. We tell you honestly when a case is likely to resolve quietly and when it will be a fight. And we keep you updated on a set schedule, not only when something goes wrong, because the silence between court dates is where most families lose sleep. - Your child will also be treated like a kid who made a mistake, not a case number. - main - prose - Working with Parents ## Meet Austin Hagee, Former Prosecutor and Trial-Tested Defender Before defending the accused, Austin Hagee prosecuted them as a felony prosecutor for the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office. A St. Mary’s University School of Law graduate with honors, recognized by Super Lawyers and the National Trial Lawyers, he has taken a case to trial every year since he was licensed. Our team also includes an attorney who mentored at-risk youth through the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department. ## Trial Attorneys [Meet the Full Team](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/about-us/) ### [Hannah Hawkins-Cunningham](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/about-us/hannah-hawkins-cunningham/) Trial Attorney - Purdue University, Bachelor of Arts - Indiana University School of Law, Doctor of Jurisprudence - Order of the Barristers ### [Kyra Falcone](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/about-us/kyra-falcone/) Trial Attorney - The University of Texas at Austin, B.A. with double minor - St. Mary’s University School of Law, J.D. - Dean’s Scholarship Recipient ### [Jeremy Best](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/about-us/jeremy-best/) Trial Counsel - Texas State University, B.A. Business Finance - St. Mary’s University School of Law – Juris Doctor Degree - All Texas Courts – 2016 ### [Lucas Holzmann](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/about-us/lucas-holzmann/) Trial Attorney - Texas A&M University, B.A. in English, cum laude - St. Mary’s University School of Law, J.D. - Dean’s Research Fellow, St. Mary’s University School of Law ### [Ruby Livas](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/about-us/ruby-livas/) Paralegal - University of Texas at San Antonio, Bachelor of Arts in History - Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Certification in Elementary Education - University of Texas at San Antonio, Paralegal School ### [Ana Sofia Mohamed](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/about-us/ana-sofia-mohamed/) Legal Assistant - New York University, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science - Bilingual in English and Spanish ## Where We Represent Juveniles service Our office sits on Austin Highway, minutes from the Juvenile Justice Center where Bexar County hears these cases. We also appear in the surrounding counties, including Comal (New Braunfels), Guadalupe (Seguin), Hays (San Marcos), Kendall (Boerne), and Atascosa (Pleasanton). See San Antonio criminal defense or our full areas we serve. Our Office [location-photo](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/location-photo.webp) - Boerne - New Braunfels - San Marcos - Seguin - Atascosa County ## Frequently Asked Questions **No.** Texas juvenile court covers conduct committed at ages 10 through 16. At 17, your child is charged as an adult, with adult penalties and an adult public record. That surprises most parents, and it changes the defense entirely. - My child is 17. Does the juvenile system apply? The first offense is when a defense has the most leverage, because diversion and deferred prosecution are still available and nothing has been decided. Waiting removes options rather than preserving them. - Does my child really need a lawyer for a first offense? Not adult jail, unless the case is certified to adult court. Dispositions range from informal handling and probation at home to placement in a facility, and at the top end, commitment with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. - Can my child go to jail? It can. Juvenile records are more protected than adult ones, but they are not invisible, and some require a petition to seal. Families most often run into it with financial aid, professional licensing, and military enlistment. - Will this show up on college and job applications? **Yes**, and it follows its own schedule and rules. We handle both, because a favorable court outcome does not undo an expulsion. - The school is holding a hearing. Is that separate? **Yes**, and for Class C matters in municipal court, a parent or guardian must appear. In the juvenile district courts, you are entitled to notice of hearings, and we want you present. - Can I sit in on the court proceedings? Not without counsel. Statements made to a school resource officer or an administrator can end up in the State’s file, and children tend to explain themselves in ways that hurt them. - Should my child talk to police or school administrators? Texas treats THC concentrate as a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance, which makes it felony-level conduct rather than the misdemeanor most families assume. [Read more on THC vape defense](https://ahl-whmsqlm30xzl.wpfv3.comradeserver.com/service-area/thc-vape-pen-attorney-san-antonio-tx/). - What does a THC vape charge mean for a minor? ## Your Child's Case Starts Now. So Should the Defense. Call us or request your free, confidential consultation online. We answer new client inquiries 24 hours a day. 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