The Collin County District Attorney’s Office has divided its Felony Trial Division into three teams. Each team is composed of three experienced felony trial attorneys, two felony investigators and two legal secretaries. A felony offense is any offense for which the punishment set by law is by confinement in a state jail facility or the state penitentiary, or by death in the case of a Capital Murder. All felony cases are prosecuted in the district courts.

Felony Trial Team responsibilities include evaluating new cases, contacting victims of crime, determining the proper plea bargain recommendation, preparing cases for trial, and representing the State of Texas in all criminal hearings and trials conducted in the district courts. Cases are disposed of by trials before juries, trials before a court without a jury or by agreed plea agreements.

Felony Trial Teams work closely with the Sheriff’s Office, police departments in the county, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as the Texas Department Criminal Justice to share information and to prepare cases for successful prosecution.

Each prosecuting attorney is charged by statute with the duty to “seek justice”. This is done by aggressively representing the State of Texas. Victims of crime are contacted to assess economic and physical damage as well as to seek input regarding proper punishment for the crime. Repeat and habitual offenders are routinely assessed long prison sentences to punish the offender and deter others.

Young, non-violent offenders are sometimes provided the opportunity to seek rehabilitation through felony probation. Conditions of probation can be assessed to encourage an offender to become a contributing member of our community or risk a trip to the penitentiary. These conditions may include restitution to the victim, community service hours, counseling, drug rehabilitation programs, fines and court-costs, as determined by the court. Each team conscientiously evaluates cases to make a plea bargain recommendation which fits the crime and history of the offender.

The goal of each trial team is to win its cases by every fair and lawful means available under the law and in reliance on the high standards of every member.

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