Dallas Criminal Appeals Lawyer

When the Trial Ends, the Fight Isn’t Over

A conviction is not the final word. If you or a loved one has been convicted of a crime in Texas or in federal court, you have the right to challenge that outcome — but the appeals process is unforgiving, deadline-driven, and governed by rules that have nothing to do with a jury trial. As a board certified criminal lawyer, former Dallas County prosecutor, and former Director of the Dallas County Conviction Integrity Unit, Russell Wilson brings a rare, dual-sided understanding of how convictions are built — and how they come apart under appellate scrutiny.

Whether the issue is a legal error at trial, newly discovered evidence, or a constitutional violation that infected the entire case, our firm handles criminal appeals from investigation through the final ruling, in state and federal court alike.

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Our Criminal Appeals Practice

Direct Appeals

A direct appeal challenges legal errors made during the trial itself — improperly admitted evidence, flawed jury instructions, prosecutorial misconduct, or insufficient evidence to support a conviction. Direct appeals are filed with the Texas Court of Appeals and, where applicable, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and they operate under strict filing deadlines that begin running the moment a judgment is entered. We review the full trial record to identify preserved, appealable error and build a brief that gives the appellate court a clear, compelling reason to reverse.

Motion for New Trial

In many cases, the fastest and most direct path to relief starts at the trial court, not the appellate court. A Motion for New Trial allows us to raise newly discovered evidence, juror misconduct, ineffective assistance of counsel, or other serious defects while the trial record is still fresh — often before a direct appeal is even filed. Because the window to file is extremely short under Texas law, timing is critical, and cases benefit most when appellate counsel is brought in immediately after conviction.

State Habeas Corpus

When the issues in a case go beyond what the trial record shows — such as ineffective assistance of counsel, newly discovered evidence, or violations that require evidence outside the four corners of the trial — a state habeas writ under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 11.07 may be the only avenue for relief. As a Texas habeas lawyer who has spent years on both sides of the post-conviction process, Russell Wilson understands what the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals expects to see in a writ application, and how to develop the record needed to support it.

Federal Habeas Corpus

Federal habeas relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 is one of the most demanding and heavily restricted areas of post-conviction law, governed by strict exhaustion requirements and a one-year filing deadline under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA). Federal courts apply an exacting standard of review to state court convictions, and a single procedural misstep can permanently forfeit a claim. As a federal criminal defense attorney, our firm handles federal habeas petitions with the precision this process demands, working to preserve and present claims of constitutional violations that state courts failed to correct.

Constitutional Claims

Many of the strongest grounds for appeal or habeas relief arise from violations of constitutional rights — ineffective assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment, due process violations, unlawful search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment, or prosecutorial suppression of favorable evidence under Brady v. Maryland. As a constitutional litigation attorney, Russell Wilson identifies where a client’s rights were compromised at any stage of the criminal process and builds the record necessary to litigate those violations at the trial, state appellate, and federal level.

Wrongful Convictions

Few attorneys bring the perspective Russell Wilson does to a wrongful conviction case. As the former Director of the Dallas County Conviction Integrity Unit, he personally reviewed convictions for the very errors — false testimony, flawed forensic evidence, mistaken identification, withheld evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct — that lead to innocent people being convicted. That inside knowledge of how wrongful convictions happen, and how prosecutors’ offices evaluate innocence claims, is now used entirely on behalf of our clients: pursuing exoneration, DNA testing, and post-conviction relief for those who were wrongfully convicted.

Why Choose Russell Wilson Law for Your Appeal

As a Dallas criminal appeals lawyer and Dallas criminal defense lawyer with more than 30 years of courtroom and appellate experience, Russell Wilson has stood on both sides of the criminal justice system — as a prosecutor, as a Conviction Integrity Unit Director, and as defense counsel. That perspective shapes every appeal and every writ our firm files. We also serve as a federal criminal defense attorney for clients facing appeals and habeas proceedings in federal court, where the rules — and the stakes — are entirely different from state practice.

Appeals and post-conviction cases are won or lost on preparation, deadlines, and a deep command of appellate procedure. If you are considering an appeal, a motion for new trial, or a habeas petition in Dallas or anywhere in Texas, time is working against you. Contact our office today for a confidential case evaluation.

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