Jack B Zimmermann

/Home/Criminal Attorneys: Houston TX

Houston Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer : Military Defense Attorney

* DWI/DUI - DWI/DUI is a very serious charge, and public policy is demanding that tougher penalties be imposed on those convicted of these charges, especially those who are convicted of DUI/DWI for the second time or more. Therefore, anyone charged with this offense needs to do everything possible to assert his or her Constitutional rights and available defenses.

* Mail Fraud/Wire Fraud/Bank Fraud - Mail and wire fraud are both crimes that have been in existence for many years, but the advent of the Internet has only made the opportunities to be charged with these offenses more likely given the access to information that’s more available now than ever before. These crimes are prosecuted in federal court and often require precharging investigation, creating the need to build an immediate and strong defense.

* White Collar Cases - Many people mistakenly believe that being convicted of what’s traditionally known as a ‘white collar’ crime is not serious relative to the penalties faced for a conviction on a ‘violent crime’ charge. Nothing could be further from the truth, and operating under this assumption is a mistake that could cost a defendant his or her freedom for many years.

* Securities Fraud - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is as aggressive a regulatory agency as you will find within the investigation and enforcement arms of the federal government. The Department of Justice routinely prosecutes cases arising from SEC investigations.

* Murder/Capital Murder - No charge is as serious as capital murder or murder. In cases like these, the citizen’s life literally could be on the line, and this is a situation where every effort needs to be made to present the strongest defense possible.

* Rape/Sexual Assault/Aggravated Sexual Assault - These sorts of charges not only carry severe penalties if the individual is convicted, but the facts that surround these cases make it very difficult for a jury to understand how false allegations can be made.

* Drug/Controlled Substances Offenses - The War on Drugs rages on throughout the United States, and it’s especially intense in Texas given its border with Mexico and other factors. Drug-related charges can force an individual to defend himself or herself on both state and federal levels, and long-term prison sentences are becoming the norm rather than the exception in many instances.

* Military Criminal Law - Those who are defending our country are often charged with crimes similar to those found in civilian courts. The military justice system, however, requires representation by counsel familiar with the procedures which are similar to, but different from, those found in civilian courts. Often persons charged under the UCMJ prefer to exercise their right to be represented by civilian counsel before military courts at trial or on appeal.

* Administrative Discharges - The nature of a soldier’s discharge can carry a lifetime of consequences, especially if that discharge is negative in nature. This battle is generally administrative in nature and requires a criminal defense attorney with a high degree of experience and skill.

Board Certified Criminal Lawyer - National Board of Legal Specialty Certification

Jack B Zimmermann
Zimmermann, Lavine, Zimmermann & Sampson PC
770 S Post Oak Ln #620
Houston TX 77056
Tel: 713 552-0300
Fax: 713 552-0746

Practice areas: Criminal Defense (50%), Criminal Defense: White Collar (30%), Appellate (20%)

Jack B. Zimmermann is a former prosecutor and criminal trial judge in the United States Marine Corps. A 1975 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas, he is licensed to practice law in Texas. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He is admitted to all of the state courts in Texas, as well as the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits, all of the United States District Courts in Texas, and the Western District of Oklahoma, and all United States courts-martial. Mr. Zimmermann served 14 years on active duty in the Marine Corps, including duty as the commanding officer of two artillery batteries in combat, where he earned two Bronze Star medals for heroism and the Purple Heart for wounds in action. He served for 16 years as an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve, including duty as the commanding officer of the infantry battalion headquartered in Houston. He retired in 1994 as a colonel, and was presented the Meritorious Service Medal for his final assignment as a felony court-martial judge.

Mr. Zimmermann represents clients at trial and on appeal in state, federal, and military courts, as well as before professional licensing boards. He is the co-chairman of the Military Law section of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the former chairman of the Criminal Law and Military Law sections of the American Association for Justice, a former director of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and the former President of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association.

Mr. Zimmermann lectures on trial advocacy and serves as a motivational speaker across the country. He has been a guest on national TV programs such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, Nightline, Larry King Live, and Rivera Live.

He founded the firm in 1984, and has been a shareholder since then. Mr. Zimmermann has been board certified in criminal law since 1980 by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and since 1981 by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Mr. Zimmermann is a co-author with the former dean of the William and Mary Law School of "Criminal Procedure in Practice." All lawyers in the firm contributed to this effort. He is editor of the Federal Criminal Defense Volume of case forms distributed by Pro Doc Inc.

He served as lead counsel in the "Dairy Queen Case," where the widow of the son of the former governor of Texas was acquitted of murder. He was lead counsel in the "Water Torture Case" where the sheriff of Walker County, Texas was acquitted of perjury. He also served as lead counsel in a nine defendant three month bank fraud trial where the former chairman of the board of a bank and all others were acquitted when the federal judge dismissed the charges when the government concluded its case, and held the prosecutors in contempt of court for withholding favorable evidence. He was lead counsel in the "Cheerleader Mom" re-trial, where a mother was given probation for solicitation of capital murder of her daughter's cheerleading competitor after receiving 15 years confinement when represented by another firm at the first trial.

Mr. Zimmermann was counsel for a leader of the Branch Davidian religious group involved in the shootout with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the subsequent 51 day stand-off with the FBI near Waco, Texas. He spent two days inside Mt. Carmel Center before it was attacked with tanks and CS gas, with 76 people perishing in the fire that erupted. Mr. Zimmermann later testified before Congress in nationally televised hearings.

Mr. Zimmermann served as lead counsel in the "Border Shooting Case" where two state grand juries and one federal grand jury refused to indict the active-duty Marine who returned fire, killing the man who fired on his patrol.

Mr. Zimmermann served as co-counsel on a writ of habeas corpus for Gary Graham, a man who was executed after 19 years on death row despite compelling evidence of innocence. This case focused the nation's attention on the problems with the death penalty and led to legislative reform of the court-appointed lawyer system in Texas.

Mr. Zimmermann represented a client in a complex white-collar case in which the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that the district judge's finding of fact on remand was clearly erroneous. The appellate court reversed the conviction and 20-year sentence and ordered the charges dismissed. He served as lead counsel in a two-and-a-half week federal trial where the client was acquitted in 45 minutes of conspiring to steal government property worth more than seven million dollars, and in a state case in which a felony arson charge against a Sheriff's Sergeant was dismissed on the eve of trial. Mr. Zimmermann was lead counsel for a Marine accused of killing a high-ranking Iraqi official after he was captured. All charges were dismissed after a six day Article 32 preliminary hearing.

Mr. Zimmermann was appointed as a Special Prosecutor to investigate the judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers involved in the "fake drugs" scandal in Dallas, Texas. Click here to read his report.

He was co-counsel with Jim Lavine for an Enron Broadband Services executive, where the 14-week trial ended in a hung jury and a mistrial on 15 of the 17 counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud. Two counts were acquittals entered by the judge. After a retrial, Mr. Zimmermann and Mr. Lavine filed a motion to vacate all convictions, which the trial court granted.

Mr. Zimmermann was co-counsel with Jim Lavine for a Duke Energy trader, where the nine-week trial led to acquittals on seven counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and false reporting. After nine days of deliberations, the jury hung on twelve counts. These counts were dismissed on the motion of the Government.

Mr. Zimmermann was lead counsel in the court-martial of an Army surgeon, who was cleared of 19 specifications of distribution of controlled substances, obstruction of justice, false official statement, and orders violations. The military jury deliberated for 45 minutes. A military judge acquitted an Army Special Forces officer of rape and indecent acts where Mr. Zimmermann was lead counsel.

Mr. Zimmermann was lead counsel representing LCpl Stephen Tatum, USMC, who originally was charged with the murder of Iraqi civilians during a counter-attack in response to an ambush in Haditha, Iraq. Click here for a description of the Article 32 Investigation hearing featured in the Texas Lawyer. All charges were dismissed with prejudice on the first day of trial in this case that had drawn international media attention.

Mr. Zimmermann was named a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Mr. Zimmermann and Mr. Lavine were named attorneys of the year for 2005-2006 by the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association and were also named as the outstanding lawyers in the state for 2005-2006 by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. In 2007, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association presented Mr. Zimmermann the Warhorse Award for life-time achievement as a trial advocate, the highest reputation for ethics and honesty, a teacher of trial advocacy, and leadership of the trial bar. Mr. Zimmermann is married and has two grown children and four grandchildren.