Terri R 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

Terri R 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 (60%), Appellate (40%)

Industry Groups: Federal, Military, State

Terri R. Zimmermann is a former prosecutor and chief of the Civil Law and Review sections at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, for which she was awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal. A 1992 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., she is licensed to practice law in Texas and Maryland. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. She is admitted to all of the state courts in Texas and Maryland, as well as the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Southern District of Texas and the District of Maryland, and all United States courts-martial.

Ms. Zimmermann is the head of our appellate section, and represents clients at trial and on appeal in state, federal, and military courts, as well as before professional licensing boards. She formerly served as the co-chair of the Military Law Section of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is the Chair of the State Bar of Texas Military Law Section. She is a member of the American Bar Association; Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association; Houston Bar Association; and Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. She came to our firm in 1996, has been a shareholder since 2007, and is board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Zimmermann served as lead counsel in a rape case where the military judge granted her motion to suppress the prior testimony of the complaining witness, resulting in all charges being dismissed, and as lead counsel in a DWI case where the judge acquitted the client and dismissed all charges when the state completed its case.

Ms. Zimmermann represented a client in a complex white-collar appeal 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. Ms. Zimmermann was co-counsel with Mr. Sampson in the acquittal of a truck driver accused of failing to stop and render aid to the driver of a car that cut in front of his truck, resulting in a fatal accident. Ms. Zimmermann was co-counsel with Mr. Zimmermann in an indecency with a child case, which resulted in a hung jury at the first trial. On retrial, she cross-examined the complaining witness, and the jury acquitted.

She has also served as co-counsel with Jack B. Zimmermann in three nationally-known cases: the "Border Shooting Case" where an active duty Marine returned fire on the United States-Mexican border, killing the man who had fired at his patrol augmenting the civilian drug interdiction efforts. No charges were filed after three grand jury investigations over a one-year period. She was co-counsel in the "Cheerleader Mom Case," where the client received probation on re-trial after the first trial had resulted in a 15 year prison sentence. She was co-counsel in the "Railcar Killer case," where the issue of mental competence to be executed was litigated.

Ms. Zimmermann was co-counsel with Mr. Zimmermann and Mr. Sampson 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.

Ms. Zimmermann served as a Marine Corps judge advocate on active duty from 1993-1996. Since then she has remained in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and currently is a Lieutenant Colonel. For approximately ten years, she served as an appellate defense counsel at the Navy-Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity in Washington, D.C. She has returned from a six-month mobilization to Camp Pendleton, California, where she served as the Deputy Counsel to the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Command.

Ms. Zimmermann was named a Rising Star lawyer under age 40 by Texas Monthly magazine in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.