Veronica received her J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law. It was there that she participated in mock trial competitions and realized she loved being in the courtroom.
JD – St. Mary’s University School of Law BA – University of Texas at Austin
Veronica is a strong courtroom advocate and approaches each case with preparation and with great attention to detail. She personally oversees every aspect of your case and works persistently to protect your rights. Veronica understands that anytime someone needs representation in a legal matter, they are going through one of the most stressful times in their lives. You can rely on her to keep you informed about your case and provide you with experienced and considerate advice. She will continuously fight for a just outcome, whether through plea negotiations or jury trials.
Veronica has been honored by her peers by being recognized as one San Antonio's Top Criminal Defense Attorneys for 2016 and 2017. In 2017 she was also voted one of San Antonio's top DWI attorneys and is honored to have received the Latino America Who's Who award.
We hired Ms Legaretta when our son was charged with multiple non-violent felonies, and looking at a sentence of 25 years. Immediately after hiring her, she did the research, formulated a plan, communicated that plan to us, and then went to work. As with all worried parents, we had questions every day.
Veronica Legarreta is the reason I have my son with me today. He could have been sent to jail for a prank that resulted in a misdemeanor.
Extremely knowledgeable and helpful with my case. Would want to have Veronica in my corner every time. Case dismissed!
Ms. Veronica was my criminal attorney for a DWI I had and she was wonderful! I was so nervous since it was my first time in trouble and didn't know what to expect. Ms. Veronica walked me through everything. She got me a license to drive and got my case dismissed.
In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 47, which redefined six low-level drug and theft-related crimes as misdemeanors, allowing inmates to apply for resentencing and leave prison.
Marcella White was 15 when her father, a police officer, was shot dead while responding to a break-in. After his death, she moved from Utah to California, where she tangled with the law. None of her offenses were violent, and in total she spent less than a month behind bars.
Decreased earnings mean less tax revenue, says Nicole Porter of the Sentencing Project, an advocacy group pushing for alternatives to incarceration, and that means less money toward local social services, infrastructure, and education.
The state has saved more than $100 million in prison costs —funding that, since June, has been reallocated to drug treatment and mental health programs, as well as initiatives that offer housing and job opportunities to ex-offenders, helping them stay out of prison for good.
Idaho, Oregon, and West Virginia have all passed laws allowing people to reduce prior felony offenses to misdemeanors. A New York state senator introduced a similar bill this year, and lawmakers in a handful of other states are drafting proposals to do the same.
Former felons who can’t find work may be more likely to reoffend, experts say, and studies suggest their kids may be more likely to struggle in school. Attorneys and advocates have used billboards, radio ads, and flyers to spread the word about walk-in clinics where former offenders can get free help reducing their records.
At the Clean Slate Clinic in San Francisco, there was a spike of expungement-seekers after Donald Trump was elected—immigrants came in droves, worried their criminal records could get them deported, says a San Francisco County deputy public defender, Simin Shamji, who oversees the clinic.
As of 2017, three states – Kansas, Mississippi and Texas – and one U.S. territory, The Northern Mariana Islands, ban a felon from practicing law in their jurisdictions.
As a felon, the onus is then on you to convince your state's licensing authority that you are now a person of good moral character. It is not for them to somehow "prove" you are not. What you must do to convince them varies in detail from state-to-state.
Following the Times article, Betts was admitted. However, from the date of his teenage felony conviction to his admission to the bar in Connecticut took 18 years and a feature article in The New York Times. A felon may be admitted to the bar in most states, but, as Betts’s admission shows, it will not be easy.
The preface to the "2017 Code of Recommended Standards for Bar Examiners" notes that the lawyer licensing process must go beyond competence and evaluate character and fitness_._ It further notes that "revelation or discovery" of “unlawful conduct should be treated as cause for further inquiry before the bar decides whether the applicant possesses the character and fitness to practice law."
The Moral Character Exam. After passing the bar exam, every new lawyer, not just those with criminal convictions, must submit to a moral character examination in the state where she intends to practice.
Commission of a felony is categorically the most serious kind of unlawful conduct. However, the bar examiners do not ban you from taking the exam if you have a felony conviction. Once you have passed the bar exam, you must pass a state licensing board background check and be determined to be of good character before becoming licensed to practice.