Cases and Results

Here are summaries of just some of Neal's cases:

The seemingly unwinnable case

1. Neal's client was an investment banker charged with driving while intoxicated. She was rear-ended while waiting in the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant in the early morning. An eyewitness called police. When police arrived, they administered field sobriety tests to the client, which she performed poorly. She agreed to a breath test, which she failed. The client had no legal defense. Nevertheless, the case was dismissed after Neal made an "it ain't fair" argument to the prosecutor about how the client would have never been arrested in the first place had she not been rear-ended through no fault of her own.

2. Neal's client was charged with the felonies of securities fraud and misapplication of fiduciary property. The complainant, a professional football player in Houston, claimed the client defrauded the complainant in a securities investment. The case went to trial before a jury. Trial watchers were convinced Neal's client would be convicted because of the supposedly overwhelming evidence of guilt. The jury deliberated several days and was deadlocked at nine to three for acquittal. A mistrial was declared. Following the mistrial, some jurors who wanted to acquit Neal's client asked Neal for the client's business card. The prosecution dismissed the case.

Thinking outside the box

1. Neal's client was charged with aggravated sexual assault. He was almost 20 years old and the complainant was 13 years old at the time of the offense. There was no legal defense, given that the client admitted he had sex, albeit consensual, with the complainant. The complainant's mother reported the offense to police. Neal prepared a grand jury letter admitting that the defendant committed aggravated sexual assault. But the letter also explained that the client and complainant had a "Romeo and Juliet" relationship, the sexual relations were consensual, and the client (who was in the military) should not be charged with such a crime. The grand jury agreed and refused to charge the client.

2. Neal's client was not charged with a crime but terrified he would be. He came to Neal distraught because the client's acquaintance was threatening to falsely accuse the client of a first-degree felony if the client did not do what the acquaintance requested. Neal immediately went to prosecutors and explained the extortion plot. The client's acquaintance was arrested following a sting operation and the client was cleared of any alleged crime.

Trying cases to win

1. Neal's client was the county commissioner of an East Texas town. He was elected on the promise to clean up the office. After his election, he was accused of official oppression for allegedly sexually harassing an employee. The elected District Attorney tried the case. The jury promptly acquitted Neal's client.

2. Neal's client was charged with a felony against a single complainant. The case went to trial and she was acquitted. A few years later, Neal's client allegedly committed the same type of felony, this time against multiple complainants. The case went to trial and she was again acquitted.

Fighting the feds

1. Neal's clients--a husband and wife--were investigated for tax fraud. The Internal Revenue Service suspected the couple was running a shell corporation posing as a legitimate computer software business in Latin America. During a year-long investigation, Neal provided the IRS with business records, affidavits, and witnesses evidencing no fraud occurred. Federal authorities declined charges.

2. Neal's clients--a husband and wife--were investigated for a hate crime. During the investigation, Neal provided evidence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation that at most a misunderstanding, not a hate crime, occurred. Federal authorities declined charges.

Of course, every case is different and individual results may vary depending on the facts of a case. Listing the above outcomes is in no way intended to promise the same result will be reached in all cases of the same charge.