William Hawthorne Wirskye

Due to a wild past, I was assumed guilty from the moment I showed my drivers license. Over a span of 30 years I had accrued 3 convictions for possession of a controlled substance, and served 3 prison terms in Texas already for the exact same controlled substance that I found myself charged with last ...year. The police, once they ran my record, impounded the car so they could search at leisure. They found a baggie of residue dropped by my passenger as I was being arrested for no insurance. They let him walk away, unquestioned, unsearched. The gears turned: Once guilty, always guilty... but 3 times convicted and sentenced? Well, lets just say they were enthusiastic. They "confused" where they found it, making it look worse. One "claimed" he witnessed "tracks" on my arms. The Grand Jury indicted. The D.A. enhanced 0.1 gram to a 3rd degree TDC felony, filing: 'Habitual'. It looked so bad that some big name local lawyers wanted $10,000 just to plea bargain the case. I had heard of an ex Prosecutor who was extremely good at finding fault in police procedure: "Bill Wirskye". I found his website, and articles on-line about him. I read that he was an expert at many aspects of law. He seemed to have talents, skill, and knowledge in layers. I met with him on a Saturday. Typical of what I came to know and admire as his style and demeanor, he said little, made no promises, and said one particular thing that was opposite from all the others I'd spoken with, which was: "Well, I believe you are in a whole lot less trouble than you think." I asked about my odds for dismissal on grounds of illegal search. He was non-committal, and completely honest. He said: "I don't know, but if there was any violation of your rights, or police procedure, I will sniff it out. I asked about his fee. He gave me the lowest figure I had heard yet, apart from the "mail fliers" that follow an arrest like buzzards offering: "$500 plea bargains - COME ON DOWN!" I only had $300 to offer as a retainer. Bill Wirskye took the case, and if I had only known what I know now, I would have quit worrying right then and there, but instead, I began to spiral into depression and anxiety. Mr Wirskye made an excellent 'babysitter' during those months. Telling me to be patient, and calm, that time was our ally. I was anything but calm. I developed a skin inflammation at my ears, and one anxiety-ridden morning on the way to court I scratched my ear until I bled all over my suit and tie. I told Mr Wirskye I was going to be late. He told me not to worry, he had already been and reset the date in my absence. 15 months later, the case was "Dismissed in the interest of Justice". Mr Wirskye casually text'd the news to me using about 5 words... characteristic of himself. By the time this was done, Mr. Wirskye had such a list of errors, "inconsistencies", illegal pretenses and procedures by the arresting officers in Irving that had the D.A.'s office not conceded when they did, I have no doubt that by the time he was finished the arresting officer would have feared jail himself. "The pretense of doing an impound inventory in order to search was illegal", "leaving the passenger in the car unattended for far too long during my arrest was improper", I had told the officer he could search me for weapons but declined to let him dig in my pockets, "the subsequent search became a possible civil rights violation". "the film footage of the arrest clearly contradicted the police report concerning the location of the substance"... Mr Wirskye had so many layers of armor around me that if they'd tried to get my case into court it would have been like peeling an onion trying to remove them all, & as the year had passed I'd become aware that this man would win any case he saw fit, if not one way, then another. He is a brilliant Attorney, with integrity, compassion, charity, and dignity, and I could not have asked for more. In the end, he gave me a break on the fee... almost 50%