William M. Stradley

William “Bill” Stradley is a native Houstonian who has practiced criminal law in Texas for over 25 years. Bill is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, is AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named a Texas Super Lawyer.

His law office is conveniently located at The 1545 Heights Blvd Law Building at 16th and Heights Boulevard and has free parking.

When You Need Experienced, Personalized Legal Help.

Bill's primary goal is to make his clients feel comfortable and confident in their choice hiring him as their lawyer.

A former Harris County Assistant District Attorney and Chief Prosecutor, his practice focuses on helping individuals and businesses faced with difficult misdemeanor and felony accusations in both Texas and Federal criminal courts.

His clients are typically people who want both his expertise but also personalized, caring legal help. He excels at explaining what is going on in a clear manner.

A large number of Bill’s clients are referrals from the legal community who know his reputation for handling difficult cases. 

Due to his collaborative nature, he is often asked to work with other lawyers on cases where they need more help or specialized expertise.  He is available to assist attorneys who have questions about their client becoming a target of an investigation and their clients’ potential criminal exposure.

If you would like to read an expansive listing of client testimonials from over many years, please check out his website's Testimonials Page.

Your Privacy is Important.

In 2011, Bill gave a legal education talk to the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association on, “Handling High Profile Cases: Considerations When Dealing with the Media.” 

Bill is sensitive to his clients’ desire for confidentiality. He does not disclose names, information, and results about cases without expressed permission. 

Houston Lawyer Serving Texans for Nearly 25 Years.

Bill Stradley was president of his high school class at Lamar High School in Houston, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in 1987 with an economics degree. He completed his law degree at the South Texas College of Law in 1990, excelling in the school's nationally recognized advocacy program.

Bill chairs one of the regional area State Bar of Texas, Commission on Lawyer Discipline, Grievance Committee panels. These panels process complaints that clients have regarding lawyer misconduct and determine appropriate discipline.

For five years, Bill Stradley served on the Board of Directors for the Harris County STAR Drug Court Foundation located in Houston, Texas. "STAR" stands for "Success Through Addiction Recovery." The purpose of the STAR Program is to bridge the gap between the criminal justice system and various forms of addiction recovery. His favorite letters are updates from former clients who received appropriate help for their addiction and who have put their lives back together.

Please Choose Your Lawyer Carefully.

Whether you hire Bill Stradley or another lawyer, he wants you to carefully look at their actual experience/credentials and not ratings or advertisements. Competent lawyering at an early stage is critical to the best result possible.

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) was created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1974 as a way to help consumers identify attorneys who are specialists in different areas of the law. The TBLS is the only organization authorized to perform this service to Texas consumers.

There are roughly 70,000 lawyers in Texas, but being a generalist may not prepare a lawyer to handle a specific area of the law. To date, there are roughly 150 Board Certified Criminal lawyers in Houston. Some of those are prosecutors and do not defend individuals.

Are there excellent Texas criminal defense lawyers who are not Board Certified? Definitely. But often it is difficult, especially for a non-attorney to identify who they are.

Bill knows that the process of hiring a lawyer can add stress to an already stressful situation. He can't get rid of that anxiety, but he wants you to feel at ease giving him a call. Please call him today to do a brief assessment of your situation on the phone and set up a meeting to discuss it further.

If your situation isn't the kind he handles, or he knows a better lawyer for your matter, he can try to steer you in the right direction. Often, the people unhappy with their lawyers are ones who did not get an ideal fit for their personality or their particular case. Bill wants you to be happy that you chose him as your lawyer.

Whoever you hire, please do not delay. Often hiring experienced, competent counsel right away, even at the accusation stage pre-arrest, can result in a better outcome.