Terri R. Zimmermann

I am Board Certified in Criminal Law (since 2005) and Criminal Appellate Law (since 2011) by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocates (since 2009).

I am licensed to practice before courts in the following jurisdictions:

Texas

Maryland

U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

U.S. Court of Appeals 5th, 10th, and Federal Circuits

U.S. District Court Southern, Eastern, and Westerns Districts of Texas

U.S. District Court District of Maryland

U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals

U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals

U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals

U.S. Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals

Biographies:

PERSONAL

- B.A. with Honors from University of Texas, 1989

-J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, 1992

-U.S. Marine Corps Reserve since 1989; earned Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal during active duty service (1993-1996) and Certificate of Commendation during active duty mobilization (February to August 2008); also entitled to wear Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal with gold star, Global War on Terror Service Medal, and Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver hourglass and “M” device

 LEGAL BACKGROUND

 -Shareholder at Zimmermann Lavine & Zimmermann, P.C., Houston, Texas; practices primarily criminal defense and military law (trials and appeals) in state, federal, and military courts

 - Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; certified as a Judge Advocate and a Military Judge

 - Formerly, on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps; served as Civil Law Officer, Review Officer, and Prosecutor

 BAR ACTIVITIES

 -  Former Chair - Military and Veterans Law Section, State Bar of Texas

 -  Vice-Chair - Military Law Committee, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

 -  Member - American Bar Association

 -  Member - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

 -  Member - Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association

 -  Member - Houston Bar Association

NOTEWORTHY CASES

- United States v. Michael Behenna, U.S. Army, represented on appeal active-duty Army officer convicted of murder of enemy insurgent in Iraq (2010-2012, Washington, D.C.)

 - United States v. Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, U.S. Marine Corps, represented active-duty Marine charged in deaths of Iraqi civilians in Haditha; charges dismissed on eve of trial (2007-2008, Camp Pendleton, California)

 - Texas v. Angel Maturino Resendiz, represented “Railcar Killer” in proceedings to determine his competency to be executed for capital murder (2006, Houston, Texas)

 - Texas v. Clemente Bañuelos and United States v. Corporal Clemente Bañuelos, U.S. Marine Corps, represented active-duty Marine on anti-drug mission on U.S.-Mexican border who returned fire from a man on U.S. side, killing him; two State grand juries and federal civil rights grand jury refused to indict (1997-1998, Marfa and Pecos, Texas)

 - Texas v. Wanda Holloway, represented client given probation for solicitation of capital murder – so-called “Cheerleader Mom” case (1996-1997, Houston, Texas)

COLONEL TERRI R. ZIMMERMANN, USMCR

Colonel Terri R. Zimmermann graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government with honors in May 1989.  In August of that year, she signed a Platoon Leaders Class (Law) contract and left for Washington, D.C., where she attended Georgetown University Law Center.  During the summer between her first and second year of law school, she graduated from Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.  The following summer, she served on active duty for 30 days as a trial counsel at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. After graduation from law school in May 1992, as a First Lieutenant, she passed the Maryland bar exam and worked at a local D.C. law firm until she entered The Basic School at Quantico in January 1993.  She graduated with Bravo Company in July 1993 and moved to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California.  After Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island, she became the Civil Law and Review Officer at the Joint Law Center at El Toro.  She performed these duties for approximately one year, and after her promotion to Captain on 1 September 1994, she became a prosecutor.  She was a trial counsel until she began her terminal leave at the end of May 1996.

 After leaving active duty, she returned to her hometown of Houston, Texas, where she began her civilian law practice as an associate at Zimmermann & Lavine, P.C. (now Zimmermann Lavine & Zimmermann, P.C.).  She passed the Texas bar exam, and practices primarily criminal defense and military law in federal, state and military courts.  She remained in the Marine Corps Reserve and assumed the responsibilities of appellate defense counsel at the Navy and Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee in August 1996.  She was promoted to Major in October 1999.  She transferred to the Individual Ready Reserve in August 2000 but continued to perform duties as appellate defense counsel.  She also completed special assignments for the Staff Judge Advocate, Mobilization Command and the Staff Judge Advocate, Marine Forces Reserve.  She re-joined the IMA in February 2005 and was still assigned to the Appellate Defense Division.  She was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 1 October 2005.  In April 2006 she transferred to the Legal Mobilization Training Unit at the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City, Missouri, and served as the Operations Officer of that unit until the end of 2007.

 Col Zimmermann was mobilized and served on active duty from February to August 2008 as the Deputy Counsel to the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity at Camp Pendleton, California.  She earned a Certificate of Commendation for her service at MCTSSA.

 Col Zimmermann is still active in the Marine Corps Reserve.  In May 2010, she was certified as a military judge and was assigned to the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, where she served as an Appellate Military Judge until May 2013.  She was promoted to her current rank effective 1 October 2012.  In May 2013, Col Zimmermann was selected to serve as the Branch Head, Judge Advocate Reserve Defense Services Branch, which is the Reserve counterpart to the Chief Defense Counsel of the Marine Corps.  Currently she is the Branch Head for the Trial Support Branch.

 Col Zimmermann is entitled to wear the Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal with gold star, Global War on Terror Service Medal, and Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver hourglass and “M” device.  She is married with two children.