James Gary Sullivan

Last year I had to hire a lawyer to represent my child who got into trouble with the law. Not knowing any better I called C. Johnson, the first lawyer on the page. His ad said he was a juvenile law expert and the #1 juvenile attorney in Houston. I later learned that was a lie. He said he knew everyon...e and could get my son’s case dismissed. He charged a lot of money and I found out he was no expert in juvenile law. I talked to several lawyers in the juvenile system and they all said they rarely if ever see him in juvenile court and that he was not an expert and certainly not #1, that he was closer to worst than best. As they explained to me only a board certified lawyer can advertise as an expert. I asked if they could recommend such a lawyer and several recommended James Sullivan and said that he wins cases at trial. I searched online for Attorney Sullivan and saw that he was a board certified juvenile lawyer. I called him and we spoke on the phone for almost an hour. He showed a genuine interest in helping my son and understanding the full story. I was happy that he was willing to take on my son’s case. He understood I was a single mom, and he offered to reduce his fee to almost half the amount of the first lawyer. I was thrilled to find a good lawyer that was willing to work with me. Mr. Sullivan said he didn’t want to settle for a plea deal. He believed in my son who said he was innocent and that he would sooner take the case to a jury trial than to accept a plea deal. Fortunately it didn’t come to that. After several settings, Mr. Sullivan got his case dismissed! Since then I now know that lawyers that brag, are arrogant, use scare tactics or charge huge fees are not as good as they say they are and may be much worse. Lawyers such as Mr. Sullivan that are humble, sincere, honest, and have a good heart are the ones you want to fight for your child. I wholeheartedly recommend James Sullivan as the attorney to represent your child.

We would recommend James Sullivan to anybody in need for help from a criminal attorney. Our son was involved in a very unfortunate case of terroristic thread, second degree felony. The case was particularly difficult as it happened just a couple of weeks after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, being... an extremely sensitive topic back then. We first hired a different attorney, but after a month we realized that we needed somebody with a better understanding of how to handle a difficult case like ours in the juvenile criminal system. From day one James shared a very clear vision of how to find a positive outcome to our son’s case. We followed his guidance and he was able to get a deferred probation followed by a dismissal after six months. James has a lot of experience and knows how to handle difficult cases, no doubt. Beyond helping us with the criminal case, James also provided very valuable advice to my son and helped us as parents to handle the situation. We cannot stress enough how much we appreciate the work James did for our family!

I’m so fortunate to have hired James Sullivan who truly cares about you and your family. I spent almost a year knowing Mr. Sullivan and I have to say he was the most caring, thoughtful and supportive person during this entire ordeal. My son made a terrible decision and committed a sex felony at ...13 years old. Our first attorney, a CPS attorney, said he hadn’t received any correspondence from CPS or Harris County Juvenile Probation department. He told us more than likely the case was closed because it had been over a year. However, six months later, we were served with a petition that my son was charged with a serious sex felony. Lesson learned: Do not hire a CPS Attorney but hire a Juvenile Defense Attorney and save money and time. Thus, I had three days to hire an attorney to defend my son. I next hired a criminal defense attorney recommended by my CPS lawyer. Our second attorney turned out to be the worst nightmare of my life. My wife and I did some research and we selected James Sullivan for his proven record. Mr. Sullivan is a humble, intelligent and compassionate man who is very responsive and understanding. God bless James Sullivan, I wish we had more people in this world like him. James Sullivan arranged for our son to receive juvenile sex offender counseling with a private therapist. Mr. Sullivan said this would be important at the final disposition hearing, and he was right. My son is a warm, kindhearted person who is friendly and demonstrates compassion. He is an A and B student who plays musical instruments and participates in school athletics. I wish schools and parents would be more proactive and have a sexual behavioral class to teach our kids right from wrong. Unfortunately, we have not progressed enough for that. I also wish cell phone companies would warn parents about the dangers of unfiltered access to the internet. As Mr. Sullivan explained, hard core pornography online has led unfathomable numbers of children worldwide to sexually abuse other children, with some children acting out as young as five. I’m writing this review because I want families in a similar situation to make the right choice and learn from my lesson. James Sullivan is your CPS, criminal defense and juvenile defense attorney all rolled up in one, but he is much more than an attorney. He is a caring, thoughtful, compassionate person on a mission to help teens. Mr. Sullivan, thank you for every step of the way, your light shines brighter than the stars above. If only I could have recorded Mr. Sullivan’s passionate argument for pretrial diversion in front of the Judge and the prosecuting attorney. Wow! This guy has superior trial skills! We truly are blessed, and the judge granted Mr. Sullivan’s request and gave my son deferred prosecution. His case will be dismissed in less than a year, and he can get his record sealed at 17. Great job Mr. Sullivan and God bless you!

We cannot recommend James Sullivan highly enough. We were devastated when our 13 year old son was accused of sexually assaulting a young child. We didn’t know what to do or who to turn to. We googled juvenile attorneys and Mr. Sullivan’s name came up. We were very impressed with his credentials, espe...cially that he was Board Certified in juvenile law. We called him on a Sunday, and he answered the phone. He had a very calming manner that immediately reassured us. Mr. Sullivan met with us the next day, explained the process, and made a real connection with our son. Not only did Mr. Sullivan guide us through the legal situation, but he also directed us to find resources and counseling to help our son and our family. Mr. Sullivan’s advice was straight-on throughout our entire process and he led us to make the best decisions for our situation. The counselor thought our son might have mild autism, and our son was subsequently diagnosed with it by a specialist. Mr. Sullivan is also very familiar with Autism Spectrum Disorder and his keen insight at our final hearing made a big difference. Our son’s case began eight months ago. Mr. Sullivan said it landed in the worse juvenile court in Harris County, and he hoped the Democrats would win in November because the new judge would be fair and open minded. He told us he too had run for judge in 2010 and knew most of the Democratic candidates. Fortunately, they won. On our recent and final court day, Mr. Sullivan was FABULOUS. When we went before the new judge, we did not have an agreement with the prosecution. The prosecution wanted our son to be placed in a lockdown juvenile facility and then be on probation until age 18. We wanted our son at home on probation. During the hearing, Mr. Sullivan first acknowledged the horrible decision our son made and the resulting harm to the young child. He also skillfully corrected the prosecutor and made it clear the prosecutor did not know what he was talking about and was trying to minimize autism and its effect on children. Mr. Sullivan spent several minutes educating him and the judge on the difficult challenges faced by children on the spectrum. He spoke passionately from the heart, and even the judge was visibly moved. At his request, our son received one year of probation at home. Because of Mr. Sullivan, we are helping our son and rebuilding our family. We can’t thank him enough!!!! -Thankful Parents in Harris County

Last year our teenage son got into serious trouble and we needed representation for him. We initially hired a different attorney but after seeing Jim Sullivan’s demeanor in court representing someone else, we switched to him immediately. Our son was being held in juvenile detention and was charged wi...th terroristic threat and criminal mischief. Out of jealousy, he had texted threats to his then girlfriend when he learned she was with another guy. Our son is not a violent person and would not have harmed the girl, but words do have meaning and his impulsive act got him in trouble. Jim Sullivan was able to get our son released back to us under strict rules of supervision. He had to stay at home and under our supervision when he was not in school. As it happened, this court order was a blessing in disguise because it helped clear him from more serious false charges. A few weeks later our son was falsely accused of assault against a prior ex-girlfriend at a time when he was at home with us. At about the same time, another girl claimed our son had sent her threatening text messages at school. We later learned she had been misled by a boy at school. Despite our insistence to the officer that our son was innocent, he was re-arrested on new charges of assault and terroristic threat. Our son was devastated. We didn’t think we could get him out of detention again. Jim Sullivan told us he had never heard of a child being released on PAT Team supervision for a second time after picking up new charges, but he would do his best. Jim did tell us about a previous case that he had quickly taken to a jury trial and won for a client after the same judge wouldn’t release his client from detention. In hindsight, it was Our son was visibly distraught when he was brought before the judge. Jim told the judge he could prove our son’s innocence and that if the DA did not dismiss the new charges then he would be asking for the earliest possible jury trial. Jim asked the judge to release our son with an ankle monitor, and incredibly the judge did so. Jim’s earnestness, experience and reputation made the difference. After Jim Sullivan the offense report of the assault charge, he said it was clear our son was set up and that the girls all knew each other. The girl who was assaulted didn’t even report it. Instead, it was our son’s recent girlfriend who first had him arrested that did so. I mean, what are the odds? We believe the girl was assaulted by her then boyfriend and was pressured by him to blame our son instead. The girl’s story was so incredulous, the details so over the top that it belonged in a soap opera. Jim referred to these girls as the Pretty Little Liars after the Netflix show. Jim Sullivan worked for nine months on our son’s cases. He hired investigators to interview witnesses and subpoena records. He combed through witness statements and phone records, identifying discrepancies in them. He arranged for our son to take a polygraph test which he passed. Jim came to court ready to fight for our son. He said if the prosecutor did not dismiss the two new charges that he was ready to fight them at a jury trial. In the end, the prosecutor backed down and agreed to dismiss them. Our son received probation at home for the first two cases. At age 18 our son can get all of his juvenile records sealed. Jim Sullivan has an extensive list of contacts within the juvenile system that enabled him to get things done quickly and correctly. He gave us very good advice and made excellent decisions regarding the handling of our son’s cases. His knowledge of the law is impressive, and he has an established reputation within the Harris county juvenile system as an honest and capable attorney. Most importantly, Jim helped our son. He spent a lot of time with him, comforted him in very difficult times, and made us all feel optimistic in some rather distressing situations.