El Paso Post-Conviction Attorney

Help Your Family Find Out What Happened

The person is incarcerated. The family is left piecing the case together.

You may live in El Paso while your loved one is held hundreds of miles away. You may know the conviction came from El Paso County but have only a few papers and conflicting explanations about the appeal, the plea, or a witness. The first challenge is often finding out where the case stands and what the actual concern is.

Your family does not have to present a finished legal argument. You can say, “The lawyer never investigated this,” “A witness changed their story,” or simply, “The appeal did not answer our question.” Those statements are a starting point for collecting the record and evaluating whether Texas law offers a viable path.

Blizzard & Zimmerman Attorneys is located in Abilene and handles post-conviction cases across Texas, including matters arising in El Paso County. We can begin by gathering basic case information from a family member and identifying what additional records an attorney needs. We do not claim to have an El Paso office.

Quick Case Review

Start with the case map, not a legal term

Before asking whether to file “an 11.07,” write down these points:

  • Which county and court entered the judgment?
  • Did the case end by plea or trial, and when was the sentence imposed?
  • Was a direct appeal filed? Was a PDR filed?
  • Has anyone filed a state writ or a federal petition?
  • What one event most makes your family think something went wrong?
  • Who has the document, witness account, or other proof?

These answers matter because a family can spend time researching the wrong procedure if it does not know the status of the judgment or prior filings.

Working with a statewide team

Sarah Durham leads the firm’s post-conviction practice and is Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Jacob Blizzard is Board Certified in Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law, and Morgan Walker works on post-conviction matters. The team serves clients across Texas from its Abilene office. Case logistics and any needed in-person work are determined individually.

Nobody will tell us what is happening.

Limited prison communication and unfamiliar court terms can make a family feel shut out. A lack of communication by itself does not necessarily invalidate a conviction, but it can hide the facts needed to decide what to do. Locate the judgment, appellate decision, and prior applications where possible. Keep a simple timeline of dates, lawyers, rulings, and newly learned information. The intake team can use that timeline to direct a focused review.

What an attorney may evaluate

The concern may involve attorney performance, a plea, evidence the defense never received, a witness, new scientific information, or an issue the appeal could not address. A final non-death-penalty felony judgment may bring Article 11.07 into the analysis; other judgments can require different procedures. Prior writs and filing dates can change the available options. A bad result or painful experience alone does not establish a claim.

The review aims to answer a more useful question: What exactly happened, what can be proven, and is there a legal path to raise it?

Frequently Asked Questions about El Paso post-conviction

No. The county of conviction and current place of confinement are separate facts. A family member can provide basic information and begin an inquiry while the person is housed elsewhere.

Start with the judgment, cause number, appeal information, and the concern you can describe. The team can identify which additional records are needed for a meaningful legal review.

You can make an initial inquiry and share information you have. Whether counsel can disclose information, undertake representation, or act for the person depends on the circumstances and appropriate authorization.

Still asking

Tell us what was missed and when your family learned about it.