Plano Criminal Defense Lawyers
Direct-to-attorney criminal defense for Plano arrests and Collin County criminal-court matters. Co-founders Reggie and Njeri London handle every retained case personally — from arraignment through trial or appeal — from our Frisco office, 8 miles from Plano.
L and L Law Group represents clients arrested in Plano, Texas and clients facing charges in the Collin County Courthouse on the full Texas Penal Code and Health & Safety Code spectrum. Founding partners Reggie London (Texas Bar No. 24043514, former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney) and Njeri London (Texas Bar No. 24043266, admitted TXND, TXED, 5th Circuit) personally handle every Plano matter. Our office is in Frisco, 8 miles from Plano (12 minutes). Free 24/7 consultation: (972) 370-5060.
Common Plano criminal charges we defend
One question shapes a Plano case more than the charge itself: which county did it file in? The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place-code file lists Plano city in two counties, Collin and Denton. Where inside the city the alleged offense happened controls which system you are in, and those two systems run separate prosecutors, separate jails, separate courts and separate diversion programs. Plano’s own Local Rules of Court say the same thing from the city side: each municipal judge, whether full-time or a substitute, is also a Magistrate for every county into which the City of Plano extends, and holds full magistrate authority in any of them.
Where a Plano case actually goes
| If the case files in | Prosecutor | Where you are held if bond is not posted |
|---|---|---|
| Collin County | Collin County Criminal District Attorney, 2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 100, McKinney, (972) 548-4323 | Collin County Sheriff’s detention facility, 4300 Community Ave., McKinney |
| Denton County | Denton County Criminal District Attorney, 1450 E. McKinney Street, Suite 3100, Denton | Denton County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Center, 127 N. Woodrow Ln., Denton |
On the Collin County side, felony charges are spread across fifteen district courts and Class A and Class B misdemeanors across seven county courts at law. The first hearing runs through Collin County’s dedicated Magistrate Court at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Rd. in McKinney, which advises defendants of their rights, determines probable cause, sets bond, and issues and enforces bond conditions. It does not decide guilt or innocence. Neither county courthouse sits inside Plano, which is why a family’s first day usually involves a drive to McKinney or to Denton with the wrong paperwork.
The charges that bring most people here
Driving while intoxicated. Texas Penal Code Section 49.04 makes it an offense to operate a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated, defined as lacking the normal use of mental or physical faculties or having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. Section 49.09 lifts a second offense to a Class A misdemeanor and a third to a third-degree felony, so your history decides whether the case sits in a county court at law or a district court.
Drug possession. Possession of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance is charged under Health and Safety Code Section 481.115, and the punishment range tracks weight including adulterants and dilutants. Under a gram is a state jail felony; the same substance at four grams is a second-degree felony. Weight, the lab work behind it, and whether the search was lawful are usually where the real argument lives.
Theft. Penal Code Section 31.03 sets the offense level by the value of the property, running from a Class C below $100 up to a first-degree felony above $300,000. Prosecutors may also aggregate separate takings committed under one scheme into a single larger amount, which is how a run of small allegations becomes a felony indictment.
Assault and family violence. Penal Code Section 22.01 covers offensive contact, assault by threat, and assault causing bodily injury. Where the complainant fits the family or household definition, the court can enter an affirmative finding of family violence and impose bond conditions on release. Violating those conditions is a separate offense under Penal Code Section 25.07, and it is charged far more often than people expect.
Class C citations and juvenile cases. Plano’s Local Rules require an appearance in person, in writing, or by attorney within fifteen days after a citation issues. If a capias warrant is already active, the rules require a bond complying with Code of Criminal Procedure Article 45A.107 before the court will take any further action at all. The Open Docket runs from 8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., with check-in at the Clerk’s office required before 10:45. For juveniles, the rules define a juvenile defendant as at least 10 and younger than 17, and require a parent, guardian, managing conservator or custodian to be present at every proceeding.
Plano’s municipal court is a court of record, and that changes the appeal
The Municipal Court of the City of Plano is a Court of Record, established under Texas Government Code Chapter 30 and City of Plano Ordinance No. 2012-3-16. That is not a formality. In an ordinary Texas municipal court, an appeal gets you a brand new trial in the county court, so a bad first outing is survivable. Out of a court of record, the appeal is decided on the record made below. What was said, objected to, and put into evidence at that first setting is the entire appeal. It is the strongest reason not to walk in planning to explain yourself and straighten it out later.
Structurally, Plano runs one court split across two courtroom locations. Off-docket motions are filed at the Court Clerk’s window at the 900 E. 15th Street location, and walk-in appearances are handled at the Raymond Robinson Justice Center. The current Local Rules took effect April 2, 2018.
Diversion in Plano depends on the county line
If the case lands in Collin County, the District Attorney’s Burden-to-Blessing Pre-Trial Diversion Program runs six to twelve months with life-skills and job-skills training, and participants are eligible for an immediate expunction on completion. The District Attorney Opioid Treatment Program is narrower: it takes only a non-violent offense with non-violent criminal history, excludes driving while intoxicated cases and manufacture or delivery cases, and accepts possession cases only in state jail amounts or less. It costs a $500 program fee for non-indigent defendants plus a non-waivable $55 monthly community supervision fee, with suitability for graduation assessed at twelve months and graduation possible as early as fifteen. Collin County also runs an Adult Mental Health Court created jointly by the District Attorney, the 219th District Court and County Court at Law No. 3, a DWI and Drug Court out of County Court at Law 7 where participants plead guilty before entering, and a misdemeanor Veterans Treatment Court in County Court at Law 6.
None of that reaches a Plano case filed in Denton County. Denton has its own prosecutor and its own diversion programs, so eligibility has to be checked there instead of assumed from the Collin menu. Pinning down the filing county is the first thing we do on a Plano file. You can review the full range of charges we handle across both counties, and we will tell you which courthouse your case is headed to before you decide anything else.
Plano criminal defense FAQs
Is my Plano case in Collin County or Denton County?
Plano city sits in two counties under the Census Bureau’s 2020 place-code file, Collin and Denton, so the answer turns on where inside the city the alleged offense happened, not on your home address. It matters right away, because the two counties use different prosecutors, different jails and different diversion programs. If the paperwork is not clear, the county named on the bond, the facility you were released from, and the return address of the district attorney contacting you will tell you. Confirm it before you agree to any setting.
Where will I be held after a Plano arrest?
It depends on the filing county. A Plano case in Collin County means the Collin County Sheriff’s detention facility at 4300 Community Ave. in McKinney. A Plano case in Denton County means the Denton County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Center at 127 N. Woodrow Ln. in Denton. Those are two different buildings in two different cities, and neither is in Plano, so families regularly drive to the wrong county on the first night. Call the facility and confirm before you leave the house with bond money.
What does it mean that the Plano municipal court is a court of record?
The Municipal Court of the City of Plano is a Court of Record under Texas Government Code Chapter 30 and City of Plano Ordinance No. 2012-3-16. In a standard Texas municipal court, an appeal gives you an entirely new trial in the county court. Out of a court of record, the appeal is decided on the record made in the municipal court instead. Whatever you said, failed to object to, or failed to put into evidence at that first trial is what gets reviewed. It rewards treating the first setting as the only one.
How long do I have to respond to a Plano citation?
Plano’s Local Rules require an appearance in person, in writing, or by attorney within fifteen days following issuance of the citation. Appearing by attorney counts, which means preserving the deadline does not always require taking a day off work. The Open Docket runs from 8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and the rules require checking in with the Clerk’s office before 10:45. Blowing through the fifteen-day window is the usual way a routine citation becomes a warrant and a considerably more expensive problem.
I have a warrant out of Plano municipal court. What happens now?
Plano’s Local Rules state that when a case carries an active capias warrant, a bond complying with Code of Criminal Procedure Article 45A.107 must be posted before the court takes further action on the case. In practice the warrant blocks everything else, so requests to reset, to enter a plea, or to negotiate go nowhere until the bond is in place. An attorney can often address the bond and the appearance on your behalf, but none of that is automatic and it should be arranged before you walk into the building.
Is there a diversion program for a first DWI in Plano?
Not in the way most people hope. On the Collin County side the DWI and Drug Court runs out of County Court at Law 7 and targets high-risk, substance-dependent impaired drivers, and participants plead guilty first before being placed on supervised probation with intensive treatment, frequent random testing and frequent court appearances. The District Attorney Opioid Treatment Program specifically excludes driving while intoxicated offenses. That makes the strategy on a Texas DWI charge different from a drug case, and it is worth understanding before anyone enters a plea.
More Plano questions
Do I have to drive to McKinney for a Plano case?
For a Collin County filing, mostly yes. The Collin County Criminal District Attorney is at 2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 100 in McKinney, the Magistrate Court sits at 2100 Bloomdale Rd. in the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, and the Sheriff’s detention facility is at 4300 Community Ave. For a Denton County filing you are going to Denton instead. Only Class C municipal matters stay inside Plano, where walk-in appearances are handled at the Raymond Robinson Justice Center.
What happens at the first hearing after a Collin County arrest?
Collin County runs a dedicated Magistrate Court at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Rd. in McKinney, presided over by Judge Lisa Bronchetti, main line (972) 547-5485. Its published responsibilities are advising defendants of their rights, determining probable cause, setting bond, and issuing warrants, and it issues and enforces bond conditions. It does not decide guilt or innocence. The conditions set there can restrict contact, travel and firearm possession for months, which is why the hearing deserves more attention than it usually gets.
My teenager got a citation in Plano. Do I have to go to court too?
Yes. Plano’s Local Rules define a juvenile defendant as someone at least 10 years of age and younger than 17, and require a parent, guardian, managing conservator or custodian to be present with the juvenile at all court proceedings. The Plano Municipal Court also lists a Youth Diversion Program and a Teen Court among its juvenile services, both of which involve the parent. Sending a teenager alone generally wastes the setting and gets it reset, so plan the calendar around attending.
Can a Plano charge be cleared off my record later?
Sometimes, and the route through the case matters more than the charge on the front page. On the Collin County side, the Burden-to-Blessing Pre-Trial Diversion Program and the Adult Mental Health Court both make participants eligible for an immediate expunction on successful completion, and a completed District Attorney Opioid Treatment Program can make the case eligible to be dismissed and expunged. Felony deferred adjudication generally does not qualify. If clearing the record is the actual goal, our Texas expunction and record-clearing page walks through what the statute requires.
What does the Collin County opioid treatment program cost?
The District Attorney Opioid Treatment Program charges a $500 program fee for defendants who are not indigent, plus a non-waivable $55 per month community supervision fee. Eligibility is narrow: a non-violent offense with non-violent criminal history, no driving while intoxicated offenses, no manufacture or delivery cases, and possession cases only in state jail amounts or less. Suitability for graduation is assessed at twelve months and graduation may come as early as fifteen. Prosecutors and defense attorneys can both make referrals before indictment.
Should I just go to the open docket and explain what happened?
That instinct is worse in a court of record than it would be anywhere else. Anything you say on the open docket becomes part of the record any later appeal is decided on, and none of it is confidential. Plano also runs one court across two courtroom locations, with off-docket motions filed at the Court Clerk’s window at 900 E. 15th Street and walk-in appearances handled at the Raymond Robinson Justice Center, so even choosing where to show up has consequences. Confirm the charge and the filing county before you discuss the facts with anyone.
Arrested in Plano?
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Call (972) 370-5060Why most Plano charges are heard in McKinney, not Plano
Plano sits almost entirely in Collin County, with only a thin western sliver crossing into Denton County, so for the overwhelming majority of cases the county side is settled and the routing is straightforward. A felony or a Class A or B misdemeanor arising here is filed by the Collin County District Attorney and heard at the Collin County Courthouse — the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building — in McKinney, the county seat. Pretrial detention runs through the Collin County Detention Facility. For a city this size, it surprises people that the courthouse handling their case is up in McKinney rather than in their own town, and that geography shapes everything from where to appear to how bond gets posted.
That out-of-town courthouse is only half the picture, because Plano also runs its own court. Plano Municipal Court handles Class C misdemeanors — traffic citations, city-ordinance matters, and other fine-only offenses — and those stay in the city, entirely separate from the county courts in McKinney. The dividing line matters more than it looks: a fine-only citation is resolved locally, while anything that can carry jail time moves up to the Steindam building. Knowing which court a charge actually belongs in is the difference between a clerk's window a few minutes away and a county docket in a different city, and we sort that out at the very start of a case.
Enforcement in Plano clusters along its major corridors. US-75, the Central Expressway, cuts straight through the city, and the Dallas North Tollway, SH-121, and the President George Bush Turnpike carry heavy commuter and commercial traffic on every side of town. Add the dense business core anchored by the Legacy West corporate district, and you get a steady mix of traffic stops, DWI investigations, and theft allegations tied to a busy retail and office landscape. The volume on these roads is part of why so many local cases begin as a highway stop rather than a call to a residence.
For someone charged in Plano, the practical takeaway is that two different courts may touch the same incident, and the serious side of it almost certainly lives in McKinney. We map out which county and which court a charge falls under, confirm the filing jurisdiction early, and handle appearances at the Steindam courthouse so a Plano resident is not guessing about where to be. Our team knows these corridors and this courthouse, and we use that familiarity to keep a case organized from the first setting forward.
About the Authors
Criminal Charges We Defend in Plano
L&L Law Group represents clients throughout Plano and Collin County against the full range of Texas criminal charges. These are the charges our defense team handles most often — or call (972) 370-5060 for a free, confidential consultation.