Your Career. Your Reputation. Your Freedom.
A criminal accusation threatens everything you have built. C. Patrick Ngwolo answers it with strategic, trial-ready defense sharpened over two decades in Texas courtrooms.
Contacting our office does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please avoid sending sensitive case details until a conflict check is complete.
A criminal case can threaten more than your freedom.
An arrest does not stay in the courtroom. For professionals, executives, and public figures, the consequences reach into every part of a life that took years to build.
A pending charge can kill a hiring process, a promotion, or a partnership track before any court tests the facts.
Licensing boards act on accusations, not convictions. Physicians, attorneys, pilots, nurses, and other licensed professionals can face discipline before a case ever resolves.
A criminal charge can trigger a clearance review and put the career built around it at risk.
Owners and executives answer to partners, investors, lenders, and boards. An investigation unsettles all of them, whatever its outcome.
Search results outlive cases. An accusation can shape how clients, colleagues, and communities see you long after the matter closes.
Certain charges carry immigration consequences for non-citizens. This practice does not handle immigration matters, but a sound defense strategy accounts for how a charge or plea may affect status.
The people closest to you carry the case with you: the uncertainty, the disruptions, the strain of not knowing what comes next.
Even a favorably resolved record can surface in background checks for years. What you do now shapes what stays possible later.
A serious criminal matter demands a strategy that accounts for all of it, not just the charge on the docket.
Built for clients who have the most to lose.
This practice is built around clients who have the most to lose and the least room for error.
Professionals facing a first arrest.
One allegation, even with a clean record, can carry career-ending weight unless someone handles it correctly from the first hour.
Executives and business owners under investigation.
Corporate and personal exposure overlap, and investigations move faster than most companies can respond.
Public figures and clients who cannot afford public missteps.
Visibility raises the stakes. Discretion and message discipline matter as much as legal strategy.
Clients concerned about media attention.
Cases that draw press interest need a lawyer who commands both the courtroom and the narrative outside it.
Families seeking clarity in a frightening moment.
When a loved one is arrested, families need a direct, honest assessment of what lies ahead, not vague reassurance.
Clients facing substantial incarceration exposure.
When the potential sentence is severe, the margin for error disappears. These matters demand trial-ready preparation from day one.
Focused defense across high-stakes matters.
DWI Defense
A DWI arrest starts a license-suspension clock within days. The defense has to move first.
Learn more →Federal Criminal Defense
Federal investigations build quietly and rarely announce themselves. Early counsel shapes everything that follows.
Learn more →White-Collar Defense
Fraud, embezzlement, and regulatory allegations threaten careers and licenses before any charge is filed.
Learn more →Aggravated Assault Defense
An aggravated assault allegation, especially one involving a deadly weapon, can carry a first-degree felony punishment range.
Learn more →Assault & Family-Violence Defense
A family-violence finding follows a client permanently and reaches firearm rights and future proceedings.
Learn more →Expunctions
Texas law lets some records be erased entirely, as though the arrest never occurred.
Learn more →Orders of Nondisclosure
Other records can be sealed from public and employer view even when expunction is off the table.
Learn more →Judgment, trial readiness, and discretion.
Judgment
Two decades in the law sharpen the instinct for which fights to pick, which to avoid, and when to press an advantage.
Trial readiness
Cases resolve on better terms when the government knows the defense will try the case, not just negotiate around it.
Personal attention
Clients work directly with their attorney, not a rotating team of unfamiliar staff.
Discretion
High-profile matters get the judgment and confidentiality they require, without sensational marketing.
Communication
Clients hear, directly and candidly, what the evidence shows, what outcomes are realistic, and what happens next.
Houston courtroom experience
Two decades before Harris County judges, prosecutors, and juries inform every strategic decision in a case.
Grand Jury No-Bill Secured for Turkey Leg Hut Co-Owner
Nakia Holmes, co-owner of the Houston restaurant Turkey Leg Hut, faced a felony hindering-apprehension allegation. C. Patrick Ngwolo represented her at an October 2025 hearing. In April 2026, a Harris County grand jury returned a no-bill, declining to indict and closing the matter without formal charges.
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
How this practice approaches a new case.
A short introduction from C. Patrick Ngwolo on how this practice approaches a new case from the first conversation.
Full video transcript will be published here once the final video asset is produced.
In their words.
Reviews reflect the experiences of individual clients. Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
“Attorney Patrick Ngwolo is very committed, dedicated and passionate… He went above and beyond… I am very pleased with the services I received.”Courtnie, Avvo client review, April 2023
“He explains everything and I felt very confident with him handling my case. Contacting him was never an issue and he kept me in the loop with everything.”Imani, Avvo client review, January 2022
“When you're accused of such serious crimes, there's always that sense of fear even when you know you're innocent… at each court date, I felt more and more comfortable being in his hands.”Sam, Avvo client review, August 2018
“Hiring Patrick was the best decision I've made since I was arrested… I felt he was really in my corner and looking out for my best interest.”Tifa T., Avvo client review, August 2018
A record recognized beyond the courtroom.
Media logos shown as text wordmarks. Outlet mentions reflect news coverage and commentary appearances, not endorsements.
C. Patrick Ngwolo's perspective has been sought by national and local media on matters of justice, community, and public accountability. See the full media record.
The process, from first call to resolution.
Confidential Consultation
A direct conversation about the charge, the facts as you know them, and what realistically stands at stake.
Case Assessment
A review of reports, charging documents, and evidence to find strengths, weaknesses, and early openings.
Investigation
Independent fact-gathering, witness review, and evidence analysis. The defense never rests on the government's version of events.
Strategy and Negotiation
A defense position built for leverage and backed by genuine trial readiness, whether the path ends in negotiation or trial.
Resolution or Trial
Every case ends one of a few ways. You will understand your options at each stage and decide with full information.
Answers to common first questions.
Should I talk to the police before speaking with an attorney?
Exercise your right to remain silent and request an attorney before answering questions. Early statements, even ones that seem harmless, can surface against you later. Talk to a defense attorney first and know your rights before you say anything further.
What happens after an arrest in Harris County?
Booking, a probable-cause determination, and an initial court appearance where bond may be set typically follow an arrest. From there, the case moves through the Harris County District Attorney's Office toward filing, grand jury review, or early resolution. The charge and the facts set the path.
How quickly can I speak with the attorney?
The office prioritizes urgent matters, particularly recent arrests and active investigations. Contact the office directly to discuss timing.
Will my matter stay private?
Discretion anchors this practice. Intake stays confidential, and media-sensitive matters receive particular care. Public-record rules govern court proceedings themselves, but everything outside the courtroom can be managed carefully.
Do you handle federal cases?
Yes. This practice handles federal criminal matters, including investigations, target letters, grand jury proceedings, and indictments. Available for select federal matters nationwide, subject to court admission, jurisdictional requirements and association with local counsel where appropriate.
What does the first consultation involve?
A direct, confidential conversation: the charge or investigation you face, the facts as you understand them, and a candid assessment of what likely lies ahead. It starts a defense strategy. It is not a sales pitch.
When the stakes are this high, the first decision matters.
A strategic, trial-ready defense starts with a direct, confidential conversation.
Contacting our office does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please avoid sending sensitive case details until a conflict check is complete.