Ryan Deck

Bar / Professional Activity

• President, Williamson County Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, 2021, 2021
• President, Williamson County Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, 2022, 2022
• Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2021
• United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, 2020, 2020
• Treasurer - Williamson County Criminal Defense Association, 2019, 2019
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2018
• Supreme Court of the United States of America, 2017
• DUI Defense Lawyer's Association, 2016
• The State Bar of Texas, 2003

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• The State of Texas vs J.F.  - Aggravated Sexual Assault of Child - Mistrial (Hung Jury), 2023
• The State of Texas vs T.T – Murder – Not Guilty, 2023
• The State of Texas vs N.B. – Assault Family Violence – Dismissed, 2021
• The State of Texas vs N.S. – Possession of Controlled Substance – Dismissed, 2021
• The State of Texas vs N.B. – Assault Family Violence Strangulation – Dismissed, 2021
• The State of Texas vs P.N. – Possession of Controlled Substance – Dismissed, 2021
• The State of Texas vs R.V. – Terroristic Threat – Dismissed, 2021
• The State of Texas vs D.G. – Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon – Dismissed, 2021
• The State of Texas vs D.G. – Unlawful Carrying of Weapon – Dismissed, 2021
• The State of Texas vs W.R. – Assault Family Violence Impede Breath – Dismissed, 2020
• The State of Texas vs A.R. – Possession of Controlled Substance – Dismissed, 2020
• The State of Texas vs D.H. – Assault Family Violence – Dismissed, 2020
• The State of Texas vs J.W.  – Assault Family Violence Impede Breath – Dismissed, 2020
• The State of Texas vs G.G – Theft of Property – Dismissed, 2020
• The State of Texas vs S.C. – Assault Bodily Injury Family Violence – Dismissed, 2020
• The State of Texas vs G.G – Assault Bodily Injury Family Violence – Dismissed, 2019
• The State of Texas vs M.D. – Criminal Mischief – Dismissed, 2019
• The State of Texas vs T.B. – Assault Family Violence – Dismissed, 2019

Videos

• The holidays are just around the corner. You NEED to know what to do if you're ever pulled over for a DWI-related charge. Ryan H. Deck is a Board Certified criminal defense attorney dedicated to the #Wilco and #Travis county area, Setting the Bar: What Should I Do If I'm Pulled Over After A Night Out?, Criminal Law, 2021
• https://www.roundrockcriminaldefenselawyer.com/faq-videos/, videos

Representative Clients

• https://www.roundrockcriminaldefenselawyer.com/testimonials/

Special Licenses / Certifications

• Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS), 2019

Honors

• Elite Lawyer, 2020
• 10.0 Rating, Avvo
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, 2022
• Top One Percent, National Association of Distinguished Counsel, 2022
• Award for Excellence in Criminal Defense, Williamson County Bar Association, 2017

Educational Background

• Trinity University, BA in Finance, 2000

White Papers

• It's never a good idea to have illegal substances in your vehicle.  But, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are "riding' dirty”, as they say, you need to at least know your rights. As I tell people all the time, there are only two things that you must do when you are pulled over. 1) You must correctly identify yourself and 2) you must get out of the vehicle if asked. If you give a fake name or date of birth, that will be another charge against you. And if you don't get out of the vehicle when asked, the officer will definitely yank you out and will most likely throw another charge on you for that as well, Should You Consent to a Vehicle Search?, Criminal Law, 2021
• When people get arrested for domestic violence, they are typically charged with Assault- Family Violence, a class A misdemeanor. It's important to understand what the Family Violence allegation means legally. A Family Violence allegation can be added to an Assault charge if the violence occurred against a member of a household or a person with whom there was a romantic relationship, What is a Family Violence allegation?, 2021
• In my line of work, I spend a lot of time explaining the difference between the definition of possession as we know it on a day-to-day basis and the legal definition of possession, as is required by the Texas Penal Code to prove drug possession cases. For instance, clients often think that since drugs were found in their vehicle, that automatically proves that they were in possession, and they can't fight the case. However, I tell them that just having drugs in your vehicle is not sufficient to prove legal possession. The State must still prove that you KNEW the illegal substance was in your vehicle, What is the Legal definition of Possession?, Criminal Law, 2021
• Nowadays, THC gummies have become so popular. I hear stories from people telling me their mothers, who don’t even drink, have taken gummies. Get-togethers that used to just feature alcohol, now often come with a side of THC gummies. And, of course, every time someone comes back from Colorado you hear about the THC they brought back with them. So, the question now is, how much trouble can you get into if you're caught with these gummies? The answer surprises people. Even one single gummy is a state jail felony. If you get an entire package full of gummies, then you're probably looking at a second- or third-degree felony charge, Possession of THC gummies: It IS a felony!, Criminal Law, 2021
• Usually when people get arrested for their first DWI, it is a Class B misdemeanor. However, if their blood alcohol is tested and it comes out above 0.15, then the case is increased to a Class A misdemeanor. If you are charged with a DWI above 0.15, the main thing to know is that your life will now include an ignition interlock device on your vehicle for a period of time. When you bond out of jail, the magistrate will include ignition interlock as a bond condition. That means, during the entire pendency of your case, you will have to have an ignition interlock on your vehicle, What is a DWI >0.15?, 2021
• There is literally no question that defense attorneys get more than, “What should I do if I'm pulled over for DWI?” Most defense attorneys will tell you that you shouldn't do any of the tests. Most of them will tell you that you should just tell the officer that you will not speak to them without a lawyer and politely refuse all requests and tests. My advice is different, however. If you take the advice above, there is a 100% chance that you're going to get arrested that night. If you’ve only had a couple drinks and you feel you’re not intoxicated, it would really suck to make a decision that you KNOW will result in your arrest.  And, truth is, I've met many people who have been investigated for DWI and were allowed to go home. Every single one of these people agreed to do the field sobriety tests, What to Do When Pulled Over, Criminal Law, 2021

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Lectured the Teen Court on opening, direct, cross, and closing statements., Guest Speaker, Georgetown Municipal Teen Court, 2023
• Lecture/Speaking engagement on sentencing considerations with Williamson County prosecutors as co-presenters for appellate justices, district judges, county court-at-law judges, and associate judges, Speaker/Lecture, Speaking Engagement - 2022 Criminal Justice Conference, Criminal Judge Lecture, 2022

Other Outstanding Achievements

• Not Guilty - Assault Family Violence - The State of Texas vs M.A. - Trial - November 2015. Defendant was accused of assaulting his ex-wife. I argued that the assault never happened and that the ex-wife was motivated to lie because she wanted custody of their child, 2015
• Not Guilty - Theft - The State of Texas vs. L.R. - Trail - April 2015. Defendant was accused of stealing merchandise at a clothing store. I argued that she never had the requisite intent to commit theft because she never passed all points of sale. The investigation and arrest happened while the Defendant was still inside the store, 2015
• Capital Murder, Aggravated Kidnapping, and Aggravated Robbery - Mistrial - The State of Texas vs C.H. - May 2014. Prior to trial, the State turned over surveillance videos that did not include time stamps.  The time stamps were necessary to complete a timeline of the case.  We built a timeline defense, asserting the Defendant could not have committed the murder because he was not at the location at the time the incident occurred. Prior to trial, we made numerous requests for surveillance videos that contained time stamps, as such videos were mentioned in the police reports. The State insisted that time stamped videos did not exist. However, in the middle of trial, the State presented time stamped videos to the jury without giving prior notice to the defense. We argued to the court that the State was obligated to turn over such time stamp evidence before they could present it to the jury. We provided the court with proof of our numerous pre-trial requests for the time stamped videos. The court agreed and granted a mistrial, 2014
• Not Guilty - Two counts of Racing Causing Death - The State of Texas vs K.R. - Trial - November 2013. Defendant was alleged to have raced the co-defendant and that race resulted in the death of a baby inside the vehicle of a 3rd party. Defendant admitted to racing the co-defendant down a stretch of road. However, we argued that the race ended at that point. After his admitted race, the Defendant stopped at a stop light and took a left turn to go home. However, his co-defendant continued to drive fast and pass the Defendant unsafely, resulting in the wreck. Our argument was that Defendant was not racing at the time of the accident. The co-defendant got 10 years in the penitentiary in a separate jury trial, 2013
• Not Guilty - Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon - The State of Texas vs A.S. - Trial - July 2010. Defendant shot the complaining witness in the back as the complaining witness was getting into his vehicle to drive away. We argued self defense. Specifically, the complaining witness told the Defendant he would come back to shoot him and his family. We argued the Defendant felt he had to do something in that very moment in order to defend his family from the complaining witness, 2010

• Record Sealing/Expungement