Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas’s Trial Prep Office —Austin

The Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas's Trial Prep Office in Austin is a branch of the Austin office that focuses on pre-trial operations. The Trial Prep Office specializes in providing trial preparation services to the criminal defendants such as evidence gathering and analysis, preparing witness testimony, criminal investigations, preparing investigation reports, and more. Most of the progress of a federal case happens in what is called the pretrial phase, and will include actions that must occur before the start of the trial. Strict rules and policies dictate what happens at the pretrial stage of both types of cases. This is to be sure both sides are treated fairly and are afforded their rights equally. At the federal level, all filings, including briefs, are made electronically online. If it is decided by a federal agency that a crime was committed and identifies a suspect, federal law enforcement officers (known as special agents) may make an arrest without obtaining an arrest warrant; may obtain an arrest warrant for a named person; or, in some circumstances, may delay making an arrest in order to obtain additional evidence proving the suspect’s guilt. For more information on the services provided by the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas's Trial Prep Office-—Austin, please contact them directly.