10 Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Conroe, TX

This guide covers 10 law firms that defend people charged with crimes in Conroe and across Montgomery County. Each was evaluated on three things: the background and courtroom credentials of its lead attorneys, its trial experience specifically in the local courts, and how central criminal defense is to the firm’s actual work. A recurring theme among Conroe’s defense bar is that many attorneys started their careers as Montgomery County or Harris County prosecutors before switching sides, which gives them direct insight into how the District Attorney’s office builds and evaluates a case.

This list is not ranked and is not sponsored. Montgomery County has its own rhythms: the county courts at law and the 9th, 221st, 284th, 359th, and 435th District Courts sit in the Conroe courthouse complex, and the county’s DWI and juvenile dockets in particular move differently than they do in nearby Harris County. When comparing firms, it helps to ask whether the attorney who meets you will be the one appearing in court, how many cases like yours the firm has tried locally, and whether the attorney is board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a credential held by only a small share of Texas lawyers.

The details below come from each firm’s own website, cross-checked against directories such as Martindale-Hubbell, Justia, Super Lawyers, and the State Bar of Texas, and business listings such as Yelp, where a specific figure is cited.

1. Benton Baker IV, Attorney At Law

• Attorney/Key Figure: Benton Baker IV, Founder
• Headquarters: 2751 South Loop 336 West, Conroe, TX 77304
• Website: baker4law.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Law (DWI/BWI, Sex Crimes, Domestic Violence, Juvenile Law, Cyber Crimes, Firearm Violations), Family Law and Divorce, Personal Injury, Civil Litigation
• Firm Size: Boutique general practice firm headquartered in Conroe, serving Montgomery County and the greater Houston area

About The Firm: Benton Baker IV built his firm’s criminal defense practice around the range of charges that come up most often in Montgomery County courts, from DWI and boating while intoxicated to firearm violations and juvenile cases. Handling both criminal defense and family law under one roof also means the firm can address the collateral consequences a criminal charge often carries, such as a pending custody matter or protective order.

Based directly in Conroe rather than commuting in from Houston, the firm has built its practice around this specific courthouse and the judges and prosecutors who work in it. Because the firm also carries personal injury and civil litigation caseloads, clients should confirm that the attorney assigned to their criminal matter is focused on that side of the practice.

2. Law Office of Joseph Ruiz

• Attorney/Key Figure: Joseph Ruiz, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: Houston, TX (Harris County), with an additional office in Conroe and satellite offices in Richmond, Galveston, Angleton, Hempstead, Dayton, College Station, and Pasadena, TX
• Website: josephruizlaw.com
• Practice Areas: DWI Defense (Third Offense, College Student, Motorcycle, Multiple, Underage, Hit and Run, DWI with Injury), ALR Hearings, Criminal Defense (Domestic Violence, Drug Charges, Theft, Assault, Felonies, Federal Crimes), Expunction and Non-Disclosure, Sexual Assault, Manslaughter, Personal Injury
• Firm Size: Multi-office regional firm with a criminal defense practice spanning nine Texas counties, including a dedicated Conroe office
• Practice Area Page: Conroe Criminal Defense Lawyer

About The Firm: Joseph Ruiz has built one of the more specialized DWI defense practices in the region, with case categories broken out by scenario, from a first-time college student arrest to a third-offense or injury-related charge. That level of DWI-specific detail is unusual among general criminal defense firms and reflects a caseload concentrated heavily in intoxication offenses and license suspension hearings.

The firm’s Conroe office lets it serve Montgomery County clients directly while drawing on a larger regional team spread across nine Texas counties. That regional structure brings resources a solo Conroe practice may lack, though clients should ask which specific attorney from the firm’s roster will be handling their local court appearances.

3. Duckworth & Ray, L.L.P.

• Attorney/Key Figure: Tony Duckworth, Founding Partner
• Headquarters: 709 N San Jacinto Street, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 756-6555
• Website: duckworthandray.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Family Law, Personal Injury, Probate Law, Immigration
• Firm Size: Boutique; founded in 1997/1998, with more than 7,500 cases handled in Montgomery, Harris, and Walker County trial courts

About The Firm: Tony Duckworth and his law school friend Darin Ray founded the firm together and have since represented clients in more than 7,500 cases, ranging from traffic tickets to murder charges, across Montgomery, Harris, and Walker Counties. That volume of local casework over nearly three decades has given the firm a long track record with the specific judges and prosecutors who handle Montgomery County’s criminal docket.

The firm now includes additional attorneys, Dylan Blackwell and Justin Ray, extending its capacity beyond the two founders. Because the firm also handles family law, probate, and immigration matters, clients should confirm that their assigned attorney’s caseload is centered on criminal defense rather than split across the firm’s other practice areas.

4. Brian Foley Law, PLLC

• Attorney/Key Figure: Brian Foley, Founder
• Headquarters: 412 W Phillips Street, Suite 125, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 596-0407
• Website: brianfoleylaw.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DWI and BWI Defense, Domestic Violence, Drug Charges, Violent Crimes, Appeals
• Firm Size: Boutique; solo-founded practice, with the attorney board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

About The Firm: Brian Foley spent part of his career as a Felony Chief Prosecutor in Harris County, where he was responsible for roughly a third of all criminal cases filed in the state’s largest city, before moving to defense work. He also served on Montgomery County’s Vehicular Crimes Team, handling the most serious DWI cases involving injury or death, and on the Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit.

Foley is board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a credential held by only around 7,200 of the more than 110,000 licensed attorneys in Texas. That prosecutorial background in the exact case types the firm now defends against, serious DWI and domestic violence charges, is a genuine differentiator, though as a smaller practice it has less staff capacity than a multi-attorney firm for handling a high volume of cases at once.

5. The Webb Firm, P.C.

• Attorney/Key Figure: Amanda Webb, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 207 Simonton Street, Suite 201, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 647-3352
• Website: thewebbfirm.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Drug Charges, Sexual Offenses, Assault Charges, Juvenile Defense
• Firm Size: Boutique; founded in 2012, recognized as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and named one of the Top 10 Lawyers Under 40

About The Firm: Amanda Webb previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County, where she was promoted to court chief, ran the environmental crimes division, and helped launch the office’s prescription fraud task force before moving to defense work. She is a past president of the Montgomery County Criminal Defense Association and currently serves on the board of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

That combination of having run cases from inside the DA’s office and now defending against it gives the firm a detailed understanding of how Montgomery County prosecutors build and evaluate cases. The firm has added attorney Patrick Bordallo, whose background in psychology shapes how he works with clients navigating the emotional weight of a criminal charge, extending capacity beyond Webb alone.

6. Law Office of Chris Allen and Bill Pattillo

• Attorney/Key Figure: Bill Pattillo, Partner
• Headquarters: 430 N Main Street, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 539-5522
• Website: conroecriminaldefenselawyers.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Juvenile Law, Drug Crimes, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Appeals
• Firm Size: Boutique; established in 1995, with roughly 45 years of combined criminal litigation experience between its two partners

About The Firm: Bill Pattillo is a former felony and misdemeanor prosecutor and former Chief Juvenile Prosecutor at the Montgomery County Attorney’s Office, and is board certified as a juvenile trial attorney, a specialty credential relevant to the many family-involved cases that come through Montgomery County’s courts. He and law partner Chris Allen were awarded the contract to handle all of Montgomery County’s indigent juvenile cases beginning in 2011, work that earned the Gideon Award for the county’s most outstanding indigent defense program.

The firm’s near three-decade presence and deep juvenile law specialty stand out for families facing a case involving a minor, an area that not every general criminal defense firm handles with the same depth. Clients with an adult felony matter unrelated to juvenile court still benefit from the partners’ broader criminal trial experience.

7. Douglas W. Atkinson, Attorney at Law

• Attorney/Key Figure: Douglas W. Atkinson, Founder
• Headquarters: 322 Metcalf Street, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 681-0031
• Website: douglasatkinson.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DWI Defense, Drug Crimes, Fraud, Gun Crimes, Criminal Appeals
• Firm Size: Boutique; practicing since 1998, with more than 25 years of experience and a 10.0 Superb rating on Avvo

About The Firm: Douglas Atkinson moved to Conroe as a child in 1976 and has practiced criminal defense in Montgomery County since being licensed in 1998, giving him a long-standing familiarity with the local courthouse and its personnel. He is a member of the National College for DUI Defense, a specialty organization focused specifically on intoxication-offense defense.

The firm’s decades of continuous local practice under a single attorney’s name mean clients dealing with Atkinson are working with someone deeply rooted in Montgomery County’s legal community, though the firm’s smaller size means less bench depth than a multi-attorney practice for a client who needs several team members working a complex case simultaneously.

8. Pullan & Young

• Attorney/Key Figure: Tracey Pullan, Founding Attorney
• Headquarters: 908 N San Jacinto Street, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 647-1540
• Website: pullanyoung.com
• Practice Areas: DWI and DUI Defense, Drug Crimes, Theft, Sex Crimes, Juvenile Crimes, Parole Board Representation, Expunctions
• Firm Size: Boutique; founded in 2010, with roughly 20 years of combined trial experience between its founding attorneys

About The Firm: Tracey Pullan and Corey Young both worked as prosecutors, in Harris and Montgomery Counties, before founding the firm together in 2010, giving them insight into how the local DA’s office evaluates a case from the inside. The firm has also built a community-facing side to its practice, funding a scholarship for students whose parents have been incarcerated.

Beyond Conroe, the firm represents clients across a wide swath of Texas, including Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth, which is useful for a case that has moved venues or a client who has relocated since their arrest. That statewide reach means the firm’s attention is split across a broader territory than a purely Conroe-based practice.

9. Law Offices of Stephen D. Jackson & Associates

• Attorney/Key Figure: Stephen D. Jackson, Founder
• Headquarters: 215 Simonton Street, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 756-5744
• Website: stevejacksonlaw.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Defense (Felonies and Misdemeanors, DWI, Domestic Violence, Assault, Drug Charges, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse Cases), Family Law
• Firm Size: Boutique; practicing since 1992, with more than 10,000 clients represented

About The Firm: Stephen Jackson returned to his hometown of Conroe after law school in 1992 and has built a practice that the firm says has represented more than 10,000 clients since, concentrated in criminal, family, and general civil litigation. His staff includes both experienced attorneys and newer additions, giving the firm bench depth beyond its founder alone.

The firm’s decades of continuous Montgomery County practice and high case volume suggest broad familiarity with the local court system, though clients should ask specifically which attorney on staff, rather than Jackson personally, will be assigned to their case, since a firm this size distributes work across its team.

10. M. Neufeld Law, PLLC

• Attorney/Key Figure: Matthew J. Neufeld, Founder
• Headquarters: 333 Simonton Street, Conroe, TX 77301
• Phone: (936) 228-6155
• Website: mneufeldlaw.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DWI and DUI, Drug Possession, Assault Charges, Parole Revocation, Expunctions and Non-Disclosures
• Firm Size: Boutique; founded in 2009, with attendance at the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association’s Trial Lawyer College

About The Firm: Matthew Neufeld took a different path into defense work than many of his Conroe peers: rather than starting as a prosecutor, he says his motivation came from a direct interest in constitutional rights and defending the accused from the start of his career. In his first year practicing in Conroe, he took part in about seven jury trials, a pace of courtroom work that has continued throughout his practice.

Neufeld has attended the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association’s Trial Lawyer College, a training program focused specifically on jury trial skills, and the firm notes he has built a working rapport with the courtroom teams in Montgomery County. Because the firm is built around one primary attorney, clients get direct access to Neufeld himself, though that also means less capacity than a multi-attorney firm for handling several complex cases at once.

Conroe, TX Criminal Defense Resources

• Conroe Municipal Court: Handles municipal cases within the City of Conroe and provides online tools to search citations, court records, and other case information. The court is located at 2300 Plantation Drive. Conroe Municipal Online Payments
• Conroe Police Department: The city’s law-enforcement agency serving Conroe, including criminal investigations, patrol, traffic enforcement, and other police services. Conroe Police Department
• Conroe Municipal Court Warrant Search: Conroe residents can use the city’s municipal court system to search and address outstanding municipal citations and warrants. Conroe Today
• City of Conroe Municipal Court Online Services: Provides online access for searching court records, checking citations, making payments, and accessing municipal court services. Conroe Municipal Online Payments
• Conroe Criminal Investigations Division: The Criminal Investigations Division of the Conroe Police Department handles follow-up investigations and additional evidence related to criminal cases in Conroe. City Criminal Investigations
• Conroe Public Library: The Central Library in Conroe provides public computers, Wi-Fi, research resources, and other community services that can be useful when researching legal information. Montgomery County Memorial Library System – Central Library
• Texas Legal Services Center: Provides legal information, referrals, and assistance programs for Texans who qualify for its services. The City of Conroe lists Texas Legal Services Center among its community legal resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens after a DWI arrest in Montgomery County?

Texas has an Administrative License Revocation, or ALR, process that runs separately from the criminal case: you generally have only 15 days from your arrest to request a hearing to contest an automatic license suspension, or the suspension takes effect automatically. Missing that short window is one of the most common mistakes people make after a DWI arrest, which is why firms like the Law Office of Joseph Ruiz and Pullan & Young emphasize acting quickly.

Should I hire a former prosecutor as my defense attorney?

Many Conroe defense attorneys, including those at Brian Foley Law, The Webb Firm, and Pullan & Young, previously worked as prosecutors in Montgomery or Harris County. That background can mean firsthand insight into how the District Attorney’s office evaluates evidence, negotiates plea deals, and prepares for trial. It is not the only measure of a good defense attorney, but it is worth asking about directly during a consultation.

What does it mean for a criminal defense attorney to be board certified?

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization certifies attorneys in specific practice areas, including criminal law and juvenile law, based on trial experience, peer review, and a specialty exam. Fewer than 7,200 of the more than 110,000 licensed attorneys in Texas hold board certification in any area. Attorneys like Brian Foley in criminal law and Bill Pattillo in juvenile law carry this distinction.

How does a juvenile criminal case differ from an adult case in Texas?

In Texas, a person can be charged in juvenile court for an offense committed between their 10th and 17th birthdays, and the juvenile system is built around rehabilitation rather than punishment, though a case can be transferred to adult criminal court for serious offenses involving a child 14 or older. Firms with a specific juvenile law specialty, such as the Law Office of Chris Allen and Bill Pattillo, handle these cases differently from a standard adult criminal matter.

What should I do if I’m arrested in Montgomery County?

Exercise your right to remain silent and your right to an attorney before answering questions or making statements about the incident, even ones that seem minor or unrelated. Write down everything you remember about the arrest as soon as you’re able, including officer names, badge numbers, and any witnesses. Contact a criminal defense attorney before your first court date, since some deadlines, like the ALR hearing request, run on a matter of days.

Do Conroe criminal defense attorneys offer free consultations?

Most of the firms on this list offer a free initial consultation for criminal cases, though this varies by firm and sometimes by type of case. It is worth confirming with the firm directly and, where relevant, asking about payment plans, since criminal defense fees are typically flat or hourly rather than the contingency arrangements common in personal injury cases.

Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an attorney referral. It is not a ranked or sponsored list, and inclusion does not imply an endorsement by, or affiliation with, any named firm beyond what is stated. Attorney credentials, case results, and contact details change over time; confirm current information directly with each firm before making a hiring decision. Past results described here do not guarantee similar outcomes in any other case.