James H. Horton | Denton Divorce & Family Lawyer

James (Jim) Horton has over 40 years of legal experience and focuses his practice on helping clients throughout Denton, Tarrant, Dallas, Wise, Collin, and Cooke counties. He specifically handles criminal defense and family law matters, as well as estate planning and probate.

Jim is a specialist in criminal law, as certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has handled thousands of cases in court, including more than 500 jury trials and over 400 bench trials. His experience has earned him a reputation throughout North Texas as a highly effective trial attorney. Mr. Horton was also featured in the New York Times as a Top Criminal Defense Attorney in the US.

Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University and is admitted to practice in Texas. He has formerly served over two decades as an associate municipal Judge in Denton, Lake Dallas, Hickory Creek, and Lewisville. Additionally, Jim was a Valley View city attorney for two years.

He also maintains an active membership in several professional organizations, including the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Denton County Criminal Bar Association (past president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer), Denton County Bar Association (past secretary/treasurer and board member) and College of the State Bar of Texas.

Outside of his practice, Jim enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and participating in church activities. His Christian foundations are reflected in his law practice by his steadfast commitment to communicating honestly with his clients throughout their representation.

Position	Organization	Location	Duration
Owner	James H. Horton Law Firm, P.C.	Denton, TX	Present

School	Degree	Major	Graduation
Texas Tech University School of Law	J.D.	Law School	1978
Texas Tech University	Bachelors	English	1975

State / Court	Date
Texas	1978

• Denton Co. Criminal Lawyers Association | Past President | 1986 – Present
  Denton Co. Bar Association | Past Secretary | 1978 – Present
  Texas Criminal Lawyers | 1982 – Present
  State Bar Family Law Section | 1978 – Present

• Super Lawyers | A Thomson Reuters Service | Since 2009
  Lawyers of Distinction Criminal Defense | Since 2018
  Nationally Ranked Top 10 Attorneys | Since 2017
  Power Lawyers | Since 2018
  Top 100 Criminal Defense National Trial Lawyers | Since 2019
  Top Attorneys Texas | Since 2019
  Top 100 Trial Lawyers | Since 2014
  Best Law Firm Lifetime Member
  Best Attorney Lifetime Member

• Criminal Defense
  In approximately 2015, I tried a case against the S.E.C. in Rockwall. We were in trial for over a week. The offer from the S.E.C. was 20 years in prison. He received probation. In approximately 2018, I tried an embezzlement case in Denton County, a 1st-degree felony. He was found not guilty. In addition, I have found that the best defense, is a good offense. If I have a client who truly isn't guilty, I can either get the case "no-billed" or convince the DA not to file the case at all. Depending on the case, we might do polygraphs, do better investigation, hire other experts, and prepare "Grand Jury Packets", and packets for the DA. If we believe a client is guilty and the State can prove it, we work on mitigation of punishment, i.e. some sort of future dangerous expert, drug and alcohol rehab, AA, counseling, or in-house rehabilitation. Other times we might do counseling, anger management, etc.

• Cross-exam Police Officials | Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer
  Duty | Denton County Bar

Sun.	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.
	8:00 am - 12:00 pm	8:00 am - 12:00 pm	8:00 am - 12:00 pm	8:00 am - 12:00 pm	8:00 am - 12:00 pm

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