Mr. Peyton Zimmerman Peebles III | Private Law Practice

Peyton Z. Peebles, III is the founder of The Peebles Firm, a law firm committed to protecting your rights. His education, training, and experience uniquely qualifies him to defend individuals charged with committing crime.
 
Mr. Peebles began his career by earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida. He then attended the University of Houston law school, where his studies focused on criminal law, health law, and litigation. Mr. Peebles concentrated on legal research and trial advocacy, receiving special awards in both areas. He was inducted into the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity in 1997 and served on the school's Honor Court from 1997 until 1999. Mr. Peebles earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, in 1999.

While in law school, Mr. Peebles worked at the Harris County District Attorney's Office in Houston. He split his time between the grand jury division and a felony district court. The District Attorney offered him a prosecutor position upon graduation from law school. Over the next 8 years as an Assistant District Attorney, Mr. Peebles gained an insight and experience in criminal justice that extremely few prosecutors can claim. Through various assignments at the District Attorney's Office, Mr. Peebles handled numerous misdemeanor, juvenile, and felony trials. He advised police officers during "on scene" investigations. He represented Texas in death penalty cases before felony trial courts and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He was also tasked with analyzing legal issues arising within the District Attorney's Office and advising other prosecutors how to proceed in complicated criminal matters. And for at least 5 years, Mr. Peebles focused exclusively on appellate law-representing Texas in various courts throughout the state in appeals arising from Harris County criminal convictions. During this tenure Mr. Peebles argued criminal cases before the state's highest criminal court and numerous courts of appeals. He also represented Texas in two criminal cases in the United States Supreme Court.
 
In conjunction with his role as a prosecutor, Mr. Peebles attended the University of Houston police academy. As part of his training, Mr. Peebles became certified in administering the standardized field sobriety tests ("SFSTs") used by law enforcement to detect intoxicated drivers. He graduated in 2005 at the top of his class and was commissioned as an investigator for the District Attorney's Office. In that capacity, Mr. Peebles helped train the District Attorney's investigative staff and other local police officers concerning laws affecting their duties.
 
In 2006 and 2007, Mr. Peebles was selected as a special liaison between the District Attorney's Office and the Texas legislature. He evaluated hundreds of proposed criminal laws, drafted other such laws, and advised legislative staff concerning their impact on Texas citizens and courts. This experience gave him valuable insight and first-hand experience as to how Texas laws are shaped.
 
Having handled numerous trials, post-conviction death penalty writs, and over 250 appeals ranging from misdemeanors to murder and capital murder cases, Mr. Peebles left the District Attorney's Office in 2007 to pursue criminal defense work. His practice is currently divided between trial representation and post-conviction (appellate or writ) representation.
 
Mr. Peebles currently serves on the Texas state bar Committee for the Administration of the Rules of Evidence. He has been published in Texas Lawyer magazine for an article he wrote to analyze the embryonic and fetal rights statute codified by Texas in 2003. Mr. Peebles is licensed to practice law in all Texas courts, the Southern District of Texas federal courts, the Fifth Circuit federal court, and the United States Supreme Court.