Christopher M. McKinney

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Board Certified Houston Criminal Defense Attorney

Being charged with a crime is a matter of life and liberty. In a criminal justice system that seems like a tangled web of laws, constitutional rights, and potential punishments, the complexity of what you're up against only multiplies your mental and emotional distress. The good news is, it doesn't have to.

Christopher M. McKinney is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Chris is a former felony Special Crimes Prosecutor in Houston, Harris County, Texas, the third largest county in America. During his 5 1/2 year tenure as a special crimes prosecutor, Chris prosecuted the most serious criminal accusations. Chris understands the seriousness of your situation. His promise to you is this: He will help you understand what you're up against, he will fight for you in your time of need, and he will obtain the best possible results.

Chris approaches every case with the relentless mentality that our clients always come first, that every problem has a solution, and that he will never be outworked by the government's lawyers.

Personalized Aggressive DWI & Board Certified Criminal Defense

Chris has handled thousands of cases from DWI and drug possession to intoxication manslaughter and murder as well as most everything in between. Chris understands that being charged with any crime has the potential to affect your life in a big way. That's why he is committed to providing you with the most aggressive and honest criminal defense.

When Your Life Is on the Line, You Deserve the Best.

In 2017, Christopher M. McKinney was chosen as the only prosecutor in Harris and Montgomery Counties to receive the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Prosecutor Service Award for his excellence in and out of the courtroom out of hundreds of other prosecutors. Chris takes this same relentless work ethic and experience as a prosecutor to criminal defense, to his client's advantage.

Aggressive Defense Starts With Exceptional Experience

Chris spent years in the Harris County District Attorney's Office Vehicular Crimes Division, an elite group of prosecutors whose sole responsibility is the investigation and prosecution of DWI offenses resulting in serious bodily injury or death, i.e. intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter.

Chris was entrusted to train DWI and crash investigators as well as other prosecutors handling these serious cases because of his knowledge and experience.

Chris also has extensive experience in all types of criminal cases, including but not limited to:

• Driving While Intoxicated (DWI and DUI)
• DWI With a Child Passenger under 15 years old
• Intoxication Manslaughter
• Intoxication Assault
• Hit and Run (Failure to Stop and Render Aid (FSRA))
• Hit and Run (Failure to Stop and Give Information (FSGI))
• Street Racing Causing Death or Serious Bodily Injury (SBI)
• Manslaughter
• Criminally Negligent Homicide
• Murder
• Evading Arrest or Detention
• Drug Possession
• Domestic Violence
• Grand Jury Investigations

As a former serious felony crimes prosecutor, his experience protects your freedom and allows him to be one step ahead of the government in your defense.

Proven Success in the Courtroom

Sometimes, cases cannot be resolved favorably, but that doesn't mean it's time to throw in the towel. Chris McKinney has successfully tried dozens of cases to juries, and he is not afraid of a fight.

Chris' success comes from being prepared for everything and surprised by nothing.

Protect Your Rights Today

If you or someone you love is facing a criminal charge, there isn't any time to waste. An aggressive criminal defense is the most important protection for your life and your liberty.

Honors & Advocacy

• Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Board Certified in Criminal Law, 2018
• National College for DUI Defense,
  • Faculty Member, April 2021 – Present

Teaching and Speaking

• Defeating Hospital Serum/Plasma Test Scores, 31^st Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence, National College for DUI Defense/Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 28, 2025
• Pre-Analytical Errors in Blood Testing, 31^st Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence, National College for DUI Defense/Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 27, 2025
• Challenging Hospital Blood Testing, DWI Subscription Series, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, February 25, 2025
• Mastering DWI Evidence, Harris County Public Defender’s Office, Houston, Texas, February 13, 2025
• Defeating the DRE in Drug DWIs, National College for DUI Defense, September 26, 2024
• Self Defense in Texas: The Responsible Citizen’s Guide to Lawfully Protecting Themselves, Others, and Property, ExxonMobil Retiree’s Club of Lake Houston, Kingwood, Texas, June 11, 2024
• Technology at Trial, 22^nd Annual Top Gun DWI, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association, Houston, Texas, August 16, 2024
• DWI Trial Tactics, 30^th Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence, National College for DUI Defense/Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 22, 2024
• The Inferiority of Hospital Blood Testing, 30^th Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence, National College for DUI Defense/Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 21, 2024
• Challenging Hospital Blood Testing, 21^st Annual Top Gun DWI, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association, Houston, Texas, August 11, 2023
• Citizen's Guide to Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney, City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods, A Month of Service, June 6, 2023
• DWI Trial Tactics, 29^th Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence, National College for DUI Defense/Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 31, 2023
• Criminal Law and Procedure, Houston Association of Legal Professionals, Houston, Texas, November 19, 2022
• DWI Trial Tactics, 28^th Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence, National College for DUI Defense/Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 25, 2022
• Citizen's Guide to Police Encounters, City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods, A Month of Service, March 1, 2022
• Handling a DWI Case in Texas (2021 Edition) — Court Processes and the DWI Trial, MyLawCLE, December 21, 2021
• Everything Civil Lawyers Need to Know About DWI, Houston Bar Association, September 17, 2021
• Attacking the Hospital Blood Test, 2021 Winter Session—From Interview to Verdict: Trying Serious Bodily Injury and DUI Death Cases, National College for DUI Defense, January 16, 2021
• The Criminal Justice System in Harris County, Texas, Texas Government, Lone Star College, Tomball, Texas, October 23, 2019
• DWI Trial Tactics, 26^th Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence, National College for DUI Defense/Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 5, 2019
• Roll-Call Refreshers - Crash Line and Hit and Run, Houston Police Department Vehicular Crimes Division
• Blood Basics and Backing it Up in Court, Harris County Sheriff's Office Drug Recognition Expert Recertification
• South Texas College of Law Mock Trial Coach:
  • Stetson University College of Law, National Pretrial Competition, Fall 2012
  • George Mason University, John L. Costello National Criminal Law Trial Advocacy Competition, Spring 2012

Publications

• DWI Evidence Evaluation Instructions, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Updated February 2025
• Addiction is an Illness, Not a Crime, The Defender, Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, 2018 Vol. 2

Bar Admissions

• Texas - Board Certified—Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2018
• United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, 2024

Awards

• 2016 MADD Prosecutor Service Award for Harris and Montgomery Counties,Presented April 27, 2017

Past Employment

• Harris County District Attorney's Office, Houston, Texas
  • Assistant District Attorney, August 2012 - April 2018
  • Vehicular Crimes Division
  • Felony Prosecutor

Education

• South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas
  • Doctor of Jurisprudence/Juris Doctor (J.D).
• Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
  • Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, May 2009

Bar & Community Involvement

• Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association
  • Officer, Secretary, May 2025 – Present
  • Board of Directors, May 2024 – Present
  • Member, April 2018 – Present
• Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association
  • DWI Resource Committee, 2024 – Present
• National College for DUI Defense (NCDD)
  • Impaired Driving Task Force
  • Co-Chair, March 2025 – Present
  • Member, January 2023 – Present
  • Amicus Task Force
  • Member, January 2023 – Present
• Houston Bar Association
  • Campaign to End Homelessness & Hunger
  • Lawyers for a Beautiful Houston (L4BH)
  • Millennial Lawyer Task Force
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
  • Cutting Horse Committee, 2024 – Present