Austin Providing Alcohol to a Minor Defense Lawyers

Reach Out the Moment You Need Legal Counsel

If you’ve been accused of providing or making available alcohol to a minor in the Austin area, you should act right away to defend yourself, your future, and your reputation. Come to Cofer & Connelly, PLLC, where our defense attorneys bring more than 200 years of combined practice experience to each case we take. Together, our attorneys – including former felony prosecutors and a former judge – have taken more than 300 cases to jury trials, and our firm has long held a 95% success rate (dismissal, acquittal, or charge reduction) in criminal defense matters. In other words, you can trust that your defense is in good hands when you rely on us.

Talk to our Austin providing alcohol to minor defense attorneys now. Dial (512) 991-0576 and request an initial consultation.

Providing Alcohol to a Minor Laws

Texas law covers the offense of providing alcohol to a minor under Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code § 106.06 (“Purchase of Alcohol for a Minor; Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor”).

Under the legal definition, a person commits an offense if they:

• Purchase an alcoholic beverage for a minor;
• Give an alcoholic beverage to a minor; or,
• Makes an alcoholic beverage available to a minor through criminal negligence.

In some cases, the law allows a parent or guardian of a minor to purchase or provide alcohol to the minor only if the adult is “visibly present” when the minor possesses or consumes the beverage. However, depending on the details of an arrest, this legal exception alone might not be enough to form a full defense, which is why it is always recommended that you talk to an attorney if you are accused of this alcohol offense.

What Could Happen If You Are Convicted?

If convicted of providing alcohol to a minor as a Class A misdemeanor, you will likely face:

• Up to 1 year in jail
• Fine up to $4,000

In some cases, a conviction can bring probation requirements and even have an impact on your driver’s license, even if you were not pulled over for drunk driver. Additional court conditions can apply if the incident involved a gathering of minors, binge drinking, or coercion. For example, it is common for a court to add 20 to 40 hours of community service to a conviction in these cases.

If the felony enhancement applies because the minor caused serious bodily injury or death after consumption of supplied alcohol, you could face:

• A felony conviction, which stays on your record for life (or at least for many years), significantly limits employment, housing, professional licensing, and more.
• A prison term of 6 months to 2 years in a state facility and up to a $10,000 fine.

Potential Defenses We Can Explore

No two cases are the same, but common defenses in providing alcohol to a minor cases include:

• Exception for parent/guardian in visible presence: If you are the minor’s parent or legal guardian (or adult custodial person) and you were visibly present when the minor consumed or possessed the alcohol, the statute may provide an affirmative defense.
• Lack of criminal negligence: It might be possible to argue that the alcohol was provided to a minor in a small amount and without criminal negligence. For example, you allowed a minor to have a sip of alcohol at a social gathering, and no serious consequences followed.
• No actual furnishing or availability: Sometimes, the case hinges on whether you actually provided or made available the alcohol to the minor. If evidence is weak or misreported, we can examine whether the prosecution can meet its evidential burden required to get a conviction.
• Insufficient evidence: As with any criminal matter, we can review the police investigation, witness statements, surveillance, etc., looking for procedural flaws, rights violations, or evidentiary deficits.

How We Can Defend You

To defend you against a charge for providing alcohol to a minor, we can:

• Conduct a detailed case review — We can analyze the arrest report, witness statements, any video evidence, the identity/age of the minor, your role, and whether your rights were violated.
• Map out all available defenses — We can assess both statutory defenses and constitutional/evidentiary issues.
• Negotiate aggressively — In many cases, we may be able to negotiate with prosecutors for reduced charges, probation-only plea deals, or diversionary options aimed at minimizing long-term impact.
• Prepare for trial if needed — Because we have tried over 300 cases before juries, you have a team founded on courtroom credibility. We stand ready to take your case to trial if that is what you choose or what strategy demands.

Don’t Wait – Talk to Our Defense Team Now

If you have been charged for providing alcohol to a minor in Austin or Travis County, don’t wait. Time matters. You should even take the first steps to defend yourself if you were just questioned by a police investigator about potentially giving minors alcohol. With rapid legal intervention, it might be possible to stop charges from ever being filed against you, so act right now by talking to a member of Cofer & Connelly, PLLC.

We want to help protect your future. Call (512) 991-0576 now and schedule your first case consultation.