Law Offices of George A. Scharmen: Forty Years on the Defense Side, Never a Prosecutor

TO OUR READERS: This profile is independent editorial content produced by Awesome Attorneys. Law Offices of George A. Scharmen did not pay for, commission, sponsor, or review this article, and inclusion in this series cannot be purchased. Nothing here is legal advice, an endorsement, or a recommendation to hire any lawyer; readers should evaluate counsel independently and may verify any Texas attorney’s license and discipline history through the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com. Facts are drawn from the sources identified in the Methodology section and were verified as of August 2026.

AT A GLANCE

I. Thirty Years of DWI Defense, Never Having Prosecuted

George Scharmen’s own site makes a point of stating what he has never done: “I have never been a prosecutor, I never wanted to be, I have always been on the defense side of DWI cases.” That is a different origin story than several of his San Antonio DWI-defense peers who built their practices on prosecutorial experience; Scharmen instead built four decades of exclusively defense-side work, the last thirty years focused entirely on DWI and DUI cases. He describes having conducted over 120 appeals visible in state and federal court records, including winning an appellate case, Bagheri v. State, that established authority for suppressing breath test results in Texas DWI cases.

II. Founding Roles in Three DWI-Defense Organizations

Scharmen’s institutional footprint in Texas DWI defense is unusually deep for a solo practitioner: he was a founding member of the National College for DUI Defense, the founding president of the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and past president of the Texas DWI Lawyers Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors and select committees of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and regularly lectures on DWI defense at seminars across the state.

III. Practice Areas

• DWI and DUI defense (misdemeanor and felony, including intoxication manslaughter)
• Boating while intoxicated (BWI)
• Related criminal charges arising from a DWI arrest (drug possession, weapons offenses)
• DWI appeals

IV. Case Outcomes

The firm’s public materials emphasize appellate impact over itemized dollar or sentencing outcomes: Scharmen cites having handled over 120 appeals visible in Google Scholar records across state and federal courts, and specifically references winning the Bagheri v. State appeal, which provided legal authority for suppressing breath test evidence in Texas DWI prosecutions. A recent jury trial example cited on the firm’s site involved an intoxication manslaughter charge that resulted in a probation sentence for the client. No itemized list of additional case-by-case outcomes was located as of this research date; that gap is disclosed here rather than filled in.

V. The Client Voice

The firm holds a Martindale-Hubbell Client Champion award (2025) and Avvo’s Top Contributor and Client’s Choice recognitions, both tied to accumulated positive client feedback over time. No itemized, individually attributed client review quotations were located on the firm’s primary review platforms as of this research date; that gap is disclosed rather than filled in with quotes that could not be independently sourced.

VI. Community and Local Presence

Scharmen’s community footprint runs through professional organizations rather than general civic work: founding the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the National College for DUI Defense represent a lasting institutional contribution to the local and national defense bar specifically. No separate general civic or pro bono program is documented on the firm’s public materials.

VII. Credentials and Recognition

George Scharmen holds double board certification: Criminal Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and Criminal Trial Advocacy from the National Board of Trial Advocacy, both genuine peer- and exam-based credentials. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America from 2008 through 2025 for DWI and DUI defense and has been named a Texas Super Lawyer specifically in the DWI category, both third-party peer-review recognitions distinguished here from self-conferred marketing awards.

VIII. The Texas Legal Backdrop

In Texas, a first-offense DWI is generally a Class B misdemeanor, but penalties escalate significantly with aggravating factors such as a high blood-alcohol concentration, a passenger under 15 (a state jail felony under Texas Penal Code § 49.045 regardless of prior offenses), or a resulting injury or death (intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter under Texas Penal Code §§ 49.07-49.08). Evidentiary issues, including the reliability of breath and blood testing, are frequently contested in Texas DWI defense, an area directly relevant to Scharmen’s cited appellate work. None of this is legal advice; consult a licensed Texas attorney about your specific situation.

IX. The Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Scharmen’s structural strength is genuinely unusual depth in a single, narrow specialty: four decades of exclusively defense-side DWI work, double board certification, and a documented appellate record that has shaped how breath test evidence is challenged statewide. For a client facing a serious or complex DWI charge, especially one involving contested test evidence, that specific appellate and institutional expertise is a real, checkable asset that a general criminal defense practice would not offer.

The honest limitation is narrowness itself: a client facing charges outside the DWI/DUI category, or a case with significant non-DWI elements, will need separate or additional counsel, since this firm’s practice is deliberately confined to DWI-adjacent matters rather than general criminal defense.

X. Methodology & Sources

This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys in August 2026 without the participation, sponsorship, or payment of the Law Offices of George A. Scharmen. Primary source: the firm’s website scharmenlaw.com (home, about, attorney bio, contact). Verification sources: State Bar of Texas attorney locator for George A. Scharmen (office address, certification, bar status); Martindale-Hubbell attorney profile (Client Champion award, peer ratings); Yelp business listing. Statutes cited in Section VIII were verified against the Texas Constitution and Statutes database (statutes.capitol.texas.gov).

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal-directory publisher. This profile was not paid for by the Law Offices of George A. Scharmen, and inclusion in our editorial coverage cannot be purchased. Awesome Attorneys may separately offer premium sponsored placements to attorneys and firms; sponsorship status, where it exists, is always disclosed and does not alter the editorial content of a profile such as this one. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice or an attorney referral.