Jodi Soyars

Board Certified San Antonio–Criminal Defense Lawyer

When your freedom, reputation, family, or future is at stake, experience matters—but so does judgment.

Jodi Soyars is a Board Certified Criminal Law attorney who has handled more than 3,000 criminal cases during her career. She has represented people accused of offenses ranging from DWI, assault, family violence, and drug charges to some of the most serious felony allegations prosecuted in Texas, including aggravated sexual assault of a child and cases involving death.

Her experience includes defending complex, high-exposure criminal cases where the consequences can mean decades—or even life—in prison. She was among the defense attorneys involved in the highly publicized Benjamin Cervera starvation-death case and has defended clients facing other serious allegations involving sexual offenses, violent crimes, and deaths.

But Jodi does not believe being a good criminal defense lawyer means taking every case to trial.

It means knowing which cases should be tried—and which should not.

A Balanced Approach to Criminal Defense

Every criminal case is different. So is every client.

Some cases require aggressive litigation and a courtroom fight. Others require careful negotiation, damage control, or finding a resolution that allows a client to move forward with his or her life.

Jodi’s approach is to first determine what actually happened, thoroughly examine the evidence, identify the weaknesses in the State’s case, and then give her client a realistic assessment of the available options.

She does not believe in taking a case to trial simply to say she is a trial lawyer. Trial carries risk, and the decision should be made because it is the right strategy for the client.

But when a case needs to be tried, Jodi is not afraid to try it.

She has spent her career preparing cases, challenging the government’s evidence, cross-examining witnesses, working through complicated factual allegations, and standing beside clients facing consequences that could permanently change their lives.

“If You Didn’t Do It, You Need Someone Willing to Fight.”

Jodi’s philosophy about criminal defense is straightforward:

If you made a mistake and the evidence proves it, your lawyer’s job may be to protect you from unnecessary consequences and work toward the best resolution the circumstances allow.

But if you did not do what you are accused of doing, the stakes are entirely different.

A criminal accusation can destroy a person’s reputation, career, family, and freedom long before a jury ever hears the evidence. In those cases, Jodi believes a client needs a lawyer who is willing to dig into the evidence, challenge assumptions, expose weaknesses in the prosecution’s case, and fight.

“If you did what they claim you did, be prepared to deal with the consequences—but that doesn’t mean you should suffer consequences the law doesn’t require. If you didn’t do it, and you need someone to fight for you, you need a lawyer who is willing to put everything into your defense. That’s the kind of lawyer I try to be.”

More Than a Case Number

For Jodi, criminal defense is personal.

People often come to her during one of the worst periods of their lives. Some are frightened. Some are embarrassed. Some have made mistakes. Others are furious because they believe they have been falsely accused.

Whatever brought someone into her office, Jodi believes they deserve an attorney who will tell them the truth, prepare them for what lies ahead, and work relentlessly toward a just result.

She puts her whole heart into the cases she accepts.

That does not mean promising an outcome that no lawyer can guarantee. It means doing the work: learning the facts, studying the evidence, identifying the legal issues, developing a strategy, and being prepared to stand up in court when necessary.

Experience in Serious Criminal Cases

Over the course of more than two decades practicing criminal law, Jodi has represented clients in thousands of cases, including matters involving:

• Murder and cases involving death

• Aggravated sexual assault of a child

• Sexual assault and other sex offenses

• Aggravated assault and violent offenses

• Family violence

• Drug possession and distribution

• DWI and intoxication offenses

• Weapons offenses

• Probation violations and motions to revoke

• Other felony and misdemeanor criminal charges

Her experience handling serious cases also shapes the way she approaches cases that may appear less severe. She understands that even a misdemeanor conviction can affect a person’s employment, professional license, ability to possess a firearm, family relationships, reputation, and future.

Board Certified in Criminal Law

Jodi is Board Certified in Criminal Law, a distinction requiring substantial criminal-law experience, significant involvement in the specialty, peer review, continuing legal education, and successful completion of a rigorous examination.

Board certification is important to Jodi not simply as a credential, but because criminal defense requires specialized knowledge and experience—particularly when a client’s liberty is on the line.

A Lawyer Prepared for Either Direction

The best outcome is not always a trial.

The best outcome is not always a plea agreement.

And the most aggressive decision is not necessarily the smartest decision.

The right strategy depends on the evidence, the law, the client’s circumstances, the potential consequences, and what can realistically be achieved.

Jodi’s job is to understand all of those factors, give her client candid advice, and then be prepared to pursue the strategy that offers the best opportunity for a just result.

Sometimes that means negotiating. Sometimes it means fighting. And sometimes it means telling the State: we’ll see you at trial.

Talk With Jodi Soyars About Your Case

If you have been accused of a crime in San Antonio or elsewhere in Central Texas, the decisions you make early in your case can matter.

Whether you are trying to minimize the consequences of a mistake or you have been accused of something you did not do, Jodi and the criminal defense team at Soyars & Morgan Law can evaluate the evidence, explain your options, and help determine the right strategy for what comes next.

Board Certified. More than 3,000 cases handled. Decades of criminal defense experience. Ready to fight when the case calls for it.