A native Houstonian, Neal Davis graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He received his Bachelor of the Arts degree, with high honors, from the University of Southern California. He received his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is fluent in Spanish.
Neal has dedicated his career to defending the accused, from investigation to post-conviction, at the State and federal level. He has had great success in obtaining dismissals and winning trials. For example, he earned acquittals in the high-profile case of a defendant charged with trying to murder his neighbor over a dispute involving a miniature dog and the case of a local politician charged with official oppression for allegedly sexually harassing an employee. He has prevailed on appeal in state and federal court. For instance, State v. Campbell, 113 S.W.3d 9 (Tex. App. Tyler 2000, no pet.) and United States v. Chenowith, 459 F.3d 635 (5th Cir. 2006).
Neal is an expert on the Hyde Amendment, which allows a prevailing defendant to recover monetary damages in bad-faith federal prosecutions. He and Dick DeGuerin won the first award (almost $400,000) in Texas. He has published articles on the Hyde Amendment and other criminal law issues in Champion Magazine, the leading national criminal defense publication, and other well-respected legal journals.
Peers and readers in 2004 selected Neal Davis as a lawyer on the fast track in Houston Magazine, which described him as rising above a crop of many and showing that he has what it takes to make it in a city comprised of an active competitive climate.
Neal has been interviewed on Court TV and CBS' 48 Hours, which covered one of his trials, as well as CNN and ABC's Good Morning America.
Neal is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honors societies. He was a board member of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association and is a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
