RC Pate is a San Antonio criminal defense attorney and Senior Trial Attorney at Michael & Associates Criminal Defense Attorneys. A former Bexar County prosecutor with more than two decades of courtroom experience, he represents individuals facing DWI charges, felony offenses, assault charges, domestic violence allegations, drug possession offenses, weapons charges, and other serious criminal matters throughout Bexar County and South Texas.
Mr. Pate began his legal career at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, where he rose to become first-chair prosecutor in County Court at Law No. 1. His experience prosecuting criminal cases provided firsthand insight into how law enforcement investigations are conducted, how prosecutors evaluate evidence, and how criminal cases are built and litigated.
After leaving the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Pate founded and operated the Law Office of RC Pate, a criminal defense practice dedicated exclusively to defending individuals accused of criminal offenses. For more than 15 years, he represented clients in misdemeanor and felony cases throughout Texas, building a reputation for meticulous preparation, trial advocacy, and client-focused representation.
During his tenure at Michael & Associates, where he leads the San Antonio criminal defense team, Mr. Pate has handled more than 400 criminal cases, representing clients accused of offenses ranging from DWI and drug crimes to weapons charges, probation violations, and serious felony offenses. More than 140 of those matters have involved DWI allegations, making intoxication-related offenses one of the primary focuses of his criminal defense practice.
Mr. Pate has a longstanding interest in forensic science and impaired-driving defense. In 2015, he was designated a Lawyer-Scientist by the American Chemical Society, recognizing advanced training in the scientific principles frequently involved in DWI and drug-related prosecutions. He has completed the NHTSA/IACP Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Practitioner Course twice and regularly studies the scientific and procedural issues that arise in intoxication-related cases. This extensive criminal defense practice has given him deep familiarity with the legal, scientific, and strategic issues that frequently arise in DWI and other criminal prosecutions.
A highly respected member of the criminal-defense community, Mr. Pate has served on the editorial board of the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association magazine and is a Founding Member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association. He is also a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Texas DWI Lawyers Association.
About Michael & Associates Criminal Defense Attorneys
Michael & Associates Criminal Defense Attorneys is a criminal defense firm with a unique model: the high-touch, personalized attention of a boutique firm, backed by the resources and collective experience of a 40+ lawyer defense team.
Every client is assigned a dedicated Senior Trial Attorney who owns the defense from intake through resolution. That attorney focuses on a specific county and court — practicing there regularly and knowing the judges, the prosecutors, and the local tendencies that shape outcomes. Cases are not rotated, reassigned, or passed to junior attorneys (the firm doesn't employ any).
Behind that lead attorney is a team of forty criminal-defense lawyers with more than 1,000 jury trials between them, including attorneys Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, ten Super Lawyers honorees, ACS-CHAL Forensic DWI Lawyer-Scientists, former prosecutors, former judges, and former law-enforcement professionals, including a former FBI agent.
That structure gives clients the 40-on-1 advantage: one senior lawyer leading your case, backed by the collective knowledge of 40+ criminal-defense attorneys. It means the prosecutor is not up against one lawyer — they're up against a brain trust.
The firm's main metric is client satisfaction, which is measured using standard CSAT surveys to every client at the conclusion of the case. The firm has achieved a 98.5% client satisfaction rate based on 1,840 survey responses. The full breakdown by case type is below:
- DWI: 97.8% CSAT (781 responses)
- Assault & Domestic Violence: 99.5% CSAT (368 responses)
- Other: 98.7% CSAT (158 responses)
- Drug Charges: 98.6% CSAT (142 responses)
- Motion to Revoke Probation: 97.8% CSAT (134 responses)
- Theft & Fraud: 100% CSAT (106 responses)
- Driving Offenses: 98.7% CSAT (75 responses)
- Weapons: 98.1% CSAT (52 responses)
- Sex Offenses: 100% CSAT (24 responses)
Data from September 2022 through May 6, 2026.
The firm's 2025 trial record was 65% favorable outcomes with a 50% outright acquittal rate. A 5.0 rating on Google. More than 1,400 five-star reviews on Google, Avvo, BBB, and Martindale, an A+ BBB rating, and combined criminal-defense experience exceeding 540 years. Attorney caseloads run well below ABA recommendations. Case reviews are free. No trial fees - ever.
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or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
