Zook, Bill

Mr. McCotter was born in the Bronx, New York City, and grew up in Bethpage, Long Island, New York and in Miami, Florida.  After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Tennessee, Mr. McCotter and his wife served for ten years as Baptist missionaries in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Upon their return to the United States, Mr. McCotter put his fluency in the Spanish language to good use as the official court interpreter for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office in Dallas, Texas, serving in that capacity for five years. It was there that his dream of becoming a criminal defense attorney was born. 

Those years of close, first-hand observation in the criminal courts in Dallas convinced him that there will always be a great need for attorneys in the criminal defense arena who are skilled, compassionate, ethical and zealous in the never-ending work of defending the rights, reputation and liberty of individuals who have been accused of crimes in our great state.

Upon being accepted into the University of Houston Law Center program in 1992, Mr. McCotter and family moved to Houston from Dallas.  Working full-time during the day as a paralegal in the Estate Planning and Corporate Law sections of the law firm Butler & Binion, L.L.P., he attended law school at night.  In law school, Mr. McCotter focused on criminal defense, and received the highest grade in his class in Criminal Trial Advocacy.  Passing the bar exam on his first attempt, Mr. McCotter immediately began his career as a criminal defense attorney, and has ever since committed himself to providing dedicated and aggressive representation to his clients.

Mr. McCotter has successfully tried to juries criminal cases of all levels in Texas state and county courts, from class B misdemeanors to first degree felonies.  The first jury Mr. McCotter ever picked was in an Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child case that resulted in a hung-jury and justly ended in the dismissal of all charges against his client.  His jury trial experience includes cases of all levels from felonies such as Murder, Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, Indecency w/ a Child, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon at School, Burglary of a Habitation, Aggravated Assault w/ Deadly Weapon, to misdemeanors such as DWI, Theft, Assault - Bodily Injury, and Assault - Family Member, and Prostitution

Personal...

Mr. McCotter has been married to his wonderful wife, Suzanne, for 36 years.  They are the proud parents of four amazing children, all university graduates.  The oldest is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Library Sciences; the second is a graduate of Texas A&M University, with a degree in Management of Information Systems; the third graduated from the University of Houston with two degrees, in Theater Arts and Spanish; and the baby recently earned her Master's degree in Psychology – she and her husband are currently serving in the Peace Corps in Africa.