Chad Peter Van Brunt

I grew up in Bryan, Texas. I worked for my father's restaurant while in high school. My father could not afford to pay for college but his business provided me the means to put myself through Texas A&M University. I learned the importance of family and community and I will never forget the friends and family that helped me succeed. After college, I moved into the social services field where I helped people with HIV/AIDS. There, I learned the importance of activism and giving a voice to people that society wants to sweep under the rug. Since many of the people under my care were indigent drug users, I saw first hand their treatment in the criminal justice system. I saw the revolving door of criminal justice, the evils of the drug war, the vicious cycle perpetrated on our community by the prison industrial complex, and the general break down of our system of law enforcement. This experience compounded with the need to make a better living for my wife and newborn child prompted me to seek a career as a lawyer. When I entered law school at St. Mary's University, I knew exactly what I wanted to become: a criminal defense lawyer. No profession in the legal field spends more time upholding the constitution and representing people who need a voice to speak for them against the unbridled resources and influence of the have, without question, found my calling and passion in life. I wake up everyday and work tirelessly to save individuals from the wrath and robotic-like wave of a criminal prosecution. I give them a voice. I have grown immensely as a defense lawyer over these years. I am not only a practitioner, I am also an academic in the field of criminal law. I am currently the Principle Contributing Author of the Texas Criminal Practice Guide published by Lexis Nexis and I speak and educate other attorneys in the field of criminal practice. I love this job. Let me be your voice in the courtroom.