Nicole Burns

I am not your traditional attorney. I was born in Austin and grew up in Central Texas. I graduated from Round Rock High School in 1991 and then served in the United States Navy for five years. 

Aside from being a military veteran, I have a diverse work experience. In addition to both legal and non-legal City and State employment, I have had various jobs in the private sector. Some of them include bookkeeping, crossing guard, barista, photographer, and owner of a business building decks and carports. Only after gaining years of experience in the real world, did I decide to become an attorney. I believe that those life experiences help me as an attorney. 

My journey into the law began in the Navy. I was assigned to the military police department, where I learned to dispatch police, fire, and EMS. I later field-trained to become a police officer for that department. I also attended the Navy Legal Clerk schooling and learned to handle the administrative matters relating to military disciplinary actions. 

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. While in law school, I interned with the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office. After graduating law school and passing the bar, I was offered the opportunity to serve low income clients in need with the Wichita County Public Defender's Office. This allowed me to serve several clients in all phases of the criminal justice system.

After returning home to central Texas, I briefly worked with the Department of Family and Protective Services as a Regional Attorney, traveling to cities in the central Texas region to work with the local Child and Protective Services (CPS) offices in removing children from abusive or neglectful parents. I also spent several years working as Associate Counsel and municipal court prosecutor for various cities across the State. I also had the amazing opportunity to watch and learn from a mentor how to handle adoptions in the courts.

In 2017, I decided to take all that I had learned and go on my own. My practice is primarily criminal defense, but I also incorporate adoptions and wills and estate planning into my practice. 

I have always believed that the justice system should be fair. I believe the police, those in charge of enforcing the laws. know the law and should be held to a higher standard. My motto is "just because someone does something wrong, does not give the police the right to do something wrong to try to prove it." Unfortunately, I have seen too many examples of that in my career. I have a desire to help those accused, wrongly or not, and especially those who feel the justice system is failing them. I understand that justice can seem out of reach due to finances, and I want to change that. My goal is to constantly learn ways to better serve low- and moderate-income Texans in their time of need.