Michelle Lea Mays

Michelle Lea Mays

4.8
Rating: 9.5

Licensed for 18 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Austin, TX
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Violent Crime

812 San Antonio St Ste 100, Austin, TX

About Michelle

Biography

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 60 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Texas for 18 years

State: Texas

Acquired: 2007

Eligible to Practice in Texas

No misconduct found

Location

Law Office of Michelle Mays

812 San Antonio St Ste 100, Austin, TX, 78701-2228

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Michelle Lea Mays's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.8 /5.0

24 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (24) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 24 reviews

Posted by Bryan | June 08, 2021 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

Responsive and Professional

Michelle was extremely helpful throughout the entire process of navigating my DWI arrest. She was able to get me released immediately. She handled the documents and appearances on my behalf while keeping me informed along the way. In the end she helped get the charges dismissed and my recor...d expunged so I don't have to worry about this event impacting my future. She's the one you want on your team when navigating the legal system. I'm so grateful to have her on my side.

Posted by Carter | July 09, 2020 | Hired Attorney

Excellent, professional, experienced

Michelle did an amazing job. Explained everything clearly and got back to me swiftly when I had questions for her. Very satisfied with her expertise and advice.

Posted by anonymous | March 14, 2020 | Hired Attorney | DUI & DWI

Best defense attorney in Austin!

I unfortunately got arrested for my 2nd DWI and it was within 5 years of my 1st which is mandatory jail time in the state of Texas. Super scary! I was originally using another attorney who was totally dropping the ball, so I was referred to Michelle Mays. She was an absolute blessing! You would think... there would be some delays or hick-ups since she was brought in the middle of my case, but that wasn’t the situation at all. She didn’t skip a beat! My case actually moved along quicker and more seamlessly immediately after hiring her. She actually had my DWI reduced so that it only shows a first DWI offense on my record. This meant ZERO JAIL TIME! Furthermore, I was in a bad accident a couple years ago so she was able to have ALL MY FINES REMOVED! Which saved me thousands of dollars! She is so personable with not only her client, but with all the court officers and personnel. You can tell she has developed strong relationships with all the judges and prosecutors which is probably why she can negotiate so well with them. It seemed like they really trusted her judgement, and believed in her clients as much as she does. (And let me tell you, she will be your biggest fan and advocate for you til the end!) I hope I never have to use her again, but god forbid, if I do ever get in trouble again, she will be with a doubt my first call! Don’t make the mistake I did at first and hire someone else. Michelle Mays is the best Defense Attorney in Austin!!

Posted by Manuel | May 20, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Completely AMAZING! Michelle is, without a doubt, the best lawyer you will find.

No amount of words can convey how great of a lawyer Michelle is. At the darkest time of my life, having been accused of a terrible crime that I was innocent of, Michelle stood by me and believed in me. She did a great job detailing what was going to happen, what my options were, and stuck by me for... the entire two years of the process. She kept me informed, involved, and consistently requested my feedback as to how she was doing, and for any detail that might have been missed. In addition, her skills at trial were amazing. Not only is she a gifted speaker, but she oozed confidence and was quick to counter question the prosecutors witnesses. I was, of course, scared when my trial started, but after the first day, her performance gave me the strength to keep calm, knowing Michelle was going to do an amazing job of defending me. As I had expected we were victorious!, but this was not the end. Afterwards she immediately started the process to expunge my record to make sure I could restart my life with a clean slate. Michelle is like a locomotive that keeps going and nobody is going to stop her. If you don’t hire Michelle, your throwing away one of, if not, THE best lawyers you will ever find.

Posted by Stephanie | September 19, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

Professional, Efficient, Accessible

I am so thankful I was referred to Michelle Mays. She was accessible and available anytime I had any questions or needed advice throughout this intimidating process. I would have been absolutely lost without her, and I definitely would not have gotten such a good outcome in my case. I would recomm...end her in a heartbeat to anyone needing representation.

See All Client Reviews

Michelle Lea Mays's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michelle
Erin Stephanie Shinn headshot
Erin Shinn

Criminal defense lawyer | Aug 27

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Michelle works hard for every client she represents and fights to get the best result. I saw her achieve four felony dismissals in one morning last week! She knows what she is doing and is a professional at all times. I fully endorse her services."

John Lounsbury Wise headshot
John Wise

Criminal defense lawyer | Apr 03

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Michelle is an excellent lawyer. I have known her since working with her in law school at the University of Texas School of Law. She has achieved great results for her clients over the years through both negotiation as well as trial and is on the short list of criminal defense attorneys I would refer friends and family to in Austin."

Kenneth M. Gibson headshot
Kenneth Gibson

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 10

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. Michelle does a great job on her cases. She is very thorough in her representation, and I have the utmost respect for her."

James Robert John Spencer headshot
James Spencer

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 02

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"A criminal defense lawyer needs two things: (1) a good knowledge of the law, and how to use it to their client's advantage and (2) a good personality, so that when they're dealing with prosecutors and judges they get excellent results. Michelle has both in spades, and I highly recommend her."

Gabriella C. Young headshot
Gabriella Young

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 02

Relationship: Supervised lawyer

"Michelle and I worked together for roughly 4 years. She is smart, hardworking, and loyal. Eager to learn, Michelle took on any task asked of her. She is well liked by her peers and the judges throughout Austin. Michelle has wonderful presence in a court room and has a fierce cross-examination technique of witnesses. Her desire to fight for her clients made her easy and fun to work with throughout the years. I hold her opinion very highly and would turn to her for help anytime I needed it."

View All Endorsements
Erin Stephanie Shinn headshot
Erin Shinn

Criminal defense lawyer

John Lounsbury Wise headshot
John Wise

Criminal defense lawyer

James Robert John Spencer headshot
James Spencer

Criminal defense lawyer

Kenneth M. Gibson headshot
Kenneth Gibson

DUI and DWI lawyer

Gabriella C. Young headshot
Gabriella Young

Criminal defense lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.5 (Superb)

Honors

2019

Top Attorney, Attorney.com

2017

10 Best, American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys

2016

Client's Choice, Avvo

Work Experience

2014 - Present

Staff Attorney, Capital Area Private Defender Service

2013 - Present

Attorney, Law Office of Michelle Mays

2006 - 2013

Attorney, Law Office of Ken Gibson

2005 - 2005

Clerk, United States District Court, Western District of Washington, The Honorable Barbara Jacobs Rothstein

2004 - 2004

Law Clerk, Alaska Public Defender Agency

Associations

2018 - Present

Travis County Project Engage

Supervising Attorney

2015 - Present

Texas Law Expunction Project

Supervising Attorney

2014 - Present

Capital Area Private Defender Service

Attorney

2007 - Present

Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

Member

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Member

State Bar of Texas

Member

Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

Member

Education

2006

University of Texas School of Law

Doctor of Jurisprudence/Juris Doctor (J.D.)

2006

University of Sydney Law School

Exchange Student

2002

University of Texas, Austin

Bachelor of Journalism

Speaking Engagements

2014

ALR Seminar

ALRs

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

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  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution