Laura Popps is the founder and principal of Popps Law & Consulting, PLLC, in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of experience, she offers a wealth of knowledge in legal ethics, attorney license defense, and criminal law. She delivers exceptional, customized legal services to attorneys and law firms across Texas.
Her practice focuses on advising attorneys on ethical obligations in complex situations, defending lawyers against claims of professional misconduct in State Bar disciplinary proceedings, and training lawyers and law firms on best practices. Laura's depth of knowledge about legal ethics and the inner workings of the grievance system makes her an invaluable resource for legal professionals statewide.
In addition to her work with other Texas attorneys, Laura has extensive experience in criminal law and has been Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1999. A former prosecutor with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Laura traveled the state assisting local district attorneys with complex, high-profile cases, including everything from capital murder to white-collar offenses. Before that, Laura spent several years focused exclusively on federal habeas death penalty litigation. Through these positions, Laura gained extensive trial, appellate, and post-conviction experience in criminal law.
In 2009, Laura was recruited to head up the Austin Region of the State Bar’s Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, where she was designated as CDC’s statewide “point-person” on cases alleging prosecutorial misconduct. Laura became known as an authority on the topic, giving lectures and writing on the challenges of these cases as well as handling the Bar’s most complex and serious litigation involving prosecutors.
Laura served as lead counsel in the disciplinary case against Ken Anderson, a district judge and former prosecutor who suppressed evidence in the 1987 trial of Michael Morton, resulting in Morton’s wrongful conviction and life sentence for the murder of his wife. The case received national attention when it settled shortly before trial for one of the largest sanctions ever obtained against a prosecutor in a disciplinary case.
Two years later, Laura and her trial team successfully prosecuted and disbarred former district attorney Charles Sebesta for misconduct, leading to the wrongful conviction and death sentence of Anthony Graves.
In 2016, Laura tapped into a long-held interest in Forensic Psychology and enrolled part-time as a graduate student while continuing her work as an attorney. As a graduate student, she studied the most up-to-date scientific research on issues such as jury decision-making, false confessions, eyewitness identification errors, false memories, and psychological disorders. Her desire to share this information with other criminal law practitioners in a way that is easily accessible and relevant became the seed for her consulting practice.
PUBLICATIONS
When is it Acceptable for a Texas Lawyer to Charge a Nonrefundable Fee? Voice for the Defense, Vol. 53, No. 4, 13, May 2024
The Ethics of Seeking or Responding to Online Reviews, Voice for the Defense, Vol. 52, No. 8, 11, October 2023
How to Avoid a Grievance when an Attorney-Client Relationship Ends, Voice for the Defense, Vol. 51, No. 8, 9-11, October 2022
A Peek Behind the Curtain: The Texas Attorney Grievance Process in a Nutshell, Voice for the Defense, Vol. 50, No. 8, 8-9, October 2021
Prosecutorial Misconduct and the Role of Discipline, Examining the Intersection Between Error and Ethics, Texas Bar Journal 430-31, 2017
PRESENTATIONS
Fees, Files and Failure to Communicate - How Criminal Lawyers Get in Trouble with the Bar, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Annual Ethics Seminar, September 2024, Travis Co. Courthouse, Austin, Texas (via Zoom)
Six Ways to Virtually Ensure a Grievance and How to Prevent Them, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Annual Ethics Seminar, September 2023, Travis Co. Courthouse, Austin, Texas (via Zoom)
The Top Three Reasons Criminal Attorneys are Grieved and How to Prevent Them, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Annual Ethics Seminar, September 2020, Travis Co. Courthouse, Austin, Texas (via Zoom).
Ethics for Post-Conviction Lawyers, University of Texas Conference on Criminal Appeals, May 1-3, 2019, Austin, Texas
The Problem of Wrongful Convictions from a Discipline Perspective, Annual Program: Establishing Innocence or Guilt, Center for American and International Law, August 27, 2018, Plano, Texas
The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall—Challenges in Prosecuting Government Officials, National Organization of Bar Counsel, August 2016, San Francisco, Calif.
New Models for Prosecutorial Accountability, April 2016, Cardozo School of Law, New York, New York
Trust Accounts: The Most Common Scenarios Involving Lawyers Facing Disciplinary Action, Grievance Symposium 2014, Texas Law Center, Austin, Texas
The Attorney Discipline System, August 2012, University of Texas Administrative Law Conference, Austin, Texas
Grievance Referral Program, Grievance Symposium 2012, Texas Law Center, Austin, Texas
Attorney Ethics, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Annual Ethics Seminar, September 2010, Travis Co. Courthouse, Austin, Texas
Making a Difference Together: Identification, Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse and Neglect, April 2008, Omni Colonnade Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
Noah's Story: The Life and Death of a Drug Endangered Child, April 20, 2007, National Shaken Baby Alliance and Drug Endangered Child Conference.
Investigation and Prosecution of Fatal Child Abuse Cases, June 28, 2007, Child Victims Interventions and Investigations Conference
Pretrial Discovery in Federal Habeas Proceedings, August 1997, Texas District and County Attorney's Association Seminar
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Defender of Justice Award, Texas Fair Defense Project, 2016, for work on the Anthony Graves/Charles Sebesta case
Presidential Citation, State Bar of Texas, 2014, for work on the Michael Morton/Ken Anderson case
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & HONORS
Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Criminal Law, since 1999
Vice-Chair, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Ethics Committee, since 2023
Member, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Ethics Committee, since 2019
Member, Texas Bar College, since 2018
Member, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers
Member, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
Member, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
Member, Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Austin
Member, Travis County Women Lawyers Association
EDUCATION
M.A. in Forensic Psychology, University of North Dakota School of Graduate Studies (2019)
J.D. with Honors, University of Texas School of Law (1993)
B.A. in Political Science, summa cum laude, Angelo State University (1990)
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Mentor, Faith & Leadership Mentoring Cohort, since 2023
Member, National Charity League, 2016-present
Board of Directors, National Shaken Baby Alliance, 2006-2013
Schedule your initial consultation with Laura today.