Laura Popps is the founder and principal of Popps Law & Consulting, PLLC, based in Austin, Texas. With more than 30 years of experience, she is a trusted resource for lawyers and law firms facing questions of legal ethics, professional responsibility, or disciplinary risk. She maintains a boutique practice with a selective caseload, emphasizing meticulous preparation and results-driven strategy for lawyers who value their license and reputation.  

Laura advises attorneys on ethical obligations, defends lawyers in disciplinary proceedings before the State Bar of Texas, and provides guidance to firms seeking to strengthen their internal practices. Her deep familiarity with both the rules and the realities of the attorney disciplinary process makes her a go-to advisor for legal professionals who understand what’s at stake.

In addition to her work with 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. As a former prosecutor with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, she worked alongside local prosecutors across the state on complex, high-stakes cases involving everything from capital murder to white-collar offenses. Earlier in her career, she focused exclusively on federal habeas corpus litigation in death penalty cases. These roles gave her a rare combination of trial and appellate experience, including courtroom advocacy, strategic case development, and briefing in some of the most demanding areas of criminal law.

Approach

Laura maintains a selective docket so each matter receives the preparation and judgment it warrants. Drawing on both direct experience working inside the Texas disciplinary system and years of defending lawyers in disciplinary proceedings, she has a thorough command of the rules, procedures, and forums that govern lawyer discipline. Her representation is exacting and strategic—focused on what actually carries weight with decision-makers. She is trusted by lawyers who understand the difference between simply navigating the process and prevailing when it matters most.

In 2009, Laura was recruited to lead the Austin Region of the State Bar’s Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel (CDC), where she served as the CDC’s statewide point person on matters alleging prosecutorial misconduct. She became known as an authority on these cases, giving lectures and writing on their unique challenges and handling some of the Bar’s most complex disciplinary 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 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 team successfully prosecuted and disbarred 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. 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

Why Good Lawyers Get Grieved and How to Protect Yourself, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association Annual Ethics Seminar, September 2025, Travis County Courthouse, Austin, Texas (Zoom)

A Crash Course in the Attorney Grievance Process, McClennan County Criminal Defense Association, July 2025, Waco, Texas (Zoom)

Grievance Proof Your Practice - 5 Essential Tips, Williamson County Inns of Court, March 2025, Georgetown, Texas

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 (Zoom)

Six Ways to Virtually Guarantee a Grievance—and How to Avoid Them, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Annual Ethics Seminar, September 2023, Travis Co. Courthouse, Austin, Texas (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 (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

Schedule your initial consultation with Laura today.