I grew up always wanting to be a criminal defense lawyer like my late dad,
George Roland.
He is my role model of what a criminal defense lawyer should be a zealous and unwavering protector of our constitution as well as compassionate and empathetic advocate.
Immediately after graduating high school from Princeton, I attended Baylor University and obtained a degree in English Literature with a minor in Business. I was president of Baylor's Phi Alpha Delta chapter, an international pre-law fraternity, for two years. After Baylor I attended law school at Texas Tech University. There I was fortunate to be a part of the West Texas Innocence Project where I investigated cases on behalf of incarcerated individuals seeking post-conviction relief. I was also fortunate to be a part of the Criminal Defense Clinic headed by revered West Texas lawyer, David Guinn. Upon my graduation in 2006, I immediately started working for Jackson & Hagen exclusively as a criminal defense lawyer for nearly five years until I opened my own practice in April 2011.
"Defending people is not just what I do for a living; it is my passion and what I have always wanted to do. Everyone, no matter the accusation and even the least among us, deserves the full and complete constitutional protections afforded all of us by our founding fathers."
Selected Publications and Speaking Engagements
"Present Before Piercing: Analyzing the Presentation Requirement of Article 18.06(b) as Applied to Searches for Blood in Light of Wilson v. Arkansas," 36 Voice for the Defense 1 (January/February 2007)
"Coerced to Blow: Evaluating the Coercive Language of the DIC-24 and Ineffective Consent with Specific Regard to Persons Younger than 21 Years of Age," 37 Voice for the Defense 4 (May 2008)
"2009 Legislative Changes, Additions, Etcetera," presented to Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and Denton County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (September 2009)
"Silence is not Effective: Our Constitutional Duty in the Wake of Padilla v. Kentucky," presented to Denton County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (April 14, 2010)
"Defendant's Motion for Recall of Capias Pro Fine Warrant Issued for Non-Payment of Indigent Court Costs," 40 Voice for the Defense 6 (July/August 2011)
"Confessing a Lie," authored for the State Bar of Texas Advanced Criminal Law Course and Criminal Law 101 in San Antonio, Texas (July 26-29, 2010)
"Seeing is Believing: A Discussion About Demonstrative Evidence," presented at the TCDLA Trial College (Huntsville, March 22, 2012)
"Top 10 Tips for Being a Better Trial Lawyer," presented at Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Course (San Antonio, June 7, 2012)
3rd Annual Jolly Roger Criminal Law Seminar, Course Director (Denton, 2010)
4th Annual Jolly Roger Criminal Law Seminar, Course Director (Denton, 2011)
TCDLA Trial College, Faculty (Huntsville, March 2012)
Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Course, Associate Course Director (San Antonio, June 6-9, 2012)
- Texas, November 2006 (state level)
- Eastern District of Texas, 2011
(federal level)
- J.D., Texas Tech University School of Law, May 2006
- B.A., English Literature, Baylor University, May 2003
- Rising Star Award 2012, Super Lawyers, Texas Monthly May Issue
- Clifford W. Brown Award for Excellence as a Student Attorney 2006
- Excellence for the Future Award for Achievement in Advanced Criminal Law 2006
- State Bar of Texas member
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) member since 2001, Board of Directors 2010, 2011, 2012
- TCDLA Criminal Defense Lawyers Project chairperson 2012-2013
- Denton County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
Treasurer/Secretary 2008
Vice president 2009
President 2010, 2011
- Innocence Project of Texas
Board of Directors 2012
