get to know deborah lawson

Howdy!

I’m a collaborative attorney who, in 2008, founded a boutique law firm of like-minded professionals to champion and protect the often forgotten middle-class.

I’m not your typical attorney.

I graduated from Texas A&M in 1992, with a business degree, and didn’t go to law school until almost ten years later.  In the interim, the New York Times foreshadowed my early career with one article: “Graduates Facing Worst Prospects in Last 2 Decades.”

I attended Texas A&M…twice.

This time in Galveston, where I  met both the professor who would shape my future and the man with whom I would share my life.  Ditching the marine biology degree path, Rusty Williams ’02 moved with me to Camden, New Jersey, where I was a 1L at Rutgers Law School.

We moved back to Texas.

During my first week of law school, I put in for a transfer back to Texas.  In 2003, I graduated from SMU’s Dedman School of Law, took the Texas Bar, and moved to Houston to pursue a career in admiralty and maritime law. I’ve represented a major railroad and several major shipping lines, but my true passion is helping individuals and very small companies with their day-to-day legal issues.

Death and Taxes.

In 2008, I opened this private practice with a mission to help members of the often-forgotten middle-class answer their legal questions without breaking the bank. My goal is to help these individuals plan and protect their legacies every step of the way.  Owning my own practice also allowed me to dedicate more of my time to charity, and I developed a niche helping non-profit organizations apply for recognition under IRC § 501(c). A small part of my practice still focuses on non-profit formation and governance, a passion that stems from a long-time love affair with planning events and fundraising.

Fightin‘ Texas Aggie Class of 1992!

Thanks to more than 92,000 Aggies in the Houston area, there’s always something to do with the Maroon & White. In 2013, I was honored to be the Houston A&M Club’s 5th female President in 90 years. During my tenure, I proudly helped the Houston Aggie Women launch as a stand-alone entity in 2018.  Somewhere in between, I chaired Muster, Coach’s Night, several Reveille golf tournaments, and so much more.

There she is…

I have had the honor of representing several state and local organizations in the Miss America line of scholarship competitions – as a volunteer, an attorney, and on the Board of Directors – and can honestly say that if you’re an empowered young woman looking for a great way to earn scholarship money and improve your marketability, check out the local competitions in any of the lines. You might be surprised.  There is a reason that these competitions have survived while other programs fade away.

Y’all means all!

From 2018-2023, I served as President of SLAGH – Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston, Houston’s independent LGBT bar association (lawyers, not adult beverages). I am an active member of the National LGBT Bar’s Family Law Institute, the State Bar of Texas’s LGBTQ+ Section, and the Houston Bar Association’s LGBTQ+ Committee, and I proudly stand with fewer than 1% of Texas lawyers in the Texas Bar College and Texas Bar Foundation. In 2023, I accepted the challenge of President of the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary, attorneys, spouses, and everyone who loves the law facing inward, supporting the legal community itself so that we can continue to take care of the world. 

Whether I’m volunteering or practicing law, my work is dedicated to enriching (and protecting) your legacy. I would love to hear about your plans to protect your life’s work, email me here to set up our first consultation.