AUSTIN, Texas — A Dripping Springs woman is accused of pretending to be a licensed attorney in Texas.
Nichole Humes is charged with falsely holding oneself as a lawyer.
Jail records show the 42-year-old was booked and released from the Hays County Jail on July 4. Those documents also reveal the Hays County Sheriff's Office first learned of Humes in November after an attorney complained that one of his clients previously worked with Humes.
The affidavit also stated that the State Bar of Texas did not list Humes as a licensed attorney and that her law license in Pennsylvania was suspended in 2022. The attorney who filed the complaint said Humes could be licensed in Pennsylvania and Illinois. The detective investigating the case stated Humes was last licensed in Illinois in 2013.
Humes is no longer employed with the Dorothy Butler Law Firm where the website once described her as a senior associate attorney.
If convicted of the third-degree felony, Humes could face up to 10 years behind bars.
KVUE reached out to the Supreme Court of Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, the group that handles investigations of non-lawyers, to see if it is looking into Humes. We have not heard back.
We also wanted to know if the Texas State Bar was investigating. A spokesperson said they could not disclose disciplinary information about the attorney who supervised Humes until something is filed in district court or it results in a public sanction.
KVUE also reached out to Humes. She had no comment.
We also reached out to Dorothy Butler early Monday evening for comment. We will report back if we receive a response.