HAYS COUNTY, Texas — A Hays County woman accused of pretending to be a lawyer will avoid jail time.
Nichole Humes struck a plea deal this week more than a year after being charged with holding oneself out as a lawyer, a third-degree felony.
According to the plea deal, Humes signed a confession on Sept. 24, admitting to obtaining an economic benefit to herself by providing legal advice to clients, negotiating with opposing counsel and filing documents indicating she was lead counsel on cases without having a law license.
Humes faced up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Instead, she'll receive five years of probation. The agreement also requires Humes to pay a $1,500 fine, do 250 hours of community service and undergo a psychological/drug/alcohol abuse evaluation. A judge must sign off on this deal.
The KVUE Defenders first told you about the case against Humes when the Hays County Sheriff's Office learned an attorney complained that one of his clients previously worked with her in November of 2022.
According to an affidavit, the State Bar of Texas did not list Humes as a licensed attorney, and her law license in Pennsylvania was suspended in 2022. After the attorney who filed the complaint said Humes could be licensed in Pennsylvania or Illinois, a detective learned Humes was last licensed in Illinois in 2013.
In July 2023, Humes was charged while the attorney who employed and supervised her for four years, Dorothy Lawrence, would be disciplined by the State Bar of Texas.
Former clients and attorneys filed multiple grievances against Dorothy Lawrence, ranging from unprofessional conduct to facilitating that Humes was a licensed attorney. Lawrence owned the Dorothy Butler Law Firm in Dripping Springs, where Humes was once described as a senior associate attorney on the firm's website. Humes no longer works for the firm.
An investigatory panel with the State Bar of Texas issued a two-year probated suspension to Lawrence in January 2024. The panel found Lawrence assisted a non-lawyer in practicing law and engaged in conduct that involved dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.
The State Bar disciplined Lawrence a second time after a hearing in February 2024, which led to an investigatory panel issuing a public reprimand for Lawrence in late March 2024.
A punishment hearing is set for Nov. 18, 2024.