HAYS COUNTY, Texas — Nichole Humes, the Hays County woman caught practicing law without a license in Texas, avoided prison time for the third-degree felony.
On Monday, a visiting judge sentenced Humes to five years deferred adjudication instead. She faced up to 10 years in prison after being charged with falsely holding herself out as an attorney.
The judge accepted a plea deal struck by state and defense attorneys back in September. As part of the plea agreement, Humes confessed that in November 2022, she intended to obtain economic benefit for herself by pretending to be a lawyer.
Humes also confessed to providing legal advice to clients, negotiated with opposing counsel, was listed as a senior associate on a firm website without a disclaimer, filed documents indicating she was lead counsel on cases, and admitted she was not in good standing with the State Bar of Texas.
Humes' legal troubles began in November 2022 when attorney Thomas Just filed a complaint with police. Just said he did so after taking on one of Humes' former clients.
"When I took the case and I requested the case file, they dragged their feet and that's not normal. Once I started digging in, it was clear to me that Nicole had been practicing law without a license," Just said. "She was showing up in court presenting herself as an attorney and she was ... advising clients and practicing law and negotiating with opposing counsel. All the things that we normally associate with being a lawyer and practicing, she was doing."
In 2023, several people contacted the KVUE Defenders about Humes and her then-employer, Dorothy Lawrence, mishandling their cases. Lawrence owns the Dorothy Butler Law Firm in Dripping Springs.
In January 2024, the State Bar of Texas sanctioned Lawrence and gave her a two-year probated suspension. The suspension allows Lawrence to continue practicing law. It ends Dec. 31, 2025.
If Humes violates the terms of her probation, she can be ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison.
We reached out to Nichole Humes’ attorney and have not heard back.