Washington, DC (Aug. 11, 2026) – Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube was sworn in to serve as Secretary of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) at the Association's Annual Meeting on August 8.
Respected nationwide as a fierce advocate for her clients, Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube is an experienced criminal defense attorney and trial lawyer successfully handling state and federal criminal matters at all phases from investigation through trial, post-conviction, and parole. Her practice serves those accused in matters ranging from high profile cases to discrete cases involving everyday individuals. A recognized leader in the bar and immediate Past President of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA), she is proud of her service to NACDL over multiple board terms and to TCDLA over more than two decades in a variety of capacities including as TCDLA’s Strike Force Co-Chair, vigorously defending lawyers statewide in the crosshairs of persecution directly resulting from their performance of their duties to defend their clients and the Constitution.
She has served the criminal law bar nationally in her capacity a board member with NACDL as Co-Chair for the Fifth Circuit, Membership and Decarceration. She has served the bar previously as Houston Bar Association's Criminal Law and Procedure Section Chair, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association Board Member, Criminal Defense Lawyers Project Board Member, former President of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, Past Chair of the Criminal Law and Procedure Section for the Houston Bar Association and through involvement in Inns of Court.
Her tenacity and reputation for excellence has earned her a variety of awards and recognition including, TCDLA’s Freedom Award, the Charles Butts Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award, Best Lawyers in America for many years, including Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year in 2017, 2024, and 2026; TCDLA’s President’s Recognition, HCCLA’s President's Award and recognition in a variety of legal publications. In 2023, she was an honoree of the Premier Women in the Law award by the Association of Women Attorneys Foundation. She has been selected by Texas Monthly as a Texas Super Lawyer for over a decade and is included on Texas Super Lawyers’ Top 100 List and Top 50 Women’s list. Her firm has the highest rating, AV, given by the legal directory Martindale-Hubbell. She was a proud Associate Producer of an Unreal Dream, the Michael Morton story.
She served as a prosecutor at the Harris County District Attorney's Office from 1994 through 2002 and has been in private practice as a criminal defense lawyer since 2002. A frequent speaker on criminal law related topics at CLE’s across the nation, and legal analyst for national outlets, her experience, knowledge and highly acclaimed skills have earned her the respect of her clients, colleagues and the judiciary.
She is grateful for the honor of standing shoulder to shoulder with lawyers in her immediate work family and lawyers across the nation in defending the rights of the citizen accused.
A high-resolution picture of Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube is available for download here.
Contacts
Jessie Diamond, Deputy Director, Public Affairs and Communications, (202) 465-7647 or jdiamond@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.
