Eric J.R. Nichols Named Chairman of Texas Board of Criminal Justice
August 22, 2023 | by Butler Snow
 Eric J.R. Nichols Named Chairman of Texas Board of Criminal JusticeAugust 22, 2023 By Butler Snow |
Butler Snow attorney Eric J.R. Nichols was recently appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to serve as Chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. He has served as a member of the Board since 2020. The Board oversees the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which runs a number of criminal justice programs across the State of Texas, including operation of the state’s correctional institutions, parole supervision and re-integration programs, and crime victims’ programs. The Board also oversees the Windham School District, which provides educational, vocational and training opportunities for those incarcerated in the Texas prison system. The Board is also responsible for setting rules and policies that guide the agency and the school district.
At Butler Snow, Nichols is a member of the firm's Diversity and Inclusivity Committee and the Commercial Litigation practice group, where he focuses on complex commercial, civil, and criminal litigation matters, including serving clients in business disputes and regulatory matters. Nichols' experience also includes representing clients in white-collar criminal investigations and federal and state criminal justice proceedings. He is a former Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice for the office of the Texas Attorney General and a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. Nichols is also Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Nichols is AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, and he has been recognized as Lawyer of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America® in Bet-the-Company Litigation and Criminal Defense: White Collar. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and a Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Alongside these distinctions, Nichols is a Founding Member of the Barbara Jordan American Inn of Court and a member of the Texas Bar Foundation, the Austin Bar Foundation, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, the Texas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Austin Bar Association.
Eric Nichols received his bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and obtained his Juris Doctor from The University of Texas School of Law.
