Butler Snow attorneys Melissa A. Lorber, Eric J.R. Nichols, Shelby L. O’Brien and Amanda G. Taylor have been named to the Austin Monthly’s 2025 Top Attorneys List for their exceptional work within the city. This peer-nominated honor is bestowed upon worthy candidates who have succeeded in providing exceptional expertise and client service through their work in Austin, Texas.
Melissa A. Lorber
Lorber, a member of Butler Snow’s Specialized Advocacy group, is a board-certified appellate lawyer who represents businesses in litigation at both the trial and appellate levels, in state and federal courts. She regularly represents clients before the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Courts of Appeals, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. As a former newspaper journalist, Melissa employs her writing, research, and investigation skills in advocating for her business clients’ interests.
Since 2020, Lorber has been recognized by BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America® for her work in appellate practice. She has also been recognized by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers® in Texas in the appellate category. Lorber was previously highlighted as a Rising Star by Texas Monthly and was the winner of the 2020 Litigation/Appellate Award from the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association.
Eric J.R. Nichols
As a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation group, Nichols practices both civil trial and criminal law. His background includes not only many years representing companies and individuals in private practice but also experience in both Texas state government and the federal government, having served as Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice for the Office of the Texas Attorney General, as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, and a law clerk to a federal judge. He also serves as the Chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, the board that oversees the operations of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which, among other things, operates the Texas state prison system, and the Windham School District, which provides educational and vocational programming to those incarcerated in Texas prisons.
He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, is AV® -Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, and has been recognized by numerous legal publications, including Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America®, Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers®, Wall Street Journal, Austin Monthly and American Lawyers Media.
Shelby L. O’Brien
O’Brien, a member of the firm’s Specialized Advocacy group, is a Board Certified Civil Appellate attorney who litigates at both the trial and appellate levels. She regularly serves as appellate counsel in Texas state and federal courts and as the appellate member of trial teams, including in disputes involving insurance carriers. Additionally, O’Brien serves as first or second chair in business and regulatory disputes in court and arbitration proceedings, including challenges to administrative rules and city ordinances, breach of fiduciary duty suits against directors, breach of contract and fraud disputes, employment disputes, real estate disputes, and trade secret disputes. O’Brien has been recognized by BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America®, Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers® and Austin Monthly.
Amanda G. Taylor
As a Board-Certified Civil Appellate specialist and member of the firm’s Specialized Advocacy group, Taylor is a detail-oriented lawyer who represents her clients with passion, stays current on emerging trends and issues, and brings a practical perspective to problem-solving. She has experience handling complex civil disputes regarding contracts, fraud, tax, insurance, products, employment, real property, and trusts and estates. She provides pro bono appellate services yearly and is committed to community service through her State and Local Bar Associations.
Since 2014, Taylor has been recognized by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers® on multiple lists, including Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers, Top 50 Central/West Texas Lawyers, Top 50 Women Texas Super Lawyers, and Texas Rising Star. Since 2021, Taylor has been recognized by BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America® for her work in appellate practice and commercial litigation. Since 2022, Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, named her to their Litigation: Appellate (Texas) list. In 2019, she was awarded the Litigation/Appellate Attorney Award by the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association (TCWLA). She has previously been recognized three times as an Austin Monthly Top Attorney in Appellate Law.
