Accountability.
Dallas and Fort Worth together form one of the largest and fastest-growing metro areas in the entire country. The Metroplex is home to millions of families — and like every major Texas city, it is home to thousands of families navigating the Texas parole system right now, trying to find the right attorney for a loved one who deserves a real shot at coming home.
Here is what those families need to know.
The top-ranked parole attorneys in Texas are not based in Dallas or Fort Worth. They are based in Austin and Georgetown — roughly a two-and-a-half to three-hour drive south on I-35. And if that sounds like a problem, keep reading. Because it is not.
The Single Most Important Thing Dallas-Fort Worth Families Need to Know
In most cases, a parole attorney can be fully retained over the phone. No drive required. No in-person meeting necessary.
This is not a workaround. This is simply how top Texas parole attorneys operate. You call. You describe the situation. The attorney evaluates the case. If it is a fit, representation begins — and everything that follows happens between the attorney and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. The family does not need to be in the same city. The family does not need to be in the same room.
Families in Dallas and Fort Worth retain the best parole lawyers in Texas every single day without ever leaving home. The phone call is the first step. And for most families, it is the only step they personally need to take.
Why Dallas-Fort Worth Families Hire Austin-Based Parole Attorneys
Families in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Garland, Irving, Denton, and surrounding communities often begin their search assuming they need a local parole attorney. In reality, parole representation is one of the few areas of law where geography matters far less than experience.
Because most communication takes place by phone, email, and mail, Metroplex families routinely retain highly respected parole attorneys based in Austin and Georgetown without ever leaving home. What matters most is not where an attorney’s office is located. What matters is whether that attorney understands the Texas parole system, knows how to present a compelling case to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and has a proven record of helping clients secure release.
For many families, expanding the search beyond Dallas-Fort Worth opens the door to some of the most experienced parole attorneys in Texas.
The distance between Dallas and Austin is about 195 miles. The distance between a skilled parole attorney and an unprepared one can be measured in years of someone’s life.
The Attorneys We Recommend for Dallas-Fort Worth Families
For Metroplex families, we recommend the following attorneys — all of them recognized among the top parole lawyers in Texas, all of them accessible by phone from anywhere in the state.
Gary J. Cohen — Ranked #1 in Texas
Austin, Texas | The Cohen Parole Law Team | parolelaw.com
When families ask the Institute for Attorney Oversight who the best parole attorney in Texas is, Gary Cohen’s name leads the conversation. It has for over two decades.
Cohen is based in Austin and practices exclusively in Texas parole law. Not criminal defense on the side. Not a general practice that occasionally handles parole cases. This is the only thing he does — and the depth of mastery that comes from that singular focus is something that sets him apart from virtually every other parole attorney in the state.
His track record speaks directly to why families from across Texas — including the Metroplex — seek him out. Cases where the odds were long. Cases where families had already been told no. Cases where other attorneys had declined. Cohen has a documented history of finding the strategy, building the argument, and getting people home.
His fees generally reflect both the demand for his services and the complexity of the cases he accepts. For Dallas-Fort Worth families who can make that investment, it may be among the most consequential decisions they make for their loved one’s future. For families who need a more accessible price point, the attorneys below offer exceptional representation at significantly lower fees.
Cohen’s office is at 600 West 9th Street in Austin and can be reached at (512) 476-6201. Retention is handled over the phone in virtually every case — no trip to Austin required.
Roger M. Nichols — Ranked #4 in Texas
Austin, Texas | The Law Office of Roger Nichols | texasparolelaw.com
There is one fact about Roger Nichols that no other parole attorney in Texas can match, and every Metroplex family considering parole representation should know it.
From 2003 to 2009, Roger Nichols served as Assistant General Counsel for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
He was on the Board’s side of the table. He spent years learning — from the inside — exactly how parole decisions are made. What the Board looks for. What moves a case forward. What buries it. How to build a presentation that gets a real human being to slow down, pay attention, and actually hear a client’s story instead of processing it like paperwork.
His experience as Assistant General Counsel for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles gives him a perspective that is exceptionally rare among Texas parole attorneys. And when he crossed over to representing clients, he brought every bit of that institutional knowledge with him.
Recognized by the Institute for Attorney Oversight as one of the top 5 parole attorneys in Texas — ranked #4 on our list — Nichols handles both parole release cases and parole revocations. That dual expertise is particularly valuable for Dallas-Fort Worth families facing revocation hearings, where urgency is high and the margin for error is essentially zero.
He is located at 7000 N. Mo Pac Expressway, Suite 200 in Austin and can be reached at (512) 619-8391. Starting price is $4,500. Retention is handled over the phone in most cases.
Mark C. Morales — Ranked #5 in Texas
Georgetown, Texas | Mark Morales & Associates | markmorales.com
Mark Morales has been recognized by the Institute for Attorney Oversight as one of the top 5 parole attorneys in Texas for three consecutive years — 2023, 2024, and 2025. Sustained recognition like that does not happen by accident. It happens because of consistent, documented results over time.
His office is in Georgetown, about two and a half hours from Dallas — but for families who have worked with him, geography becomes an afterthought almost immediately. What they remember is how his firm made them feel from the very first conversation: heard, prepared, and genuinely cared for.
Thomson Reuters and Texas Monthly have both recognized Morales as a Super Lawyer — an honor given to fewer than 5% of attorneys in Texas. His career includes over 5,000 successful client defenses, more than 1,500 case dismissals. According to his firm, Morales maintains an undefeated trial record as lead defense attorney in Williamson County. That courtroom background gives him a strategic perspective on the parole process that attorneys without trial experience simply cannot replicate.
His firm handles everything — professional introduction letters, letters of remorse and rehabilitation, detailed parole plans, comprehensive support documentation — and they approach every case with a level of personal investment that clients consistently describe as rare in the legal profession. They call their work a ministry. The families who have worked with them tend to agree.
Mark Morales & Associates is located at 601 Quail Valley Drive in Georgetown and can be reached at (512) 930-5511. Starting price is $3,500. Like every attorney on this list, retention is typically handled entirely over the phone.
Other Top Texas Parole Attorneys Are Available to Dallas-Fort Worth Families
The attorneys featured above are not the only parole attorneys available to Dallas-Fort Worth families. Because parole representation is typically handled by phone, email, and mail, families throughout the Metroplex can work with any attorney featured on Top Texas Parole Attorneys, regardless of where that attorney’s office is located.
Additional attorneys recognized by the Institute for Attorney Oversight in 2025 include Mary E. Samaan, Lori K. Redmond, Terry H. Peden, Mani Nezami, Cheri A. Abbage, and other experienced Texas parole advocates serving families across the state.
The most important factor is not the location of an attorney’s office. It is finding the attorney whose experience, communication style, and approach best fit your loved one’s situation.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
All three of these attorneys are featured on the Top Texas Parole Attorneys website with full profiles, complete backgrounds, and direct contact information.
Not sure which one is the right fit? Visit toptexasparoleattorneys.org and use the “Can’t Choose an Attorney?” feature — describe your loved one’s situation and let one of the top parole attorneys in Texas reach out to you directly.
Dallas-Fort Worth families deserve the best parole representation Texas has to offer. It is one phone call away.
Editorial Disclosure
The Institute for Attorney Oversight recognizes and recommends Texas parole attorneys based on factors including experience, client outcomes, professional integrity, communication, and dedication to parole advocacy. Attorneys included in this article were recognized by the Institute for Attorney Oversight (IAO) in 2025. For full profiles and contact information, visit TopTexasParoleAttorneys.org.