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The Law Office of E.G. Morris: The Attorney Who Won the Branch Davidian Acquittal

Gerry Morris has practiced criminal defense in Texas since 1977 — 48 years — and his career includes one of the most publicly scrutinized criminal trials in modern Texas history: the Branch Davidian case, where he won an acquittal on all charges for his client. He has since led both the national and state criminal defense bars as president of their respective associations, a level of institutional leadership within the defense community that few Texas attorneys, in Austin or elsewhere, can claim. This profile is part of Awesome Attorneys’ coverage of Austin criminal defense attorney options.

At a Glance

Origin & Background

Gerry Morris earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1977 and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas the same year, beginning a career that now spans 48 years. He is Board Certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He served as President of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (1997–1998) and later as President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2015–2016) — leading both the state’s and the nation’s principal criminal defense bar associations at different points in his career, a dual leadership record that is exceptionally rare. In 2017, he was inducted into the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Hall of Fame, and in 2022 received the Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award from NACDL, given annually to the one criminal defense attorney judged to best exemplify the association’s and the profession’s values. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals, and multiple U.S. District Courts.

Austin Criminal Defense Attorney Practice Concentration

The firm handles criminal defense across the full range of severity — from misdemeanor drug charges to capital murder — at the pre-indictment, trial, and appellate stages, including federal white-collar and fraud defense. Morris’s own case history spans this entire range, and the firm specifically markets its capacity to represent clients at every stage of a criminal case, not just trial.

Track Record

Morris’s best-known trial was the “Branch Davidian Trial” arising from the 1993 Waco siege, in which he won an acquittal on all charges for his client — one of the most closely watched criminal trials in recent Texas history. The firm’s broader case history spans capital murder to misdemeanor drug charges over Morris’s 48-year career. Awesome Attorneys could not independently verify a comprehensive case-outcome record beyond the Branch Davidian matter, which is extensively documented in contemporaneous press coverage, and presents other case references as the firm’s own claims.

Client Voice

Morris holds an Avvo 10.0 rating. One long-tenured client review is particularly detailed:

“Mr Morris had been my attorney for almost 12 years now… This tall quiet, and respectful man comes to see me, Gerry Morris, he listens to my story, and my criminal history… he told me the truth about my situation rather than what I wanted to hear.” — Avvo client review

“Gerry Morris is an excellent attorney. Gerry is highly intelligent, very knowledgeable about criminal law, and has many years of experience conducting jury trials. I have seen Gerry in trial many times.” — peer endorsement, Avvo

Awesome Attorneys did not identify negative reviews of Morris during this research.

Beyond the Courtroom

Morris’s leadership of both TCDLA and NACDL — the state and national defense bar associations, respectively — reflects an unusual degree of institutional trust from his peers across two separate professional bodies. He has served as Chair of the Travis County Bar’s Criminal Law and Procedure Section and has presented continuing legal education seminars on topics including cross-examination technique in sexual assault cases and expert witness practice.

Recognition

Morris’s Board Certification in Criminal Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is the substantive, exam-and-peer-vetted credential this profile treats as most significant, and the basis for describing him as a specialist. His TCDLA Hall of Fame induction and NACDL Robert C. Heeney Award are among the most prestigious honors available within the criminal defense bar specifically — the Heeney Award is a single annual national award, not a list. His unbroken Best Lawyers recognition since 1995 and Super Lawyers selection since 2003 reflect three decades of sustained peer regard.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Texas felony offenses are classified by degree — state jail felony through capital felony — under Texas Penal Code Title 3, with capital murder carrying the most severe penalties available under Texas law, including the death penalty in qualifying cases under Penal Code § 19.03. Federal white-collar and fraud matters, another area of the firm’s practice, proceed under the federal criminal code and U.S. Sentencing Guidelines rather than Texas state law, requiring separate federal court admission — which Morris holds across multiple district and circuit courts. Pre-indictment representation, an area the firm specifically emphasizes, can involve grand jury proceedings under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 20, where strategic decisions made before formal charges are filed can materially affect the ultimate outcome of a case.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Gerry Morris’s credential set is among the strongest in this directory for any practice area: a board certification, dual leadership of the state and national criminal defense bar associations, Hall of Fame induction, and a single-year national award (the Heeney Award) reserved for one attorney nationally. The Branch Davidian acquittal is independently documented history, not marketing — genuinely one of the highest-profile defense verdicts a Texas criminal attorney could point to.

Given Morris’s seniority (48 years in practice) and the caliber of cases he’s known for, this firm is positioned toward the most serious end of the criminal defense spectrum — federal, capital, and high-profile matters — rather than routine misdemeanor volume. Clients with less severe charges should confirm the fee structure and level of personal attention Morris himself will provide versus other firm attorneys, given his stature and likely demand.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from the firm’s own website (egmlaw.com, including its About, Attorney, and practice-area pages), Gerry Morris’s Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers, Avvo, and FindLaw attorney profiles, and BCG Attorney Search’s firm ranking summary. Statutory citations were checked against the Texas Penal Code and Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; the Branch Davidian case reference is corroborated by extensive independent press coverage of that matter, and all reviews are attributed to their original platform.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by The Law Office of E.G. Morris prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placements clearly labeled as such, but no payment of any kind determines inclusion in, or the content of, this editorial profile. This article is for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and The Law Office of E.G. Morris or Awesome Attorneys.