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Lance Kennedy Law: A Federal Prosecutor Who Tried Seven Jury Trials and Won All Seven, Now Defending the Other Side

As a Special Assistant United States Attorney and later a full-time federal prosecutor, Lance Kennedy tried seven federal jury trials and won convictions in all seven, prosecuting cases involving cartel members, tax offenders, and sexual predators. He now runs a criminal defense firm headquartered in Austin, staffed in part by other former prosecutors who once sat on the government’s side of the same courtroom. This profile is part of Awesome Attorneys’ coverage of Austin DUI/DWI defense attorney options.

At a Glance

Origin & Background

Kennedy, a seventh-generation Texan, served roughly ten years as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve while building a parallel career as a state and then federal prosecutor. As an Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney, he tried approximately fifty cases before Texas judges and juries. In 2019 he was appointed a Special Assistant United States Attorney, prosecuting federal crimes alongside state offenses, and was later appointed a full-time federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he tried seven federal jury trials to verdict. He founded Lance Kennedy Law to apply that prosecutorial insight to the defense side. Senior Trial Attorney Clayten Hearrell brings a comparable government background: Board Certified in Criminal Law since 2016, he has handled more than 150 jury trials and previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Lamar, Comal, and Galveston Counties, including a stint as Chief Prosecutor of Vehicular Crimes in Galveston County — a role that puts him in direct, prior contact with how DWI cases are actually built by the state.

Austin DUI/DWI & Criminal Defense Practice Concentration

The firm’s caseload spans DWI and drunk driving defense, drug crimes (state and federal), gun and weapons charges, white-collar prosecutions, and military/service-member criminal matters, with a stated policy of assigning each client a dedicated senior trial attorney rather than passing cases to junior staff. The team includes a former Assistant United States Attorney and a former Assistant District Attorney in addition to Kennedy and Hearrell. Attorneys are organized by the specific counties and courts they regularly appear in across Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas.

Track Record

The firm states that more than 50% of its 2026 resolved cases ended in dismissal, and separately reports nearly 1,000 combined jury trials handled across its attorneys. These are the firm’s own reported figures; dismissal rates and trial outcomes depend heavily on the facts of each case, and past results do not predict future outcomes.

Client Voice

The firm reports a 5.0 average Google rating built on 300+ five-star reviews and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating. Individual reviews on Avvo echo that pattern:

“I don’t have enough nice things to say about this law firm. Knowledge and wisdom is extremely important when it comes to picking a lawyer. This law firm has both and Lance is absolutely amazing.” — client review, Avvo

“I have known this attorney all of his life, he is very honest, high integrity. He listens to whatever you say and gives good advice.” — client review, Avvo

Awesome Attorneys did not identify negative reviews of the firm during this research, though the firm’s aggregate satisfaction figures (99% client satisfaction, 5.0 average rating) are self-reported summary statistics rather than independently audited numbers — a distinction worth naming for a firm of this size and review volume.

Beyond the Courtroom

Kennedy’s decade in the Army Reserve JAG Corps informs a dedicated military and service-member defense practice at the firm, a niche that draws on genuine institutional knowledge of how military and civilian proceedings interact rather than being bolted on as a marketing category. The firm’s four-office footprint across Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas reflects real physical presence in each market rather than a single office running city-specific landing pages.

Recognition

Hearrell’s Board Certification in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — held since 2016 — is the substantive, exam-and-peer-vetted credential this profile treats as most significant; the firm’s website states that a second, unnamed attorney also holds this certification, a claim this profile could not independently attribute to a named individual and discloses as such. Kennedy has been recognized by Super Lawyers, a peer-nomination and independent-research-based selection process distinct from pay-to-play marketing awards.

Texas Legal Backdrop

DWI in Texas is governed by Penal Code § 49.04, with penalties escalating under § 49.09 for repeat offenders and under § 49.08 where a death results (intoxication manslaughter). Because Hearrell’s background includes prosecuting vehicular crimes specifically, the firm’s DWI defense work draws on direct knowledge of how those enhancement and evidence decisions get made on the state’s side. For broader criminal matters, Texas felony prosecutions are subject to varying limitations periods under Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 12, while federal charges — an area where Kennedy’s own trial experience runs — follow separate federal statutes of limitations, typically five years for non-capital offenses under 18 U.S.C. § 3282.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Lance Kennedy Law’s core differentiator is depth of prosecutorial pedigree stacked across multiple named attorneys rather than resting on one founder’s biography: Kennedy’s federal trial record, Hearrell’s specific vehicular-crimes prosecution background, and a team that includes a former Assistant U.S. Attorney give the firm a genuinely varied bench for cases that range from a first DWI to a federal drug charge.

The honest trade-off is verification depth on some of the firm’s broader claims — the “two board-certified attorneys” statement is confirmed for Hearrell but the second individual is unnamed in public materials, and the firm’s satisfaction and rating statistics are self-reported rather than third-party audited. Prospective clients weighing a large, multi-office criminal defense firm against a smaller boutique should ask directly which attorney would actually handle their file.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from the firm’s own website (lancekennedy.com, including attorney biography pages for Lance Kennedy and Clayten Hearrell), Avvo and Super Lawyers attorney profiles, Yelp and Facebook business listings, and the State Bar of Texas attorney directory. Statutory citations were checked against the Texas Penal Code, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, and U.S. Code as published by their respective legislative sources. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; all client 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 Lance Kennedy Law 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 Lance Kennedy Law or Awesome Attorneys.