Kyle Therrian

Kyle Therrian is a leader in the statewide criminal defense bar. He served as the President of the Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (3CDLA) and is presently the Chairperson of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association’s (TCDLA) Amicus committee. The appellate briefs Kyle Therrian files on behalf of the Organization involve important issues of criminal law pending before the United States Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Texas Supreme Court. Kyle is also the author of the Significant Decisions Report, a monthly recurring publication providing case law summaries to more than 5,000 lawyers and judges via Voice for the Defense Magazine.

Kyle Therrian is a lecturer who provides continuing legal education to judges, lawyers, and prosecutors around the State. Kyle prides himself on serving as a resource to colleagues handling complicated legal matters. His favorite part of every week is taking calls from fellow criminal defense lawyers and brainstorming solutions when they feel their clients are out of options.

Kyle describes his practice as general criminal defense with a focus on appellate and federal litigation. But he is also among a small class of lawyers who have successfully litigated cases involving the First Amendment and the Texas Election Code. In 2021, Kyle Therrian represented 46 Texas State Legislators who had arrest warrants after they refused to return to the legislative session. Kyle’s advocacy in constitutional law has resulted in the overturning of convictions and even the invalidation of a 70-year-old statute by the highest court in Texas.

D Magazine has consistently recognized Kyle Therrian as a Best Lawyer in DFW since 2018. Kyle was also named a Rising Star in the Texas edition of Super Lawyers Magazine by Thompson Reuters in 2019-2020, 2022 and a Super Lawyer in 2023 and 2024. No more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by Thomson Reuters to receive this honor.

Practice Areas

• Criminal appeals
• Federal criminal defense
• State criminal defense
• First Amendment
• Texas Election Code
• Post-conviction (writs of habeas corpus)

Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

• Amicus Committee, Chair – Advocates on behalf of TCDLA in important legal issues
• Voice for the Defense, Author – Monthly magazine sent to 5,000+ judges and lawyers
• Strike Force, Committee Member – Committee responsible for advocating on behalf of lawyers held in contempt or under attack for their advocacy
• COVID-19 Task Force, Vice Chair (former) – Committee responsible for creating pleadings and strategies for challenging procedures implemented during the pandemic that eroded the right to a fair defense
• Prosecutorial Misconduct Committee, Vice Chair – Committee responsible for filing grievances or addressing misconduct of prosecutors statewide in appropriate cases
• Criminal Defense Lawyers Project, Committee Member – Committee responsible for administering grant funded continuing legal education across the State of Texas
• Judicial Conduct Committee, Committee Member – Committee responsible for addressing judicial misconduct in appropriate cases
• Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Education Institute, Chair (former) – A 501(c)(3) organization responsible for raising funds and managing investments that are utilized to help educate lawyers unable to afford important criminal defense training around the State.         

Other Memberships (Current and Past)

• McKinney Bar Association, President (former)
• College of the State bar of Texas, Member
• McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club, Member (former)
• Collin County Bail Bond Board, Elected Member (former)

Publications and Lectures

• Lecture: Significant Decisions, Charleston (TCDLA)(2023)
• Lecture: Significant Decisions, Austin (ACDLA)(2023)
• Lecture: Significant Decisions, McKinney (CCCDLA)(2023)
• Lecture and Publication: Pretrial Investigations, Waco (2023)
• Lecture and Publication: Technology in the Courtroom, South Padre Island (TCDLA)(2023)
• Lecture: Significant Decisions, Waco (MCCDLA)(2023)
• Lecture: Significant Decisions, Corpus Christi (CCBA)(2022)
• Lecture and Publication: Cross Examination, Collin County (CCBA)(2021)
• Lecture and Publication: Returning to Practice Post-Pandemic, San Antonio (State Bar)(2021)
• Lecture and Publication: Jury Selection During COVID-19, Plano (CAIL)(2021)
• Lecture and Publication: Pretrial Investigations, Amarillo (2022)
• Lecture and Publication: Cross Examination, Tyler (TCDLA)(2021)
• Lecture and Publication: Criminal Appeals, Wichita Falls (TCDLA)(2019)
• Lecture and Publication: Preserving Error, South Padre Island (TCDLA)(2019)
• Lecture and Publication: Preserving Error, Kerrville (TCDLA)(2019)
• Lecture and Publication: Pretrial Investigation, Longview (TCDLA)(2019)
• Publication: Journal of Empirical Legal Studies – Police Discretion and Racial Disparity in Organized Retail Theft Arrests: Evidence from Texas, 2018
• Lecture: Expunctions and Nondisclosures, McKinney (CCCDLA)(2018)
• Lecture and Publication: Illegal and Inappropriate Sentencing, Waco (TCDLA)(2018)
• Lecture and Publication: Technology in Law Offices, Austin (TCDLA)(2015)
• Publication: Shifting Burdens of Proof in a Motion to Suppress – TCDLA Voice for the Defense Magazine, 2015