San Angelo Attorney Wins TCDLA Rising Star Award

SAN ANGELO, TX — Lauren McCollum, an assistant public defender in San Angelo, has been named a Rising Star Award winner by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. 

The award recognizes lawyers licensed less than 10 years who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the past year, either in representing citizens accused of crimes or in contributing to TCDLA efforts. Recipients must be members in good standing of the association.

McCollum will be honored June 20 at the TCDLA Awards Banquet during the 39th Annual Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Course. The seminar, named for the late Judge M. P. “Rusty” Duncan III of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, is scheduled for June 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk.

McCollum serves as Youth Defense Team Leader and misdemeanor team leader at the Concho Valley Public Defender’s Office, where she has worked since 2022. She is a member of the TCDLA Board of Directors, co-chairs the Public Defender Committee, and participates in the mentor/mentee and juvenile committees. 

A passionate advocate for youth defense, McCollum has spoken on the topic for TCDLA. She has expressed particular satisfaction in rural indigent defense work because of the "fights she gets to have and some of the unbelievable characters that she has encountered in her time practicing," information from TCDLA stated. 

In her personal time, McCollum enjoys traveling — especially to Bora Bora — with her spouse and their dogs, Betty White and Ellie. 

The Rusty Duncan course is widely regarded as the premier criminal law seminar in Texas and draws more than 800 defense practitioners from across the state. TCDLA, founded more than 50 years ago, is the largest statewide association of criminal defense lawyers in the United States with nearly 4,000 members. 

For more information or to register for the course, visit the TCDLA website.