“I grew up on a small farm in a tiny map-dot of a town in East Texas. We raised chickens and it was my job to go out and collect the chickens’ eggs. I was about 3 or 4 years old when my dad said he was going to go get a chicken to cook. To me, the chickens were pets. I’m not quite sure my dad felt the same way. I have a picture of a young me in my nightgown looking angry, standing outside the chicken coop, daring my dad to come take one of my pets. So, at a very young age, I became an advocate. No chickens died that day and from then on my dad bought chicken from the store,” says Stephanie Holan, Esq. of Holan Law PLLC.
By the age of 3, Holan was a dedicated advocate and by the age of 9 she knew she would be dedicating her life to a career in the law.
Holan opened her own law firm in May 2015 with practice areas in family law, criminal defense and civil litigation in criminal and civil cases throughout the state of Texas. Her experience in family law covers divorce, child custody, child support, modifications, adoption, parental termination, guardianship, and mediations. Her criminal defense work includes misdemeanors, felonies, state crimes and violent crimes.
She says, “I believe I have three significant advantages. One, I didn’t go into the law for the money; I went into the law because I love the law. I like our political system. It may not be perfect and it might not operate as fast as people want, but I like our system. Two, I’m a very zealous advocate for my client. I work on a case the way I would want an attorney working on a case for my daughter. And, three, I’m extremely creative in approaching a challenge for a client. I really do approach things differently from other attorneys.”
Holan earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, her master’s degree from Lamar University, and her Juris Doctor from Texas A&M University School of Law. She is admitted to practice by the State Bar of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Holan’s affiliations include the American Bar Association young lawyers division, the State Bar of Texas Women and the Law chair and editor, and the Dallas Women Lawyers Association. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, Texas Bar Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
She is active in the Dallas and Fort Worth community and volunteers with Tango Tab, Habitat for Humanity and the Junior League of Dallas. Holan and her 12-year-old daughter founded Operation Rubber Duck, which collects personal hygiene products for the homeless, misplaced and indigent.
Holan says, “I enjoy knowing that I can do things for people that they cannot do on their own. I like being able to take up for other people or fix problems that other people can’t handle. Those little initials behind my name – Esq. – enable me to do these things that other people cannot. Those initials make people jump a lot faster than if you are not educated in the law. People tend to take advantage of the fact that you don’t know your rights. I really like being the person who makes sure someone can’t be bullied. I think I was born to be an attorney.”
