Michael P. Heiskell

Mr. Michael P. Heiskell was one of the three founding partners of Johnson, Vaughn & Heiskell in 1984. He now serves as the senior attorney. Prior to founding Johnson, Vaughn & Heiskell, he served as Assistant District Attorney for Galveston County from 1975 to 1980 and as Assistant United States Attorney from 1980 to 1984.

Mr. Heiskell earned a BA in political science in 1972 from Baylor University and a JD in 1974 from Baylor University School of Law. At Baylor, he was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership honor society for juniors/seniors), Pi Sigma Alpha (national political science honor society), Agiza Funika (black social service club), Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Society, and the Student Bar Association.

Mr. Heiskell was named “Lawyer of the Year” by the Tarrant County Black Bar Association in 1995 and 2000 and received the “Presidential Award of Excellence” from the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association in 1994, 1995, and 2003. In 2015 he was inducted into the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Hall of Fame, and in 2020 he received The Blackstone Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the Tarrant County Bar Association. Mr. Heiskell has been selected as “2022 Baylor Lawyer of the Year” by Baylor Law School.

Mr. Heiskell is a member of several professional law organizations, including the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, for which he began serving as president in August 2023. He also was formerly chairperson of the U.S. Court Advisory Committee for the Northern District of Texas.

Mr. Heiskell and his wife, Anita C. Heiskell, are members of Morningside United Methodist Church in Fort Worth, and they have four children: Marin, James, Michael, Jr., and Mason.