Tad A. Nelson

Galveston County's Best Lawyer for 2026: Board-certified criminal defense trial lawyer and ACS Forensic Lawyer-Scientist with 400+ jury trials

Tad Nelson started his career on the other side of the courtroom. Licensed in Texas in 1991, he spent three years as a felony prosecutor in the Galveston County District Attorney's Office under Mike Guarino, trying 39 jury cases and losing only one. He learned how the State builds a case and where it breaks down. In 1995 he founded The Law Offices of Tad Nelson & Associates, and in 1996 he earned Board Certification in Criminal Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

He has since tried more than 400 jury trials, including a run of 18 straight felony "not guilty" verdicts between 1998 and 2000. Early in his career he challenged the reliability of the state's breath-test program, and he has spent the decades since learning and teaching the science behind the State's evidence. He is an ACS Forensic Lawyer-Scientist (2014) and holds a Master of Science in Forensic Toxicology from the University of Florida (2016). In DWI, drug and other forensic cases, that training lets him question the lab work, not just the officer.

His peers and his community have taken notice. Tad has been selected to Super Lawyers for 12 years and has held Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent rating for more than 25 years. In 2026, voters named him Galveston County's Best Lawyer.

Tad handles felonies and misdemeanors, DWI, drug offenses, violent crimes, sex crimes, white-collar and federal charges, grand jury matters, expungements and appeals. The firm also represents clients in family law, including divorce, custody and protective orders, and in personal injury cases. He practices with Managing Partner Amber Spurlock, a former U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate who is also a Texas Super Lawyer and an ACS Forensic Lawyer-Scientist.

A lifelong Galveston County resident, Tad serves clients from offices in League City and Galveston across the Houston-Galveston region. He believes winning is only half the job. The other half is making sure no client faces the fight alone. Every person at the firm reads Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, and a neon sign behind his desk sums up the approach in one word: RELENTLESS.