Gena Bunn arguing in the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Gena Bunn, a native of East Texas, has more than twenty years’ experience in criminal practice, with a focus on appeals and other postconviction remedies. She has argued criminal cases in the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeals, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and numerous Texas intermediate appeals courts. She is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in the area of criminal appeals.

She began her legal career at the Office of the Texas Attorney General in Austin, where she represented the State of Texas in federal court appeals of Texas death penalty cases. Then in 2008, she moved to Longview to join the criminal defense firm Holmes & Moore, where she represented criminal defendants in trials, direct appeals, habeas corpus appeals, and other postconviction remedies.

Gena Bunn represents clients in Texas intermediate courts of appeals and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin. She also represents clients on appeal before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Eighth Circuit. She represents clients accused of crimes in both Texas and federal courts. Finally, she represents clients on postconviction habeas corpus in Texas and federal courts.

Professional Experience

Attorney, Holmes & Moore, P.L.L.C. , Longview, Texas – 2008-2017

Represented criminal defendants at trial and on direct appeal and other postconviction remedies. Argued cases in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Eighth Circuits, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and several intermediate appellate courts in Texas.

Office of the Texas Attorney General, Austin Texas – 1994-2008

Chief, Postconviction Litigation Division – 2003-2008

Managed a division of more than 60 lawyers and staff tasked with representing the State of Texas in federal court review of state court convictions.

Chief, Capital Litigation Division – 1998-2003

Managed a division of 15 lawyers and staff tasked with representing the State of Texas in federal court review of Texas death penalty cases.

Assistant Attorney General, Capital Litigation Division – 1994-2008

Represented the State of Texas in appeals of Texas death penalty cases in federal courts. Drafted and filed numerous briefs in federal district courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Coordinated with local authorities and handled last-minute litigation prior to scheduled executions. Orally argued more than twenty capital cases in the Fifth Circuit, and three times in the United States Supreme Court.

Admissions

Board-Certified in Criminal Appeals

Admitted to practice in all Texas state courts;

U.S. Supreme Court;

U.S. Courts of Appeals, Fifth and Eighth Circuits;

U.S. District Courts, Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western Districts of Texas;

U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas;

All Colorado state courts.

Current Memberships

Member, State Bar Commission for Lawyer Discipline – 2015-present

Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation – 2011-present

Member, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association – 2008-present

Amicus Committee, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association – 2013-2017

Past Recognitions & Memberships

Named among Outstanding Women in Texas Government in 2005 by the State Agency Council to the Governor’s Commission for Women

Recognized for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy in 2001-2002 by the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation

Ex Officio Member, Governor’s Criminal Justice Advisory Council – 2006-2008

Member, State Bar Committee on Pattern Jury Charges-Criminal – 2011-2015

Co-Chair, Amicus Committee, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association – 2013-2015

Co-Chair, District 2 Nominating Committee, Texas Bar Foundation – 2014-2015

Publications & Speaking Engagements

Rules of Evidence and Social Media, TCDLA Beating the Drum for Justice Seminar, Galveston, Texas – November 2016

DWI Case Update 2015, Stuart Kinard Memorial Advanced DWI Seminar, San Antonio, Texas – November 2015

Federal Writs: What to Know and How Not to be Surprised, TCDLA Writs Seminar, Austin, Texas – January 2015

Oral Argument & Appellate Advocacy Workshop, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, Baylor Law School, Waco, Texas – 2007

Capital Habeas Corpus Issues, Capital Murder Seminar, Texas District and County Attorneys Association

Kerrville, Texas – 2005

San Antonio, Texas – 2003

Austin, Texas – 1997

Participated on a Panel of Prosecutors from Across the Country, Annual Conference of the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation, Lake Buena Vista, Florida – 2007

Participated on a Panel Discussing Capital Punishment Issues, Annual Conference of the Council of Appellate Staff Attorneys, Dallas, Texas – 2006

Participated on a Panel Discussing Capital Punishment Issues, Annual Conference of the National Association of Women Judges, Houston, Texas – 2005

Presided over four-day conference as Association’s President, Annual Conference of the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation, Portland, Oregon – 2004

Participated on a panel representing the Fifth Circuit, along with Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edith Jones and then Presiding Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Michael McCormick, Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference on the Death Penalty, Braselton, Georgia – 1999

Addressed Elected Attorneys General Regarding Death Penalty Issues, Annual Conference of the Southern Association of Attorneys General, Savannah, Georgia – 1999

Balancing Fairness & Finality: A Comprehensive Review of the Texas Death Penalty, 5 Tex. Rev. Law & Pol. 49, Guy Goldberg and Gena Bunn, Fall 2000

Education

Juris Doctor, Baylor University School of Law, 1994

Bachelor of Journalism, With Honors, the University of Texas at Austin, 1991

Gena Bunn offers legal assistance with a high degree of specialized knowledge. Years of experience and her in-depth knowledge guarantee tailor-made, targeted solutions. Browse through our website to learn more about Gena Bunn's legal practice and the practice areas of law in which she specializes.