Kirk Oncken is a native Houstonian. He attended college at the University of Houston, before transferring to the University of South Carolina where he graduated with high honors in 1980. Kirk enrolled at South Texas College of Law here in Houston in 1981, graduating in the top 10% of his class in 1984. During law school he developed a passion for Criminal Trial Advocacy. Consequently, he began working as an intern at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office during his last semester of law school. Upon being licensed to practice law in November of 1984, Kirk continued to work as an Assistant District Attorney.

He worked in that capacity for the next 5 years advancing through the prosecutorial ranks and acquiring valuable trial experience. As a prosecutor, Kirk tried criminal cases ranging from DWI to Murder, Rape and Armed Robbery as well as supervising junior prosecutors. His tenure as a prosecutor taught him how to effectively try a criminal case to a jury. It also provided him with the opportunity to evaluate literally thousands of legal issues in criminal cases. It was that experience, now combined with his twenty-two years of defending criminal cases, that gives Kirk Oncken the ability to represent his clients as effectively as possible. Since 1984, Kirk has practiced criminal law exclusively, and has tried over 150 first chair jury trials.

“I believe that we in the United States of America have the greatest legal system in the world.  It is a system built upon integrity and commitment to fairness.  I believe that the integrity of our system depends upon the integrity of those who are privileged to practice within it.  This is why I am committed to constantly updating myself on changes in the criminal law.   Only then can I competently advise my client on the best approach to take in his or her situation, which I believe, will result in the fairest disposition possible.  I believe my clients deserve nothing less.”