Holly K. Johnston utilizes her diverse professional experience to prepare every matter as if it will be tried, while keeping options for alternative resolutions firmly in view.

Before entering the legal field, Holly obtained extensive experience in psychology and human behavior as a licensed clinical social worker, supported by a Master of Science in Social Work and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. During that time, she also obtained significant business and industry specific knowledge through executive leadership positions she held within the healthcare finance, collections, nondestructive testing, and oil and gas industries.

After earning her J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston, where she received the CALI Excellence Award in Legal Research and Writing II, Holly built her early legal practice in general liability, insurance defense, and personal injury litigation, including catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims. That work often required an understanding of complex legal issues involving fluency across overlapping areas of law involving contract disputes, premises liability, construction-related claims, and product-defect allegations.

As an associate in the Houston office at McDowell Hetherington, Holly manages an active caseload, concentrating on property matters and complex litigation.  She uses the knowledge and skills she gained prior to becoming a lawyer and from her early legal practice in nearly every case she handles. It provides her with a practical edge in her case assessment and development by allowing her to effectively read people, pressure-test narratives, and develop effective case strategy through a rigorous examination of case facts and complex liability and damage analysis.

Outside of the office, Holly enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, being outdoors, traveling, and scuba diving.