Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr

Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr is a San Antonio criminal defense attorney who represents individuals and entities in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Board Certified in Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, she handles complex criminal cases, appeals, writs of habeas corpus, and other post-conviction matters. Her practice includes white collar investigations involving fraud, money laundering, public corruption, tax offenses, and cybercrime.

Orr earned a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1979 and a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1988. She began her legal career as a judicial clerk to Emilio Garza when he served on the federal district court in San Antonio. Her education and clerkship provided a strong foundation for analyzing complex records, developing appellate arguments, and navigating federal court procedures.

Orr’s experience includes major criminal defense and innocence matters. She helped secure the exonerations of Michael Morton and Hannah Overton and obtained Texas’s first confession of error in a death penalty case. She also prevailed before the U.S. Supreme Court in Moreno-Gonzalez v. United States, a significant money laundering matter. Her work spans trials, appeals, habeas proceedings, petitions for discretionary review, and extraordinary writs.

Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr has held leadership roles in national, state, and local criminal defense organizations. She is president of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Criminal Justice Foundation. She also serves on the Texas Board of Law Examiners and as the Criminal Justice Act representative for the Western District of Texas. Her induction into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2025 reflects her standing as an experienced criminal advocate.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Goldstein & Orr
• Member, State Bar of Texas
• President, International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law (ISRCL)
• Chair, American Bar Association (ABA), Criminal Justice Section
• Former President, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
• Former President, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA)
• Founding Member, San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (SACDLA)

Licensed State

• Texas

Education

• St. Mary’s University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Baylor University
  Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• University of Texas
  Bachelor of Science (BS)

Awards & Badges