About Attorneys
Niles Illich &
Grace E. Shin
Representing Clients Since 2009
Niles and Grace spent nearly a decade arguing against each other in criminal appeals arising from convictions in Dallas County, Texas.
In 2026, after a spirited oral argument against each other on a rarely seen constitutional issue, they formed Illich & Shin, PLLC. This firm puts together Grace’s 20 years representing the State in criminal appeals with Niles’s experience as an attorney at the First Court of Appeals and his hundreds of cases in which he represented criminal defendants on appeal.
Niles was born in Dallas and learned to be a criminal appeals attorney working for the First Court of Appeals. There he handled his chamber’s criminal cases. Every week he produced an opinion that went to his judge and then to the three-judge panel for comment and changes and then went out as the opinion of the Court.
Since leaving the Court, Niles has completed nearly 300 criminal appeals and nearly 100 oral arguments. Niles has appeared in every one of the fifteen appellate courts in Texas that hears criminal cases (the fourteen intermediate courts and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals). He has also represented clients in federal appeals courts and in the Supreme Court of the United States (where he got a writ of certiorari granted for a federal client in 2026).
Niles is board certified in criminal appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Niles volunteers for the committee that writes the board certification exam for criminal appeals where he contributes to writing and grading the exam.
Grace was born in Korea and raised in New York. She became interested in appellate advocacy as a law student and began her legal career in the Appellate Division of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. After almost two years as an appellate prosecutor, she left to work as a civil litigator before eventually returning to the District Attorney’s Office.
Grace’s second stint in the Appellate Division of the District Attorney’s Office lasted almost two decades. During that time, she filed over 200 briefs on appeal, argued in both the Dallas Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals, and represented the State in countless post-conviction habeas proceedings in the trial courts.
Niles Illich Ph.D., J.D.
Niles Learned From The Best
I learned from the best. When I graduated law school, I did not know how to be an effective appellate advocate. But in my first job after law school I clerked for one of the most accomplished appellate judges in Texas. I look back on this like it was appellate “boot camp” and advanced legal writing all combined into one demanding year. This was not an easy year for me, but I learned more in that year about appellate writing than I did in the prior three years of law school.
Focus
When I worked at the Court I sat in conferences with appellate justices. I listened and sometimes participated in their discussions about the merits of cases. But by listening to these conferences I learned what sorts of arguments persuade appellate justices.
I rarely wear a tie. I spend almost every day in my office working on appellate briefs. I do not do trial work and I have few other areas of practice. Because I am in the office so much, I should be readily available to answer questions. More importantly, however, I am focused on doing the absolute best job possible for my clients and that means doing a few things very well.
Superior Team
Finally, I work with a group of superior attorneys who serve as very effective “sounding boards” and who routinely read and critique my arguments. I did not recognize the value of being associated with such extraordinary talent, but my colleagues have made me a better appellate attorney.
Admissions & Education
BAR ADMISSIONS
- State Bar of Texas (all trial and appellate courts)
- Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas (Federal)
- Northern District of Illinois (Federal)
- Fifth Circuit (Federal)
- Seventh Circuit (Federal)
- Eighth Circuit (Federal)
- Ninth Circuit (Federal)
- Tenth Circuit (Federal)
- Eleventh Circuit (Federal)
- Supreme Court of the United States
EDUCATION
- J.D.—University of Houston Law Center, 2009
- Ph.D.—Texas A&M University, 2007
- M.A.—Clemson University, 2001
- B.A.—Texas A&M University 1998
Grace E. Shin J.D.
My interest in appeals began all the way in law school, where I was able to take advantage of a strong legal writing program and compete in moot court competitions, which are basically mock appeals involving brief writing and oral arguments. I remember our first writing assignment, and my final product was terrible! But once it clicked for me, I began to really enjoy the art of legal writing.
My first job after graduating from law school was in the Appellate Division of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. My writing skills were refined under the guidance of a senior lawyer whom I still regard as one of the best writers and mentors I’ve known in my career. I left the office after about two years to try civil litigation and returned three years later.
My second stint in the Appellate Division of the District Attorney’s Office lasted almost two decades. During that time, I filed over 200 briefs on appeal, argued in both the Court of Appeals in Dallas and the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, and responded to countless post-conviction applications for writ of habeas corpus in the trial courts.
I now work with Niles Illich, who comes from a career on the defense side. We pick each other’s brains and act as sounding boards for each other to provide the best representation we can for our clients.
Admissions & Education
BAR ADMISSIONS
-
State Bar of Texas
-
Northern District of Texas
-
United States Supreme Court
EDUCATION
- J.D., SMU Dedman School of Law, 2001
- B.A. – University of Texas, 1997