OUR LEAD ATTORNEY
Don is a high school dropout that went on to get a bachelor's in Information Technology and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence.  Don is the youngest of eight children. He grew up on Welfare while both parents worked. At an early age, Don was inclined to help the little guy. This culminated in Don becoming an attorney. Don attended law school later in life at night while working full-time as an Enterprise Solutions Architect. Don also raised a family of three during that time. Often Don would read cases at the dinner table and discuss the case's merits. Don's oldest child became a decorated war hero who worked his way from private to major the hard way. Don's middle child is finishing law school and will start as a Public Defender soon. Don's youngest is a Software Engineer at a tech company. Don chose to form the organization People Positively Impacting People. The Hilborn Law Firm supports this non-profit with legal activism. Don does not receive any profit for his services. Don knew he needed to become a lawyer after he
defended himself in a speeding violation case.  It is not what you think. Don chose a jury trial, and in his own words, "I was pushed to the very last timeslot in the day. A man approached the judge and explained that he had received a $500 ticket for a broken taillight on his commercial vehicle. He told the judge that he was in business for himself, but he lived week to week. He mentioned that school would start soon, and his two children needed clothes and supplies. He asked the judge for a warning. He explained that the taillight was likely broken when he backed into something at a job site. He told the judge if he ever backed into anything again, he would check his taillight. The judge had no mercy. She said to pay the fine or lose my commercial license. I couldn't take it. I stood up and yelled your honor. The judge responded quickly and told the bailiff to sit me down and remove me from the courtroom if I uttered another word. Well, finally, my trial came, and everything just clicked. It was after 5 pm when we started Voir Dire. The judge was upset with me as she sustained all the Prosecutor's objections and overruled all of mine. There was a point where I asked the Court Reporter to read back the officer's statement. The judge snarkily said you did not request a court reporter so she is not taking notes. In didn't matter; I was on fire. The trial was going late, and the judge and her staff became increasingly frustrated. In great detail, the Prosecutor had drawn out on a chalkboard where the alleged violation occurred. I seized on the flat chalkboard. I asked the officer if the hill obstructed his view. And was it possible that he checked the speed of a white box truck that passed me and then decelerated quickly upon seeing your patrol car? So I passed the white box truck just before seeing you. The officer said there was no hill. So, I asked the officer if he was at ground level in his squad car. He said yes. Then I asked if I was exiting this freeway, pointing to the freeway drawn on the chalkboard. The officer said yes. Then I asked what we call this section of freeway in Houston. The officer responded with a formal name. I said let me restate my question to make sure I am clear. What do most Houstonians call this section of the freeway? He repeated the formal name. I asked the officer if he knew the jury was from Houston. One of the jury members spontaneously laughed. The judge looked sternly at the juror. I asked the officer if he had ever heard of this section of freeway called the Pierce Elevated he said yes. Ah ha, I thought. So, I asked whether the hill obstructed the officer's view. The officer said there was no hill. I asked if I was exiting the Pierce Elevated and you were at ground level; what did I do - go to ground level instantaneously? I slammed my wooden heel into the tile floor, and it echoed through the courtroom. One juror burst out in laughter and clapped his hands together. The judge instructed the jury. At that moment, it became clear that I was to advocate for those without an advocate. The juror came back unanimously not guilty. I thanked them and started walking out of the courtroom. The judge shouted wait, Mr. Hilborn; my staff has some documents they need to get ready for you. With tremendous confidence, I said no, your honor, I am good. Your staff can finish their paperwork without me. The next day I started researching and applying to law schools. I currently work with no more than two clients at a time. My revenue stream is not solely from my firm; I never charge a customer anything if the amount awarded does not exceed their expectations.