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Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Juvenile, Appellate Practice

Additional Information: Celeste grew up in the small town of Navasota, Texas. She attended Texas A&M University on a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship, and graduated from A&M with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Animal Science. Upon graduation, Celeste moved to Houston where she attended South Texas College of Law.

During law school, Celeste was named a Dean’s List honors student multiple times, and received the “Highest Grade Award” in Juvenile Law and Legal Research & Writing. Celeste graduated from law school early, completing the three year law school program in two-and-a-half years.

While attending law school, she interned for the Child Abuse Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and gained valuable experience in handling cases involving allegations of child sexual and physical abuse.
After graduating from South Texas College of Law, Celeste began her legal career at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney where she sharpened her skills as both a trial and appellate attorney. As a trial prosecutor, she was the lead prosecutor in jury trials for offenses ranging from driving while intoxicated to assault to theft to aggravated robbery to aggravated sexual assault. She was responsible for prosecuting serious offenses such as murder, large scale drug offenses, and large scale theft offenses. Celeste also served in two specialized units – the Family Criminal Law Division, where she developed the trial skills need to try offenses involving domestic violence allegations, and the Juvenile Division, where she handled serious offenses alleged to have been committed by juveniles, including certification hearings.

Prior to her departure from the District Attorney’s Office, Celeste served in the Appellate Division where she authored appellate briefs and presented oral argument to the Court of Appeals. She then served in the Post Conviction Writs Division, where she was entrusted to handle writs of habeas corpus for death penalty capital murder cases, and handled Chapter 64 DNA retesting requests.

After leaving the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Celeste became an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the Western District of Texas. As an AUSA, she learned how the Department of Justice conducts investigations, grand jury presentations, jury trials, criminal forfeitures, and habeas proceedings. She honed her legal skills by handling large-scale narcotics offenses (multi-kilo cocaine, marijuana, and heroin cases), human smuggling, bulk-cash smuggling, and criminal immigration offenses. She tried a jury trial involving a multiple defendant conspiracy to defraud the United States with a false claims offense.

After leaving the United States Attorney’s Office, Celeste founded Celeste Blackburn, PLLC, a boutique criminal defense law office. She handles all types of state and federal criminal law matters. Due to her experience, continuing education credits, references, documented trial and appellate work, and after passing a comprehensive, daylong exam, Celeste became Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 2011.

Celeste is currently licensed by the State Bar of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the Southern District of Texas, and the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit. She has attended numerous continuing education seminars, including conferences on criminal immigration, advanced legal writing, domestic violence, and trial skills. Additionally, Celeste was lecturer at the National Advocacy Center regarding Alien Smuggling Offenses.

Celeste has also served as an adjunct professor with the Lone Star College System teaching Court Systems & Practices. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association, Montgomery County Criminal Lawyer’s Association, Montgomery County Bar Association, The Woodlands Bar Association, and the Harris County Defense Lawyer’s Association.