Denise Davis is a law partner at Davis Kaufman, PLLC, a boutique law firm lobby practice in Austin, Texas which was founded in 2012 with her law partner, Lisa O. Kaufman. Denise has been been consistently ranked as a top tier lobbyist by Capitol Inside since 2013 and Davis Kaufman PLLC has also been consistently ranked as a top lobby law firm by Capitol Inside since 2013. Additionally, Ms. Davis was recently “Female Powerhouse of the Year” in 2025 by USLege and was named as one of the 2026 Austin Business Journal Power Players.
Before founding Davis Kaufman PLLC, Ms. Davis served as Chief of Staff to Speaker Joe R. Straus, and for several sessions as House Parliamentarian and Special Counsel to the Texas House of Representatives. Her public service also included work as General Counsel to Lt. Governor William “Bill” Ratliff, Director and Counsel to the Texas Judicial Council under then-Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillips, and General Counsel to the Senate Jurisprudence Committee under Senator Rodney Ellis. Denise has also practiced as Special Counsel in the Corporate Section of Baker Botts, LLP.
In addition to her public service and private sector work, Denise has been active in numerous civic organizations over the years, including the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (2026 Chair), the KLRU/PBS Board of Directors, The Annette Strauss Institute Advisory Council (co-Chair), Mission Capital, The Links, Incorporated, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Ms. Davis is a native Texan, a wife, and a graduate of the University of Texas At Austin’ (College of Liberal Arts ) and of The University’s School of Law. She is the proud mom of both a Texas Longhorn undergrad (Chloe) and a graduate of UT Law School (Colin).
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