Kirstin Erickson is the General Counsel for Texas Veterans Commission.
Originally from Chicago, Kirstin attended DePaul University College of Law. She obtained a BA in Spanish and BBA in Marketing from The University of Iowa and a Master of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University. She was a high school Spanish teacher before going to law school. Kirstin taught Spanish and Economics in the Chicagoland area, South Korea, and Jordan. During her five years overseas in Taejon and Amman, Kirstin learned basic Korean and conversational Levantine Arabic and traveled the globe. Her years teaching and traveling enhanced her communication and cultural competencies that she now offers to her clients while practicing law.
Prior to joining the Texas Veterans Commission, Kirstin successfully represented the State of Texas in employment and civil rights matters at the Office of the Attorney General. Kirstin has practiced civil litigation at legal aid, government, and private entities and enjoys litigating and resolving issues effectively for clients. During her first year of practice, Kirstin represented veterans before Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, and Illinois Department of Human Services to obtain federal and state benefits.
During law school, Kirstin externed for 23 international judges at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague where she analyzed evidence and drafted and revised motions, appeals, and orders related to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in the Former Yugoslavia.
Kirstin relishes the opportunity to serve veterans. Both her grandfathers were WWII Army veterans who served in Panama and Europe. Her father is also an Army veteran and was stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Thus, Kirstin grew up understanding the 6 P’s, which helped her develop a strong work ethic.
In her free time, Kirstin enjoys traveling, lifting weights, biking, eating Korean barbeque or Thia food, connecting with friends, speaking in various languages, and spending time at church.