I do not love that people get divorced, but I do love that I offer couples a better way to do it when divorce is their only option. I strongly believe that most divorcing couples can successfully utilize the collaborative process – protecting their privacy, controlling their own financial destiny and creating a plan for their children that meets their own personal needs and desires.
Personal strengths and professional experience:
Rhonda has been practicing law since 1995. She worked with Texas Rural Legal Aid (TRLA) in the Rio Grande Valley and then enjoyed a successful career litigating mesothelioma cases with a boutique firm in Dallas. She returned her attention to family law in 2005, having handled family law cases during her time at TRLA. Although very comfortable at the courthouse, she quickly decided that the courtroom was no place for families. She attended her first collaborative law training in 2006 and represented her first collaborative client in 2007. Rhonda now focuses her practice on representing clients in the collaborative law process. She is passionate about the collaborative divorce process and the benefits it offers families, most notably the control the process provides, allowing divorcing spouses – rather than strangers at the courthouse – to make individualized, informed decisions about their own financial future as well as the parenting time they will share with their children. As a passionate advocate for the collaborative divorce process, Rhonda has now been a presenter at numerous statewide conferences on collaborative divorce and served as the Course Director for the Texas State Bar’s annual Collaborative Law Course in 2018. She also currently serves as a Trustee on the Collaborative Divorce Texas Board of Directors.
Areas of Practice:
- Family Law
- Collaborative Divorce Law
Education:
- University of Texas School of Law – 1995
- Stephen F. Austin State University – 1992, summa cum laude
- Escuela Libre de Derecho – International Law and Legal Studies – 1995-1996
Presentations:
- Course Director – State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Course 2018
- Assistant Course Director – State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Course 2017
- Navigating Divorce with Real Estate Clients – ReMax Education Series – December 2016
- No More Litigation – Building and Maintaining a Successful No-Court Practice – State Bar of Texas Advanced Family Law Course 2016
- Trainer: Advanced Collaborative Law Training – Parenting Plan Development – June 2016
- Shadow Interests: What Does Your Client Really Want? – State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Course 2016
- “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”: Maintaining Commitment to the Roadmap – State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Course 2015
- What Drinking Problem? Using Traditional Techniques to Deal with Substance Abuse Issues in the Collaborative Process – State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Course 2014
- Child Custody and Visitation Rights – Family Law from A to Z, NBI Continuing Legal Education Course 2011
Honors & Awards
- Credentialed Collaborative Professional, Collaborative Divorce Texas – 2016, Inaugural Class
- Best Lawyers® in Collaborative Law – 2016, 2017, 2018
- Best Lawyers® in Family Law – 2016, 2017, 2018
- Super Lawyers® Texas Rising Star – 2009
Bar Admissions:
- State Bar of Texas – 1995
- United States District Court, Northern District of Texas – 2001
Professional Training:
- State Bar Collaborative Course – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- Collaborative Law Institute Spring Conference – 2008, 2009
- Advanced Family Law Course – 2006, 2009, 2012, 2016
- Advanced Collaborative Training – Attachment Theory – November 2015
- Negotiation Training (Nina Meirding) – November 2014
- Negotiation Training (Nina Meirding) – May 2014
- Advanced Collaborative Training – Mediation/Collaborative – January 2014
- Advanced Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training – May 2011
- Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law Training – March 2010
- Advanced Collaborative Law Training – January 2010
- Collaborative Law Institute Basic Collaborative Law Training – November 2007
- Janet Brumley Basic Collaborative Law Training – September 2006
- Civil Collaborative Dispute Resolution Seminar – March 2006
- Sid Stahl Basic Mediation Training – September 2005
Professional Activities:
- State Bar of Texas
- Collaborative Law Section, Family Law Section, ADR Section
- Collaborative Divorce Texas (formerly Collaborative Law Institute of Texas)
- Trustee – Collaborative Divorce Texas Board of Directors. 2018 to present
- Forms Committee – 2014-present
- Collaborative Divorce Collin County (formerly Collaborative Law Alliance of Collin County)
- President – 2013-2015
- Collin County Bar Association
- ADR/Collaborative Law Section, Family Law Section
- Dallas Bar Association
- Collaborative Law Section, Family Law Section
- Denton County Bar Association
- Family Law Section
- College of the State Bar of Texas
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
