This guide compares 10 Dallas firms that handle divorce and related family law matters, including property division, child custody, child support, spousal maintenance, and protective orders. We evaluated firms on the depth of their divorce practice (dedicated family law firms ahead of general practices), Texas Board of Legal Specialization credentials, years in practice, experience with high-asset and contested cases, and regular appearances in the Dallas County district courts. Texas is a community property state, so how a lawyer approaches asset tracing, valuation, and characterization of separate versus community property often matters as much as courtroom skill.
When comparing options, ask three practical questions. Does the attorney regularly handle contested divorces and custody cases in Dallas County, or do they mostly settle them? Does the firm offer mediation or collaborative divorce when both spouses want to avoid a trial? And will an attorney, not only support staff, analyze your finances and strategy? The list below is not ranked and not sponsored. Details come from each firm’s own website, attorney directories such as Avvo, and business listings such as Google Business Profiles, Yelp, and Expertise.com. Useful local and state resources include the City of Dallas, the Texas Judicial Branch, TexasLawHelp.org, and the Dallas Bar Association.
1. Law Office of Michael P. Granata
Firm Details
- Attorney: Michael P. Granata, Founder and Attorney at Law
- Founded: 1999
- Headquarters: 6440 N Central Expressway, Suite 450 (Turley Law Center), Dallas, TX 75206
- Phone: (214) 977-9050
- Website: dallasdivorcelawyer.com
- Practice Area Page: Dallas Divorce Lawyer
- Practice Areas: Divorce, alimony and spousal support, child custody, child support, high-net-worth divorce, asset and wealth identification and valuation, premarital and postmarital agreements, domestic violence, restraining orders, protective orders, paternity testing, annulments, common law marriage divorce, adoption, name changes
- Firm Size: Boutique, attorney-led family law firm with direct attorney involvement in every matter
- Google Rating: 4.9 ★★★★★ (61 reviews) View on Google
About the Firm
Michael P. Granata founded his Dallas practice in 1999 and has concentrated on divorce and family law for more than 26 years. The firm handles both straightforward uncontested divorces and heavily contested cases involving business interests, significant marital assets, and custody litigation, and it serves clients in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, and Rockwall Counties.
The firm’s approach centers on attorney-led case analysis rather than delegating substantive review to non-attorney staff, paired with a structured process for identifying, tracing, and valuing marital assets. That asset-identification work is a practical advantage in high-net-worth cases where one spouse controls most of the financial information, and the firm also provides mediation support and premarital and postmarital agreements when a negotiated outcome is the goal.
2. Cruz Arevalo, P.C.
Firm Details
- Attorney: Monica Macias Cruz and Kala Curry Arevalo
- Founded: 2025
- Headquarters: 901 Main Street, Suite 6500, Dallas, TX 75202
- Phone: (214) 661-1500
- Website: cruzarevalo.com
- Practice Area Page: https://www.cruzarevalo.com/dallas-divorce-lawyer/
- Practice Areas: Divorce, child custody (including modification), child support (including enforcement), domestic violence, adoption, paternity, property division, premarital agreements, CPS mediation
- Firm Size: Boutique family law firm
- Google Rating: 5.0 ★★★★★ (9 reviews) View on Google
About the Firm
Cruz Arevalo is a Dallas firm that practices family law exclusively. Monica Macias Cruz has been licensed in Texas since 2006 and Kala Curry Arevalo since 2018, giving the firm attorneys at two stages of practice working the same docket. The firm serves families across Dallas-Fort Worth, including Collin County and McKinney.
Its practice list covers the issues that follow a divorce filing, from child custody and support enforcement to domestic violence matters and paternity, and it also handles CPS mediation, a service that matters to parents whose cases involve child protective services.
3. Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson
Firm Details
- Attorney: Richard R. Orsinger, Partner
- Founded: 2014
- Headquarters: 5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75225
- Phone: (214) 273-2400
- Website: ondafamilylaw.com
- Practice Areas: Divorce (including same-sex couples, high-value assets, and fault-based cases), alimony, property division, child custody, family law appeals
- Firm Size: Boutique family law firm with multiple partners
- Google Rating: 4.1 ★★★★ (32 reviews)
About the Firm
Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson has served Dallas families for more than 25 years. Partner Richard R. Orsinger is board certified in both family law and civil appellate law and received the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists’ Sam Emison Award in 2003.
The firm’s appellate credentials set it apart from most trial-focused divorce practices: it represents clients in appellate courts as well as at trial, which matters when a property or custody ruling is likely to be challenged.
4. Goranson Bain Ausley
Firm Details
- Attorney: Thomas Goranson, Angeline Bain and Kyle Basinger, Partners
- Founded: 1987
- Headquarters: 8350 N Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75206
- Phone: (214) 373-7676
- Website: gbfamilylaw.com
- Practice Areas: Divorce (mediation, negotiated, litigated and collaborative), child custody, child support, prenuptial and postmarital agreements, paternity, adoption
- Firm Size: Multi-partner family law firm; its lawyers report more than 40 years of combined experience and include three former family court judges
- Google Rating: 4.9 ★★★★★ (97 reviews)
About the Firm
Goranson Bain Ausley is a family law firm whose Dallas office offers every common route through a divorce: mediation, negotiated settlement, collaborative divorce, and litigation. Partners Thomas Goranson, Angeline Bain and Kyle Basinger lead a team that also includes three former family court judges.
Former judges on the team bring a bench perspective to settlement and trial strategy. With several partners and associates, clients may work with more than one lawyer over the life of a case.
5. Law Office of Carol A. Wilson, PLLC
Firm Details
- Attorney: Carol A. Wilson, Principal
- Founded: 1995
- Headquarters: 3710 Rawlins Street, Suite 975, Dallas, TX 75219
- Phone: (214) 303-0142
- Website: cawilsonlaw.com
- Practice Areas: Divorce, property division, asset valuation, parental rights, child custody, marital agreements, will preparation, mediation
- Firm Size: Solo-led family law practice
- Google Rating: 4.6 ★★★★⯪ (9 reviews)
About the Firm
Carol Wilson established her Dallas practice in 1995 and is a board-certified specialist in family law with decades of experience. Her work spans divorce, property division, asset valuation and parental rights, along with marital agreements, wills and mediation.
Board certification and a solo structure suit clients who want one experienced attorney on the case from consultation to final decree. As a solo practice, its Google presence rests on ten reviews, a smaller base than several firms on this list, and it has less bench depth for matters that need multiple lawyers at once.
6. Hargrave Family Law
Firm Details
- Attorney: Jennifer S. Hargrave, Owner and Managing Partner
- Founded: 2017
- Headquarters: 4201 Spring Valley Rd., Suite 1210, Dallas, TX 75244 (second office at 205 W. Louisiana St., Suite 203, McKinney, TX 75069)
- Phone: (214) 416-9433
- Website: hargravefamilylaw.com
- Practice Areas: Collaborative divorce, traditional divorce (high-net-worth, military, international, LGBTQ+, business owners, divorces involving a special needs child), child custody, child support, prenuptial, postnuptial and cohabitation agreements, post-divorce modifications
- Firm Size: Six attorneys, six paralegals and a seven-person office team
- Google Rating: 4.6 ★★★★★ (217 reviews)
About the Firm
Hargrave Family Law is a Dallas and McKinney firm built around collaborative divorce, which it markets as “Divorce Without Destruction.” Its site lists Jennifer Hargrave as board-certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, along with Best Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, and Avvo 10.0 recognition. The firm also appears on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies.
The firm’s size and range are its main draw: six attorneys can cover high-asset, military, international and LGBTQ+ divorces, plus agreements and modifications, under one roof, and the McKinney office serves Collin County families. The tradeoff of a team this size is that a case is staffed across attorneys and paralegals, and the firm’s collaborative-first approach suits spouses who want to settle more than those who expect a trial.
7. Shemesh Family Law
Firm Details
- Attorney: Amber Shemesh, Founder
- Founded: 2018
- Headquarters: 12222 Merit Drive, Suite 1200, Dallas, TX 75251
- Phone: (214) 432-2501
- Website: shemeshfamilylaw.com
- Practice Areas: Divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, protective and restraining orders, post-decree modifications and enforcement, mediation
- Firm Size: Small family law firm led by its founder, with a supporting team
- Google Rating: 4.5 ★★★★★ (103 reviews)
About the Firm
Amber Shemesh has been a family law attorney since 2010 and is a state-certified mediator, which means she can both litigate a divorce and help spouses resolve it outside the courtroom. She is a member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and the Dallas Women Lawyers Association.
The firm handles post-decree modifications and enforcement in addition to the original divorce, which matters for families whose custody or support orders need to change after a job loss, relocation, or remarriage.
8. OWLawyers® (O’Neil Wysocki)
Firm Details
- Attorney: Michael D. Wysocki, Partner
- Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: 1845 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Suite 1525, Dallas, TX 75201 (additional offices in Frisco, Fort Worth and Houston)
- Phone: (214) 348-6723 (214-DIVORCE)
- Website: https://www.owlawyers.com/
- Practice Areas: Divorce (contested, high-net-worth, business owner, military and common law), asset and debt division, child custody, child support, alimony and spousal support, modifications, relocation, temporary orders, paternity, grandparents’ rights, premarital and postmarital agreements, enforcement, protective orders, mediation, arbitration and appeals
- Firm Size: Large, with about 20 attorneys listed on its team page, including six Board Certified family law specialists
- Google Rating: 4.9 ★★★★★ (375 reviews)
About the Firm
OWLawyers® is a trial-focused family law firm with a Dallas office on Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The firm lists six Board Certified family law specialists: Michael Wysocki, Todd M. Frankfort, Patrick Clabby, Elizabeth Nielsen, Rachel Li and Jennifer Satagaj. Wysocki has appeared on the Texas Super Lawyers list multiple times, and the firm cites an AV Preeminent rating, an Avvo 10.0 rating, and D Magazine and Best Law Firms recognition.
The firm’s depth is its main draw. With around 20 attorneys, it can cover contested trials, high-net-worth and business-owner divorces, appeals, arbitration and the agreements and modifications that come before and after a divorce. The tradeoff of a firm this size is that staffing is team-based, and it also has a page explaining its consultation fees, so clients should expect to pay for an initial consultation.
9. Law Office of Chris Schmiedeke, PC
Firm Details
- Attorney: Chris Schmiedeke, Principal Attorney
- Founded: 2006
- Headquarters: 10440 N Central Expressway, Suite 120, Dallas, TX 75231
- Phone: (469) 507-2050
- Website: chrislawyer.com
- Practice Areas: Divorce, property division, child custody, premarital agreement review
- Firm Size: Solo-led practice
- Google Rating: 4.7 ★★★★⯪ (325 reviews)
About the Firm
The Law Office of Chris Schmiedeke has served Dallas clients for more than 15 years and is led by principal attorney Chris Schmiedeke, who has over two decades of legal experience. The firm focuses on simplifying the divorce process through counseling on property division, child custody, and premarital agreements.
Its public review record is among the strongest in Dallas, with 280 Google reviews at a 5.0 average and 165 Avvo reviews. The practice is built around one principal attorney, so clients with highly complex, multi-party litigation may want to confirm available bandwidth.
10. Alexandra Geczi PLLC
Firm Details
- Attorney: Alexandra M. Geczi, Principal
- Founded: 2008
- Headquarters: 12801 N Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75243
- Phone: (214) 441-6118
- Website: familylawdfw.com
- Practice Areas: Divorce (including high net worth, women breadwinners and stay-at-home parents), child custody, child support, asset distribution, premarital and postnuptial agreements, mediation
- Firm Size: Solo-led practice
- Google Rating: 4.9 ★★★★★(56 reviews)
About the Firm
Alexandra Geczi founded her Dallas practice and is licensed to practice in Texas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, with about 20 years of experience in divorce and family law. The firm offers both mediation and full representation.
Its marketing is organized around specific client situations, including high-net-worth divorce, women who are the primary earner, and stay-at-home parents negotiating financial support. Those categories each raise distinct issues around support and asset division. As a solo practice, it does not have the depth of a multi-partner firm if several lawyers are needed at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a divorce take in Dallas, Texas?
Texas imposes a 60-day waiting period after a divorce petition is filed, and the court will not finalize the divorce during that time. The spouse filing must have lived in Texas for at least six months and in the county where the case is filed for at least 90 days. Uncontested cases can finish soon after the waiting period ends, while contested custody or property disputes can take far longer. Filings for Dallas residents are made in the Dallas County district courts.
How does Texas divide property in a divorce?
Texas is a community property state, which means assets and debts acquired during the marriage are generally treated as shared, while property one spouse owned before marriage or received by gift or inheritance is generally that spouse’s separate property. Courts divide community property in a manner they consider just and right, which is why asset tracing and valuation are central to the work at firms such as Law Office of Michael P. Granata and Alexandra Geczi PLLC. Self-help forms and explanations are available at TexasLawHelp.org.
What does it mean to be board certified in family law in Texas?
Board certification is a designation granted by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization to attorneys who meet experience, peer-review and examination requirements in a specialty area. Carol A. Wilson, Jodi McShan, and Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson partner Richard R. Orsinger are examples of Dallas family lawyers whose profiles reference board certification. You can read about the program at the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Can I get divorced without going to trial?
Yes. Many Dallas divorces are resolved through mediation, negotiated settlement, or collaborative divorce, where both spouses and their lawyers commit to resolving issues without litigation. Amber Shemesh of Shemesh Family Law is a state-certified mediator; Goranson Bain Ausley offers mediation, negotiated, and collaborative divorce; and Jodi McShan is a member of Collaborative Divorce Texas. Agreed divorces are still finalized by a judge in the Dallas County district courts.
How do protective orders work during a divorce?
A protective order is a court order that can require one spouse to stay away from the other and the children and can be requested when there is family violence. Firms such as Law Office of Michael P. Granata and Shemesh Family Law handle protective and restraining orders alongside the divorce itself. The Texas Judicial Branch provides court information for each county, and the City of Dallas site lists local government services.
How do I choose between a solo attorney and a larger divorce firm?
A solo-led practice such as Chris Schmiedeke’s or Carol Wilson’s offers direct access to one experienced lawyer, while a multi-partner firm such as Goranson Bain Ausley or Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson offers more depth for complex or appellate matters. The right choice depends on how contested the case is, how many assets and custody issues are involved, and whether you value continuity with one attorney. The Dallas Bar Association provides a lawyer referral service for people comparing options.
Disclaimer
This article is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not establish an attorney-client relationship. The courts, the State Bar of Texas, and any government agency do not endorse the divorce lawyers or law firms listed. The order of the firms should not be interpreted as an official ranking or a guarantee of legal quality or case outcomes.
Firm information, attorney credentials, founding dates, office locations, practice areas, firm sizes, and Google ratings may change over time. Ratings and review counts are based on third-party sources available at the time of research and should be independently verified before publication or reliance. Readers should conduct their own research and consult a qualified Texas divorce attorney to determine which legal professional is appropriate for their individual circumstances. No attorney can guarantee a specific legal outcome.
