A Trial Lawyer to Help You Stay Out of Court
Curtis Harrison on Doing What Is Best For Clients:
My clients include successful professionals and business owners, or their spouses, who want to resolve family issues in the most productive manner possible. My goal is to help clients feel safer, more secure, and fully empowered to get through one of the most challenging times in their lives.
What I Help Clients Do:
- Create and follow a plan to get through the current crisis while also enabling you to build a positive future after divorce.
- Make informed, well-reasoned choices that position you to succeed.
- Successfully achieve out-of-court solutions for complex property divisions, high conflict personality issues, and contested child custody matters.
- Preserve dignity and a sense of security amid personal adversity, uncertainty, and turmoil.
Professional Experience and Credentials
Curtis has served as the Managing Partner for two law firms, including GoransonBain Ausley, over a combined period of almost 20 years. With his educational and experiential background in business administration, management, and finance, Curtis has a deep appreciation for the economic complexities and long-term pressures uniquely faced by business owners, C-suite executives, and the spouses of such individuals. Curtis applies his experience to help his clients identify, prioritize and achieve their strategic goals for the process, just as they would in their professional lives.
Curtis has litigated cases around the State of Texas for over 25 years. However, he has come to recognize the collateral harm caused by a judicial system that was designed to adjudicate winners and losers – not resolve family disputes. His goal is to help clients resolve their conflicts constructively, so they can move forward with hope for a better future. Curtis practices family law as he strives to live—with honesty and integrity, working diligently to make a positive difference.
Curtis is Master Credentialed in the Collaborative Divorce approach and has published numerous articles on the advantages of the Collaborative Divorce model. He is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been named a “Texas Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters every year since 2008. He has also been named a “Best Lawyer” by Best Lawyers in America© in Family Law, Mediation, and Collaborative Law, 2017-2021. He has previously served on the Board of Trustees for Collaborative Divorce Texas and the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Family Law Advisory Commission.
Personal
Curtis is a self-described Christ-follower, husband, father of three, DIY-er, and classic car aficionado.
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Services
- Paternity
- Adoption
- Cohabitation Agreement
- Property Division
- Child Custody
- Child Support
- Alimony & Spousal Maintenance
- LGBTQ+ Divorce
- Uncontested Divorce
- Contested Divorce
- High Net Worth Divorce
- Divorce
- Collaborative Divorce
- Mediation
- Litigated Divorce
- Negotiated Divorce
- Flat Fee Divorce
- Divorce for Business Owners
- Appealing a Divorce Decree or Judgment
- Pre-Divorce Guidance
- High Conflict Divorce
- Modification and Enforcement
- Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
- Complex Property
- Business Valuation in Divorce
- Characterization of Separate and Community Property
- Dividing the Marital Home
Honors & Awards
- Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Woodward and White Press, 2017 – 2022
- Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Family Law, Woodward and White Press, 2018 – 2022
- Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Family Law Mediation, Woodward and White Press, 2019 – 2022
- Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list, Thomson Reuters, 2008-2021
Articles
Articles
- How Adultery Affects Divorce in Texas September 10, 2021
- Hidden Risks for Couples Ending Common Law Marriages April 15, 2021
- Why Does It Matter If Your Family Lawyer Is Trained in Collaborative Divorce? April 1, 2021
- Protecting Your Child’s Emotional Health During Divorce March 29, 2021
- Can I Start My Divorce During the Coronavirus Shutdown? March 24, 2020
- Is There a Less-Invasive Divorce? September 27, 2019
- How to Successfully Divorce Someone with a High-Conflict Personality January 26, 2019
- Divorcing a Sociopath February 28, 2021
- Meet Curtis W. Harrison II April 15, 2016
- Avoiding Christmas Custody Games December 7, 2015
- Collaborative Divorce Doesn’t Promote Divorce June 16, 2015
- Negotiating with Your Spouse April 20, 2015
- The Minimally-Invasive Divorce November 10, 2014
- 3 Things You Should Not Do In a Divorce July 21, 2014
- Does Social Security Incentivize Divorce? June 23, 2014
Published Works
- Author, “When Loyalty and Collaborative Transparency Collide,” Headnotes, Dallas Bar Journal, 2021.
- Author, “How to Successfully Divorce Someone with a High-Conflict Personality,” Family Law Advisor, 2019.
- Author, “Divorcing A Sociopath,” Family Law Advisor, 2018.
- Ask the Expert – High Conflict Personality, D Magazine, 2018
- KDFW Fox 4 – Good Day TV segment, titled, “Modern Divorce Trends,” featured an interview with attorney Curtis Harrison about co-parenting, how the emotion aspects of divorce affect one’s logical thinking and decision-making, and knowing your attorney’s approach and style.
- KERA radio segment on Collaborative Divorce, explores the less-messy divorce, and emerging trends in litigation, with a team of experts including attorney Curtis Harrison, mental health professional Linda Solomon and financial professional Scott Clarke. Click here to hear the radio segment featured on Think with Krys Boyd.
- Contributor, “Getting the Case Started,” Collaborative Law—Start to Finish, TexasBarBooks, March 2014
- Author, “Facing Divorce in an Uncertain Economy,” Huffington Post, February 5, 2011
- Author, “Dealing with Christmas Custody Games,” Huffington Post, December 24, 2010
- Author, “Is There a Minimally-Invasive Divorce?” Huffington Post, December 13, 2010
- Author, “Logic Doesn’t Drive the Divorce Train,” Collaborative Law Institute of Texas, October 15, 2010
- Author, “Getting Your Case from Zero to 60,” Collaborative Law Spring Conference, January 2010
- A Roadmap Through Divorce Proceedings, National Business Institute, November, 2008
Videos & Podcasts
Videos
Presentations
- Co-Presenter, Common Estate Planning Problems Divorce Lawyers Experience — Texas Wealth Council, 2021.
- Panelist, Where is the Voice of the Child in Divorce? CDT Advanced Disciplinary Training, 2019.
- An Inconvenient Truth: What the Legal System Tells Us About Children and Divorce, Collaborative Divorce Texas, Advanced Training, Panelist, 2019
- Panelist, When to Just Say “No”, Collaborative Law Interdisciplinary Group, 2017.
- What is Attachment Theory and How Does It Apply to My Divorce Case?, Dallas Bar Association, Collaborative Law Section, March 2016
- Attachment Theory and It’s Potential Impact to Collaborative Practice, Dallas Bar Association, March 2015
- Course Director, Texas Bar Association’s Collaborative Law Conference, March 2014
- Assist. Course Director, Texas Bar Association’s Collaborative Law Conference, February 2013
- Dallas Bar Association’s ADR Section Meeting, Capturing Benefits from the Collaborative Process Even When a Case Doesn’t Settle, May 2012
- Succeeding Collaboratively in a Soft Economy, Texas State Bar’s Advanced Family Law Seminar, August 2011
- Getting Your Case from 0-60, Texas Bar Association’s Collaborative Law Spring Conference, March 2010
- Divorce, the Collaborative Way, Journey of Hope Christian Counseling, 2009
- Divorce Mediation Training, El Centro Junior College, 2009
- A Roadmap Through Divorce Proceedings, National Business Institute Seminar, 2008
Professional Associations
- Collaborative Divorce – Collin County
- Member
- Collaborative Divorce Texas (f/k/a Collaborative Law Institute of Texas)
- President, 2015
- Vice President, 2013
- Treasurer, 2010
- Board Member, 2010 – Present
- Member, 2005 – Present
- College of the State Bar of Texas
- Member, 1999 – Present
- Collin County Bar Association, Family Law, ADR/ Collaborative Law, Law Practice Management Section
- Member, 1998 – Present
- Collin County Bench Bar Foundation
- Member
- Past Chair
- Past Treasurer
- Life Fellow
- Curt B. Henderson American Inn of Court
- Member
- Dallas Bar Association, ADR, Collaborative Law, and Family Law Section
- Member, 2002 – Present
- Frisco Bar Association
- Member, 2014
- State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section
- Member, 1998 – Present
- Texas Bar Foundation
- Life Fellow
- Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists
- Member, 2004 – Present
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Family Law Advisory Commission
- Member, 2013 – Present
- Texas Family Law Foundation
- Member
Education
- Baylor University School of Law, 1994
- J.D., Law
- Baylor University, 1991
- B.B.A., Economics
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 1994
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
Certifications
Board Certified in Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2002
Master Credentialed Collaborative Professional, Collaborative Divorce Texas 2021
