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Attorneys

Richard R. Orsinger 
5950 Sherry Lane
8th Floor
Dallas, Texas 75225
 

Communication Center 
Phone: (214) 273-2400
E-mail: Email Me
Fax: (214) 273-2470
Web site: http://www.momnd.com


PositionAreas of PracticeEducation
HonorsPublished WorksAffiliations


One of the best-known and most well-respected Family Lawyers in Texas, Richard Orsinger was recognized in 2007 as the state's top Family Lawyer in Texas Lawyer newspaper's Go-To Guide, which is published every five years. In 2009, Richard was honored among all Texas lawyers as one of the state's Top 10 attorneys by Law & Politics Media. He also has been named among the "Top 100 Lawyers" in Texas in the Texas Super Lawyers list since 2003. Among his other accolades, he has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in Family Law every year since 1987 and in Appellate Law since 2007.

Richard earned the 2009 College of the State Bar of Texas' Franklin Jones Best Continuing Legal Education Article Award and the 2008 State Bar of Texas' Best Family Law CLE Article of the Year Award. In 2003, Richard was awarded the prestigious Sam Emison Award by the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists for his accomplishments in Family Law. He received a State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation in 2001 for "innovative leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence for continuing legal education." The same year, Richard earned the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section's Dan R. Price Award for outstanding contributions to Family Law. Richard was honored with the Gene Cavin Award for Excellence in Continuing Legal Education from the State Bar of Texas in 1996, and has garnered four State Bar Certificates of Merit. He has planned and directed many State Bar's Continuing Legal Education courses, and chaired the State Bar's Continuing Legal Education Committee for two years.

A frequently sought-after lecturer, Richard speaks on Family Law, appellate procedure, contract law and evidence law matters in Texas and around the United States. He has authored more than 200 continuing legal education articles and has authored law review articles since 1982, as well as a 900-page treatise on Texas appellate procedure for Bancroft-Whitney Co. He was Chief Editor of the State Bar Family Law Section's Expert Witness Manual, and was editor-in-chief of the State Bar of Texas' Practice Before the Texas Supreme Court manual.

Richard has extensive experience in jury and non-jury trials in courts across Texas. He also handles Family Law matters in appellate courts. He has appeared in most of Texas' 14 Courts of Appeals and has secured two reversals from the Supreme Court of Texas. He is a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates, an organization reserved for lawyers with extensive experience in jury trials. Richard handles complex property disputes, as well as other Family Law litigation, including child custody cases.

Richard is licensed to practice law in all Texas state district courts, as well as Federal District Courts in the Southern and Western Districts of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a 1975 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, and earned his Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in economics from the University of Texas in 1972. He has been Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Family Law since 1980 and Civil Appellate Law since 1987.

Current Employment Position(s):
Partner, since 2003
Areas of Practice:
Family Law
Marital Property Issues in Probate Disputes
Civil Appellate Law
Certification/Specialties:
Board Certified Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1980


Board Certified Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1987


Bar Admissions:
Texas, 1975
U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1979
U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1997
U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1979
U.S. Supreme Court, 1981
Education:
The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, 1975
J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence


University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 1972
B.A., Bachelor of Arts
Honors: With Honors


Published Works:
Books:


Texas Supreme Court Practice Manual, State Bar of Texas, 2005


Expert Witness Manual, State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, Vols. II & III, 1999


6 McDonald, Texas Civil Practice: Texas Civil Appellate Practice, Bancroft-Whitney Law Publishers, 1992


Law Review Articles:


A Guide to Proceedings Under the Texas Parent Notification Statute and Rules, (Co-Author), South Texas Law Review, 2000


Obligations of the Trial Lawyer Under Texas Law Toward the Client Relating to an Appeal, South Texas Law Review, 1999


Asserting Claims for Intentionally or Recklessly Causing Severe Emotional Distress in Connection with Divorce, 25 St. Mary's Law Journal 1254, 1994


Asserting Claims for Intentionally or Recklessly Causing Severe Emotional Distress in Connection with Divorce, Republished: American Journal of Family Law, 1994, and Texas Family Law Service NewsAlert, 1994, 1995


Characterization of Marital Property, (Co-Author), Baylor Law Review Symposium, 1988


Fitting a Round Peg Into A Square Hole: Section 3.63, Texas Family Code, and the Marriage that Crosses States Lines, 13 St. Mary's Law Journal 477, 1982


CLE Articles:


Practicing Family Law in a Depressed Economy, Part I: Your Law Practice and Your Clients, State Bar of Texas' 35th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2009*


Practicing Family Law in a Depressed Economy, Part II: The Economy, State Bar of Texas' 35th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2009*


Property Puzzles: 30 Characterization Rules, Explanations & Examples, State Bar of Texas' 35th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2009


When an Officer Divorces: How a Company Can Be Affected By an Officer's Divorce, State Bar of Texas' 8th Annual Advanced In-House Counsel Course, 2009


Different Ways to Trace Separate Property, State Bar of Texas' New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, 2008**


Judicial Review of Arbitration Rulings: Problems and Possible Alternatives, State Bar of Texas' 22nd Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, 2008


The Law of Interpreting Contracts: How to Draft Contracts to Avoid or Win Litigation, State Bar of Texas' 34th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2008


Effect of Choice of Entities: How Organizational Law, Accounting, and Tax Law for Entities Affect Marital Property Law, State Bar of Texas' 34th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2008


Tracing, Reimbursement and Economic Contribution Claims In Brokerage Accounts, State Bar of Texas' New Frontiers in Marital Property Law Course, 2007


The Law of Interpreting Contracts, State Bar of Texas' Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, 2007


A New Approach to Distinguishing Enterprise Goodwill From Personal Goodwill, State Bar of Texas' 33rd Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2007


Important Topics in Family Law, Texas Center for the Judiciary 2007 Regional Conference, 2007


Distinguishing Personal Goodwill From Enterprise Goodwill, State Bar of Texas' New Frontiers in Marital Property Law Course, 2006


The Road Ahead: Long-Term Financial Planning in Connection With Divorce, Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, 2006


Hot Topics in Litigation: Restitution/Unjust Enrichment, Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, State Bar of Texas, 2006


Recent Developments in the Daubert Swamp, Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, State Bar of Texas, 2005


Pearls of Wisdom from Thirty Years of Practicing Family Law, Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, 2004


Trends in the Supreme Court, State Bar of Texas' Practice Before the Texas Supreme Court, 2004


Recent Developments in Family Law, Judicial Section Annual Conference Spring Training, 2004


Hot Topics in Family Law, State Bar of Texas' Judicial Section Annual Conference, 2004


Supreme Court Trends, State Bar of Texas' 18th Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, 2004


Those Other Texas Codes: Things the Family Lawyer Needs to Know About Codifications Outside the Family Code, State Bar of Texas' 30th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2004


Pre-Trial Motions: Daubert /Robinson, State Bar of Texas' Annual Meeting: Ultimate Trial Notebook, 2004


Admissibility of Fact, Lay Opinion & Expert Witness Evidence, State Bar of Texas' 4th Annual Advance Expert Witness Course, 2004


Special Problems Admitting Business Records Containing Expert Evidence, State Bar of Texas' 4th Annual Advanced Expert Witness Course, 2004


The Right Stuff: Choosing Expert Witnesses, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists Trial Institute, 2004


Family Law Updates, Texas Center for the Judiciary Winter Regional Conference, 2004


*Earned 2009 College of the State Bar of Texas' Franklin Jones Best Continuing Legal Education Article of the Year Award.


**Earned 2008 State Bar of Texas Family Law Section's Best Family Law Continuing Legal Education Article of the Year Award.


More than 200 additional Continuing Legal Education articles, See http://www.orsinger.com/publications.shtml


Classes/Seminars Taught:
Course Director:


"Practice Before the Supreme Court of Texas", State Bar of Texas, 2002-05, 2007, 2009


"Enron, The Legal Issues", State Bar of Texas, 2002 (Winner of the Association for Continuing Legal Education Best Program Award)


"Advanced Expert Witness Course", State Bar of Texas, 2001-2004


Moderator:


"International & Cross Border Issues", State Bar of Texas, Advanced Family Law Course, 2002


Panelist:


"Predicates and Objections Every Lawyer Should Know and Use", Houston Bar Association, 5th Annual Family Law Institute, 2002


"Predicates and Objections", State Bar of Texas 14th Annual Advanced Evidence and Discovery Course, 2001


"Vaccine for the Plague of the 21st Century Equitable Liens & Reimbursement: Getting Them and Beating Them", Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists 15th Annual Trial Institute, 2001


"Evidentiary Issues", College of Advanced Judicial Studies, 2001


"Ethics: The Effect of Technology on the Profession and the Professionals", Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, 2001


"Valuation of Business Interests in Divorce", State Bar of Texas 27th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, 2001


Honors and Awards:
Top 10 Lawyers in Texas, Texas Super Lawyers / Law & Politics Media, 2009


Franklin Jones Best Continuing Legal Education Article Award for "Practicing Family Law in a Depressed Economy," College of the State Bar of Texas, 2009


Best Family Law Continuing Legal Education Article Award for "Different Ways to Trace Separate Property," State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, 2008


Top Family Lawyer in Texas, Texas Lawyer's Go-To Guide, 2007


Top Five Family Lawyers in Texas, Texas Lawyer's Go-To Guide, 2002


Best Lawyers in America, Family Law, 1987 - 2009


Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Law, 2007 - 2009


Texas Super Lawyers, Law & Politics Media, 2003 - 2009


Top 100 Lawyers in Texas, Texas Super Lawyers / Law & Politics Media, 2003 - 2009


Top 50 Central and West Texas Region Lawyers, Texas Super Lawyers / Law & Politics Media, 2004 - 2009


Top 100 Lawyers in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas Super Lawyers / Law & Politics Media, 2003


Best Personal Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2009


Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon, 2006 - 2007


Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers


Associate, American Board of Trial Advocates


Sam Emison Award, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists, 2003


Association for Continuing Legal Excellence Best Program Award, 2002


Dan R. Price Award, State of Texas Family Law Section, 2001


State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation, 2001


Gene Cavin Award, For Excellence in Continuing Legal Education, State Bar of Texas, 1996


State Bar of Texas Certificates of Merit, 1995-1997, 2004


Professional Associations and Memberships:
Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists
Member & Former President


Texas Bar Foundation
Fellow


American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Fellow


American Board of Trial Advocates
Associate


Dallas Bar Association
Member


Houston Bar Association
Member


San Antonio Bar Association
Member


Supreme Court of Texas
Member, Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure


Supreme Court of Texas
Chair, Rules 16-165a Subcommittee


Supreme Court of Texas
Member, Jury Charge Task Force


Texas Judicial Committee on Information Technology
Supreme Court Liaison