Family Law

Respected Dallas, Texas

Divorce and Family Law Attorney

"John McShane is as good as it gets in family law."

- T. Boone Pickens
billionaire oil tycoon and
former family law client

Practicing family law in Dallas, Texas since August 1, 1969, John V. McShane has become an icon in the Texas legal community. Having built his practice for nearly forty years, Mr. McShane has successfully represented prominent business leaders, sports and entertainment figures and their spouses, in some of the most complex high conflict divorce disputes in Texas.

Skilled Texas Divorce Attorney

Mr. McShane has been Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in family law since 1981. He has developed a deep understanding of the legal, emotional, and financial consequences divorce disputes can have on families, and firmly believes that family law matters should be resolved peacefully and amicably through alternative dispute resolution or collaborative law whenever possible.

However, Mr. McShane is a skilled and tenacious litigator when amicable settlement is impossible. He understands that many issues that become entwined in divorce disputes, such as child custody, child support, spousal support, division of assets, and business valuations, are intractable. His focus on high-end divorce disputes has allowed him to developed excellent resources in all of the professions that support people going though a divorce, including financial advisers, tax advisers, CPAs, estate planners, therapists, child psychologists, and life coaches.

Collaborative Family Law Attorney

Collaborative law provides the opportunity for people to work together, with the assistance of counsel, to develop a legally binding divorce settlement without the frustration, acrimony, and expense of litigation. John McShane is recognized as the "Godfather of Collaborative Family Law" in Texas and was instrumental in getting the nation's first collaborate law statute passed in the Texas legislature. He is the co-founder of two major collaborative groups in Texas, the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas and the Dallas Alliance of Collaborative Family Lawyers.

In recognition of his vision and achievements as the founder of collaborative family law in Texas, Mr. McShane recently received an award and a standing ovation from his colleagues at the annual meeting of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas.  This dynamic and highly influential nonprofit institute had only two members when it was co-founded by Mr. McShane.  Today the institute has well over three hundred members and it has been highly effective in educating lawyers and the public about the benefits of collaborative family law.

Writing in the newsletter of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas, Institute President Larry Hance highlighted some of Mr. McShane's unique abilities as well as his contribution to collaborative law, the legal profession, and his fellow man:

"Once John learned about collaborative law, and attended his first training, he knew that the next step would be to convince lawyers that it was a legitimate process.  John was particularly suited for that mission.  First, he is a passionate and persuasive speaker about things which are important to him.  Second, he was an extremely successful litigation attorney who was known to handle large complex divorces and to be a tough adversary.  John's leadership in CL, combined with his experience as a litigator, allowed CL to leapfrog the normal critics of CL in other states, who tended to consider it to be for 'wimpy' lawyers.  Through John's relationships with the State Bar CLE staff and with Family law bar leaders, he was able to immediately insert CL speeches and programs into high profile seminars, such as the Advanced Family Law course....

"John is truly a renaissance lawyer.  Although he could certainly make a fine living handling only family law matters, he chooses to keep a somewhat broader professional practice.  He continues to handle criminal matters at the highest level.  He represents professionals in licensing or disciplinary cases.  He acts as a consultant or coach to lawyers and businessmen on both legal and personal matters.  He represents individuals in a variety of legal matters resulting from substance abuse and mental health issues.  He has served as a special master for courts in complex disputes.  He also contracts with parties as settlement counsel, or as he might call it, 'peacemaker', in particularly difficult disputes.

"John has received just about every type of award which is available from State and local bar associations for his service, including the Presidential Citation from the State Bar of Texas.  He was profiled in the June 2000 American Bar Journal as the 'Passionate Practitioner.'"  

While Mr. McShane is in the vanguard of bringing collaborative law to Texas, he understands that not all divorce cases may be appropriate for collaborative family law, including certain situations involving mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, financial malfeasance, or other  inappropriate behavior.  Although he makes all reasonable attempts to settle such cases, he is willing and able to vigorously litigate them when necessary.

Highly Respected Family Law Attorney 

In addition to divorce disputes, Mr. McShane provides a wide range of legal services related to family law, including parental terminations, adoptions, post-divorce modifications, and drafting and reviewing pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. He has significant experience teaching, writing, and lecturing for other attorneys about family law matters. He has been recognized as one of the Top Six Divorce Lawyers in Dallas by "D" Magazine and selected as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine. In addition, he has been on the faculty of the Advanced Family Law Course, sponsored by the State Bar of Texas for 16 years in a row.

Contact the Law Offices of John V. McShane

Please contact the Law Offices of John V. McShane regarding any family law or divorce matter. Our firm can be contacted by phone at (214) 365-9007, e-mail, or by filling out the intake form on the Contact Us page.

The Law Offices of John V. McShane represents clients throughout Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, and Corpus Christi. In addition, our national reputation allows us to serve clients throughout the United States.

The Law Offices of John V. McShane

Campbell Centre, Tower I
8350 N. Central Expy., Suite 1200
Dallas, Texas 75206
Phone: (214) 365-9007 E-Mail Fax: (214) 365-9030