Esther R. Donald has immersed herself in the collaborative law model and has been distinguished as a Master Credentialed Collaborative Divorce lawyer, one of a select few in Texas. Her practice is solely focused on out-of-court family law solutions. She is President of Collaborative Divorce Collin County, Vice-Chair of the State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Council, and former chair of the Dallas Bar Association’s Collaborative Law Section. She is also a charter board member and the current secretary of the Collin County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.
Esther further served the State Bar of Texas as the Course Director for the Annual Collaborative Law Course in March 2022 and as the Assistant Course Director in 2021. She continues on the Planning Committee and was a speaker at the state-wide Collaborative Course in 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Her emphasis on cooperative and collaborative family law solutions has led to her recognition as a “Best Lawyer” by the U.S. News Best Lawyers in America© in the field of family law in 2017-2026 and as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters in 2016-2025. She was also named to the 2022 “Top 100: Dallas/Fort Worth Super Lawyers” and “Top 50 Women Texas Super Lawyers” lists by Thomson Reuters.
Esther Donald is a top-tier Collaborative Divorce lawyer in Dallas, Texas, working out of our Dallas and Plano office locations.
She earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas, where she served as associate editor of the Texas Law Review. Esther cheers for the Longhorns and the Tulane Green Wave, is a longtime member of Temple Emanu-El, and remains a passionate advocate for helping clients divorce differently, with compassion and dignity.
Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2025 & 2026
State Bar of Texas, Annual Collaborative Law
Course, Course Director, 2022
State Bar of Texas, Annual Collaborative Law
Course, Assistant Course Director, 2021
State Bar of Texas, Annual Collaborative Law
Course, Planning Committee/Speaker, 2020 – 2024
Inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America© list
in the field of Family Law by Best Lawyers, 2017 – 2026
Inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America© list
in the field of Collaborative Law: Family Law by Best Lawyers, 2024 – 2026
Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list,
Thomson Reuters, 2016 – 2025
Named to the 500 Leading Family Lawyers List,
LawDragon, 2025 – 2026
Selected to the “Top 100: Dallas/Fort Worth”
Super Lawyers list, Thomson Reuters, 2022
Selected to the “Top 50 Women Texas Super
Lawyers” list, Thomson Reuters, 2022
Articles
How to Rebuild Financially After a Gray Divorce: A Guide
for Adults Over 50 April 28, 2026
Why
Gray Divorce Is on the Rise After 50 March 27, 2026
How to Get Over a Divorce You Didn’t Want March
31, 2025
Navigating Gray Divorce Challenges in Texas: What You
Need to Know About Alimony and Spousal Support December 16,
2024
Understanding Gray Divorce: Why More Couples Are
Divorcing Later in Life November 27, 2024
What Is a Gray Divorce? Getting a Divorce After 50 July
26, 2023
How You Can Achieve Your Divorce Goals October
8, 2019
Social Media: Impacts both Marriages and Divorce
Proceedings October 14, 2016
The Final Divorce Decree is Not Etched in Stone September
8, 2015
Publications & Speeches
“Help Your Teen Cope with the Effects of Divorce,”
Goranson Bain Ausley, 2023
“Out of the Shadows: Incorporating
Adult Children into the Collaborative Divorce Process,”
Collaborative Law Course, 2020
“Disproportionate Division and
Spousal Maintenance for the Non-Monied Spouse,” Advance Family Law,
2019
Presentations
“Trends and Challenges to the Standard
Possession Order,” Family Justice Conference, 2024
“Beyond Child Support: Creative Approaches to
Children’s Expenses,” State Bar of Texas Collaborative Course, 2024
Certifications
Master Credentialed Collaborative
Professional, Collaborative Divorce Texas, 2026
Credentialed Collaborative Professional,
Collaborative Divorce Texas, 2021
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
