Jonathan James

Jonathan is a highly skilled litigator and negotiator in high-conflict legal situations who consistently receives praise from clients for his integrity, professionalism, and responsiveness. He has extensive experience handling cases related to Collaborative Divorce, negotiated, and litigated divorce, complex property, and real estate division, contested custody, mental health and addiction issues, and pre- and post-marital agreements.

Jonathan is trained in Collaborative Divorce and is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in family law. He has been named D Magazine’s Best Lawyers Under 40 in 2023, 2025 and 2026, a Best Lawyers in America © by Best Lawyers in 2020, 2021, and 2023 – 2026, and a Super Lawyers Rising Star From 2019 – 2022 & 2025.

Jonathan invests his time doing pro bono work for victims of domestic violence in partnership with Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support and Emily’s Place. He is a member of the Annette Stewart American Inn of Court and the Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section. Jonathan also frequently writes on family law topics for the Texas Bar Journal, the Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, and the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section.

Jonathan James is a Dallas divorce lawyer working out of our Dallas and Plano office locations.

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers Under 40, D Magazine, 2023, 2025, & 2026

The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Best Lawyers, 2024 – 2026

The Best Lawyers in America©, Best Lawyers, 2020-2021, 2023 – 2026

Rising Star, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2019-2022 & 2025

Articles

What Makes a Good Family Lawyer? September 18, 2025

Deeds, Mortgages, and Property Division: Getting a Divorce With the House in Both Names or Just One July 15, 2025

Buying a House During a Divorce in Texas: What You Need to Know July 3, 2025

Post-Marital and Premarital Agreements: The Gold Standard for Protecting Assets May 13, 2025

Tips for Effective Communication During a Divorce October 28, 2024

Five Tips for How to Protect Your Separate Property in a Divorce October 11, 2024

What Happens to Debt in a Divorce? October 11, 2024

What Are My Rights if I Leave the Marital Home? Problems With Moving Out Before Divorce April 17, 2024

What Should I Do to Differentiate My Personal Assets from Those of My Business? January 9, 2024

How Can I Protect My Business from Being Considered Marital Property During the Divorce Process? December 19, 2023

Who Typically Gets the House in a Texas Divorce and What to do if You Want to Keep the House April 24, 2023

Five Important Tips Before You File for Divorce November 16, 2022

What An Experienced Attorney Brings to Your High Net Worth Divorce July 20, 2022

Who Gets the House in a Divorce? September 29, 2021

Publications & Speeches

Co-Author, “Five Tips to Protect and Maintain Your Separate Property”, Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, September 2019.

Author, “Right of First Refusal in Custody Cases”, State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section Report, Volume 2017-6 (Winter).

Author, “Custody Fight: When Grandparents or Other Relatives Seek Parental Rights”, Texas Bar Journal, November 2017

Author, “Kid Duty: The Right of First Refusal in Custody Cases and How it Can Backfire”, Texas Bar Journal, July 2017.