(1954 – 2022)

Katherine Anne Kinser, 68, of Dallas, died November 12, 2022. She received her law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1984. Kathy was a formidable trial attorney, recognized among the Top 100 Texas Lawyers. In addition to her family law practice, she was known for her service to the Texas family law community. She was the 2014 recipient of the prestigious Judge Sam Emison Award, given by the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists to an exceptionally distinguished family law practitioner who has demonstrated a significant commitment and made significant contributions to the practice of family law in the State of Texas. At the time of her passing, Kathy served as the President of the Texas Family Law Foundation. She was recognized as the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers national Fellow of the Year in 2020, as well as the 2017 President of the AAML Texas Chapter. In 2002, she served as the President of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists. Kathy was a passionate and dedicated animal advocate, serving in 2016-2018 as Board President of Operation Kindness. Her favorite places were sailing in the Caribbean and relaxing with friends at her beach house in Galveston. She was preceded in death in 2021 by her beloved husband, Raymond.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Board Certified – Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Fellow – American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

National:

• AAML Fellow of the Year 2020 (co-recipient with Jonathan Bates)
• Admissions Committee, AAML National 2017-2018
• Chair – Mediation Committee, AAML National 2018-2019
• Co-Chair – Arbitration Committee, AAML National 2019 – present

Texas Chapter:

• Immediate Past-President, Texas Chapter AAML 2018-2019
• President, Texas Chapter AAML 2017-2018
• President Elect, Texas Chapter AAML 2016-2017
• Vice President, Texas Chapter AAML 2015-2016
• Secretary, Texas Chapter AAML 2014-2015
• Treasurer, Texas Chapter AAML 2013-2014

Lifetime Member – American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation

Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists

• President 2002-2003

Sustaining Life Member – Texas Family Law Foundation

• President Elect, 2019-2021
• Vice President, 2017 – 2019
• Secretary / Treasurer, 2015 – 2017
• Board of Trustees 2009 – 2015
• Chair, Membership Committee
• Legislative Bill Review Committee

Board of Disciplinary Appeals 2014 – 2020, Chair 2019-2020

Life Fellow – Texas Bar Foundation

State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section

State Bar of Texas Family Law Council 1992-1998

• Legislative Committee 1995-present; Co-Chair, 1997-1998, 2002
• Co-Chair, Administrative Practice Committee, 1996-1997
• Co-Chair, Section History Committee
• Chair, Section History and Archives Committee, 2013 -2019

Member, Pattern Jury Charges – Vol. V Committee, State Bar of Texas, 1994, 1995

Family Practice Manual Revision Committee, 1990-1994

• Chair 1992 -1994

American Bar Association, Family Law Section

Dallas County Bar Association, Family Law Section

• Chair 1991

Collin County Bar Association, Family Law Section

Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association

Sports Financial Advisors Association – Board of Directors 2010-2014

State Bar of Texas, Sports Law Section

Dallas County Bar Association, Sports Law Section

Admitted to Practice before the United States Supreme Court, 1985

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS

Co-course Director, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Arbitration Training, 2020

Faculty, Advanced Trial Skill for Family Lawyers, “The History Channel: War Stories from Family Law Legends”, 2020

Faculty, Advanced Family Law, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher: Alternatives to Statutory Child Support Guidelines”, 2020

Sam Emison Award Recipient 2014 – Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists

Faculty, American Bar Association Family Law Advocacy Institute, Denver, Colorado 2008-2010, 2013-2017

State Bar of Texas – 50th Anniversary Commemorative Oral History of Family Law Section Video Interviews

Course Director, State Bar of Texas – New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, 2017

Co-Course Director, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers – Arbitration Training 2020

Co-Course Director, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers – Advanced Mediation Training 2017

Course Director, 2017 Texas Chapter of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers – Innovations: Breaking Boundaries in Custody Litigation, New Orleans, Louisiana

Course Director, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers – 40 Hour Basic Mediation Training 2016

Course Director, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers – Advanced Mediation Training 2015

Course Director, Sports Financial Advisors Association 6th Annual Conference, November, 2010

Course Director, Sports Financial Advisors Association 5th Annual Conference, November, 2009

Course Director, State Bar of Texas – 33rd Annual Advanced Family Law Course, August, 2007

Course Director, Marriage Dissolution Course, State Bar of Texas, 1997

Course Director, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists – 11th Annual Trial Institute, 1997

Adjunct Professor, Southern Methodist University School of Law, 2004 – 2006

“Super Lawyer” 2003 – 2018, by Thomson Reuters Service printed in Texas Monthly

“Super Lawyer’s Top Fifty Female Lawyers in Texas,” 2011, 2013 -2014, 2018

“Best Lawyers in America” 2018

“AV” Preeminent (5.0 of 5.0) – Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating

PUBLICATIONS AND SPEECHES

American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Webinar, “Equal Parenting vs Best Interest”, 2020

Faculty, Advanced Trial Skill for Family Lawyers, “The History Channel: War Stories from Family Law Legends”, 2020
“(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher: Alternatives to Statutory Child Support Guidelines,” 46th Advanced Family Law Course (Virtual), State Bar of Texas, August, 2020

“Premarital, Post marital and Other Family Law Agreements,” New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, October 24-25, 2019

“Grievances,” 44th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, August 14, 2018

“Do You See What I See? Do You Hear What I Hear?” 43rd Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, August 8, 2017

“Surprise! Your New Client is a Professional Athlete: What’s Next?”American Society of Appraisers, DFW Chapter, Dallas, September 13, 2016

“Pursue and Defend a Child Support Case,” 42nd Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, July 31, 2016

“Unique Property Issues,” 41st Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, August 5, 2015

“Addictive Behaviors” 2015 Innovations – Breaking Boundaries in Custody Litigation, June 4, 2015, Ft. Worth, Texas (with Brian Cuban, Edgar P. Nace and Sol R. Rappaport)

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and into my Office,” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers 2014 Annual National Meeting, November 6, 2014, Chicago, Illinois (with Sol Rappaport, Jonathan Gould and Susan Meyer)

“Advanced Negotiation and Alternatives to Trial,” 40th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, August 7, 2014 (with Coye Conner, Janet Brumley, J. Steven King, Kathryn J. Murphy and Ike Vanden Eykel)

“Rocky Mountain High – Substance Abuse and Other Addictions,” 2014 Innovations – Breaking Boundaries in Custody Litigation, June 12-13, 2014, Dallas, Texas (with Benjamin J. Albritton, Kevin R. Fuller and Harold C. Urschel III)

“Alienation, Protection or Manipulation?” 2013 Innovations – Breaking Boundaries in Custody Litigation, January 24-25, 2013, Austin, Texas (with Sol Rappaport, Ph.D., G. Thomas Vick, Jr. and Hon. Judy L. Warne)

“Child Custody Evaluations,” 39th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, August 8, 2013 (with Lynn Kamin)

“Evolution of Texas Property Law,” 38th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, Houston, Texas, August 2012

“Attachment Issues/Visitation Under Three,” 35th Annual Marriage Dissolution Institute, April 26-27, 2012 (with Hon. Judy Warne and Jonathan Gould, Ph.D.)

“The Not-So-Nuclear Family,” Innovations – Breaking Boundaries in Custody Litigation, University of Texas School of Law at Austin, Texas and American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers – Texas Chapter, January 19-20, 2012 (with panelists Arnold Shienvold, Ph.D, Angelina L. Bain, Kevin Fuller and Edward Silverman, Ph.D.)

“Paternity Fraud in Texas,” Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, September 2011 (with Holly Friedman)

“Property Division and Enforcement – How to Get What You Got,” 37th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, August 2011

“Paternity Fraud,” 2011 Family Law on the Front Lines, University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas (with Holly Friedman), June, 2011.

“Challenges of Representing Athletes and High Profile People,” Denton County Bench Bar Conference, Pottsboro, Texas, May 2011

“Pre- and Post-Marital Agreements,” 34th Annual Marriage Dissolution Institute, April 29, 2011

Panelist, “Past-Presidents Panel – Advice for Family Lawyers of all Ages,” Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists 27th Annual Trial Institute, February 2011

“Family Law Trial Skills from the Experts,” ABA Direct and Cross-Examination in a Family Law Trial Teleseminar, February 9, 2011

“Take a Chance on Me – How to Get Drafted,” Sports Financial Advisors Association 6th Annual Conference, November 2010 (with panelists Rashard Cook, Stephen Howard and Laurence DePlaza)

“The Future of Premarital, Post-marital and Cohabitation Agreements,” New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, Scottsdale, Arizona, October 2010 (with panelists Diana Friedman, Lynn Kamin, Jimmy Vaught and Thomas Greenwald)

“Cohabitation and Domestic Partnership Agreements,” 36th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, August 2010

“Cohabitation, Domestic Partnership, Premarital & Post-Marital Property Agreements,” 35th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, Dallas, Texas, August 2009

“Mechanics of Effective Cross Examination,” 34th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, State Bar of Texas, Dallas, Texas, August 2009 (with panelists J. Steven King, Kristy D. Piazza and Hon. Frank Sullivan)

“Preparing Your Client for Social Studies and Psychological Evaluations,” 2009 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting: Family Law Section CLE, June 2009

“Guaranteed Pay, What a Deal, or is It?” Characterization of Unusual Employment
Contracts, Family Law on the Front Lines, The University of Texas School of Law, San Antonio, Texas, June 2009

LexisNexis Texas Annotated Family Code, Annotations for Chapter Four – “Premarital and Marital Property Agreements” 2006 – 2009 (co-authored with Jonathan J. Bates)

American Journal of Family Law, Valuing Professional Practices & Licenses: A Guide for the Matrimonial Practitioner, 2005 – 2014 Supplement, “Celebrity Divorce – Representing Big Hitters” (co-authored with Jonathan J. Bates)

“How to Get and Keep Athletes as Clients,” Sports Financial Advisors Association 5th Annual Conference, November 2009 (with panelists Rashard Cook and Shawna Coleman)

“Exploring Employment Plans and Benefits,” New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, Napa Valley, California, October 2008

“As God is My Witness, I’ll Never be Hungry Again: Premarital & Marital Property Agreements,” State Bar of Texas, 34th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, August 2008

“Evidence Without Witnesses,” Collin County Bench Bar Conference, League City, Texas, May 2008

“Predicates, Making and Meeting Objections,” State Bar of Texas – The Trial of a Family Law Jury Case, January 2008

“Words From the Wise” – 7th Annual Family Law on the Front Lines, June 2007

“Guaranteed Pay: What a Deal, or Is It? – Characterization of Unusual Employment Contracts”, LEI Conference, Snowmass, Colorado, January 2007

“Persuasive Skills,” 2006 Fall CLE Conference, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 2006

“Family Law and The Entertainment Arena – Print, Television, Film and Beyond,” 16th Annual Entertainment Law Institute, October 2006

“Guaranteed Pay: What a Deal, or Is It?” – Characterization of Unusual Employment Contracts,” New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, San Francisco, October 2006

“Guaranteed Pay: What a Deal, or Is It? – Characterization of Unusual Employment Contracts,” Advanced Family Law Course, August 2006

“Litigating the Case – The Trial”, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists 20th Annual Trial Institute, January 2006

“Sports and Entertainment – Representing Big Hitters,” ABA Family Law Section, Fall CLE Conference, September 2005

“Representing Big Hitters – They Have The Glory, But What About the Guts?” Collin County Bench Bar, April 2005

“Representing Big Hitters” – Legal Education Institute, Colorado Bar Association, January 2005

“Show Me the $$” – State Bar of Texas, Advanced Family Law Course, August 2004

“Sports: Players, Success and The Law” – State Bar of Texas, Entertainment and Sports Law Sections, March 2004

“Drafting Pretrial Motions in High-Stakes Family Law Cases” – Advanced Family Law Drafting and Advocacy: Art and Form, December 2003

“Keeping Private Stuff Private” – Advanced Family Law Course, August 2003

“Marital Agreements and Pre-Divorce Planning,” State Bar of Texas – Advanced Family Law Drafting Course, December 2002

“Sports & Entertainment B Representing Big Hitters,” State Bar of Texas – Advanced Family Law Course, August 2002

“Valuation of Law Practice in Divorce,” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Spring Meeting 2002

“Common Law Marriage and Rights of Putative Spouses,” State Bar of Texas – Advanced Family Law Course, August 2001

“Jury Trials: What You Can And Can’t Do,” State Bar of Texas – Ultimate Trial Notebook: Family Law Course, December 2000

“Evidence for Judges,” State Bar of Texas – Advanced Family Law Course, August 2000

“Representing the Professional Athlete,” State Bar of Texas – Advanced Family Law Course, August 2000

“Common Law Marriage,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Family Law Course, 1999

“The Athletes – Dating Games How Wheel of Fortune Becomes Jeopardy,” Dallas Chapter, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, September 1998

“Use of Trial Aids in Opening and Closing Arguments,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Family Law Course 1998

“Peculiar Marital Property Characterization Issues Involving Athletes and Entertainers,” Texas Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, Spring 1998

“Challenging Characterization Issues (including Sports and Entertainment Law),” State Bar of Texas–Advanced Family Law Course 1997

“Family Law Issues Impacting the Professional Athlete,” Sports Lawyers Association 23rd Annual Conference, May 1997

“Evidence without Witnesses,” Advanced College of Judicial Studies 1997

“Domicile Restrictions,” State Bar of Texas–Advanced Family Law Course 1996

“Relocation Litigation – A Live Demonstration,” State Bar of Texas–Advanced Family Law Course 1996

“The Battered Wife Syndrome – The Lawyer’s Role as Attorney and Counselor,” State Bar of Texas Marriage Dissolution Course 1996

“Identification and Allocation of Stock Options,” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers–Spring Meeting 1996

“Characterization,” State Bar of Texas–Texas Family Law Practice for Paralegals, 1996

“Significant Family Law Cases,” Texas Center for the Judiciary, State Judicial Conference 1995

“Where Do We Go From Here? No More Gender-Based Preemptory Challenges in Custody Trials,” State Bar of Texas–Marriage Dissolution Course 1995

“Organizing the Huge Property Case,” Texas Family Law Practice for Paralegals 1995

“Evidence without Witnesses,” University of Houston Law Center, 1995 – 1997

“Pretrial and Trial Tactics – Characterization,” State Bar of Texas –Advanced Family Law Course 1994

“The Use of Expert and Lay Witnesses,” State Bar of Texas–Marriage Dissolution Course 1994

“Pre- and Post-Nuptial Agreements”, State Bar of Texas–Advanced Family Law Course 1993

“Enforcement”, State Bar of Texas–Marriage Dissolution Course 1993

EDUCATION

University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Bachelor of Arts, January, 1980

Southern Methodist University School of Law, May 1984