Richard A. Shannon, a graduate of UT Austin in Plan II (Liberal Arts) and UT School of Law, hails from a farming family in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. His extensive legal career reflects a diverse background, including service as an Assistant Attorney General of Texas and later as Special Counsel to the Commissioner of Insurance, before transitioning to private law practice.
With a steadfast commitment to family law over the past 25 years, Richard has become a seasoned practitioner, highly focused on conflict resolution through coaching, counseling, negotiating, and mediating for parents across all facets of family law. As an experienced family litigator, Richard passionately advocates for his clients in court, exhibiting thorough preparations, organizational prowess, creative problem-solving, keen analytical skills, and cogent arguments. While diligently representing his clients' interests, he seeks to preserve as much goodwill as possible.
In the early 1990s, Richard's interest in mediation and conflict resolution emerged. He underwent training in mediation from both the Texas Academy of Attorney Mediators and the Travis County Dispute Resolution Center. Richard has mediated numerous family law cases, along with cases in various other legal domains, employing both the civil litigation model and the community model of mediation.
Driven by a vision to transform the workings of family law courts, Richard was recently elected to a three-year term on the State Bar of Texas — Collaborative Law Section. As the Chairman of a new Innovations Work Group for the Section, he envisions family law courts not only serving their traditional functions but also facilitating the healing of human conflicts, a need he believes is essential for children, parents, and families. To realize this vision, Richard founded and currently serves as President of the Texas non-profit organization, the Enlightened Family Justice Institute.
Richard's early career focused on insurance regulation and related transactions, where he served as the Executive Director of the Texas Surplus Lines Association and represented numerous insurance agents and companies in regulatory matters. He also played a pivotal role as a lobbyist for the Sierra Club, representing major environmental organizations in federal court litigation concerning substantial water development projects. With experience at both the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal courts, Richard brings a wealth of knowledge and ingenuity to the legal arena.
