Rhonda began practicing law in 1995.  For ten years, Rhonda established herself as a highly successful and experienced litigator in multi-million dollar toxic tort cases.  Her successes were based on her compassion for her clients and her extreme attention to detail. After a successful period in toxic tort litigation, Rhonda decided to return to her true calling of family law and children’s rights in 2005.

Rhonda understands the challenges families face transitioning from one way of life to the next in the midst of divorce. Not only was Rhonda raised by divorced parents, but she has seen in her practice the difficulties families face. And she understands that divorce is not just an end, but the beginning of new relationships as well.  Children ensure that parents will always be a part of one another’s lives in some way – they will continue to share graduations, weddings and the birth of grandchildren.  Enabling divorcing parents to move to that next chapter in their lives is something Rhonda sees as integral to her role in representing her clients.

While Rhonda has great comfort in the courtroom, she has learned that for many families, there are better options to resolving their custody battles and property disputes than by working to disparage the person they once loved.  Texas law allows families several options to resolve their divorce and custody disputes. Despite the fact that it is necessary to resolve some family law matters in courtroom litigation, Rhonda is a strong proponent of resolution methods other than litigation to resolve divorces, custody disputes and property disagreements. She is a trained collaborative law attorney and has successfully represented numerous clients through the collaborative process. She is also a trained mediator.

Rhonda understands that the last place her clients want to be is in the middle of a lawsuit.  She works to help clients navigate their cases – whether in the courtroom or collaborative meeting room – in as efficient and rapid manner as possible.  In addition to representing parents in family law matters, Rhonda is also regularly appointed to represent children as an attorney ad litem or amicus attorney in both private custody matters and cases involving Child Protective Services and as a guardian ad litem for children involved in personal injury cases.

Rhonda graduated summa cum laude from Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in history, psychology and communications.  She earned her law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.  She also spent a year studying international law at the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City.  She was selected as a 2009 Texas Rising Star among family law attorneys by Texas Monthly magazine.

Professional Organizations:

State Bar of Texas
Collaborative Law Institute of Texas
International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
Annette C. Stewart Inn of Court – Family Law
College of the State Bar of Texas
Dallas Bar Association
Northeast Tarrant County Bar Association

 

Send an email to Rhonda at - cleaves@cleaveslaw.com

Amanda graduated from St. John’s College, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a B.A. in Liberal Arts in 2002.  After completing her undergraduate degree, Amanda attended the Institute on Philanthropy and Voluntary Service at Indiana University-Purdue University to receive training on fundraising, afterwhich she worked for several nonprofit organizations.  She then attended the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law where she received her law degree in 2009.

During law school, Amanda participated in the W.W. Caruth, Jr., Child Advocacy Clinic, which represents abused and neglected children in the Dallas County court system.  She also worked at Cleaves Law Firm as a legal assistant from 2007 to 2009. After passing the bar exam and being admitted to the State Bar of Texas , Amanda joined Cleaves Law Firm as an Associate Attorney.

Amanda has a passion for helping people through difficult times and encouraging their success.  Working for nonprofit organizations that are geared toward families in crisis has given Amanda a heart for the needs of families in DFW.  Her goal as a family law attorney is to advocate for each client’s particular legal needs, help clients understand the legal process for their situation, and empower them to create a stable, loving, and healthy environment for their family.

Professional Organizations:

State Bar of Texas
Dallas Bar Association
American Bar Association
Genesis Shareholders

Send an email to Amanda at - finney@cleaveslaw.com

The Cleaves Law Firm offers full-service legal counsel and representation in family law matters for clients in the vicinity of Grapevine, Texas including communities such as Southlake, Colleyville, Hurst, Euless, Coppell, Flower Mound, Bedford, Keller, Roanoke, Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Westlake, McKinney, Frisco, Irving, and Denton. We serve the following counties as well - Tarrant County, Dallas County, Collin County and Denton County.