About Esther
Esther Donald built her foundation at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a B.A. in English with honors in 1985 and a J.D. in 1988. Those years in Austin shaped her analytical skills and introduced her to legal writing and advocacy. She moved from the study of literature to the practice of law with a steady trajectory.
Her practice has centered on family law and dispute resolution for many years. She pursued training in collaborative law and earned a Credentialed Collaborative Professional designation through Collaborative Divorce Texas. That credential reflects a practiced interest in out-of-court solutions and structured negotiation. She has worked in settings that emphasize mediation, collaborative processes, and other alternative dispute resolution techniques.
Donald’s involvement in professional organizations has been active and sustained. She has held leadership posts in the Dallas Bar Association’s Collaborative Law Section, serving as vice chair in 2019 and as chair in 2020. In 2021 she served as vice chair of the Dallas Bar Association Admissions committee. She is a fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation, a status noted in 2019, and has been associated with both the Curt B. Henderson American Inn of Court (2020) and the Annette Stewart Inn of Court (2019). Her memberships extend to Collaborative Divorce Texas, Collaborative Divorce Collin County, the Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section, and the Collin County Bar Association’s ADR/Collaborative Law and Family Law Section.
Those roles speak to a professional life spent building systems for resolving family disputes outside the courtroom when possible. Colleagues have turned to her for procedural guidance and for work on collaborative matters. Her training and organizational leadership show an attorney who favors structured alternatives to litigation while remaining conversant in proceedings when court intervention is necessary.
Donald practices in Texas and aligns her work with local bar activity. She has contributed to the development of collaborative practice in the Dallas and Collin County legal communities. That participation includes both grassroots collaborative groups and formal bar-section leadership. Her career blends courtroom experience, collaborative process, and bar governance.
She is currently of counsel at Goranson Bain Ausley, where she continues to handle family law matters, collaborative divorce cases, and alternative dispute resolution. Her current practice focuses on family law, collaborative divorce, and ADR work.
