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Firm Overview
The Law Offices Of Paul T. Fanning, P.C., is a professional, legal service corporation. The lawyers and staff operate as a team, each primarily doing those tasks which he or she can most efficiently and effectively perform. For example, our Legal Assistants and Legal Secretaries will handle much of the information gathering and status reports. A Legal Assistant will assist the attorney throughout the handling of your case, just as a nurse assists your doctor in handling important aspects of your medical care. Our Firm uses Legal Assistants for many tasks the way most other firms use associates (young lawyers).  It has been our experience that Legal Assistants stay with the Firm longer, are more detail-oriented, are more efficient, are more effective, and are more reliable for most tasks related to Family Law than are young lawyers. There is a famous lawyer from Dallas who pioneered the effective use of Legal Assistants in Family Law. He frequently tried cases against other famous lawyers who used young lawyer associates instead of Legal Assistants. He used to sometimes tell his opposing counsel before trial, "My dog can hunt better than your dog." Time and experience proved him right. He was Mr. Fanning's principal teacher and mentor in the area of Family Law. Legal Assistants are employed at The Law Offices Of Paul T. Fanning, P.C. because they are efficient and because they are effective. Legal Assistants always provide their professional services under the supervision of a licensed attorney, but their proper utilization almost always results in savings for the client. You will likely be dealing with more than one staff member during the course of our professional relationship, including perhaps more than one attorney.
 Not only do the lawyers and staff operate as a team, whenever possible we attempt to incorporate our clients as part of the team too. A perfect example is what you are doing right now. As you read this, you are doing something very worthwhile and valuable. You are becoming educated. This will serve you well in dealing with what you are going through right now and will go through later. It is also valuable because it will assist us in carrying out our responsibility to assist you. In addition, you will shortly be filling out a questionnaire. That might seem mundane, but would you really prefer to pay a lawyer, or even a trained staff person, up to several hundred dollars to gather information about personal identification data, personal values and choices, and financial information while that lawyer or staff person sits across a desk or conference table from you, essentially doing the same mundane work of filling out a form? If it's got to be done and you can do it, why shouldn't you be allowed - and even expected - to be of assistance to your own case?
Mr. Fanning was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 12, 1945. He was educated at Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; and The University Of Texas At Austin, Austin, Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1968 from The University Of Texas At Austin, where he maintained double majors in Government (Political Science) and Economics. He earned the Juris Doctor Degree in 1972 from The University Of Texas School Of Law.
 Mr. Fanning is double Board Certified, which is very rare. He is Board Certified in the specialized field of Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Fanning is also Board Certified in the specialized field of Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is rated "av" by Martindale-Hubbell. Martindale-Hubbell has been authoritatively rating attorneys in the United States and around the world for more than 125 years. Its ratings are based primarily upon comments and recommendations solicited from the attorneys and judges who know the person being rated. Almost every attorney in the United States is listed. The ratings are for Legal Ability - "a," "b," and "c" - and General Ethical Standards - "v" and "x." The meanings are:
LEGAL ABILITY
RATING
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GENERAL ETHICAL
STANDARDS RATING |
a - From Very High to Preeminent
b - From High to Very High
c - From Fair to High
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v - Very High
x - Does Not Meet
Ethical Criteria |
The "av" rating is the highest rating possible, and is earned by only about 8% of all attorneys. Less than two-tenths of one percent (<.2%) of all Texas attorneys are double Board Certified.
Mr. Fanning is also a trained, experienced, and certified Attorney-Mediator, who is qualified under the Texas Alternate Dispute Resolution statute to mediate both general civil disputes and Family Law disputes. Mr. Fanning received the following formal mediation training: Basic Certified, Attorney-Mediators Institute, Houston, Texas; Family Law Certified, Attorney-Mediators Institute, Houston, Texas; Basic Courses, Dallas Bar Association Settlement Week. Mr. Fanning is also a Certified Advanced Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
 Mr. Fanning has been a visiting guest lecturer at the Southern Methodist University School Of Law in 1994 and from 1976-1979 was an Instructor at the Southern Methodist University School of Continuing Education, where he taught courses on the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. The Texas Rules of Civil Procedure regulate how litigation is conducted, and in some cases "fought," in all state court civil cases, including divorce cases. During academic year 1999- 2000 Mr. Fanning served as a High School Teacher at his high school alma mater, Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights, Illinois (one of the top 100 high schools in America, U.S. News & World Report, as is the other high school Mr. Fanning attended, Quigley Preparatory Seminary) where he taught Juniors and Seniors Advanced Placement Economics.
Mr. Fanning was invited to, appointed to, and served for eight (8) years on the Professional Efficiency and Economics Research (PEER) Committee of the State Bar of Texas, from 1974 through 1982. During that time he served as a member of a pool of speakers, sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, which was available to and did give lectures to local bar associations throughout Texas. Mr. Fanning was a frequent speaker in Texas and throughout the United States on the subject of law office efficiency and economics. Mr. Fanning's invited lectures to lawyers have been as far East as Long Island, N.Y.; as far West as San Francisco, California; as far North as Minneapolis, Minnesota; and as far South as Cancun, Quintanna Roo, Mexico.
Mr. Fanning has authored and presented many professional papers. Among them are: "The New Word Processors: Floppies, Bubbles & Beads - Free At Last!(?)," presented at the State Bar of Texas Tenth Annual Legal Secretaries Seminar, 1978; "Salvation For The Solo Practitioner," an annual seminar for attorneys and their staffs sponsored by the State Bar of Texas from 1976 through 1981; "Divorce: Division of Assets, Alimony, & Child Support," National Business Institute Domestic Law In Texas Seminar (for attorneys), 1991. "Determining Marital Assets," National Business Institute Domestic Law In Texas Seminar (for attorneys), 1991. "Retirement Plans: Valuation And Distribution Upon Divorce," National Business Institute Domestic Law In Texas Seminar (for attorneys), 1991. "Avoiding Grievances And Malpractice In Family Law Litigation," Smith County (Tyler), Texas, Bar Association, Tyler, Texas, January 13, 1992. "Preparing For The Grievance Committee Before The Client Even Walks In The Door," Plano (Texas) Bar Association, December 2, 1994. "Negotiation And Mediation In Disciplinary Proceedings After Determination Of Discipline By Grievance Committee," Seminar for Investigators and Prosecutors of the Grievance Committee for the Sixth Bar District of the State Bar of Texas, June 4, 1997. "Newly Enacted Legislation Affecting Texas Family Law Practice And Avoidance Of Selected Ethical Problems," Smith County (Tyler), Texas Bar Association, June 13, 1997. "Preparing For The Grievance Committee In Family Law Cases Before The Client Even Walks In The Door," Tyler Area Association Of Legal Professionals, Tyler, Texas, September 6, 2000. "Preparing For The Grievance Committee In Family Law Cases Before The Client Even Walks In The Door," Brazos County Bar Association, Bryan/College Station, Texas, October 27, 2000.
Mr. Fanning is currently writing a book, presently in manuscript form, which he has tentatively titled Love Or Illusion. This book consists of "Thoughts Directed Primarily To Divorced Persons Who 'Do Not Want To Make The Same Mistake Again.'" If you are just beginning to go through a divorce right now, you're probably not ready to read it.
 Mr. Fanning is a member of the Texas, Illinois, and Smith County Bar Associations; and the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists;. Mr. Fanning is a former member of the Dallas, Plano, Collin Bar Associations; Texas Association of Matrimonial Lawyers; North Texas Association of Family Law Specialists; Texas Association of Civil Trial Law Specialists; Texas Trial Lawyers Association; American Trial Lawyers Association, and American Bar Association. Mr. Fanning was admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1972; by the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, in 1973; by the United States Supreme Court in 1976, and by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2000. Mr. Fanning is a Member of the College of the State Bar of Texas. Approximately 8% of all attorneys in Texas are members of the College of the State Bar Of Texas. Mr. Fanning is a member of the Association of Attorney-Mediators. Mr. Fanning has completed the Basic Course of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas.
Some of the reported cases in which Mr. Fanning has participated on the appellate court level are: Misium v. Misium, 902 S.W.2d 195 (Tex. App.-Eastland 1995, writ denied); Young v. Young, 854 S.W.2d 698 (Tex. App.-Dallas 1993, writ dism'd.) (incorrectly listed as counsel for Appellee); Ex Parte Craig Hall, 854 S.W.2d 656 (Tex. 1993) (orig. proceeding) (writ of habeas corpus granted); Naydan v. Naydan, 800 S.W.2d 637 (Tex. App.-Dallas 1991, no writ); Heissner v. Koons, 679 S.W.2d 112 (Tex. App.-Dallas 1984, orig. proceeding) (writ of mandamus conditionally granted); Ex Parte Jackman, 663 S.W.2d 520 (Tex. App.-Dallas 1983, orig. proceeding); Volpe v. Schlobohm, 614 S.W.2d 615 (Tex. Civ. App.-Texarkana 1981, no writ); Cole v. Cole, (unreported, but victorious) (Tex. Civ. App.-Eastland 1980, writ ref'd w.o.j.); Volpe v. Stephens, 589 S.W.2d 809 (Tex. Civ. App.-Dallas 1979, orig. proceeding) (writ of mandamus granted); Cole v. Chapman, 584 S.W.2d (Tex. Civ. App.-Dallas 1979 orig. proceeding); and O'Brien v. Cole, 532 S.W.2d 151 (Tex. Civ. App.-Dallas 1975, no writ).
Mr. Fanning is himself divorced and was the parent sole Managing Conservator of his three (3) children: Kevin Paul Fanning, Timothy Paul Fanning, and Katherine Michelle Fanning.
Mr. Fanning is a life member of the Texas Exes (Alumni Association of The University Of Texas At Austin), the National Rifle Association, and the Army National Guard Association of Texas. Mr. Fanning is formerly a member of Willowbend Church, Plano, Texas and Scofield Memorial Church, Dallas, Texas, where he founded and served as Coordinator of Scofield's Divorce Recovery Support Group. Mr. Fanning's other affiliations and memberships include the Chicago Zoological Society; the Dallas Museum of Art; the Dallas Opera Society; the Dallas Zoological Society; the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G. - Former Assistant Director [Board of Directors], Dallas Chapter; presently a member of the North Texas, Dallas, Chicago, and D/FW USA Chapters), The Bros. Club; the National Geographic Society; and American MENSA.
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