Rhonda Cleaves

Rhonda Cleaves began practicing law in 1995. She left a successful civil trial practice in 2005 to concentrate on family law — specifically, helping families transition to postdivorce life. She now practices exclusively in this area.

As a child raised in a divorced family, Rhonda understands the challenges families encounter when faced with divorce. And in addition to her personal experience, she has seen the obstacles other families have faced in the same circumstances. She has learned that for most families, there are better options than litigation to resolve custody disputes and property division. Her objective is to guide parents through the divorce process and help them move to that next chapter of their lives.

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 School of Law, then spent a year in Mexico studying international law. Following her postgraduate work, she returned to Texas to work for Texas Rural Legal Aid where she worked on family law matters. She later moved to Dallas, where she represented clients in asbestos malignancy cases before opening her own firm to practice exclusively in the area of family law.

Rhonda was recognized in 2009 by the Thomson Reuters service, as published in Texas Monthly magazine, as a “Texas Rising Star” among attorneys throughout the state. She is very active at the local and state level in organizations that promote collaborative divorce education to both legal professionals and the general public.

Some of Rhonda’s current professional affiliations include:

• State Bar of Texas
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
• Collaborative Divorce Texas (formerly Collaborative Law Institute of Texas)
• Collaborative Divorce Collin County (formerly Collin County Collaborative Law Alliance)
• College of the State Bar of Texas
• Collin County Bar Association
• Dallas Bar Association
• Denton County Bar Association