John Michael Frick

John has been representing businesses and business people in the North Texas area for more than thirty years. He has tried numerous cases at various levels of the judicial system, including federal district court and state district court. He has presented appeals to the Supreme Court of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and ten of the fourteen intermediate courts of appeal in Texas. He has arbitrated cases before the American Arbitration Association and JAMS, Inc. In addition to his trial practice, John is a trained mediator and summary jury trial judge. As a result of displaying a high degree of skill, competence, and professionalism, he has earned an AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

John received his law degree from SMU School of Law in 1988, where he served as an Associate Editor for the Southwestern Law Journal. While still in law school, he successfully presented an appeal to the Supreme Court of Texas through the school’s civil clinic program, resulting in a published opinion reversing the lower court. He also completed his first jury trial through the school’s clinic program.

After graduating from law school, John served a judicial clerkship as briefing attorney for the Honorable Gordon H. Rowe, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas at Dallas. There, John had the pleasure of working with future Supreme Court of Texas Justices Nathan Hecht, Craig Enoch, and James Baker.

As a seasoned trial lawyer, John continues to maintain a high level of practice. He has represented clients in cases reported in the Wall Street Journal and Dallas Morning News, as well as ones featured on local news broadcasts and the national news program, Nightline. His civil trial practice includes representation in both state and federal court and encompasses a wide range of areas.

• Civil Litigation
• Contract Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Real Estate Litigation
• Professional Liability

• Credit Cards Accepted
  Visa & Mastercard Only
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Provides 90-minute initial consultation for a flat fee of $500. Does not typically work on a contingency fee. Usually requires a retainer.

Texas

State Bar of Texas

ID Number: 07455200

Since 1988

5th Circuit

Since 1992

Partner

Reid, Dennis & Frick, PC

2022 - Current

Member

Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC

2021 - 2021

Partner

Bennett, Weston LaJone & Turner, P.C.

2017 - 2021

Senior Attorney

Reid & Dennis, PC

2010 - 2017

Solo Practitioner

Law Offices of John M. Frick

2001 - 2010

Partner

Mills, Presby & Associates, L.L.P.

1995 - 2001

Associate

Godwin & Carlton, P.C.

1989 - 1995

Briefing Attorney

Court of Appeals, Fifth District of Texas at Dallas

1988 - 1989

SMU Dedman School of Law

Doctor of Jurisprudence/Juris Doctor (J.D.)

1988

Southern Methodist University

B.S. (1985) | Political Science

1981 - 1985

Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Southern Methodist University

B.A. (1985) | Psychology

1981 - 1985

Honors: Summa Cum Laude

AV-Preeminent

Martindale-Hubbell

2004

For over 100 years, the Bar Register has been a unique guide to the legal community's most eminent professionals. It includes only those select law practices that have earned the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and have been designated by their colleagues as preeminent in their field. The 2022 Bar Register contains over 14,000 member listings out of more than 1.3 million attorneys in the United States.

Texas State Bar  # 07455200

Member

1988 - Current

Board-Certified, Civil Trial Law

Texas Board of Legal Specialization

2010

Q. Is it valid for executor to keep sale proceeds without informing siblings?

May 2, 2025

A: The executor will have to report the sale of real estate to the probate court and account for the proceeds of the sale. The heirs can obtain this information from the papers the executor must file with the probate court.

Q. Can an unmarried mother challenge a judge's order to return to Texas after domestic violence?

May 2, 2025

A: Yes, this decision can be challenged by appeal after final judgment, by writ of mandamus, by writ of habeas corpus if you are jailed for disobeying the court order, and by a motion to reconsider in the trial court.

Normally, in a divorce situation, a court cannot order an adult to return to Texas. The court CAN order a child be returned to the state of the child's domicile particularly if the child was removed from Texas less than six months before the filing of the divorce proceeding. The court also CAN order that a parent's period of possession of a child occur in Texas, particularly if that parent has attempted to leave the state with the child less than six months before the filing of the divorce proceeding or during a divorce proceeding.

Normally, unmarried persons are not parties to a divorce action. The fact that you are unmarried yet the abuser has filed a divorce action raises a question as to whether the court issuing the order properly has subject-matter jurisdiction over the proceeding. Subject-matter jurisdiction includes a legal concept called "standing." Either spouse has "standing" to bring a divorce action. But if you aren't married, you can't file a divorce proceeding.

Of course, every case turns on its own particular facts and circumstances. The evidence and arguments introduced at the hearing you mention will be crucial to any appeal, as will be the specific language of the order issued.

If the temporary order hearing was before an Associate Judge, you had the right to request a de novo review by the district judge within three days of the AJ's ruling. A "de novo" hearing would have given you a "do-over" to present your evidence and arguments to a different judge who may have made a different decision. ... Read More

Q. Can I sue my ex-wife for canceling health insurance against standing orders after divorce in Texas?

May 2, 2025

A: It is probably too late to challenge your ex-wife's violation of the standing orders now that your divorce has been finalized. The standing orders are only in effect during the pendency of a divorce proceeding. If a violation occurs, a party usually must bring a motion to enforce during the divorce proceeding. Such a motion to enforce would be addressed during the divorce proceeding before the divorce is finalized.

Because this issue sometimes arises, I note that it is only a violation of the standing orders if a spouse takes affirmative action to cancel health insurance. Upon divorce, any spousal coverage previously afforded under an employer-sponsored group health insurance program automatically terminates subject to the spouse's right to continue such coverage at that spouse's sole cost and expense (sometimes referred to as "COBRA rights"). A divorced spouse can elect to continue coverage for up to 36 months following the date of divorce. The health insurance plan should send a spouse notice of such rights at the spouse's last known address. For these purposes, the address is the last one that the spouse provided to the sponsor of the health insurance plan.

If a spouse affirmatively cancels your health insurance coverage in violation of standing order during the pendency of a divorce action, the most common remedy granted in a motion to enforce is to require that spouse to pay any health care costs you incurred during the period of cancellation that would have been covered by the insurance. ... Read More