David M. Curtis

David M. Curtis

Founder

Fax 800-532-2501

As your personal representative I will work hard to help you achieve a successful result.

I was born in Frederick, Oklahoma.  My ancestors were real pioneer stock. I received a Bachelor of Science and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Oklahoma where I was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and elected its President. I proudly served on active duty with the 101st Airborne Division. and was honored as a Senior Trial lawyer by the Department of the Army.

In my private law practice, I gained a broad perspective serving as a City Councilman, a City Attorney, and a District Attorney.

Because I wanted to be the best in my specialty, I applied and was accepted for advance law degree studies at  Southern Methodist University and, in 1988,received the Master of Laws degree in Labor. I then moved to Dallas, became a partner in BIGLAW and left about twenty years later to start my own firm

In addition to heading up numerous hard-fought union campaigns, I was lead trial counsel in many complex disputes across the country, serving many fine companies and individuals.

I am married and the father of six children. My wife, Elizabeth, and I are certified instructors in Taiichi. That's a summary. I have enjoyed serving many clients in my law practice, but I am yet to be perfectly polished.


Here’s more:

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Adjunct Professor of Law.
  • Member – Highland Park United Methodist Church.
  • Former Member of the Board of Directors, Fossil Rim and Dallas Challenge.
  • Greater Dallas Asian Chamber of Commerce [former “Member of the Year”].
  • Life Member, Military Order of the World Wars.
  • Life Member, 101st Airborne Division Association [HHC Vietnam].

BIGGEST INFLUENCES

  • My Father, Rex Curtis. For years a retail merchant, he adopted the Pelican as his logo because, he said, the Pelican feeds its young with its own blood when there is nothing else to eat. The Pelican, he said, exemplifies customer service – so, he always told me “Give it all you have.” Thank you, Pop, for teaching me that the customer comes first. In my practice, the client (my customer) comes first.
  • Dean Wild, who during the 50’s and 60’s, among many other accomplishments, single-handedly integrated innumerable cafes and restaurants – because he believed that all students should have a chance to work together, eat together and enjoy sports together without regard to their race or national origin. I was pleased to attend Coach Wild’s induction into the Jim Thorpe Hall of Fame. Thank you Coach Wild for teaching me that each of us deserve a chance.

REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF PUBLICATIONS AND SPEECHES

  • “Women in the Workplace,” Junior League of Dallas.
  • “Employment Rights and Benefits,” TEXPERS, Houston, Texas.
  • “OSHA Practice and Procedure,” National Business Institute, Dallas, Texas.
  • “Labor Relations Law,” Texas Wesleyan School of Law.
  • “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace,” NAEP, Dallas, Texas.
  • “Causes of Action and the FLSA,” NBI, Dallas, Texas.
  • “Skirting the Coercion Land Mine,” Dynamic Manager.
  • “Appearance Policies,” KRLD Business Law Brief.
  • “Marginal Employees,” Managing Workplace Conflict.
    “White Collar Addictions,” USA Today.
  • “When Employees Sue Customers,” HRWire.
  • “Getting an Employee to Shape Up or Ship Out,” bCentral.com.
  • “Talk Ain’t Cheap,” Managing Workplace Conflict.
  • “FMLA in Court,” Ft. Worth Business Press.
  • “Discipline for Off-Duty Misconduct,” Managing Workplace Conflict.
  • “Recognize, Respond to Signs of Sinking Supervisor,” Managing Workplace Conflict.
  • “Differentiate Independent Contractors from Employees,” Managing Workplace Conflict.
  • “Don’t Cross The Legal Line During Employee Interviews,” Managing Workplace Conflict.
  • “Independent Contractor? Beware the Eye of the Beholder,” Ft. Worth Business Press.
  • “Successfully Engage and Emerge From Union Negotiations,” Managing Workplace Conflict.
  • “Learning Lessons From Jayson Blair,” Ft. Worth Business Press.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • Member, Texas, Oklahoma and Dallas Bar Associations
  • Member, College of the State Bar of Texas
  • Member, State of Texas Pro Bono College
  • Member, Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism
  • Elected Member, American Law Institute,
  • Advisory Committee Member, Restatement of the Law Third, Employment Law
  • Elected Member, College of Labor & Employment Law

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE IN THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS:

  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Courts of Appeal for the 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th, and 11th Circuits
  • United States District Courts of Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama
  • Texas Supreme Court
  • Oklahoma Supreme Court

EDUCATION

  • Master of Laws (LL.M.) Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
  • Juris Doctor University of Oklahoma College of Law 
  • Bachelor of Science University of Oklahoma 

DISTINCTIONS

  • 'MEMBER' (by election), American Law Institute 
  • FELLOW (by election), College of Labor & Employment Law 
  • BOARD CERTIFIED, Labor and Employment Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization 
  • Certified by examination: Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) The Society of Human Resources Management
  • Peer-Rated “ AV-Preeminent ” [Highest rating by Martindale Hubble] 
  • Consistently recognized as a TEXAS SUPER LAWYER 
  • and always a TOP LAWYER IN TEXAS by Texas Monthly