Michael Burnett is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Michael is an experienced trial lawyer in the areas of family law. He spent his first decade of legal practice in complex commercial and business litigation, giving him a unique advantage in dealing with marital estates involving valuation, tracing, and characterization issues. Michael is the only family lawyer in the Austin area to be named four times as one of the Top 100 attorneys from all practice areas in the State of Texas by Texas Super Lawyers, a very rare and prestigious distinction.

Michael is listed in the 2015 - 2023 editions of the The Best Lawyers in America by BL Rankings for his work in the areas of Family Law and Commercial Litigation. Michael has also been selected by Thomson Reuters to the Texas Super Lawyers every year from 2011 to 2023, and from 2015-2023 was additionally honored as one of the Top 50 Central/West Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters.

Michael has developed a focused, tough and tenacious style while serving as lead counsel in a number of high profile cases throughout the state of Texas. His clients have included the chairman of one of America’s most successful private equity firms, a former Texas lieutenant governor, a head college coach, and scores of other successful business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, public officials, doctors, lawyers, and their spouses. In addition to his trial practice, Michael has successfully represented clients in appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Texas Courts of Appeals.

Education

  • The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas – J.D., 1994
  • The University of Texas at Austin – B.A., 1991

Licenses, Certifications & Bar Admissions

  • Board Certified – Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2011- present
  • Supreme Court of Texas, 1994
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Federal District Courts: Northern, Southern, and Western Districts

Professional Experience

  • Law Clerk for The Honorable Royal Furgeson, U.S. District Judge, El Paso, Texas, 1994-1995

Continuing Legal Education (CLE)

  • Moderator, “The Use of Opinion and Expert Testimony in Property Cases,” New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, Charleston, South Carolina, October 5, 2023
  • Speaker, “Waste Not, Want Not -Examining Waste, Fraud & the Reconstituted Estate,” 48th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, August 8-11, 2022
  • Speaker, “Evidence,” Austin Bar Association Family Law Section, May 15, 2020
  • Speaker, “Marital Agreements,” State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, June 13, 2019
  • Panelist, “Marital Agreements,” New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, San Diego, Texas, October 12, 2018
  • Speaker, “Characterization,” The Pro Bono Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, Kerrville, Texas, April 27, 2018
  • Panelist, “Effective (and Ineffective) Approaches in Family Law Mediations,” ADR Section of the Austin Bar Association, September 28, 2017
  • Speaker, “Trial Exhibits,” Austin Bar Association Family Law Section Spring CLE, April 7, 2017
  • Speaker, “Characterization,” The Pro Bono Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, Lufkin, Texas, March 31, 2017
  • Speaker, “Catching a Tiger by the Tail: Preparing the Client and Managing Expectations,” Family Law Essentials, Hays County, Texas, June 17, 2016

Honors & Awards

  • Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
  • Selected for The Best Lawyers in America in Family Law by BL Rankings, 2015 – 2023
  • Selected for The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation by BL Rankings, 2015 – 2023
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers, 2016 – 2017,2020 - 2023
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, Top 50 Central/West Texas Super Lawyers, 2015 – 2023
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, as published in Super Lawyers Magazine and Texas Monthly Magazine, 2011 – 2023
  • Texas Rising Star, Thomson Reuters, as published in Texas Monthly Magazine, 2005, 2008-2009
  • AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • AVVO Superb Rated Attorney
  • Top Attorney, Austin Monthly Magazine, 2019 - 2023

Professional & Community Involvement

  • American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Fellow
  • Texas Bar Association
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists
  • Austin Family Law Advocates
  • Austin Bar Association
  • Austin Bar Foundation
  • Former Member, Standing Committee on Professionalism, State Bar of Texas
  • Former Member, The Arc of the Capital Area, Ambassador’s Council
  • Former Board Member, Easter Seals of Central Texas
  • The Admirals Club of Austin

We play our own game serving our clients in a way that is cost efficient and not reactionary. I honestly care about doing a good job and am passionate about achieving my clients’ objectives.