Denton, Texas
Associate
Phone (940) 387-3518
Fax (866) 383-1202
Email Email Me

JULIA A. KERESTINE received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with an emphasis in art history from the University of North Texas and her law degree from the University of Georgia. While in law school, Julia worked for former Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, and was the founding editor of the Journal of International and Comparative Law, published by the Dean Rusk Center. She also served on the editorial board for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, the moot court and client counseling teams and worked for United States Senator Sam Nunn in Washington, D.C.

Julia is licensed to practice in all Texas State courts, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, all Colorado State courts, the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Colorado, and all Georgia State courts.

She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Denton County Bar Association and the Tarrant County Bar Association.

Julia's practice focuses primarily on family law, including divorce, child custody, enforcement, contempt and adoptions, guardianships and probate, collaborative law and civil and family mediation. Julia has mediated over 1400 civil and family mediation sessions to agreement since 1992. She treats each client individually and provides litigation, collaborative law, mediation and other services that fit the client's specific situation.

In Collaborative Law, each client works closely with his and her attorneys who have been trained in the collaborative law process to address disputes in a way that considers the parties' needs and minimizes conflict. Each party retains separate counsel but contractually commits to refrain from going to court in order to seek solutions-resolution with the assistance of their attorneys and experts in a team setting. Through a series of meetings conducted in a problem solving approach, the needs and priorities of the parties are addressed and settlement is reached. The Collaborative Law approach is especially beneficial to families facing divorce, but can also be the best choice to address conflict in situations in which continued communications or maintenance of professional relationships and reputations are important.

Areas of Practice:

• Family law
• Collaborative Law
• Guardianship and Probate
• General Civil Litigation
• Employment
• Mediation

Areas of Mediation Expertise

• Employment: Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Federal Employment and Labor Act, Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, Wrongful Termination, Constructive Discharge, Defamation, Breach of Contract, Benefits, Non-compete, Battery, Severance Packages
• Family Law - Probate: Emotionally charged family issues
• Healthcare - Elder Abuse - Professional Liability: Medical, Psychological;
• Personal Injury - Wrongful Death - Workers' Compensation
• Product Liability - Design, Manufacture and Labeling - Pharmaceutical/Medical Devices,
• Machinery/Equipment, Construction Products, Automobile,
• Insurance: Bad Faith, Coverage
• Construction - Real Estate: Defective Work, Design, Professional Negligence, Subsidence, Delay Damages, Allocation, Bonding, Public and Private, Contract, Disclosure Issues, Payment issues.
• Sexual Abuse - Abuse by Clergy, Assault
• Business - Commercial: Contract, Sale or Dissolution of Business, Fraud, Misappropriation, Trade Secrets, Unfair Competition, Partnership Disputes
• Consumer: Unfair Trade Practices, Fraud, Misrepresentation
• Environmental: Underground Storage Tanks, Industrial/Construction Clean Up

Bar Admissions:

• Texas, 1989
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1989
• Colorado, 1987
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Colorado, 1987
• Georgia, 1984

Certifications:

• Credentialed, Texas Mediator of Distinction
• Certified Trainer (Mediation - Conflict Management - Interest Based Negotiation) for the United States Air Force and U.S. Department of Defense

Professional Associations

• State Bar of Texas - Family Law, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Employment Law & Small Business Sections
• Denton County Bar Association, Family Law and Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law (REPTL) sections
• Denton County Collaborative Professionals - Board of Directors (2008-present)
• Collaborative Law Institute of Texas (CLI-TX) 2007-present
• International Association of Collaborative Professionals - 2009 - present
• Denton County Alternative Dispute Resolution Center (DCAP), 2007 - Present
• Tarrant County Bar Association - Board of Directors (2007-2008)
• Association of Attorney Mediators - (AIM)

Education:

• Denton High School 1974
• University of North Texas (NTSU), Denton, Texas, BFA, 1979
• University of Georgia, Lumpkin School of Law, Athens, Georgia, 1984

Pro Bono Activities:

• Volunteer - Denton County Alternative Dispute Resolution Program (DCAP) - volunteer mediator