JOHN V. DOWDY, JR., P.C.
Attorney - Mediator - Arbitrator

2400 Garden Park Court, Suite A
Arlington, Texas 76013
(817) 265 - 9000 Metro
(817) 460 - 8366 Fax
E-mail: john@dowdylawfirm.com
TX BAR Card # 06075000
 


37 Years in Law Practice                                    Mediation Experience Since 1992

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

John Dowdy, Jr. began the private practice of law in 1968 following graduation from Baylor Law School. He first practiced in Waxahachie, Texas. In 1969, John and his wife, Sarah, moved to Arlington, Texas, where he still practices. His experience has included trial work in civil, criminal, family and probate courts. He also has a number of business clients for whom he renders services regularly in corporate, commercial and related areas of the law. Over the years, his practice in the fields of probate, wills and trusts has become the fastest growing conventional law practice category in his office.

In 1992, John decided to enter the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and completed the forty hours of training required by Chapter 154 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code in order to conduct mediations. This training was done with the American Academy of Attorney-Mediators in Dallas, Texas; and has been followed by annual advanced training in ADR, including twenty-four hours in family dynamics with Settlement Consultants, Inc. in Dallas and arbitrator training with Professional Attorney-Mediators in Dallas. His ADR practice has grown to the extent that it has replaced his trail practice almost entirely.

In addition to the law and ADR practices, John is a senior lecturer in business law in the College of Business Administration at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he has been teaching since 1974. When he began teaching at UTA, he had no plans to make it a permanent job. His law practice was still in the developmental stage, and he needed steady income. However, after teaching for about three or four years, he realized he found teaching too much fun to give up. So, he has managed to balance his time between his law office and UTA, and is blessed to have two jobs he enjoys.

FIRM PROFILE

John's practice is now concentrated in two areas of professional services.

The conventional law practice provides services to clients primarily in the areas of probate, wills, trusts, and commercial law.

His ADR practice is concentrated primarily in the area of probate disputes. While most of the mediations he conducts are court-ordered, an increasing number of attorneys are contacting John's office to get on the mediation calendar by agreement and without a court order. The cases he has mediated have included disputes involving multiple issues, multiple parties, and amounts in controversy ranging from $50,000 to several million dollars. However, his mediations have not been limited to estate contests. He has extensive mediation experience in personal injury, malpractice, and breach of contract cases as well, since the probate courts have jurisdiction of such cases when an estate of a decedent is involved. He has also mediated a substantial number of cases referred from district and appellate courts.

John is a member of a number of national, state and local professional organizations, including the Association of Attorney-Mediators, a national organization for which John has been honored to be president-elect during 2003-2004 and president during 2004-2005

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Texas; American Bar Association; Association of Attorney-Mediators (national president, 2004-2005); Tarrant County Probate Bar Association (Bd. of Dir., 2001 - present); Arlington Bar Association; Christian Legal Society

PERSONAL HISTORY

John was born in Malakoff, Henderson County, Texas. He grew up in Athens, Texas, where he graduated from Athens High School.  In 1966, he graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, with a bachelor's degree in political science and physical education. He had ambitions to be a coach, but decided to pursue the law instead. Accordingly, he attended Baylor Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1968.

While at Baylor, he met Sarah Ellen Chambers, of Benton, Arkansas, and they married in 1964. They are blessed with two daughters, Rebekah Anne Dowdy (born February 8, 1972), who married Mark Campbell in 1995, and Susannah Lynn Dowdy (born April 22, 1976), who married Jeff Elizondo in 1997. Fifteen months after Rebekah and Mark married, and while John was still getting used to the idea of having a son-in-law, they presented Sarah and John with a grandson, Logan Alexander Campbell (born in September of 1996). Since then, a granddaughter, Lauren Elizabeth Campbell (born in November of 1998), another grandson, Diego Benjamin Elizondo (born in August of 2003) and another granddaughter, Sophia (Sophie) Elizondo (born in May of 2005), have been added to the family.

John and Sarah are members of First Baptist Church of Arlington, where he is a deacon and Bible teacher and Sarah is actively involved in International Friends, a ministry to internationals, and is director of the international Bible Study department. John teaches three Bible classes (including the international class, a couples class, and a men's Bible study early Wednesday mornings), and is also involved with Mission Arlington, a ministry arm of First Baptist Church and other Arlington area churches.

John's hobbies include SCUBA diving (in which he has a professional rating as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor), backpacking, fishing, handball, and various physical fitness activities.

follow this link to my law office website http://www.lawyers.com/dowdylaw