As remarkable as it may seem, some of this country’s finest family-law attorneys fall into the practice of law almost by accident. Houston-based divorce lawyer John Grubb, for instance, first earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He started his career in the accounting department of Shell Oil, then later moved to Gulf Oil. While working with the oil companies, he found himself deluged with legal questions. "So I started going to law school at night," explains Grubb. "From there, I just absolutely fell in love with the practice of law."

He received his Jurisprudence Doctor (JD) from South Texas College of Law in Houston; he’s now licensed to practice law in all State Courts in Texas, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Initially, Grubb’s focus was on general litigation; today, about 75% of his practice is family law while the remaining 25% is business litigation.

Grubb’s own experience with divorce helps him empathize and apply both understanding and practicality to his dealings with clients. "I understand raising children and dealing with children from divorced families," he says. "I have a daughter who is 30 now; she was five when I divorced, and by agreement, she always lived with me. I’ve since remarried and now have a 12-year-old and an eight-year-old. At 58, I’m still doing Indian Guides, baseball, school runs, and car pool."

When dealing with his clients, Grubb says that he always tries to encourage them to always proceed along a constructive route with their former spouse. "It's only if these attempts fail that I take off the gloves and become a hard combatant," he says. "Our first task is to get them to work with us on outlining and deciding their objectives. Our second task is to work with them through the legal system towards those objectives."

While Grubb has extensive appellate experience, he strongly believes in showing judges a high degree of respect. "You have to remember that they're ordinary people who have reached the height of their own careers," he says. "They bring a lot of their own background to the bench. Their job is to truly judge, to weigh things back and forth and consider all factors."

At all times, he tries to garner as much respect as possible for his clients from the court. "Understandably, everyone wants to win," says Grubb, "but the winning is done by the client's facts and the opposing party's facts. What you can do as a lawyer is place your client in the light most favorable to the court."

Unlike some of his colleagues, Grubb does not practice collaborative law. "I'm not a mediator," he says. "I feel like there's an inherent conflict there...I decided many years ago that I would remain in the role as an advocate for my client and not have to compromise myself when dealing with other people -- including mediators."

Grubb's business background is a valuable asset to him in his practice, but his career change suits him just fine. "When you deal with family law, you deal extensively with people, and the application of the law to their everyday problems. It's been very rewarding for me."

For more information, or to book an appointment, please contact:

John K. Grubb & Associates, p.c.
4600 Post Oak Place, Suite 201
Houston, Texas 77027-9705
Phone: (713) 877-8800
Fax: (713) 877-1229
www.johnkgrubb.com
JGrubb@swbell.net

Note: Board Certified, Civil Trial Law; Not certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Visit PremaritalAgreementsHouston.com for information on premarital, prenuptial, postMarital, and postNuptial agreements.

John Grubb has written the following FAQs and articles:

Divorce FAQs:

• "Do the courts always hear cases when they are scheduled?"
• "What do I need to do to prepare for my first meeting with my divorce attorney?"
• "If you live common-law, are you entitled to same as if married?"
• "I have to go to divorce court. Can you give me any tips?"
• "Could you give me some information about Family Violence and Protective Orders?"
• "Could you tell me what the rules are regarding visitation in Texas?"
• "Is it possible to create marital agreement regarding property with your spouse if you're already married?"

Divorce Articles:

• Vengeance and retribution
• Division of community property in Texas

Premarital, prenuptial, postmarital, and postnuptial agreement FAQs:

• "What are the reasons to get a Premarital Agreement in Texas?"
• "Can a premarital agreement be amended or revoked?"
• "How do you know if a Premarital agreement is valid?"
• "Can I do my own premarital agreement in Texas or do I need professional help?"
• "Can one attorney be used by both parties to prepare a premarital agreement?"
• "Are provisions regarding children enforceable in premarital agreements?"
• "What preparation is necessary before we meet with our attorney regarding our premarital agreement?"