Chris Nickelson

Offering Exceptional Trial and Appellate Skills Required for Resolving Complicated Cases

I help clients and fellow lawyers handle family law cases where the issues are complex, the stakes are high, and the margin for error is small. With an appellate background, I approach cases with an eye toward both trial strategy and potential appellate review, focusing on clear issue identification, preservation of error, and practical solutions in disputes involving significant property, business interests, and high conflict.

Chris Nickelson is one of the few lawyers in Texas who is double Board Certified in Family Law and Civil Appellate Law. He practices family law with a focus on high-net-worth divorce, complex property disputes, and appeals involving significant legal and procedural issues. His work frequently involves large and closely held estates, premarital and marital agreements, business valuation disputes, and cases where trial court rulings are likely to face appellate scrutiny.

Because of his appellate background and deep understanding of marital property law, Chris is often brought into cases that require careful planning, precise legal analysis, and disciplined advocacy. His clients regularly include high-net-worth individuals, business owners, executives, professional athletes, and their spouses. He is also frequently asked by other family lawyers to assist with complex legal issues, trial strategy, motion practice, and appeals.

Here’s how Chris helps clients and trial teams:

• Educates clients on the law and the realistic range of outcomes so they can make informed decisions
• Listens carefully and approaches each case thoughtfully, recognizing that no two families or estates are the same
• Identifies and simplifies complex legal and financial issues
• Develops strategies that account for both trial and potential appellate issues
• Preserves error and strengthens the record when appellate review is likely
• Works to resolve cases efficiently when possible, and is prepared to try the case when it is not

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High-Stakes Appellate and Property Experience

Chris handles all types of family law appeals, but most frequently works on high-net-worth property matters. He is particularly known for his work involving:

• Characterization of community and separate property
• Tracing and valuation of complex estates and business interests
• Challenges to property divisions and reimbursement claims
• Enforcement and interpretation of premarital agreements
• Claims involving fraud on the community or breaches of fiduciary duty
• Legal and procedural errors committed by trial courts
• Child-related disputes involving non-parents and fit-parent doctrines

He has appeared most often in the Second and Fifth Courts of Appeals and has handled matters in most of Texas’s courts of appeals and the Texas Supreme Court.

Representative Appellate Matters

• In re P.A., No. 05-22-01048-CV, 2024 WL 1652352 (Tex. App.—Dallas Apr. 17, 2024, pet. denied)
  Successfully defended summary judgments enforcing a premarital agreement, resulting in over one billion dollars in assets being confirmed as the client’s separate property.
• Z.S. v. L.S., 676 S.W.3d 845 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2023, no pet.)
  Obtained reversal of a family violence protective order where the trial court conducted an improper ex parte interview of a child and denied cross-examination and rebuttal evidence.
• S.T. v. H.K., Nos. 02-21-00408-CV, 02-21-00420-CV, 02-22-00010-CV, 2023 WL 2607751 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Mar. 23, 2023, pet. denied)
  Successfully defended the trial court’s property division and appointment of a receiver to sell the marital residence.
• In re Lisa Miller, No. 22-0542 (Tex. 2022)
  Successfully defended trial court orders authorizing out-of-state reunification therapy upon proof of severe parental alienation.
• In re K.K.W., No. 05-16-00795-CV, 2018 WL 1477533 (Tex. App.—Dallas Mar. 27, 2018, no pet.)
  Successfully defended against claims alleging fraud in a divorce property settlement agreement.
• Litman v. Litman, 402 S.W.3d 280 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2013, pet. denied)
  Successfully defended the trial court’s property division in a contested marital estate.

Representative matters listed by outcome; results depend on the facts and law applicable to each case.

Collaboration With Trial Counsel

Chris regularly partners with trial lawyers—both within Goranson Bain Ausley and across Texas—on complex family law matters. In that role, he has:

• Served as appellate counsel in high-net-worth property and custody cases
• Helped defend reimbursement claims exceeding $247 million
• Assisted trial teams in safeguarding separate estates valued at over $1 billion
• Supported the appointment of receivers in cases involving noncompliance with court orders
• Helped trial counsel obtain sole managing conservatorship and supervised visitation in contested cases

He is often asked to become involved early in cases where trial counsel anticipates appellate issues, allowing for more effective preservation of error and strategic decision-making at the trial level.

Experience and Professional Credentials

Chris is a Partner with Goranson Bain Ausley. He has held numerous leadership roles within the State Bar of Texas, including serving as Chair of the Family Law Section, and continues to contribute to the development of Texas family law through service, writing, and education.

He is a frequent author and speaker at statewide courses, including Advanced Family Law, Marriage Dissolution, and New Frontiers in Marital Property. Chris is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law and Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Chris has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer every year since 2014, including selection among the Top 100 attorneys in 2025, and has been named a Top Attorney by Fort Worth Magazine since 2007.

Interests

Away from the office, Chris and his partner enjoy traveling, renovating their 100-year-old home in Fort Worth’s historic Ryan Place neighborhood, and being the “fun uncles” to seven nieces and nephews.

Chris Nickelson is a Fort Worth divorce lawyer working out of Goranson Bain Ausley’s Fort Worth office, with a focus on high-net-worth divorce, complex property disputes, and divorce appeals.