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Kris Algert

"I help clients look to the future, not the past, approach issues with a solution-oriented mind, and be proactive in order to move forward with confidence."

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Kristen A. Algert, Board Certified Family Law Attorney at Goranson Bain Ausley's Austin office

About Kris Algert

Kris Algert is a collaborative divorce attorney in Goranson Bain Ausley’s Austin office. A partner since 1991, she is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a distinction held by fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys — and a Master Credentialed Collaborative Professional named to the inaugural class recognized by Collaborative Divorce Texas (2017). With more than 35 years in family law, she advises busy professionals, business owners, retirees, parents, politicians, celebrities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Her practice centers on resolving family transitions efficiently and minimizing the impact of divorce on family relationships and financial estates. She develops creative, individualized solutions through Collaborative Divorce, divorce mediation, negotiation, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements — and brings the same depth to complex property division, high-net-worth divorce, and matters involving mental health and addiction issues. She also trains lawyers, mental health professionals, and financial professionals in collaborative practice across Texas.

Kris’ approach is grounded in respect and forward motion. Regardless of background or economic status, she treats clients and their families with dignity, providing a road map that starts with understanding their needs, goals, and values — and ends with finding, evaluating, and implementing constructive solutions. Her aim is to help clients look to the future, not the past, approach issues with a solution-oriented mind, and to move forward with confidence.

What Sets Her Apart

  • Master Credentialed Collaborative Professional. Named to Collaborative Divorce Texas’s inaugural class of Master Credentialed Collaborative Professionals in 2017. She has practiced collaborative family law in Texas since 2000.
  • Recipient of the Gay G. Cox Award. Honored by Collaborative Divorce Texas with the Gay G. Cox Award for Excellence in Collaborative Law (2019) for sustained leadership in the discipline.
  • Past President, Collaborative Divorce Texas. Past President (2010–2012) and former trustee of the statewide organization. Conducts collaborative training for lawyers, mental health professionals, and financial professionals across Texas.
  • Board Certified since 1997. Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for nearly three decades — a certification held by fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys.
  • “Lawyer of the Year” across three family law categories. Named Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin for Family Law (2011, 2015), Collaborative Law: Family Law (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2025), and Family Law Mediation (2019) — reflecting the breadth of her resolution-focused practice.

Practice Focus

Kris focuses her practice on family law matters that benefit from resolution-focused processes and creative problem-solving:

Recognition and Credentials

Kris is one of Austin’s most-recognized family law attorneys — Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, named Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin across Family Law, Collaborative Law: Family Law, and Family Law Mediation in multiple years, continuously listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Family Law since 2007, named to the LawDragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers list (2024–2026), selected to Texas Super Lawyers every year since 2005, and recognized in the Top 100: Texas Super Lawyers, Top 50: Central/West Texas Super Lawyers, and Top 50: Women Texas Super Lawyers lists. She holds an AV® Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Kris has held leadership roles across collaborative family law in Texas. She is Past President of Collaborative Divorce Texas (2010–2012) and a former trustee of the statewide organization. She was selected for the inaugural class of Master Credentialed Collaborative Professionals (2017) and has served as a trainer and facilitator of the collaborative process for Collaborative Divorce Texas, the Institute for Family Conflict Resolution, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She is also a recipient of the J. Chrys Dougherty Award (2015) for sustained commitment to access to justice, with more than a decade of board service with Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas.

Kris has been an active contributor to legal education in family law for more than two decades. She has authored chapters and articles, including Chapter 9 of the State Bar of Texas’s Collaborative Law: Start to Finish, and has delivered scores of presentations at State Bar of Texas, Collaborative Divorce Texas, IACP, and ABA Litigation Section forums. She served as Course Director of the State Bar of Texas / Collaborative Divorce Texas Collaborative Law Course in 2021.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types of Family Law Cases Does Kris Algert Handle?

Kris handles the full range of family law matters with a particular focus on resolution-focused processes — Collaborative Divorce, mediation, and negotiated settlements — alongside prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, complex property division, high-net-worth divorce, child custody, and cases involving mental health, addiction, or high-conflict dynamics. Her clients include busy professionals, business owners, retirees, parents, politicians, celebrities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

What Does Master Credentialed Collaborative Professional Mean for Kris’ Practice?

The Master Credentialed Collaborative Professional designation is awarded by Collaborative Divorce Texas to attorneys with substantial collaborative case experience, advanced training, ongoing professional development, and contribution to the collaborative community. Kris was named to the inaugural class in 2017. In practice, it means clients who choose her are working with one of the most experienced and recognized collaborative attorneys in Texas — and someone who trains other lawyers, mental health professionals, and financial professionals in the same process.

Why Does Kris Algert Recommend Collaborative Divorce?

Kris has practiced collaborative family law since 2000 and trains other attorneys in the process. In her view, the collaborative approach is ideal for the couples who can do it and gives clients the ability to control the outcome, determine their financial future even when complex property division is involved, and build a solid co-parenting relationship — efficiencies a more traditional legal process does not offer. She still represents clients in mediated and negotiated divorce, but Collaborative Divorce is the practice she is most credentialed in and most passionate about.

Does Kris Algert Handle High-Conflict and High-Net-Worth Cases?

Yes. Kris regularly represents clients in complex divorce cases, including high-net-worth cases, business valuation, separate and community property characterization, and matters involving high-conflict personalities, mental health concerns, or substance use. Even in challenging dynamics, she works to identify and untangle obstacles and move cases forward through a solution-oriented approach.

What Does It Cost to Work With Kris?

GBA works on a retainer model with hourly billing. Retainer amounts vary based on case complexity. For more on how family law fees work in Texas, see GBA’s guide to the cost of divorce in Texas.

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Beyond the Practice

Kris has long extended her work in family law to the broader Austin community. She served on the Board of Directors of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2001–2014) — including roles as Secretary, Treasurer, and Program Services Committee Chair. Her contribution to access to justice was recognized with the J. Chrys Dougherty Award in 2015.

Outside her practice, Kris is happiest outdoors — running, biking, hiking, playing tennis, and hunting for shells on the beaches of Destin, Florida. She has run several marathons over the past 30 years and is always looking for ways to challenge herself physically and mentally. She is currently studying insight theory and conflict resolution to better understand how people, organizations, and governments approach and resolve conflict — a thread that runs through both her practice and her personal interests.

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