Brett Christiansen is a Shareholder/Partner at Christiansen PLLC. His practice areas are PROBATE, CORPORATE and FAMILY. His PROBATE practice encompasses all facets of probate/estate planning – drafting Wills, Powers of Attorneys, and Directives; Administrations with a will (Probate) and without a will (Intestate); Disclaimers; Muniment of Title; Small Estate Affidavit; Determinations of Heirship and Affidavits of Heirship. The primary focus of his FAMILY practice is divorce with an emphasis on AGREED matters or those family matters where the parties have elected the Collaborative Law Model to resolve their issues.  His Family practice includes pre and post marital agreements and agreed post judgment modifications. His CORPORATE practice centers on commercial contracts with an emphasis on technology; negotiating and drafting contracts for the sale and licensing of software and other intellectual property; mergers and acquisitions and other general corporate matters. Prior to establishing Christiansen PLLC, Mr. Christiansen was a founding partner of Christiansen Bullock LLC [2009] which later was known as Christiansen Davis Bullock LLC [2012] and finally as Christiansen Davis LLC [2016].  Prior to entering private practice Mr. Christiansen served as General Counsel for 11 years for a leading national technology provider and was “Of Counsel” in the corproate/technology group of Haynes Boone LLP. Prior to entering law school, Mr. Christiansen worked as a certified public accountant in the State of Texas and has experience in both public and private practice.

 Representative Experience

• Successful representation of clients in divorce, complex property division and post-divorce modifications
• Drafting and negotiation of premarital and post-marital agreements
• Representation of clients in child custody disputes and enforcements of existing orders relating to custody and possession
• Design and implementation of complex estate plans for all sizes of estates
• Acting as attorney ad litem in heirship determination and guardianship proceedings
• Conceptualization, implementation, and management of comprehensive legal strategy contributing to company growth from a $300K single-location organization to $100M international value-added reseller offering systems integration and professional consulting services
• Formulating and directing risk management and contracting structure, including establishing protocols and drafting all necessary forms of agreement; responsibility for annual review/renewal of insurance portfolio, including Directors and Officers, Errors and Omissions, and Property policies
• Successful resolution of multimillion-dollar international and domestic litigation claims, including breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, trademark/trade dress infringement, false advertising, restrictive covenants enforcement, wrongful termination/discrimination, and contract, fraud, RICO, and commercial disputes
• Draft and negotiate talent and performance agreements for radio production company
• Oversight of merger resulting in a combined surviving entity with annual projected revenues at more than $100,000,000
• Has received advanced training in collaborative divorce, and has guided couples through the collaborative divorce process
• Serving as corporate counsel to recording studios and labels and television production companies
• Management of more than 21 acquisitions for a single client
• Expert handling of intellectual property management process to secure, protect, and defend
• Federal Trademarks for company products, copyrights, and patents
• Development and maintenance of comprehensive company-wide library of standard forms, such as Customer Master Services Agreement, Vendor Reseller Agreements, License Agreementsand Product Orders, Employment Agreements, and Lease Agreements

 Bar Admissions

• State Bar of Texas, 1999
• Texas Certified Public Accountant, 1991-2016

Professional Associations

• Member, State Bar of Texas, 1999-Present
  • Family Law Section
  • Collaborative Law Section, Vice-Chair, 2016-2017
  • Computer Law Section
  • LGBT Law Section, Council Member, 2016-2017
  • Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section
• Member,  Galveston County Bar Association, 2019-Present
•  Member, Texas Aggie Bar Association, 2022
• Member,  Dallas Bar Association, 2000-2021
  • Family Law Section
  • Collaborative Law Section, Treasurer, 2016-2017
  • Probate, Trusts and Estates Section
• Member, Dallas LGBT Bar Association, President 2017-2018
• Member, The National LGBT Bar Association, 2016-2019
• Member, Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston, 2021-Present
• Member, Attorneys Without Litigation, A Collaborate Law Network
• Member of the Texas Bar College, an invitation-only honorary society of lawyers who are among the best trained in Texas. Members are qualified attorneys who are interested in both high ethical standards and improved training for all Texas attorneys.
• Member of Collaborative Divorce Texas, an institution comprised of lawyers skilled in the collaborative divorce process.

Education

• Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, magna cum laude, Baylor University, 1991
• Juris Doctor, cum laude, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, 1999

Community Service

• Lambda Legal
• Advisory Board, Arts Incubator of Richardson
• Board Member, Legal Aid of North West Texas [2018 – Present]

Budget , Audit and Finance Committee, [2018-Present]

Awards and Recognitions

• Finalist, Dallas Business Journal 2006 Best Corporate Counsel Award