ATTORNEY PROFILE

Jimmy Vaught

jimmy-vaught

ATTORNEY

PHONE

512-342-9980

FAX

512-610-9980

LOCATION

Austin, Texas

Jimmy Vaught is all about family law! In his 40-year career, he has practiced in a number of areas, including business litigation, insurance law and always appellate law. In 1999, he made a conscious decision to become a highly regarded, well qualified family lawyer. Besides representing clients in traditional family law, Jimmy is also an arbitrator, mediator and is trained in collaborative family law. He works hard to resolve disputes and takes a balanced and creative approach in all his cases, whether in collaborative law, traditional family law, family law appeals or as a mediator or arbitrator for other attorneys and their clients. He is well liked and respected by almost every opposing counsel that he has worked with, and though he settles most cases, he is a formidable litigator when the circumstances require going to the courthouse. His reputation precedes him with Judges and other top attorneys in Texas recognize his strength and dedication.

Jimmy is board certified in both family law as well as civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is one of the few attorneys in Texas that are family law appellate specialists. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, one of only 1,600 attorneys nationwide who qualify for membership. The Academy’s website touts “To be represented by a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers is to be represented by a leading practitioner in the field of family law.”

Jimmy is also a member of many of the policy making committees of the family law section of the State Bar as well as a member of the Texas Family Law Foundation and the State Bar Family Law Section’s Legislative Committee, whose goal is to write and review new legislation in Texas.

Jimmy’s unique qualifications, as well as his excellent character and experiences as a husband and father make him a highly skilled, compassionate and problem-solving family law attorney. His goal is to provide excellent representation and first-class service to all his clients.

Areas of Practice

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Family Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2000
  • Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1988

Bar Admissions

  • Texas, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1982
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1985
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1986
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1996

Education

  • Baylor University School of Law, Waco, Texas

    • J.D. cum laude – 1980
    • Law Review: Law Review, Editor in Chief, 1980

  • University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

    • B.A. – 1974
    • Major: Liberal Arts

Published Works

  • What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate: Attacking and Defending Settlement Agreements, State Bar of Texas 39th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, August, 2013
  • Know When to Hold ‘Em, Know When to Fold ‘Em: Settlement Agreements, Rule 11 Agreements, Informal Settlement Agreements and Mediated Settlement Agreements, State Bar of Texas 36th Annual Marriage Dissolution Seminar, April, 2013
  • Time Keeps on Slippin’, Slippin’, Slippin’ into the Future: Post-trial and Appellate Deadlines, Austin Bar Association Seminar: Handling Your First (or Next) Divorce Case, January, 2013
  • Time Keeps on Slippin’, Slippin’, Slippin’ into the Future: Post-trial and Appellate Deadlines, Austin Bar Association Seminar: Handling Your First (or Next) Divorce Case, January, 2013
  • Summary Judgments in Divorce, State Bar of Texas 38th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, August, 2012
  • Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover: Appellate Style, State Bar of Texas 35th Annual Marriage Dissolution Seminar, April, 2012
  • Appellate Practice from Every Angle, State Bar of Texas 37th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, August, 2011
  • The Road to Settlement: Rule 11 Agreements, Informal Settlement Agreements and Mediated Settlement Agreements, State Bar of Texas 34th Annual Marriage Dissolution Seminar, April, 2011
  • Alternative Drafting Orders and Decrees to Those Found in the Family Law Practice Manual, State Bar of Texas Advanced Family Law Drafting Course, Houston, Texas, December, 2010
  • The Future of Premarital, Postmarital, and Cohabitation Agreements, New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, Scottsdale, Arizona, October, 2010
  • Take This House and Shove It, Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar, 2010
  • Appellate Purgatory: Actions You Can Take During Appeal and After Remand, 36th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, San Antonio, Texas, August, 2010
  • Appellate Practice From Every Angle, State Bar of Texas 36th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, San Antonio, Texas (with Georganna Simpson), August, 2010
  • Different Ways to Trace Separate Property, State Bar of Texas 35th Annual Advanced Family Law Course, Dallas, Texas, August, 2009
  • Marital Property Agreements: And You Know It Don’t Come Easy, State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, June, 2009
  • Different Ways to Trace Separate Property, New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, Napa, California, October, 2008
  • The Marital Residence: There’s No Place Like Home, State Bar of Texas 31st Marriage Dissolution Seminar, Galveston, Texas, April, 2008
  • Dealing with Unusual Trusts, State Bar of Texas New Frontiers in Marital Property Law, Memphis, Tennessee, October, 2007

Representative Cases

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Fellow
  • Texas Chapter, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, President Elect, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, 2007 – Present
  • State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section, Council, Legislative Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Member, 2006 – Present
  • State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, Membership and Member Services Committee, Chair, 2009 – Present
  • State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section, Board of Editors, Family Law Section Report, Member, 2007 – Present
  • State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section, Family Law Pattern Jury Charge Committee, Member, 2009 – Present
  • Austin Bar Association, Family Law Section, Board of Directors, Member (2003-2007); Treasurer (2004-2005); President Elect (2005-2006); President (2006-2007)
  • The Collaborative Law Institute of Texas, Member
  • Professionals for Collaborative Law, Member
  • Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists, Member
  • Texas Family Law Foundation, Sustaining Lifetime Member
  • State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section, Treasurer, June 1, 2011 – Present

Past Employment Positions

  • Shareholder, Vaught Law Firm, P.C., 2010 – Present
  • Shareholder, McCullar Vaught, P.C., 2003 – 2010
  • Associate, Law Offices of Edwin (Ted) J. Terry, P.C., 1995 – 2002
  • Staff Attorney, Hon. Jack Hightower, Justice, The Supreme Court of Texas, 1989 – 1995

Classes/Seminars

  • Member, Planning Committee, Advanced Family Law Course (2003, 2007, and 2011), State Bar of Texas
  • Member, Planning Committee, Marriage Dissolution Seminar (2011), State Bar of Texas
  • Member, Planning Committee, Advanced Family Law Drafting Course (2008 and 2010), State Bar of Texas
  • Course Director, 33rd Marriage Dissolution Seminar, San Antonio, Texas, May 2010, State Bar of Texas
  • Co-Course Director, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists Trial Institute (2010), Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists
  • Co-Chair, Family Law on the Front Lines (2003-2007), University of Texas
  • Member, Planning Committee, The Ultimate Trial Notebook – Family Law 2000

Honors and Awards

  • Named the Best Lawyers Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin, BL Ratings, 2013
  • Named the Best Lawyers Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin, BL Ratings, 2016
  • Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, in the field of Family Law, RL Ratings, 2012-2024
  • Selected to Texas Super Lawyers list, Thompson Reuters, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011-2022
  • Selected to Texas Super Lawyer Top 50 Attorneys in Central/West Texas Area, Thompson Reuters, 2017
  • Listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, “AV” rating
  • Co-Recipient of the Franklin Jones Best Continuing Legal Education Article, Texas Bar College, 2012
  • Public Service Award, The Women’s Advocacy Project, 2003
  • Briefing Attorney for Hon. Robert M. Campbell, Justice, The Supreme Court of Texas, 1980-1981
  • Member of the Lloyd Lochridge Chapter of the American Inns of Court
  • Austin's Top Attorneys, Family Law, 2020 - 2023 by Austin Monthly Magazine

Request your case consultation

If you would like to know more about how our firm can help with your case, we invite you to give us a call at 512-342-9980 or fill out the form below. We seek a favorable outcome on your behalf and provide superior service you require.