Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2017 
Esther R. Donald is a family law attorney at Goranson Bain Ausley in Dallas.
She has been admitted to the Texas Bar since 1988 and has practiced family law for 38 years. Esther is a Master Credentialed Collaborative Professional through Collaborative Divorce Texas and is admitted to practice in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas.
Esther has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© for Family Law from 2017 through 2026 and for Collaborative Law: Family Law from 2024 through 2026. She has been selected to Texas Super Lawyers every year from 2016 through 2025, including the Top 100 Dallas/Fort Worth and Top 50 Women Texas Super Lawyers lists in 2022. Esther has been named to LawDragon's 500 Leading Family Lawyers in 2025 and 2026 and to D Magazine's Best Lawyers in Dallas in 2025 and 2026.
Her practice is focused entirely on out-of-court family law matters, with particular emphasis on collaborative divorce, gray divorce, complex marital estates, and premarital and marital property agreements. Esther helps clients negotiate customized agreements that protect their families and finances without resorting to litigation.
Esther has served the family law bar in significant leadership roles. She was Course Director for the State Bar of Texas Annual Collaborative Law Course in 2022 (Assistant Director in 2021; Planning Committee member and speaker 2020 and 2023–2025) and recently served as Vice President of the State Bar of Texas Collaborative Law Section. She is Immediate Past President of Collaborative Divorce Collin County, Past Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Collaborative Law Section, and Secretary and Charter Board Member of the Collin County Bar Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. She is a Fellow of the Dallas Bar Association and the Dallas Bar Foundation.
She is known for her collaborative, solution-focused approach.
