Kathryn J. Murphy

Kathryn J. Murphy is a Board Certified family law partner at Goranson Bain Ausley in Plano and one of the most highly credentialed family law attorneys in Texas.

She has been named the Best Lawyers in America© Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Dallas three times — in 2015, 2017, and 2019 — a distinction awarded to only one lawyer per practice area in each community. Kathryn has also been recognized continuously in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Family Law since 2003, with additional recognition beginning in 2024 in Collaborative Law: Family Law and Family Law Mediation.

That longstanding peer recognition reflects a career defined by leadership, courtroom experience, and sophisticated family law representation. Kathryn is a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers — an invitation-only organization limited to 100 family law trial attorneys nationwide — and a Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Family Lawyers. She served on the AAML Board of Governors from 2015 to 2017 and chaired the Family Law Council of the State Bar of Texas in 2016. In 2021, she received the Sam Emison Award, one of the most respected honors in Texas family law, recognizing exceptional contributions to the field.

Kathryn’s practice focuses on high-net-worth divorce, complex property division, business valuation, executive compensation analysis, and contested custody litigation. She regularly represents business owners, executives, and individuals whose divorce matters involve closely held businesses, private equity interests, inherited wealth, and sophisticated marital estates.

Clients turn to Kathryn when their divorce involves substantial assets, business interests, or complex parenting issues that require seasoned judgment and strategic insight. She is known for guiding clients through sophisticated family law matters with discretion, clarity, and the credibility that comes from decades of leadership and courtroom experience.