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Jim Grau

Managing Partner

JIM GRAU

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“Our job is to solve problems. That may involve going to court, reaching a settlement, or taking a more patient approach. All of these strategies can resolve a dispute on terms favorable to the client.”

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214 521-4145

jgrau@graulawgroup.com

Trial advocacy is not a skill learned by reading a book. It is instead a craft honed by years of practice for a singular purpose: to honorably, zealously, and skillfully represent the client’s interests in the crucible of the courtroom. For more than 30 years, Jim Grau has practiced his trade in this manner to great effect. Along the way, he has earned his reputation among clients, adversaries, and the judiciary as a trusted counselor, a gifted speaker, and a formidable cross examiner. In other words, he is an advocate’s advocate.

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That reputation has grown over the years as Mr. Grau has represented both large corporations and individual businesspeople in a remarkably diverse range of legal disputes. These disputes represent the entire range of practice areas in which Grau Law accepts cases, including business and commercial litigation, catastrophic loss, construction litigation, professional liability litigation, appellate practice, and high-level mediation.

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He has successfully litigated all manner of major business disputes through trial, including contract claims as well as disputes related to real estate, insurance, banking, public works construction projects, environmental damage issues, and wrongful death lawsuits. And in each instance, he attributes his success to a consistent commitment to preparation and evaluation.

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“Lawsuits are won in the planning stages,” Mr. Grau says. “That means doing the hard homework in each case that allows for the opportunity to make smart legal decisions: a thorough investigation into the facts, a full analysis of the parties’ respective legal positions, and a straightforward, sometimes brutally honest reporting to the client that includes an evaluation of both the strengths and weaknesses of the client’s position in order to make good business decisions. We don’t ever want to be so unwise as to try a case that should be settled. But, in the same way, we are not afraid of going to trial when our preparations inform us that our position is strong and we can and should win.”

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For scheduling contact Julie Davis at jdavis@graulawgroup.com

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Mr. Grau is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates where he serves on the Executive Council of the Dallas Chapter and was the President of that Chapter in 2019.  He is also on the Texas State District Court Subcommittees on Commercial and Construction Litigation and the Dallas Bar Association. He is also a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Mr. Grau has been admitted to practice before all United States District Courts in Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals (5th Circuit) and the United States Claims Court. Mr. Grau is also licensed in New York where he is a member of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section.

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Mr. Grau has been selected to the list of Texas Super Lawyers compiled by Thomson Reuters since 2004 and published in a special section of Texas Monthly Magazine.  He has been selected by his peers for Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers Business Edition from 2010 to 2022.  He is also listed as one of the best attorneys in Dallas by D Magazine (2015 to 2023) and one of the top rated attorneys in Texas by Best Lawyers.  He is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating an attorney can attain for legal ability and ethics.

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Mr. Grau grew up in Indiana and graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1982. He earned his Juris Doctor in 1985 from Drake University.

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Education

  • Drake University School of Law, Des Moines, Iowa – J.D. (1985)

  • Ball State University – Bachelor of Arts (1982)

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Professional Licenses

  • State Bar of Texas

  • U.S. District Court (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas)

  • U.S. Court of Appeals (Fifth Circuit)

  • U.S. Claims Court

  • State Bar of New York

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Honors & Awards

  • AV Preeminent Peer Review rating by Martindale Hubbell

  • Texas Super Lawyers Civil Litigation 

  • Texas Super Lawyers Business Edition 

  • D Magazine Best Lawyers in Dallas 

  • Best Lawyers in America 

  • Trial Legend – Dallas Bar Association

  • Civility & Ethics Award - Tex-ABOTA & Dallas ABOTA
     

Professional Associations and Recent Activities

  • American Board of Trial Advocates – Advocate Member

  • President (2019) of the Dallas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates

  • Member of the Executive Council of American Board of Trial Advocates, Dallas Chapter

  • Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation

  • Member State District Court Subcommittees on Commercial and Construction Litigation

  • Member Dallas Bar Association Subcommittee on Business​Litigation

 

Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker “Sanctions and Bad Behavior” – Dallas Bar Association

  • Speaker “Business Litigation Involving the Government as a Party” – Texas Bar CLE

  • Speaker “Malpractice Traps for the Beginning Lawyer” – Dallas Bar Association

  • Speaker “Jury Trial versus Arbitration” – State Bar of Texas

  • Speaker “Trial Tips and Lessons Learned from the Plaintiff and Defense Bar’s Perspectives” – Dallas Bar Association

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