Attorneys

Daniel J. Sheehan
Email: dsheehan@dsa-law.com

Dan Sheehan has been board certified in civil trial law since 1980 and has earned widespread respect from judges, lawyers, clients and adversaries. He brings to the table a formidable combination of legal skills.

He graduated first in his class from law school and was the editor-in-chief of his school's law journal. After graduation, he received the distinguished honor of an appointment as briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas. Today, Sheehan combines that same intellectual capacity for the law with strong courtroom skills. The result?  A lawyer with the rare tools to clearly and simply lay out the facts of an intricate case to a jury, with the background and ability to analyze and argue fine points of law.

Sheehan has been named a " Texas Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics Media and was featured in Texas Monthly in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He also has been named one of the "500 Leading Lawyers in America" in 2006 and 2007 by Lawdragon.

He has tried cases and handled appeals in state and federal courts, including the Texas Supreme Court and United States Supreme Court. Sheehan is recognized as one of the most experienced and imaginative civil trial lawyers in the region. He has the rare ability to blend his powerful courtroom presence with a perceptive grasp of the facts to give his clients his very best in the most complex of cases.

Twice in 2006, Sheehan appeared as a panelist in Texas Lawyer newspaper's prestigious Roundtable series. Of course, the topic was legal malpractice, analyzed and discussed by the leading legal malpractice lawyers in Texas.

Read excerpts from the two Roundtable discussions. The most recent Roundtable was convened in Houston at the Magnolia Hotel on October 19, 2006. The first was held in Dallas on April 20, 2006

Sheehan represents judges, other lawyers and large law firms in matters ranging from legal malpractice to personal litigation. Respect for Dan and his associates bring growing numbers of clients to the firm.

Practice Areas:

Legal Malpractice; Civil Litigation; Trial Practice; Business Litigation; Fiduciary Litigation; Wrongful Death

Admitted:

1974, Texas, U.S. District Court, Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Since 1980, Board Certified, Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Education:

St. Mary's University at San Antonio, J.D., Valedictorian, 1974

University of Iowa, B.A., 1971

Biography:

Editor-in-Chief, St. Mary's Law Journal, 1973-1974

Briefing Attorney, Supreme Court of Texas, 1974-1975

Associate, Wynne & Jaffe (Gardere & Wynne, LLP) 1975-1979 

Professional Associations:

College of the State Bar of Texas (Member)

Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

Life Member, Fellows of the Dallas Bar Foundation

Dallas and American (Member, Litigation Section) Bar Associations

State Bar of Texas (Member, Litigation Section)

Texas Bar Foundation

American Board of Trial Advocates

Martindale-Hubbell Rating:

AV. Highest attainable rating by Martindale-Hubbell (legal ability rating - "very high to preeminent" and ethical rating - "very high")

Honors:

Texas Super Lawyer 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008; Law & Politics Media.

500 Leading Lawyers in America 2006 and 2007; Lawdragon.

Speeches and CLE Events:

Legal Malpractice Roundtable Series; Texas Lawyer newspaper, Dallas, TX, April 2006.

Winning Legal Strategies for Doing Business in Texas; ReedLogic Executive Seminars, April 2006.

Civil Appeals For Trial Lawyers; South Texas College of Law, Houston, TX, April 2006.

Legal Malpractice Roundtable Series; Texas Lawyer newspaper, Houston, TX, October 2006.

Lawyer Discipline, Unauthorized Practice of Law, The Grievance System, Legal Malpractice and a View from the Bench on Ethical issues; Dallas Bar Association's Business Litigation section,  September 2004.

Taking and Defending Effective Depositions in Texas; Lorman Educational Services,  Dallas, TX, January 2004.

Advanced Civil Trial Course: Legal Malpractice Update and Civil Trial Ethics; State Bar of Texas CLE,  August 2003.

Preparing To Take the Deposition of an Adverse Party or Lay Witness; Lorman Educational Services, Dallas, TX, January 2003.

Contingent Fees: Legal and Ethical Issues; Dallas Bar Association's Business Litigation Section, May 2002.   

Legal Malpractice: Recent Cases Expanding Liability; Dallas Bar Association's Friday Clinic, February 2001.  

Masters On Jury Selection; Program Coordinator/Moderator. American Board of Trial Advocates, Dallas Chapter and The Foundation of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Dallas, TX, August 1999.

Born:

Tacoma, Washington, November 11, 1949

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