Amy C.  Allen
Partner, Family Law Practice Group Leader

When clients walk through my door, their lives are often in shambles – the marriage has completely broken down, abuse may have torn the family apart, or they’re worried about being financially secure on their own. Putting the pieces back together and starting over are never easy, and my clients can’t do it alone. I know I’ve made a real difference when I empower them to brush away the overwhelming negativity that surrounds a family dispute, start healing for the children’s sake and take control of their lives financially.

Amy Allen serves as Gray Reed's Family Law Practice Group Leader. Clients throughout the Gulf Coast area rely on Amy to resolve complex, emotionally-charged family disputes, particularly when difficult property issues are involved or they need a compassionate advocate to protect the children caught in the middle. She handles the entire range of issues and disputes that clients may face, including divorce, child custody, modifications, enforcement actions, marital property valuation and characterization, premarital agreements, adoptions and other child-related issues. Amy is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Amy has substantial experience in handling the most challenging property characterization, valuation and division issues. She has represented numerous high-net-worth individuals, professional athletes and their spouses, both in divorce proceedings and premarital agreement negotiations involving large estates, complex assets and a wide range of valuable business interests.

Before joining the firm, Amy worked with various public and private organizations – in conjunction with the Harris County Family Court judges, court personnel and volunteers – assisting families and children involved in difficult divorces and related proceedings. She learned first-hand how children are impacted by chaotic family disputes and the importance of resolving the core conflict between parents to ensure the long-term welfare of the children.

The outcome of a family dispute has long-lasting consequences, so Amy insists that clients have a strong voice and are fully invested throughout the process. Before they get started, Amy takes extra time to build trust, learn about the problems at the heart of the dispute and help clients set realistic, practical goals. This approach allows Amy to explore multiple alternatives, give clients options and keep them focused on each step necessary to achieve the ideal result.

Representative Experience
  • Handled more than 50 premarital agreements, many with complex assets and large estates.
  • Represented several professional athletes or spouses of professional athletes in divorce. Related issues included contracts with multiple teams, bonuses and future earnings.
  • Served as Amicus attorney for four children involved in the Eldorado Compound sexual abuse case.
  • Served as Amicus attorney, guardian ad litem, and attorney ad litem for children for more than 100 other children.
  • Prosecuted protective orders both at the District Attorney’s office and in private practice.
  • Prior to law school, supervised more than 1,000 hours of visitation interactions between children and a parent when the court says they can be alone with that parent.
Thought Leadership / News
November 17, 2022 
 Speeches and Presentations
Intersection Between Estate Planning and Family

Board of the Houston Business and Estate Planning Council 

November 9, 2022 
 Speeches and Presentations
Professionalism When Working with Divorce Clients and Opposing Counsel

Texas Family Law Practice for Paralegals 

Honors
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America as the "Lawyer of the Year" in Houston for Family Law Mediation (2023)
  • Selected by her peers for inclusion in Woodward/White, Inc.'s The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Family Law (2019 - 2024), Family Law Arbitration (2023 - 2024) and Family Law Mediation (2023 - 2024)
  • Named a "Super Lawyer" (2014 - 2023) and a "Rising Star" (2010 - 2014) by Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters business) as published in Texas Monthly 
  • Named a Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer in Houston (2017 - 2023)
  • Named an H-Texas Top Lawyer in Houston (2016)
Organizational Involvement

Professional Involvement, Memberships & Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section Member
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Houston Bar Association, Family Law Section 
    • Co-Chair, Family/Probate Law Bench Bar (October 2021)
    • President (June 2020 – May 2021)
    • President Elect (June 2019 – May 2020)
  • Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists
    • President (June 2020 – May 2021)
    • Present Elect (June 2019 – May 2020)
  • Burta Rhoads Rayborn Inns of Court 
    • Board of Directors
    • President (2017 – 2018)
    • Secretary (2015 – 2016)
  • Texas Family Law Foundation, Lifetime Member
  • Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists
    • Co-Chair, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialist Trial Institute (February 2021)
    • Board of Directors (2016 – 2019)
    • Historian (2013 – present)

Community Involvement, Memberships & Affiliations

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizen's Academy, Chapter Member
  • Family Time Foundation, Inc.- Crisis Hotline, Personal Accompaniment Volunteer (PAV) for sexual assault victims, Crisis Response Team for the Harris County Sheriff's Department, District II; legal advocate at The Door (domestic violence shelter)
  • University of Texas at Austin Longhorn Foundation Member
  • Texas Ex Lifetime Member and Forty Acres Scholarship Member
  • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Calf Scramble Committeeman
    • Vice Chairman (2020 – present)
    • Captain (2017 – 2020)
Education
  • J.D., University of Houston Law Center (2006)
  • B.S., The University of Texas at Austin (1994)
Bar Admission
  • Texas
When I Feel Most At Home
  • Watching college football, especially the Texas Longhorns
  • Traveling and spending time with family and friends
  • Trying out new restaurants