Ripka, Dorothy Walsh

Dorothy Walsh Ripka
Partner
Office: Dallas, Texas

Read Ms. Ripka's client reviews.

Dealing with gender stereotypes against men in family law is nothing new for seasoned divorce lawyer Dorothy Walsh Ripka.

Her experience with a biased child custody evaluator highlighted everything Ms. Ripka and Cordell & Cordell fight for with respect to father's rights.

In the custody battle between the mother and the father, the original custody evaluator's report was filled with stereotypes and anti-dad biases and recommended the mother have primary custody.

Ms. Ripka found an unbiased evaluator for a second opinion that ultimately ended up favoring the father and the judge awarded primary custody to the dad.

"It shows that we don't accept the norm," she said. "We keep fighting about what is truly in the child's best interest and not just accepting societal norms that the child should automatically be with the mom."

Ms. Ripka said it's her responsibility to help clients cope with what can be an emotionally and financially challenging situation. It is crucial for men to hire an attorney they feel comfortable talking to so that there are no secrets.

"I want to make sure clients know what they say is not being judged," Ms. Ripka said. "Nothing you tell me will shock me or is probably even the worst thing that I have heard today."

Licenses

She is licensed to practice law in Texas, Missouri and Illinois.

Education

Ms. Ripka is a 1997 high-honors graduate of the University of Illinois at Springfield with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. In 2000, she graduated cum laude with her Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law.

Associations

Ms. Ripka is a member of the Annette Stewart Family Law American Inns of Court. She is a graduate of the 2004 American Bar Association Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute.

Other Qualifications

In addition to her practice, Ms. Ripka is a regular instructor at Cordell College. She has presented at numerous family law seminars for the public and fellow attorneys.

Ms. Ripka is a frequent guest on the popular legal video podcast, DadsDivorce Live produced by DadsDivorce.com. View Ms. Ripka's articles on divorce.

She has also presented on the topic of "Interactive Evidence: Finding Evidence Through Social Networking" at Cordell & Cordell's 2010 CLE seminar. At the 2011 seminar, she spoke about ethics and the "Emerging Ethical Issues in Family Law."

Awards

In 2004, Ms. Ripka was recognized by the firm as the Top Overall Performer, an award for the top performing attorney in the area of total performance, including billed hours, collected revenue and client satisfaction.

She was named Partner in 2011.

Miscellaneous

She has been an avid tennis player throughout her life and was named an Academic All-American in college as a four-year varsity tennis player.

end faq

View Ms. Ripka's articles on divorce.