Dawn Estes

Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Dallas, Texas

Estes Thorne Ewing & Payne PLLC
Dawn Estes
Estes Thorne Ewing & Payne PLLC

Practice areas: Business Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution

Licensed in Texas since: 1989

Education: St. Mary's University School of Law

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2003 - 2025

Estes Thorne Ewing & Payne PLLC

3811 Turtle Creek Blvd.
Suite 2000
Dallas, TX 75219 Phone: 214-599-4002 Email: Dawn Estes Visit website

Dawn Estes provides clients with a proven ability to manage and resolve sophisticated business disputes. With litigation experience in state and federal courts, she has represented clients large and small in a variety of complex matters, including employee theft and fraud, trade secret and proprietary information misappropriation, tortious contract interference, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and many others.

Estes has additional expertise in e-commerce, Internet and computer technology law, including issues of software performance, development disputes, domain name issues, cybersmear, Internet e-commerce ventures, and website development issues. She also serves as a court-appointed mediator, has been selected to serve on the American Arbitration Association's National Panel of Arbitrators, and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Before co-founding Taber Estes Thorne & Carr in 2008, Estes was a partner in the trial section of Dallas’ Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP.

First Admitted: 1989, Texas

Professional Webpage: https://estesthorne.com/team/dawn-estes/

Bar / Professional Activity

  • Member, State Bar of Texas Member, State Bar of Oklahoma Member, Dallas Committee for a Qualified Judiciary Member, Association of Attorney/Mediators Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation Life Fellow, Dallas Bar Foundation, Former Trustee Member, Dallas Bar Association Board of Directors (2016-2017) CLE Committee, Judiciary Committee Co-Chair (2012) Bench Bar Committee Co-Chair (2011) Presidential Citation, Dallas Bar Association (2011) Member, Dallas Women Lawyers Association Member, Attorneys Serving the Community Master and Executive Committee Member, Higginbotham Inn of Court Fellow, Dallas Young Lawyers Association (DYLA) Foundation Former Member, State Bar Committee on Administration of Rules of Evidence (2008-2012) Former Subcommittee Chair, Technology 2016 Texas Trial Legend, Tort & Insurance Practice Section, DBA 2016 Outstanding Female Partner Award, Dallas Women Lawyers Association

Pro bono / Community Service

  • Board of Directors, Texas Appleseed Board of Directors, Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Volunteer, Austin Street Shelter Former Board Member, Lakewood Service League Northaven United Methodist Church Band Member, Black Dirt Tango Member, Leadership Dallas Alumni Association  

Honors

  • Best Women Lawyers in Dallas in commercial litigation, as published in D Magazine (2010) 
  • Recognized, Best Lawyers Under 40, as published in D Magazine (2002)
  • AV Preeminent - Martindale-Hubbell Recognized
  • Recognized, Top 50: Women Texas Super Lawyers in Texas, Thomson Reuters, as published in Texas Monthly (2006, 2011-2013, 2015-2020) 
  • Recognized Top 100: Dallas/Ft. Worth Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, as published in Texas Monthly (2011-2012, 2015-2020) 
  • Recognized, Top 100 in Texas: Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, as published in Texas Monthly (2017-2020) 
  • Recognized, Best Lawyers in America® in commercial litigation, BL Rankings (2016-2021)
  • Recognized, Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, as published in Texas Monthly (2003-2020) 

Educational Background

  • J.D., St. Mary's University School of Law (1989), Associate Editor, Law Journal B.A., Southern Methodist University, cum laude (1986).

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

  • Speeches -How a Small Firm Can Make a Big Splash, My Firm Did and so Can You – Start Your Law Practice Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana – 11/2017 – SpeakerDeveloping Cannonball Cross Examination Through The Adverse Deposition – UT Law, Winning at Deposition Skills and Strategy, Austin, Texas – 8/2017 – SpeakerCivility and Ethics - Are They the Same Thing? “Incivility’s Top Ten!” – Northern District of Texas, Bench Bar Conference, Dallas, Texas – 1/2017 – PanelistArbitration Trends: What's Happening Now! – Advanced Trial Strategies Course 2016 – 02/2016 – Speaker UT Law's Winning at Deposition – Skills and Strategy Conference – 09/2015 – Speaker How Do You Win at Arbitration? – State Bar College Summer School, Galveston, TX – 07/2015 – SpeakerWhat Should I Do in Arbitration and What Do I Do If I Don't Like the Result? – Advanced Trial Strategies Course 2015 – 02/2015 – Speaker
  • Publications -Partnering Effectively with Outside Counsel - State Bar of Texas 17th Annual Advanced In-House Counsel - 8/10/18 - Co-AuthorHow Preparing for an Arbitration is Different Than Preparing for Trial – Including Discovery, State Bar of Texas, Texas Bar College, 19th Annual Summer School, Galveston, Texas – 07/2017 - Co-AuthorThe Evolving Roles of In-House and Outside Counsel to Identify Sources of Information, Preserve Data, and Collect Documents in Coverage Litigation – DRI Program, Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium, New York, New York – 12/2017 – Co-AuthorHow to Win at Arbitration in a Consumer Case - State Bar of Texas, 12th Annual Advanced Consumer & Commercial Law Course, Austin, Texas – 9/2016 – Co-AuthorSupporting Women is Good Business – Texas Lawyer – 10/2014 – Co-AuthorSpam, Spam and More Spam – 5 No. 7 E-Commerce L. Rep. 5 – 05/2011 – Author When Businesses Hire Lawyers, Gender Matters – Texas Lawyer – 10/2010 - Co-AuthorElectronic Evidence and Discovery - It's a Whole New World – Advanced Evidence and Discovery Course, University of Houston Law Foundation CLE– 01/2007 – Author Electronic Evidence and Discovery - The Law of Electronic Discovery – Advanced Evidence and Discovery Course, University of Houston Law Foundation CLE – 01/2007 – Author
  • Other - Interview, "Security and Protecting Sensitive Information," World Business Review (January 2003); Interview, Napster Appellate Decision, Channel 8 News (aired February 21, 2001, Dallas; March 2001, Houston); Panelist, "Cybercrime: Are You At Risk?" AIP Lecture Series, SMU Hart eCenter (reported in The Dallas Morning News, March 15, 2001).

Office location for Dawn Estes

3811 Turtle Creek Blvd.
Suite 2000
Dallas, TX 75219

Selections

23 Years Super Lawyers
  • Super Lawyers: 2003 - 2025

Top Lists

Top 100: Dallas/Fort Worth Super Lawyers: 2011 - 2013, 2015 - 2021, 2023 - 2025
Top 50: Women Texas Super Lawyers: 2006, 2011 - 2013, 2015 - 2021, 2023 - 2025
Top 100: Texas Super Lawyers: 2015, 2017 - 2021, 2024

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