Michael Prince
Main image for Michael Prince

Michael Prince

If Michael Prince had a nickname, it would probably be “Mr. Proactive.” Whether handling a case for external clients or representing other lawyers as Carrington Coleman’s Assistant General Counsel, he encouraged everyone to share their most serious concerns up-front. This enabled him to quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of their case.

In the professional liability, contract dispute, securities and environmental cases he handled, Michael Prince was always a step ahead, recognizing potential land mines before others even suspected there was a problem. Mike’s prescient abilities—the result of assiduous research and painstaking attention to detail—were first put into practice during his active duty service as a young naval intelligence officer, briefing and debriefing air crews before and after combat missions. That experience and the uncommon knowledge and judgment it instilled in him were put to good use in the numerous cases he handled for clients involved in aircraft accidents and other products liability claims.

His proactive approach was also evident in the CLE courses he taught on ethics and best practices. In addition, he taught that regular and frequent communication with clients should be mandatory and applied it in his own practice. If anything changed in a case, if a new challenge by opposing counsel required more work or additional resources were needed, he alerted clients immediately.

After all, as he told his CLE students and law firm mentees: it’s their case, not yours; let them know what’s going on.

“I was around for a long time and observed a lot of professional behavior. I knew the rules, the risks, and the trouble individual attorneys and businesses could get into. That was one of those times when being old is good; it gave you an important and informed perspective.”

Michael Prince

Areas of Focus

Education

Education

  • University of Georgia (J.D., cum laude, 1977)

    Member: Order of the Barristers, Blue Key, Georgia Moot Court Executive Board, 1976-77

  • Randolph-Macon College (B.A., with honors, 1968)

    Member: Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa

Admissions

Bar Admissions
  • Texas, 1978
  • Georgia, 1977

Leadership

  • Member: American Bar Association Sections on Litigation, Tort and Insurance Practice, and Business Law.
  • Member: College of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association committees on Environmental Law, Business Litigation, and Antitrust.
  • Former Member: State Bar of Texas Administration of the Rules of Evidence Committee, 1990-2006 (Chairman, 1995-1996); recipient of the Presidential Citation from the State Bar for that service.
  • Former Member: State Bar of Texas Professional Liability Insurance Committee, and Court Costs, Efficient, and Delay Committee.
  • Member: Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee, 2004-present, Co-chair, 2005-2006; Senior Lawyer’s Committee, Chair 2011-2013

Recognition

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Rating

AV-Preeminent-2020

SPeeches/Publications

  • Speaker, Regional and Mid-Size Law Firm Forum, 2007.
  • Co-author, Ethics in Attorney Advertising, and Solutions to the Most Common Ethical Challenges; National Business Institute, 2003.
  • Co-author, Selected Ethical and Malpractice Pitfalls in Transactional Work – Problems in Being a Lawyer for the Deal, in the Deal or with a Deal; Ninth Annual SMU Corporate Counsel Symposium, 2001.
  • Co-author, Evidence Law Update 2000, Litigation and Trial Tactics Course, University of Houston Law Foundation, 2000.