Education & Honors
-
- Martindale Hubbell – Peer review AV rated for over 15 years.
- 33 Years Experience in Civil Litigation
- Certified Basic, Advanced Family Law, and CPS Mediator
- University of Texas School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1989
- Member, Associate Editor, The Texas Law Review, 1987-1989
- University of Texas at Austin, B.A., summa cum laude, 1986
- Member, Phi Beta Kappa
- Proficient Spanish speaker
Nancy was born and raised in Decatur, Wise County, Texas, where she graduated from Decatur High School as its valedictorian in 1982. She received her B.A degree from the University of Texas at Austin, with highest honors in 1986, and her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law, with honors in 1989. While at UT Law School, she was a member and later an associate editor of The Texas Law Review, the school’s pre-eminent legal publication, where she published her Note, and later served as an associate editor.
Nancy’s 33 year legal practice has been devoted to litigation, including everything from commercial litigation, to all manner of personal and professional liability litigation, property disputes, employer liability, product liability, and more recently, family law and alternative dispute resolution. Nancy began her practice with the commercial litigation firm of Figari & Davenport (1989-1991), and later practiced with the Dallas firm of Cowles & Thompson (1991-2000), where she became a partner in 1994. In 2000, she left to form the Hermes, Sargent, Bates law firm where she was a partner until her departure to form her own firm in Southlake, Texas. Nancy has been with the Carnahan Thomas law firm since 2003, where her practice remained focused on litigation of all kinds. In 2017, she joined Gilbert Mediation Group.
From 1996 to 2015, as part of her practice, Nancy acted as national coordinating products liability counsel for The Brinkmann Corporation, managing the company’s litigation nationwide, assisting with the defense and resolution of their suits, as well as with a number of product recalls which were undertaken by the company in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.
More recently, Nancy has added family law as a more prominent area of her practice and is now focusing her efforts on developing a full-time mediation practice in all areas of litigation and pre-litigation matters, including family law. Nancy has received her basic mediation certification, as well as her Advanced Family Law Mediator certification, and her CPS Mediator certification. She regularly volunteers as a mediator for Tarrant County’s Dispute Resolution Services, where she focuses on mediating family law cases. She travels throughout Texas to bring mediation services throughout the state, and does not charge for reasonable travel in the North and Central Texas area.
Nancy is AV rated by Martindale-Hubble, its highest rating for ethics and excellence, and has held that rating for over 16 years. She has also been named to Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Registry for Preeminent Lawyers publication.
Licensing, Membership, Personal
Nancy is licensed to practice in all Texas state courts as well as the Federal District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts of Texas. She is a member of the Dallas Bar Association, the Northeast Tarrant County Bar Association, and the Texas Association of Mediators. Though her primary locations are in Tarrant and Dallas County, Nancy mediates throughout the state, and does not charge for reasonable travel in the North and Central Texas area.
Nancy has been married to attorney and mediator Mike Carnahan for over 30 years, and they are raising four sons. She is a member of Whites Chapel United Methodist Church, and in her spare time, she enjoys amateur carpentry and home improvement projects including laying wooden flooring, tiling, and electrical and plumbing upgrades, as well as website design and learning to write software code.
Mediation Locations and Contact Information
Nancy mediates remotely or in person at the offices of Carnahan Thomas, 1190 N. Carroll Ave., Southlake, Texas, at the office of Gilbert Mediation Group in the CBS Tower, at 12001 N. Central Expy., Suite 650, Dallas, Texas or in Decatur, Wise County, Texas. Other locations by appointment.
To schedule mediations in Dallas at the offices of Gilbert Mediation Group, contact Brenda at Gilbert Mediation Group at 214-303-4505 or brenda@gmgtexas.com.
To schedule mediation with Nancy, contact us at 817-552-2800, text us at 972-921-6509 or email our office assistant Lela Naughton: lela@carnahanlegal.com.
