John Michael Frick

John has been representing businesses and business people in the North Texas area for more than thirty years. He has tried numerous cases at various levels of the judicial system, including federal district court and state district court. He has presented appeals to the Supreme Court of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and ten of the fourteen intermediate courts of appeal in Texas. He has arbitrated cases before the American Arbitration Association and JAMS, Inc. In addition to his trial practice, John is a trained mediator and summary jury trial judge. As a result of displaying a high degree of skill, competence, and professionalism, he has earned an AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

John received his law degree from SMU School of Law in 1988, where he served as an Associate Editor for the Southwestern Law Journal. While still in law school, he successfully presented an appeal to the Supreme Court of Texas through the school’s civil clinic program, resulting in a published opinion reversing the lower court. He also completed his first jury trial through the school’s clinic program.

After graduating from law school, John served a judicial clerkship as briefing attorney for the Honorable Gordon H. Rowe, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas at Dallas. There, John had the pleasure of working with future Supreme Court of Texas Justices Nathan Hecht, Craig Enoch, and James Baker.

As a seasoned trial lawyer, John continues to maintain a high level of practice. He has represented clients in cases reported in the Wall Street Journal and Dallas Morning News, as well as ones featured on local news broadcasts and the national news program, Nightline. His civil trial practice includes representation in both state and federal court and encompasses a wide range of areas.

• Civil Litigation
• Contract Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Real Estate Litigation
• Professional Liability

• Credit Cards Accepted
  Visa & Mastercard Only
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Provides 90-minute initial consultation for a flat fee of $500. Does not typically work on a contingency fee. Usually requires a retainer.

Texas

State Bar of Texas

ID Number: 07455200

Since 1988

5th Circuit

Since 1992

Partner

Reid, Dennis & Frick, PC

2022 - Current

Member

Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC

2021 - 2021

Partner

Bennett, Weston LaJone & Turner, P.C.

2017 - 2021

Senior Attorney

Reid & Dennis, PC

2010 - 2017

Solo Practitioner

Law Offices of John M. Frick

2001 - 2010

Partner

Mills, Presby & Associates, L.L.P.

1995 - 2001

Associate

Godwin & Carlton, P.C.

1989 - 1995

Briefing Attorney

Court of Appeals, Fifth District of Texas at Dallas

1988 - 1989

SMU Dedman School of Law

Doctor of Jurisprudence/Juris Doctor (J.D.)

1988

Southern Methodist University

B.S. (1985) | Political Science

1981 - 1985

Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Southern Methodist University

B.A. (1985) | Psychology

1981 - 1985

Honors: Summa Cum Laude

AV-Preeminent

Martindale-Hubbell

2004

For over 100 years, the Bar Register has been a unique guide to the legal community's most eminent professionals. It includes only those select law practices that have earned the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and have been designated by their colleagues as preeminent in their field. The 2022 Bar Register contains over 14,000 member listings out of more than 1.3 million attorneys in the United States.

Texas State Bar  # 07455200

Member

1988 - Current

Board-Certified, Civil Trial Law

Texas Board of Legal Specialization

2010

Q. Service dogs banned & rent disparity in TX apartment complex

June 19, 2025

A: You can speak to a lawyer that practices in the area of housing discrimination or file a complaint: https://disabilityrightstx.org/en/handout/how-to-report-housing-discrimination/

You will want to provide proof of your disability and your service dog's training, proof you gave your landlord appropriate notice that you are disabled and that your dog is a service animal, and proof that your landlord has banned your service dog and issued you a lease violation.

With respect to service animals, a landlord usually is limited to two questions:

1) Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?

2) What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

An example is the tenant is blind and a trained seeing-eye dog helps guide the blind tenant around obstacle while walking. If the landlord attempts to ban the service dog from the community room under those circumstances, the tenant has a decent case of disability discrimination based on the tenant's disability--blindness. ... Read More

Q. Can I remove my name from a misleadingly signed car loan in TX?

June 19, 2025

A: Whether you can be removed from the loan depends on what the loan documents you sign actually say, not what your uncle may have told you.

If the loan documents are different than what your uncle may have told you, you should not have signed the loan documents. It would be very hard to argue that you justifiably relied on what your uncle may have told you if the loan documents themselves say something different. It also raises a serious problem of proof, especially if your uncle denies telling you what you claim he told you.

Q. Appeal for due process violations and clerk log issues in TX

June 18, 2025

A: I have never heard of out-of-sequence clerk transaction logs as being grounds for an appeal.

An ex parte TRO has a very limited duration and would expire long before an appeal could be heard, rendering any appeal from the TRO itself moot. Consequently, there is no appeal from the entry of an ex parte TRO itself.

If you have been held in contempt for violating a TRO, your appellate remedy is by writ of habeas corpus. Lack of notice is a due process defense to the enforceability of a TRO in a contempt proceeding and should have been raised at the time of any contempt proceeding.

Within a month after a TRO is granted, there is usually a temporary injunction hearing at which the court receives evidence and from which a record is made. The trial court may grant a temporary injunction similar to the TRO or different from the TRO or may deny any relief. If the court enters a temporary injunction--which can last longer than a TRO up to the entire pendency of the lawsuit--you have the right to file an interlocutory accelerated appeal other than in family law cases. Lack of notice and due process violations are often raised as defenses to the entry of a temporary injunction and can be raised on appeal. ... Read More