Chris Oldner
Former Judge Chris Oldner has spent his entire career inside courtrooms. After beginning his career as a district attorney’s office prosecutor, he served three years as the judge of Collin County Court at Law 5 before being appointed in 2003 to be the first judge of the 416th Texas District Court.
As the presiding judge of the general jurisdiction district court for 13 years, Chris heard Family Law, as well as civil and criminal cases, providing him with a profound understanding of courtroom strategy and procedure. Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he holds the distinction of not having a single criminal case ruling overturned during his tenure on the bench.
His work has earned him the respect of not only those who have appeared before him in court, but also his professional peers. In 2016, he was unanimously elected as the chair of the State Bar of Texas Judicial Section and is also a member of the Board of Governors of the American Judges Association. In addition, he is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow.
He has been the recipient of the Mari Kay Bickett Judicial Excellence Through Education Award and the Exemplary Judicial Faculty Award from Texas Center for the Judiciary, and in 2007 earned a State Bar of Texas Presidential Commendation.
Since joining ONDA, Chris also has become Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is dedicated to issues involving the protection and well-being of children. He served as the co-chair of the Judicial Disproportionality Workgroup for the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Commission for Children, Youth and Families’ Court Improvement Project, and as a member of the Texas Center for the Judiciary’s Children’s Justice Act Task Force.
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- State Bar of Texas, Member
- State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, Member
- State Bar of Texas, Judicial Section, Chair-Elect, 2015-2016
- State Bar of Texas, Judicial Section, Director, 2014-2016
- American Judges Association, Board of Governors, 2014-2016
- College of the State Bar of Texas, Member
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Commission for Children, Youth and Families’ Court Improvement Project, Judicial Disproportionality Workgroup, Co-Chair, 2013-2016
- Texas Center for the Judiciary Children’s Justice Act Taskforce, Chair, 2013-2014
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Criminal Law Advisory Commission, 2012-2016
- Texas Center for the Judiciary Children’s Justice Act Taskforce, Legislative Affairs Committee, Chair, 2011-2013
- Curt B. Henderson American Inn of Court, President, 2011-2013
- Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, Bench Book Judicial Advisory Committee, Chair, 2011
- Curt B. Henderson Inn of Court, Founding Master and First President, 2010
- Texas Center for the Judiciary, Board of Directors, 2010-2012
- Texas Center for the Judiciary, Curriculum Committee, Chair, 2010-2012
- Texas Center for the Judiciary Children’s Justice Act Task Force, Member, 2009-2016
- Texas Center for the Judiciary Curriculum Committee, Member, 2008-2012
- Texas Association for Court Administration, Judicial Advisory Board Member, 2003-2006
- Best Lawyers in America, 2019-2020
- Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2019
- Curt B. Henderson American Inn of Court Sergeant at Arms Award, 2014
- Texas Center for the Judiciary, Mari Kay Bickett Judicial Excellence Through Education Award, 2011
- Texas Center for the Judiciary, Exemplary Judicial Faculty Award, 2010
- State Bar of Texas, Presidential Commendation, 2007
- Texas Young Lawyers Association, President’s Award of Merit, 2001
- Collin County Bar Association, President’s Service Star Award, 1999
- Collin County Young Lawyers Association, Outstanding Young Lawyer of Collin County, 1998-99
Dallas, Texas 75225
