Kristy Sims Piazza

Kristy Sims Piazza is an accomplished family law attorney with a growing reputation for intensity both in the courtroom and at settlement, especially when the welfare of children or other underdogs is concerned. Her compassion and thorough preparation have won her selection as one of the Texas Rising Stars of family law the past four years.

In one recent case, Ms. Piazza won custody of a small boy for his grandmother, who was determined to save the child from a life of neglect.

Ms. Piazza has taken a leadership position with the Texas Young Lawyers Association to work on programs benefitting women and children. She spearheaded a TYLA joint project with Texas Lawyers for Children to recruit and train lawyers to serve as an attorney or guardian ad litem to abused and neglected children in foster care.

Ms. Piazza was the recipient of the TYLA President’s Award of Merit in 2009 and currently serves as secretary and as vice chair of the On-Line Member Services, Family Law/Seniors Outreach/Children’s Rights and Low Income Texans committees. Ms. Piazza played an integral part in the production and distribution of TYLA’s video Healing the Wounds: Navigating the Legal System After Surviving Domestic Abuse to victims of domestic violence and agencies throughout the State. She also co-authored many of TYLA’s publications including “What to Expect in Texas Family Law Courts” and the “Pro Se Divorce Handbook.”

Aside from her work with TYLA, Ms. Piazza also serves as a director for the Collin County Bar Association and the Collin County Bench Bar Foundation.

She is a member of the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL), the Collin County Young Lawyers (CCYLA), the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and the College of the State Bar of Texas. She is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and the Dallas Young Lawyers Association.

While Ms. Piazza has the ability to aggressively litigate a case when needed, she is also trained in collaborative law and is an active member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas and the Collaborative Professionals of Dallas.

Ms. Piazza grew up in Cedar Hill, Texas. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree, Cum Laude, from the University of North Texas and her Juris Doctor from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in 2004. Ms. Piazza is also an alumni of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, Gamma Rho Chapter (Texas Tech University). 

Related publications