Michelle O’Neil, left, and Karri Bertrand of O’Neil Wysocki Family Law

Michelle O’Neil, a board-certified family law specialist with O’Neil Wysocki Family Law, known for handling cases involving same-sex couples with children, has just been named as one of Texas’ Best Lawyers in the family law and appellate court practice areas in the 2020 edition of Best Lawyers of America in the DFW metro area.

O’Neil Wysocki associate attorney Jennifer Satagaj was also listed as one of Texas’ Best Lawyers in family law, and Karri Betrand, a lesbian attorney at the O’Neil Wysocki firm, and three of her colleagues — Erica A. Atkin, Ryan H. Segall and Andrew Speer — have received the Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch award.

Best Lawyers in America chooses its honorees “based on unbiased and honest reviews and feedback from other notable attorneys within the legal profession,”  press released explained. “To ensure this remains consistent, the publication is very transparent about how its Best Lawyers peer review process works.” Read about that process here.

O’Neil has been recognized by Texas Super Lawyers for nine consecutive years and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Layers in Texas, one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas and one of the Top 100 Layers in Dallas/Fort Worth  by Texas Super ayers. She has also been named Best Lawyer in American from 2016-2018 in the appellate law practice area and, most recently, was included in D Magazine’s list of Best Lawyers in Dallas 2019 in appellate law.

Bertrand was among the Inaugural Leadership Class of the Dallas Women Layers Association in 2015, and is also active in The Dallas Bar Association Family and Appellate Sections, The Dallas Association of Young Layers and the Dallas LGBT Bar Association.

In a press release announcing the Ones to Watch honors, O’Neil Wysocki officials said, “These awards recognize up-and-coming attorneys for their professional excellence in private practice in the United States. As this was the first year Best Lawyers gave out this award, we are honored that four of our attorneys received recognition.”

—Tammye Nash