McKernan, Gordon J.

"KoonsFuller has a number of incredibly well-practiced lawyers. With a team like this on your side, you're bound to get positive results." 

Ashley McDowell uses her common sense approach and ability to see the bigger picture to help her clients reach agreements that benefit the entire family. This approach has made her one of the Rising Stars of family law featured in Texas Monthly.

Ms. McDowell is a strong advocate for children, in part because of dealing with her own parents' divorce. "People just want it to be over so they can move on," she says. "But when they share children, they'll continue to communicate for the rest of their lives." For this reason, Ms. McDowell works hard to keep the relationships as intact as possible, to create a foundation that will sustain the children after the divorce.

Though she practices mostly traditional family law, Ms. McDowell is also trained in collaborative law. She joined Koons Fuller in January of 2009, after spending three years as a partner in a family law firm she co-founded.

"I loved running my own firm, but the advantage of Koons Fuller is that you have the resources and training to offer the best service possible to my clients." Ms. McDowell earned her bachelor's degree in advertising and public relations from Texas Christian University in 1993, and her juris doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1998.

During law school, she was vice president of the Student Bar Association and a teaching assistant on federal civil procedure. She also participated in mock trials, reaching quarterfinalist in the state competition and semifinalist in the national competition. Between semesters, she was a summer associate in the Law Offices of James M. Loveless.

Ms. McDowell is a member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, the Collin County Bar Association, the Denton Bar Association, and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers.

She is also a member of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and a past member of the board of directors of CASA of Collin County. She has completed mediation and collaborative law training.

Ms. McDowell grew up in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas, and in her spare time she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and two young children.