Carla M. Calabrese is the principal and founding partner of Calabrese Huff, a Dallas family law firm committed exclusively to divorce and family matters. Carla received a BSBA, magna cum laude, from Bowling Green State University in Ohio in 1982. She received her law degree with honors from the University of Cincinnati in 1986, and began her legal career as a corporate litigator at Haynes & Boone, L.L.P. in Dallas.

In 1991, she started Calabrese Huff Since the firm's inception, Carla has handled hundreds of cases involving divorce, complex property issues, child custody, paternity, child support, nuptial agreements, modifications of the parent-child relationship, grandparents' rights, assisted reproductive technology, including surrogacy and gestational arrangements, and adoption. She has vast experience in handling family law matters in the litigation model. The traditional litigation model was the only option available to couples and families with family law problems until 2000.

In January 2000, Carla learned about an innovative approach known as collaborative family law that minimizes adversarial aspects of family law litigation, and quickly jumped on the collaborative law bandwagon. Carla is now a leader in the current collaborative law movement in Texas. Touted by experts as a dispute resolution model that truly keeps the children's best interests at heart and focuses on helping couples do what is right for their families during the difficult divorce process, Carla found that collaborative law was aligned with her values and beliefs as well as her long-felt desire to engage in a practice that is a part of the solution instead of part of the problem. As compared to traditional divorce litigation, the parties in a collaborative law case are more likely to salvage their relationship, which is vitally important if children are involved. Carla has handled a large number of collaborative law cases, the vast majority of which have concluded in successful settlements for the clients.

Carla is a founding member of The Collaborative Alliance, which is an association of top-notch family lawyers and  mental health and financial professionals who are dedicated to practicing in the collaborative model and educating the public about the great benefits of collaborative family law. She frequently writes, speaks about, and trains other lawyers in collaborative family law.

Carla was named in 2009 by her Collaborative Law Institute of Texas peers as one of 5 Exceptional Collaborative Practitioners in Texas and as one of 5 Collaborative Practitioners in Texas Making a Difference in the Collaborative Law Community.  She has been named a Best Lawyer in America for both family law and collaborative family law in 2008, 2009 and 2010.   Carla was also honored by being named by D Magazine as one of the best lawyers in Dallas in 2003, 2007 and 2008. This honor is bestowed upon those chosen by the vote of other Dallas family lawyers.  Texas Monthly magazine also named her in years 2003 - 2009 as a Texas SuperLawyer, as well as a Top 50 Female Texas SuperLawyer in 2004 and 2006. She has been recognized in Strathmore's Who's-Who, 2003-2004 Edition.

Although Carla very much enjoys working on family law matters and promoting collaborative family law in the community, her other passion is bringing families together through adoption. During her career, Carla has helped hundreds of families adopt, whether the adoption was done through an agency, privately, from another state or from another country. Carla is one of only four Dallas members of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (www.adoptionattorneys.org), which is a well-regarded national organization of adoption attorneys. She also founded a non-profit international adoption agency named Hope International, is the past president of the Board of Directors, and is its current Vice-President. Hope International facilitates adoptions by U.S. families of foreign-born and orphaned babies and children. Carla also founded a domestic adoption agency, A Cradle of Hope Adoption Center.

Carla is married to Jay and they have two children, Ava and Jack. If you would like to meet with Carla, you can email her at carla@calabresehuff.com.