DWAIN DENT, born December 23, 1950, is a Fort Worth, Texas native who graduated from Amon Carter Riverside High School in 1969. As a youth, school officials encouraged Dent to become a coach or salesman, but his stepfather counselled him toward the law. He received a political science degree from Texas Christian University in 1973 and his J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1976. Following graduation from Law school, Dent entered private practice and founded the Dent Law Firm in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1990. 

During his career, Dent served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association from 1989-2002, was a member of The Texas State Delegation for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America from 1999-2000, and a member of the Civil Courts Building Advisory Committee in Tarrant County, Texas from 2008-2012. Dent is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the President’s Club of the American Association for Justice, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Tarrant County Bar Association, the United States Court Historical Society, and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation. He is also a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. 

Dent received numerous recognitions including Preeminent Lawyer of America by Martindale Hubbell from 2000 to present, top Tarrant County Lawyer in Fort Worth Texas Magazine from 2002 to the present, the Texas Monthly Magazine as a super lawyer from 2003 to the present, and top 100 trial lawyer in Texas by the American Trial Lawyers Association from 2007 to the present. Dent also was recognized as a finalist for Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Public Justice Foundation in 2011 and as one of the best lawyers in America by U.S. News in 2012. St. Mary’s University School of Law recognized him as a Distinguished Graduate in 2012 and inducted him into St. Mary’s School of Law Hall of portraits in 2013. 

As of 2018, Dent continues to practice as a member of the Dent Law Firm in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a radio host and legal commentator on KRLD 1080 A.M Radio in Dallas-Fort Worth, Legal analyst on Fox 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth, contributor to the Loftin and Dent Show, and Founder & Board of Director for the Spencer B. Dent Memorial Foundation. 

By John Cadena, St. Mary’s University Law Fellows in Public History (2018) 

References: ● My Life, Dwain Dent (2019), https://www.mylife.com/dwain-dent/e166841183100. 

● Telephone Interview with Dwain Dent, Founder, The Dent Law Firm, Fort Worth, TX (December 3, 2018). 

● Terry O. Tottenham, Sunset, 42 Tex.B.J 273, 308-372 (1979). ● The Dent Law Firm, Dwain Dent, http://www.thedentlawfirm.com/attorneyDwainDent.php.