Connie Grace-lake
Connie was graduated from Texas Wesleyan University with a B.A., magna cum laude, in English and a B.S., magna cum laude, in Legal Studies in May 2000. She received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in December 2004, serving her internship through the Tarrant County Probate Courts guardianship program. Over the course of her legal and academic career, she has garnered a number of additional honors and legal certifications and is a past president of the Tarrant County Legal Secretaries Association.
Connie brings to our firm over 40 years’ legal experience, beginning with the Tulsa County Juvenile Court; the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, Civil Division; and segueing into employment with a number of private law firms in Tarrant, Dallas, Denton, and Collin Counties. She has numerous years’ concurrent and additional experience in business ownership, administration, operations, management, supervision, accounting/bookkeeping, sales, and marketing, and she has also been instrumental in the startup, organization, administration, and development of several different law firms and private businesses.
Among her other accomplishments, she holds certificates in Mediation and Family Law Mediation, with additional training and expertise in the field of Negotiations; has routinely served as a volunteer mediator at Dispute Resolution Services of North Texas; and has co-mediated cases in multiple areas of practice at DRSNT, Dispute Mediation Services of Dallas, and Tarrant County Juvenile Court. As a negotiator, she has a success rate in the upper 90-100 percentile negotiating settlements, reductions, and liens (including statutory liens) in personal injury and a variety of other areas of practice.
As Mathias Raphael’s senior most paralegal/case manager, Connie handles cases in all phases—from intake to disposition--of personal injury pre-litigation and litigation in Texas, Illinois, and other states in both state and federal court, with additional experience in business/commercial litigation, and is a diligent and dedicated client advocate.
Connie is a lifetime member in good standing of Phi Theta Kappa (Rho Chi Chapter) and Sigma Tau Delta (Nu Zeta Chapter), and is formerly a member of FWPA, FWLSA, TALS, NALS, TALA, NALA, the Academy of Country Music, and the Country Music Association. She also enjoys performing volunteer services for a number of civic, legal, community, and charitable organizations and has served as an administrator, board member, lecturer, speaker, and workshop director for various legal and collegiate associations.
Outside the firm and her community involvement, Connie is a consummate collector of various media genres and related memorabilia, as well as other unique collectibles; participates in a variety of interests and activities in music, literature, her cultural (Scottish) heritage, costuming/beadwork, and confectionery creations; is an avid and outspoken supporter of animal rights, adoption, and foster/rescue programs; and has a particular passion for European travel.