From the Bench to Your Corner: Why I Practice Family Law the Way I Do

The Story Behind the Practice

I spent sixteen years on the bench before I ever sat on this side of the table. For most of that time, I was a judge here in Brazos County, first as an associate and presiding judge for the City of College Station, and later, elected to two terms as Judge of County Court at Law #1. From that chair, I watched hundreds of families walk through the hardest days of their lives. Divorces. Custody fights. The loss of a parent. Decisions about an aging loved one who could no longer decide for themselves.

What I learned watching all of it is the reason I do what I do now. So before you ever pick up the phone, I want to tell you a little about how this practice came to be, and what you can expect if you decide to let us help.

A Turning Point

Why I Left the Bench

After sixteen years, I could have stayed. But I kept noticing the same thing from where I sat: the outcome of a case so often came down to whether a family had someone in their corner who actually understood the room. Someone who knew how a judge thinks, what a mediator listens for, and where a case was likely to go long before anyone said it out loud.

I decided I wanted to be that person for people, not the one at the front of the courtroom deciding their fate. So I opened the Law Office of Randy Michel and set out to give families in the Brazos Valley the kind of representation I wish I’d seen more of from the bench: candid, prepared, and genuinely respectful of what people are going through.

Our Focus

Family Law Is the Heart of What We Do

People are sometimes surprised by how focused our practice is. Roughly 70% of our cases are family law: divorce, child custody, child support, visitation, and the modifications that come later when life changes again. I’ve concentrated on this area since 1980, and I did that on purpose.

Family law is not a field you dabble in. The statutes are specific, the local practices matter, and the stakes are deeply personal. When your children’s future is on the line, you don’t want an attorney who handles a little of everything. You want someone who has spent decades doing this one thing and can tell you, honestly, what’s likely to happen next.

Philosophy

Why I Reach for Mediation First

Here is a belief I hold strongly, and it surprises people who assume a former judge loves a courtroom: most families are better served by resolving things outside of one.

I’m a certified mediator and arbitrator, and I’ve served as an instructor-trainer with the National Mediation Academy. When we can settle a matter through mediation, it usually saves my clients time, money, and a great deal of stress, and people tend to honor an agreement they helped shape far more than one imposed on them.

My years as a judge help here in a very practical way. Because I know how these cases tend to land in court, I can explain to the mediator, and through them to the other side, exactly what they should expect if we don’t reach an agreement. That clarity moves negotiations. It’s one of the most useful things I brought with me from the bench.

In the Courtroom

But I’m Ready When Trial Is the Right Answer

Mediation isn’t always possible, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Sometimes the only way to protect a client or their children is to go to trial. When that’s the case, you want an attorney you can trust in the courtroom.

I’m board-certified as a civil trial lawyer by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, one of fewer than 700 attorneys in the entire state to hold that certification. I mention it not to impress you, but because it means something concrete: when preparation and courtroom skill are what your case needs, that’s exactly what you’ll get. I have a reputation for diligent preparation, and I earned it one case at a time.

How We’ve Grown

The Practice Grew With the Families We Serve

Over the years, our clients’ needs pulled the practice into new areas, and I followed, because the families I’d represented in a divorce were often the same ones who called years later about an aging parent or a contested estate.

Today, alongside our core family law work, we help clients across the Brazos Valley with:

• Probate and estate planning: from building a straightforward estate plan to guiding families through the probate process after a loss.
• Elder law: advocating for older clients and their families as they navigate later-life legal and care decisions.
• Guardianship: helping families when a court needs to establish guardianship over a child or an adult who can no longer manage on their own.

These aren’t separate businesses bolted on for volume. They’re a natural extension of the same idea: standing with families through the legal moments that matter most, at every stage of life.

What to Expect

What Working With Us Actually Feels Like

I want to be honest about something, because I think it’s the part clients remember. Most people who walk through our door are having one of the worst weeks, months, or frankly, years, of their life. They’re anxious, they’re grieving, or they’re bracing for a fight they never wanted.

Our job is to make that more manageable. That starts with a few commitments I hold the whole team to:

• We respect your time and your situation. You’ll get candid, reliable counsel, not false reassurance, and not more process than your matter actually needs.
• We explain things in plain language. After decades of this, I’ve gotten good at translating complicated legal processes into terms that let you make a confident decision.
• We treat your case with confidentiality and empathy. The details you share stay protected, and you’ll never feel like a file number here.

I’m supported by a small, experienced team of legal professionals who share that standard and bring precise attention to detail to every matter. When you call our office, you’re reaching people who know your name and your case.

Our Community

A Few Words About Our Community

College Station isn’t just where I hang my shingle. It’s home, and it’s where I served the public for years. That’s why our firm established the Working Student Scholarship, which helps hard-working students who support their families financially while they’re still in high school. Giving back to the Brazos Valley isn’t a marketing line for us; it’s a duty we feel, and it’s part of why this practice exists in the first place.