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About Rick Flake

A career dedicated to ADR

Richard Flake has dedicated his 42-year legal career to handling arbitrations and mediations of construction and commercial disputes (both as an advocate and as the neutral), construction contract negotiations and drafting as well as commercial real estate transactions. Rick's construction-related experience includes all facets of the industry: commercial, industrial, heavy highway, pipeline, offshore and power plants. He is a fellow in the exclusive American College of Construction Lawyers. He was in the first group of lawyers in the state of Texas to achieve Board Certification in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. 

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Rick has served as the Chair of the State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section, the Chair of the Houston Bar Association Construction Law Section, and Chair of the Houston Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. He frequently writes and speaks on construction and alternative dispute resolution topics and teaches numerous courses in arbitration across the country for the American Arbitration Association. Whether a situation requires arbitration, mediation or a project neutral, Rick Flake works to quickly and fairly resolve complex conflicts. 

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Memberships & Affiliations

American Arbitration Association

  • National Trainer for New Arbitrators since 1998

  • Construction Arbitration Panel

  • Large Complex Case Construction Panel

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Houston Bar Association​

  • Construction Law Section:                     Founder, Officer, and Past Chair

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution Section:       Past Chair

  • Real Estate Section

  • Life Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation

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State Bar of Texas

  • Construction Law Section: Past Chair

  • Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution Section

  • Real Estate Section

  • 30-Year Member of the College of the State Bar of Texas

  • Life Fellow of the State Bar of Texas Foundation

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Recognitions & Distinctions

  • Fellow - American College of Construction Lawyers

  • Member - National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals

  • Best Lawyers Construction Lawyer of the Year - 2011, 2013, 2018, 2024

  • Named a Super Lawyer in Texas Monthly from 2006-2024

  • Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers In Construction Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Band 1, 2007-2024

  • AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell peer review ratings - 27 years

  • Named Arbitrator of the Year by the National Council of Better Business Bureaus for the Southwestern United States

Admissions

  • State Bar of Texas

  • United States Supreme Court

  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

  • Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Education

  • The University of Houston Law Center - J.D., 1981

  • The University of Texas at Austin - B.A., 1979       Phi Beta Kappa

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