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Chanté Brantley is a dedicated advocate, educator, and legal practitioner with a distinguished career in family law and public service. She is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Founding Director of the VanSickle Family Law Clinic at ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Dedman School of Law. In this role, Professor Brantley mentors and supervises law students who provide critical legal representation to low-income clients in cases involving divorce, paternity, custody, visitation, child support and marital property disputes. She teaches the civil litigation process through hands-on clinical practice, guiding students in case preparation, courtroom procedures, and client advocacy. Grounded in her teaching philosophy of “growth, not perfection,” Professor Brantley inspires students to embrace challenges, build confidence, and continuously develop as effective, compassionate advocates.

As the clinic’s director, Professor Brantley oversees its operations, case selection, and advocacy strategies. She ensures that the clinic not only delivers meaningful legal services to clients but also provides law students with invaluable, hands-on legal experience that prepares them for practice.

A visionary leader, Professor Brantley created a courthouse self-help desk to assist self-represented litigants and support the judiciary. Recognizing a critical gap in access to legal services, she developed this initiative to provide essential guidance to individuals navigating the legal system without formal representation. The self-help desk is staffed in part by law students under her supervision, offering them invaluable hands-on experience while serving the community. To date, the program has helped more than 1,800 individuals.

Professor Brantley’s passion for pro bono work was sparked during her time as a student attorney in the Children’s Rights Clinic at The University of Texas School of Law. Under attorney supervision, she represented children in foster care, gaining valuable experience through jury and bench trials early in her career. This foundational experience instilled in her a lifelong commitment to ensuring access to justice for litigants who are indigent.

Before joining the faculty at ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Dedman School of Law, Professor Brantley was the managing attorney and mediator at Barnes Prox Law, PLLC, a boutique family law firm. Her early career as a Child Protective Services caseworker shaped her empathetic approach to legal practice and inspired her transition to public policy advocacy. As a legislative aide in the Texas Senate, she played a pivotal role in drafting and advancing health and human services legislation, including the groundbreaking “Grandparents' Bill,” which provides financial assistance to grandparents raising their grandchildren. This legislation has since influenced federal kinship care policies, underscoring her impact on family law and public policy.

Her dedication to pro bono service continues to define her career. She has been recognized for her contributions as a recipient of the Lois Bacon Special Services Award, presented by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP), for exceptional leadership, mentoring law students in the practice of law, and the clinic’s pro bono work and was named Volunteer of the Month in August 2023. These accolades reflect her tireless work in advancing access to justice and inspiring the next generation of attorneys to engage in pro bono advocacy. In addition, she was elected to membership in the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation, a prestigious honor that acknowledges her outstanding professional achievements and unwavering commitment to improving the justice system throughout Texas.

Professor Brantley holds a B.S. from Texas Woman's University, a M.S. in Social Work with a concentration in child welfare law from The University of Texas at Arlington, and a J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law. With her interdisciplinary background, she bridges the gap between law, social work, and policy, championing equitable solutions for families in need. A steadfast advocate for justice, Professor Brantley serves as a mentor to aspiring lawyers and a leader in the field of family law. She also holds certifications in basic mediation, family law mediation, and CPS mediation.