Robert Udashen graduated from The University of Texas School of Law in 1977 where he received the Perry Jones Award as the school's most outstanding criminal law student. Following graduation, Mr. Udashen joined the Staff Counsel for Inmates at the Texas Department of Corrections. There he represented prisoners in all types of post-conviction proceedings.
In 1979 Mr. Udashen left the Staff Counsel for Inmates to become an associate and then a partner in United States Congressman and later Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox's law firm in Dallas, Crowder & Mattox. While there, Mr. Udashen partnered with Don Crowder to successfully defend Candy Montgomery, the so-called axe murderer. The axe murder defense was recreated in a book, Evidence of Love, and in an Emmy award-winning movie, A Killing in a Small Town. CourtTV profiled the case in the fall of 2007 on the show Murder by the Book. Investigation Discovery once again profiled the case in 2014.
In 2004 Mr. Udashen teamed up with another Crowder, this time Darlina, to represent Lisa Diaz on a charge of capital murder for drowning her two children. Once again the Udashen-Crowder team was successful. Ms. Diaz was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Mr. Udashen has filed several post-conviction writ applications that have resulted in the exoneration of innocent men.
In addition to his private law practice, Mr. Udashen was an adjunct professor of Texas Criminal Procedure, Trial Advocacy and Criminal Law in the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University for 20 years. Mr. Udashen is also a past president of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Mr. Udashen is listed in the Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.) and the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Thompson Reuters has named Mr. Udashen a Texas Super Lawyer (published in Texas Monthly Magazine) every year beginning in 2003. For many years D Magazine has selected Mr. Udashen as one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Dallas. In 2007 Texas Lawyer named Mr. Udashen one of 5 Top Notch criminal defense attorneys in the State of Texas. The Best Lawyers in America named Mr. Udashen white collar lawyer of the year in Dallas for 2014 and Dallas/Fort Worth Criminal Defense General Practice Lawyer of the year for 2017. Texas Monthly Magazine listed Mr. Udashen as one of the Top 100 lawyers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 2015.
