MEET THE TEAM AT NORTH TEXAS LITIGATION SOLUTIONS

SUZANNE H. WOOTEN

Former State District Judge

Mediator, Arbitrator, Trial Specialist, Special Master

Founder, North Texas Litigation Solutions

Civil / Family / Probate / Federal Law

After earning a Bachelor of Science at the University of Texas at Austin, Suzanne Wooten received her law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law. In the mid 1990's, she began her training in alternative dispute resolution while working with San Antonio attorney, Mr. Thomas Thurmond, a pioneer in the field.

Judge Wooten relocated to North Texas in 1996. After 14 years as a trial attorney, she was elected to the 380th Judicial District Court in 2008. While on the bench, Judge Wooten presided over thousands of cases on both criminal (felony) and civil (CPS, family, civil) dockets, fulfilling the oath she took to be a fair and impartial jurist.

Her 29+ years of experience in civil, family, and business law in the roles of trial attorney, negotiator, mediator, arbitrator and District Judge have enabled Judge Wooten to obtain a wide range of knowledge, mediation skills, and resolution techniques. As a result, Judge Wooten has a reputation for being principled, dedicated, and an effective mediator who gets results even in the toughest disputes.

Just in the last 12 years, Judge Wooten has conducted

over 2,500 mediations!

RHONDA HUNTER

Former State District Judge

Mediator and Arbitrator

Family / Probate / Guardianships

Rhonda Hunter is a former State District Court Judge, mediator, and arbitrator. Judge Hunter is Board Certified in Family Law and Board Certified in Child Welfare Law. A former chief of the Juvenile Division of the Dallas District Attorney’s Office, she spent thirty years in private practice handling family law, wills and probate, child welfare law, grievance defense, and guardian ad litem representation in civil litigation.

Judge Hunter is past president of the Dallas Bar Association, the J. L. Turner Legal Association, the Dallas Association of Black Women Attorneys, and the Dallas Bar Association Community Service Fund. She is a former member of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, the National Conference of Bar Presidents’ Executive Council, the Metropolitan Bar Caucus Executive Committee, the Supreme Court of Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals, and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Judge Hunter is immediate past Chair of the Child Protection Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and the Committee for a Qualified Judiciary in Dallas. She formerly served on the boards of the Child and Family Guidance Center, North Texas Food Bank, Dispute Mediation Service,

and the Dallas Bar Foundation.

Judge Hunter represents the Dallas Bar Association in the American Bar Association House of Delegates where she serves as Secretary of the Racial and Ethnic Diversity Caucus. She is a member of the American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Standards Task Force charged with rewriting the nation's Juvenile Justice Standards.  She has served on the ABA Commission on Youth at Risk and the ABA Diversity Center. Additionally, Judge Hunter is the former Chief of the Juvenile Division of the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.

While in private practice, Rhonda Hunter was named as one of the 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas in 2016 and 2017 by D-CEO Magazine and was featured on the cover of the 2016 edition of Texas Superlawyers.

Joining the Team at North Texas Litigation Solutions, Judge Hunter continues her service to the community by offering her extensive experience, knowledge, and unique skill set mediating or arbitrating family law and probate matters.

ANDY CHATHAM

Former State District Judge

Senior Civil Law Mediator

Civil Law

Judge Chatham’s law career began in 1997 as a civil litigator. In 1999, he moved to Dallas and started his own law practice in the areas of business litigation, contract disputes, personal injury, employment law, government licensing, and criminal defense. While in private practice, he tried bench

and jury trials at both the State and Federal level in all areas of law. In 2006, Judge Chatham was elected to the 282nd District Court in Dallas, Texas where he presided over thousands of cases during his tenure

as a State District Judge.

Guided by the fact that court cases are about the people involved, Judge Chatham firmly believes that resolution is driven by the opportunity for equity and justice. Judge Chatham has been drawn to mediation because the process allows each side to present their case in an informal manner to a neutral party whose goal is to help them resolve the case on their own terms, as opposed to a judge or jury dictating the results. As a mediator, Judge Chatham uses his knowledge, experience, and skills throughout the mediation process.

Judge Chatham is committed to providing each side the platform to explore all available options and he is dedicated to crafting a result that is equitable to all parties.

DONALD TURNER

Former Family District Court Associate Judge

Senior Mediator and Arbitrator

Family Law

Donald Turner is a 6th generation Texan from Dallas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Government in 1989. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1992 from the University of Houston and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas that year.

After law school, Judge Turner practiced law in Houston for over 7 years, primarily in the areas of criminal, bankruptcy, and juvenile law.

In 2000, Judge Turner joined the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, where he served as an Assistant Attorney General for 12 years, handling a variety of cases, including those involving foster care, bankruptcy, and interstate issues. In 2005, he won the Assistant Attorney General of the year for the Dallas region. In 2012, Judge Turner was appointed as the Associate Judge of the 254th Family District Court of Dallas County. Judge Turner served in this role for over 10 years until he retired in May of 2023.

Judge Turner is a member of the Family Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution sections of the State Bar of Texas. He is also a former board member of the Buddy League and the Dallas County Audubon Society.

Judge Turner is a lifelong learner and continues to expand his knowledge by taking courses and seminars on various legal topics, focused in the areas of civil procedure, civil evidence, family law, and alternate dispute resolution.

Offering his extensive knowledge and experience from his decade of presiding as an Associate Judge over matters ranging from simple disputes to complex conflicts, Judge Turner’s insight and problem-solving skills are an invaluable addition to the Team at North Texas Litigation Solutions.

KEITH D. BECKER

Senior Family Law Mediator
Board Certified, Family Law

Family Law

With over 29 years of high-conflict litigation experience and counsel in hundreds of intense negotiations, trials, and mediations, Keith Becker fully appreciates the personal and financial costs of courtroom litigation.

Keith Becker joined North Texas Litigation Solutions so that he can apply his experience and skills to help facilitate settlements where the participants, not a court, determine the destiny of the parties and the children involved. Keith's experience allows him to explore creative options for resolving complicated family law disputes of all types and levels of difficulty.

Keith is a graduate of Syracuse University and Western New England University School of Law. He received his law degree in 1990, moved to Texas that same year, and took the Texas Bar Exam in 1992. Keith has been Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1998. He has served as a chair of the Family Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association and a member of the Collin County Bar Association and was named as Best Family Law Attorney under 40 years of age.

As a family law mediator, Keith will work hard in each case and apply all of his experience and creativity to resolve the contested issues in the most productive manner possible.

JOHN R. STOOKSBERRY

Senior Civil Litigation Mediator
Board Certified, Civil Trial Law

Civil / Probate / Guardianships

John Stooksberry graduated from Texas A&M University-Commerce, received his law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1971, and has practiced law for over 50 years.

For over 40 years, Mr. Stooksberry has been board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Civil Trial Law. While in active practice, John Stooksberry concentrated in the area of civil litigation for both private and governmental entities in State and Federal Courts, as well as appellate matters and mediation.

After decades as a civil trial lawyer and mediator in North Texas, Mr. Stooksberry retired from the practice of law and now focuses his time, energy, and skills serving the community through mediation.

Mr. Stooksberry, who maintains an AV Preeminent rating with Martindale Hubbell, has the ability, experience, and temperament required to find the path to a satisfactory resolution of civil disputes. Mr. Stooksberry is the Senior Civil Litigation Mediator and offers his services for all types of basic, as well as complex, civil litigation disputes.

Mr. Stooksberry believes that any case can be settled with the right mediator.

DALE R. ROSE

Senior Civil Litigation Mediator
Former Collin County Magistrate

Civil Law

After receiving his A.A.S in Criminal Justice in Corning, NY, Dale Rose's legal career began as a police officer in Garland, Texas in 1982 . After completing the academy, Dale served with Garland Police Department while earning his B.A. in Government and Politics in 1987 from UT Dallas. He left law enforcement in 1987 to attend Texas Tech University School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctorate in 1991.

For 4 years, Dale was an Assistant District Attorney with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, serving as lead counsel on numerous trials and a Misdemeanor Chief. Dale was promoted to the Specialized Crimes Division, prosecuting complex criminal fraud cases, working with federal law enforcement agencies and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. In 1996, Dale moved to the private practice of civil law .

Since 1996, Dale has practiced civil trial law and personal injury trial law, expanding his skills representing Plaintiffs and Defendants. Dale has worked for law firms in Smith, Van Zandt, Dallas, Collin, and Fannin counties where he has represented parties in over 160 civil jury trials to-date. Dale also had the honor of serving the community as a Collin County Magistrate.

Dale received his mediation certification in 2011 and has conducted hundreds of mediations since that time, both in-person and via Zoom. He is a member of the Texas Association of Mediators, the Collin County Bar Association, and the Collin County Bench Bar Foundation. Dale is licensed to practice law in Texas and Arkansas. Dale also dedicates his time as the coordinator for the Collin County Mock Trial Competition held annually in the Collin County courthouse.

Dale approaches each mediation with knowledge of the specifics of each party’s case and an understanding the nuances of each party’s position,. His practical knowledge acquired while trying hundreds of cases and his ability to appreciate each party’s position as a neutral negotiator are key to Dale’s ability to facilitate settlement, allowing the parties to avoid the many stressors of protracted litigation.

MICHAEL PUHL

Senior Family Law Mediator

Board Certified, Family Law

Family Law

Michael Puhl is a 1982 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois. He has been Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization from 2008 to the present and received his Family Law Mediator certification in 1997.

Among his accomplishments, Mr. Puhl was appointed by the Texas Governor to the Texas Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists (2006 -2016) and as the chairman of that board (2012 - 2016). He has served as a member of various local boards and commissions, including the McKinney Independent School District Board of Trustees, McKinney Economic Development Corporation, McKinney Community Development Corporation, McKinney Chamber of Commerce (Chairman), and Collin County Court Appointed Special Advocates (Executive Board Member).

In addition to being an active family law litigator in North Texas for decades, Michael is a member of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists and has been honored as a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly magazine in the area of family law since 2008 and is AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Michael joined the Team at North Texas Litigation Solutions as a Senior Family Law Mediator, bringing his mediation style that combines the qualities of objectivity, patience, and persistence, along with a healthy dose of good common sense and disarming humor.