Susan grew up on a family farm in the piney woods of southwest Mississippi, just across the state line from Britney Spears. She left the farm to go to Vanderbilt University and then the University of Mississippi Law School. After graduating from law school, she clerked for federal judges in Mississippi, Judge Tom S. Lee of the Southern District of Mississippi, and Judge E. Grady Jolly of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

She returned to Nashville to practice with Neal & Harwell, but Mississippi drew her back for a few years. She came back to Nashville where she has written briefs and provided litigation strategy and evaluation services for lawyers around the country in complex commercial litigation for more than twenty-five years. She loved the opportunity to make money from her obsession to research everything and advise clients on the best ways to structure their claims and arguments based on that research. These skills helped her work as co-counsel in a case that resulted in the large legal malpractice verdict in the country.  

Although she loved her legal work, she took a break to teach eighth grade English at J.T. Moore Middle School in Nashville. An eye-opening experience. 

Susan has been attracted to the benefits of mediation for years. The week before Katrina, she completed her mediation training at Pepperdine University. With that training, she assisted her lawyer clients in their own mediation, helping to prepare the clients for mediation, developing mediation strategies, and evaluating the claims of all sides. She completed more mediation training at Lipscomb University and through the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Committee.  

Susan is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and Mississippi. She is a member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists and the Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals. She is a Tennessee Rule 31 Listed Civil Mediator and a Listed Mississippi Court-Annexed Mediator. She was a member of the ACAN board of directors and co-chair of its 2024 annual meeting.