About Suzanne Raggio Westerheim

My Resume

Education

• The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., with honors, 1991.
• The University of Houston, B.S., Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, 1980.
• American Academy of Attorney-Mediators, basic mediation training, 1999.

Professional Associations

• Associate Editor, Texas Law Review, 1990-1991.
• Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers.
  • Board of Directors , 2005-2007.
• ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct, Editorial Board, 2005-2008.
• Dallas Bar Association.
  • Solo and Small Firm Section: Chair 2007,Vice-Chair 2006, Secretary-Treasurer 2005.
  • Lawyer Referral Service Committee: Vice Chair 2003.
  • Legal Ethics Committee: Co-Chair 2004, Chair 2002, Vice Chair 2001.
  • CLE Committee: Co-Chair 2006, Co-Vice Chair 2005.
  • Publications Committee: Co-Chair 2009-2010; Co-Vice Chair 2007-2008.
• Dallas Association of Young Lawyers.
• Dallas Women Lawyers’ Association.
• Dallas Hispanic Bar Association.
• Collin County Bar Association.
• Plano Bar Association.
• Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
• Fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation.
• Fellow of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundation.
• College of the State Bar of Texas, 1995-present.

Admissions

• State Bar of Texas, 1991.
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
• United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Prior Experience

• Lawson, Fields, McCue & Campbell, P.C.:
  • Of Counsel. Mediation, Legal Malpractice Defense, Grievance Defense, State Bar Licensing, Legal Ethics Consultation, and Risk Management. 2001-2003.
• Kollman & Westerheim, A Professional Corporation:
  • Mediation, Grievance Defense, State Bar Licensing, Advertising Rule Compliance, Unauthorized Practice of Law Defense, Legal Malpractice Representation, and Legal Ethics Consultation. 1998-2000.
• Godwin & Carlton, P.C.:
  • Business Litigation Associate. Complex Commercial Litigation in State and Federal Court. 1996 – 1997.
• Miller & Lehman, P.C.:
  • Litigation Associate. Complex Commercial Litigation in State and Federal Court. 1995 – 1996.
• Cohan, Simpson, Cowlishaw & Wulff, L.L.P.:
  • Litigation Associate. Complex Commercial Litigation in State and Federal Court. 1991-1995.

Presentations

To Kill a Mockingbird: The Next Generation – Texas Lawyer Grievance Procedures and Pitfalls (1999) (Paper and Presentation).

To Kill a Mockingbird: The X Files – The Case of the Wandering Paralegal, Screening, Conflict of Interest, and Disqualification (September 1999) (Paper and Presentation).

Legal Ethics for Legal Assistants (2000) (Paper and Presentation).

To Kill a Fee Contract: How to Avoid Contracting Away Your Fee, Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee Annual Legal Ethics Evening Seminar (March 2002) (Paper and Presentation).

Uncharted Seas: Navigating the Texas Lawyer Disciplinary Process, Texas Bar CLE Seminar, DON’T PANIC! How to Avoid or at Least Survive the Grievance and Sanction Processes (July 2002) (Paper and Presentation).

Fee Forfeiture and Disgorgement, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, Mid-Year Meeting, Seattle, Washington (February 2003) (Paper and Panel Member).

Life After Arce; The Evolving Remedy of Fee Forfeiture in Texas, Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee Annual Legal Ethics Evening Seminar (April 2003) (Paper and Presentation).

“Ex Parte” Communications: Civil and Disciplinary Exposures, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California (August 2003) (Paper and Panel Member).

Duties and Dangers in Dealing with Unrepresented Persons, Collin County Bar Association (September 2003) (Paper and Presentation).

Disciplinary Procedures Under the New Rules, Collin County Bench Bar Ethics Conference (December 2003) (Paper and Presentation).

Selected Ethics and Risk Management Issues for Lawyers, Dallas Bar Association Minority Attorney Business Development Initiative (January 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About the New Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, North Dallas Bar Association (April 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

The New Rules of Disciplinary Procedure – What Every Family Law Attorney Needs to Know, Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section (April 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About the New Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, Dallas Bar Association Energy Law Section (April 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

Recent Changes to the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee Annual Evening Seminar (April 2004) (Panel Discussion and Paper).

Red Alert – What You Better Know About the New, Leaner and Meaner Grievance Process, Dallas Minority Attorney Program (April 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

Fee Contract Problems and Pitfalls for the Criminal Defense Lawyer, Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (May 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

To Kill a Fee Contract: How to Avoid Contracting Away Your Fee, Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee (June 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

Selected Legal Ethics Issues, Dallas Women Lawyers’ Association (September 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

Coming Clean: Self-Reporting Malpractice and Ethics Problems, Dallas Bar Association, Headnotes (October 2004).

Fee Contract Problems and Pitfalls for the Criminal Defense Lawyer, Dallas Bar Association Criminal Law Section (October 2004) (Paper and Presentation).

Annual Ethics and Professionalism Seminar, Dallas Bar Association CLE Committee(November 2004) (Panelist).

Navigating the Grievance Process, Collin County Bar Association (January 2005), Dallas Bar Association Friday Clinic (February 2005), Collin County Bench/Bar Conference (April 2006) (Presentation and Paper).

When is a License Not a License? Applying MJP Principles to Federal Practice, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, Mid-Year Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah (February 2005) (Paper and Panel Member).

Multi-Jurisdictional Practice Update, Dallas Bar Association Franchise and Distribution Law Section (April 2005) (Paper and Presentation).

Extreme Makeover: The New Referral Fee and Advertising Rules, Rockwall County Bench/Bar Conference (April 2005) & Collin County Bench/Bar Conference (May 2005) (Paper & Presentation).

Lawyer Advertising in Texas Under the New Rules, Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee Annual Evening Ethics Seminar (May 2005) (Paper & Presentation).

The New Referral Fee Rules, Lawyer Advertising, and the Grievance Process: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, Dallas Bar Association Minority Attorney Business Development Initiative (June 2005) (Paper and Presentation).

The New Referral Fee and Lawyer Advertising Rules: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, Dallas Bar Association North Dallas Clinic (July 2005) (Paper and Presentation).

Multi-Jurisdictional Practice Update, Dallas Bar Association Corporate Counsel Program (October 2005) (Paper and Presentation).

What You Need to Know About the Lawyer Advertising Rules, Plano Bar Association (January 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Have License, Will Travel? The Status of Multi-Jurisdictional Practice, Dallas Bar Association Friday Clinic (February 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

The Advertising Rules: They’re Not Just for Those Lawyers on TV, Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee (February 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Fee Contracts 101: The Essential Do’s and Don’ts of Fee Agreements, Dallas Bar Association Franchise and Distribution Law Section (February 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Legal Ethics for Paralegals, Dallas Area Paralegal Association (March 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Legal Ethics for Insurance Professionals, CNA Insurance Company CUE Program (April 2006) (Presentation).

Marketing for Small Firms: Being Effective and Ethical, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Solo & Small Firm Section (April 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Advertising for Solo & Small Firms, Dallas Minority Attorney Program (April 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About the Disciplinary Process, Annette Stewart Inns of Court (April 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

The Ethics of Lawyer-Judge Interactions, Ethics Fest 2006 (April 2006) (Paper and Moderator).

Avoiding Client Disputes and the Grievance Process; Dallas Bar Association (May 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Avoiding Client Disputes: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure; Dallas Bar Association Energy Law Section (June 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Risk Management for Family Law Lawyers; Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section Summer Seminar (June 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Have License, Will Travel? The Status of Multi-Jurisdictional Practice, Dallas Bar Association Energy Law Section (August 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Avoiding Client Disputes and the Grievance Process; Collin County Bar Association (September 2006) (Paper and Presentation).

Probate Judges Panel: A View from the Bench and Ethics in Lawyer-Judge Interactions, presented by the Dallas Bar Association CLE Committee, the Collin County Bar Association Estate Planning and Probate Section, and the Denton County Bar Association (October 2006) (Paper and Moderator).

Avoiding Client Disputes: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure, Dallas Bar Association Solo & Small Firm Section (November 2006); Dallas Bar Association North Dallas Clinic (November 2006); Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section (January 2007) (Paper and Presentation).

Current Issues in the Multi-Jurisdictional Practice of Law, National Association of Dealer’s Counsel (March 2007) (Paper and Presentation).

From Ads to Websites: The ABC’s of the Lawyer Advertising Rules, Dallas Bar Association Computer Law Section (April 2007) (Paper and Presentation),

Who’s Your Client? Representing Closely-Held Businesses, Ethics Fest 2007 (May 2007) (Panel Member).

Navigating the Grievance Process, Dallas Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Section and Admissions and Membership Committee Joint Program (May 2007); Dallas Bar Association North Dallas Clinic (July 2007) (Paper and Presentation).

Who’s Your Client? Formation and Representation of Closely-Held Businesses, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers Annual Meeting (San Francisco August 2007) (Panel Member).

Ethical Issues in Dual Representation in Estate Planning Matters, Collin County Bar Association Estate Planning and Probate Section (September 2007) (Paper and Presentation).

Transition to Law Practice: Some Things Beginning Lawyers Need to Know About Dealing With Clients; Dallas Bar Association Transition to Law Practice Program (February 2008) (Paper and Panel Member).

Dancing with Your Ex’s Ex: Duties and Dangers in Contacting Your Adversary’s Former Employee, Dallas Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee (July 2008) (Panel Member and Paper).

The Care and Feeding of Clients, Dallas Bar Association Transition to Law Practice Program (March 2009) (Paper and Panel Member).

The Grievance Process and the Importance of Client Communication, Dallas Minority Attorney Program (March 2009) (Paper and Presentation).

Ethical Pitfall of Representing Multiple Clients in a Transaction, State Bar of Texas, 27th Annual Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Course (October 2009) (Paper and Presentation).

Avoiding Client Disputes, Collin County Bar Association, Making Your Practice Work (January 2010) (Paper and Presentation).

Avoiding Big Problems for Small Firms, Dallas Bar Association, Ethics Fest (May 2010) (Paper and Presentation).

Attorney Conduct and/or Activities Which Rise to the Level to be Reported to the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association Tort & Insurance Practice Section (June 2011) (Panel Member).

The Essentials of Attorney-Client Fee Agreements, Collin County Bar Association Probate Section (March 2012) (Paper and Presentation).

The Lawyer as Divining Rod, State Bar of Texas, Asian and Pacific Interest Section Conference and Retreat (March 2012) (Panel Member).

Fee Contracts 101, Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers (May 2012) (Paper and Presentation).

Practical Tips for Avoiding Client Disputes, Plano Bar Association (December 2012) (Paper and Presentation).

Publications