About
A. Scott McDaniel
Scott shares many of the qualifications of Lawyer/Mediators practicing today, in that he has extensive experience and success litigating a wide range of matters, and he has a deep understanding of the litigation process, including judges, juries and litigants. But what Scott brings to the table in addition to these “standard qualifications” is personal experience in the business and technical worlds gained outside of the legal profession. Scott graduated from North Carolina State University with a BS Degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on construction, and he spent the first four years of his career as a Field Civil Engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority on the construction of a nuclear power plant. Scott and his family moved from Tennessee back to his home state of North Carolina to start a construction company, which he made a success and sold several years later. After Scott earned his Professional Engineer registration in North Carolina, he ran a solo firm performing engineering consulting, forensic investigations, and occasional expert testimony. It was this exposure to the legal profession that convinced Scott to change course and go to law school. Scott graduated first in his class, and landed a coveted clerkship and associate position with the Gardere & Wynne law firm of Dallas, Texas. After five years at Gardere, the entrepreneurial spirit once again drew Scott to step out with a couple colleagues to form his first firm, which through a few transformations, exists today.
Sure, Scott is a talented trial lawyer and skilled mediator, but what Scott brings to the table in seeking to resolve disputes is his perspective that can only come from personal experience. Scott’s entrepreneurship running multiple businesses along with the hard knocks that come with being in business gives him a special ability to connect with business owners and those who find themselves in conflict with business owners. Scott’s education and years of boots on-the-ground experience as an engineer enables Scott to identify issues and grasp complex technical issues like few in this business can. Scott’s engineering work, much like his law practice depends on mastering one skill – practical problem solving. This is the rare skill set Scott will bring to your mediation.
Mediation Experience
In 2004, the Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma invited Scott to join the panel of Adjunct Settlement Judges serving the Court and litigants in Northeast Oklahoma. The appointment as an ASJ prompted Scott to seek mediation training. In the same year, Scott received Certification as a Mediator at the conclusion of a 40-hour course conducted by the Institute for Conflict Management instructed by Lee Jay Berman, one of the country’s most-renown mediators. Not long after, Scott was invited to also serve as an Adjunct Settlement Judge in the Tulsa Early Settlement program that serves state-court litigants in Tulsa and surrounding counties. Through his service as an ASJ and fee-based Mediator, Scott has facilitated hundreds of mediations spanning the full spectrum of legal issues and disputes. In 2019, Scott joined Dispute Resolution Consultants of Tulsa, and now he conducts all of his fee-based mediations through DRC.