Dean A. Riddle received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981 and 1985. He is licensed to practice law in and is a member of the state bars of Texas (1990), Georgia (1985) and North Carolina (1988) and has represented clients in at least ten states. He is admitted to practice before the U. S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina, the U. S. District Court for Northern District of Georgia and the U. S. District Court for Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas. Mr. Riddle previously worked for a large, nationally recognized, full-service law firm which trained him in litigation techniques and real estate law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association, the Tarrant County Bar Association and the American Association for Justice. He is also a member of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section and Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas. In 1994, as a member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, he was chairman of the Homeowners’ Rights Committee. Mr. Riddle served two separate terms on the Board of Directors of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and served as its President in 1994. He has written and lectured extensively on numerous topics impacting community associations at the state and national level. As an active member of CAI, Mr. Riddle has served as a delegate to the Texas Legislative Action Committee from 1993 to the present, has actively participated in drafting proposed legislation affecting planned communities, and has received numerous awards including speaker of the year, outstanding service and Hall of Fame. Mr. Riddle is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. The Million Dollar Advocates Forum is recognized as the most prestigious group of trial lawyers in the United States with membership limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements. Less than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members. Mr. Riddle is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating an attorney can receive.

Lance E. Williams was admitted to the bar in Texas in 1986 and was also admitted to practice before U.S. District Courts in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas. He received his B.S. (magna cum laude) degree in 1983 from Oral Roberts University and a J.D. in 1986 from Southern Methodist University. While in law school, he was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Torts, Business Associations and Evidence. Mr. Williams is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Community Associations Institute, where he has served as a board and a committee member. He has also conducted industry seminars and workshops and been actively involved in drafting proposed legislation affecting planned communities. Mr. Williams is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating an attorney can receive.

David A. Surratt was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1991. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Tennessee in 1973 and his J.D. degree from Saint Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas in 1991. While in law school, he served as the student representative to the faculty committee on student academic standards. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, and various specialty sections of both organizations and currently serves on the Legal Ethics Committee of the Dallas Bar Association. Mr. Surratt served as the editorial/research assistant for a multi-volume publication for trial lawyers and has served as an adjunct instructor in the ABA-Approved Paralegal Studies Program, El Centro Community College, Dallas, Texas. He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating an attorney can receive. In addition to his practice in community association law, Mr. Surratt has a background in civil litigation, to include medical malpractice professional liability claims. He has worked for several high-profile litigation firms. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Surratt was a certified paramedic and an emergency medical services training coordinator (U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas). He served on the advisory committee to the Texas Department of Health Emergency Medical Services Division. Upon graduation from college, Mr. Surratt served as a Medical Services Corps officer in the active duty Army as an instructor at the Army’s Academy of Health Sciences, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and subsequently held command level positions in the Army Reserves.

Clayton R. Hearn was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1995. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Psychology from Texas A&M University in 1990 and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995. Prior to law school, Clayton worked for non-profits in Maryland and North Carolina, training adults with disabilities for the workplace. A former shareholder of a prominent Houston litigation boutique, he has extensive litigation and appellate experience in the areas of employment law, community associations, non-profit law, directors and officers liability, and commercial litigation. Having represented hundreds of community associations from day-to-day counseling on collections, deed restriction enforcement and litigation avoidance, to handling bench and jury trials and defending favorable results all the way to the Texas Supreme Court, Clayton understands the challenges that face the industry firsthand. In addition to his private practice experience, he served as Corporate Counsel Employment Law for Northwest Airlines, Inc., navigating the legal complexities of employee relations before, during and after the merger with Delta. His expertise in employment law ranges from fielding routine human resources questions from mom and pop management companies to representing a Fortune 200 corporation in international litigation and major reductions in force. Clayton is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has received an AV rating by Martindale Hubbell, the highest peer rating an attorney can receive. He is licensed in both Texas and Minnesota.

Chad E. Robinson received an A.B. degree in Economics and certificate in Political Economy from Princeton University in 1999. At Princeton, Mr. Robinson was a pitcher on the Varsity Baseball Team. In 2002, Mr. Robinson received his J.D. degree from the SMU School of Law. During law school, Mr. Robinson served as an articles editor for the International Law Review and was honored as an octa-finalist in the Jackson Walker Moot Court Competition. He was also a Dean’s Scholarship Recipient. Prior to joining Riddle & Williams, Mr. Robinson worked for six years for one of the largest and most prestigious full-service law firms in the State of Texas, where he was trained in litigation techniques and real estate law. At that firm, Mr. Robinson handled a variety of complex commercial litigation matters, including real estate and construction disputes. He has successfully represented clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Texas. Mr. Robinson is admitted to practice before all district courts in Texas. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. Mr. Robinson has co-authored articles that have been featured in trade publications.

Julie L. Dupont was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2006 and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas. She received her B.G.S. degree from Louisiana State University in 2002, and her J.D. degree from Southern Methodist University in 2006. While in law school, she was a member of the Corporate Law Society and the Association for Public Interest Law. Ms. Dupont is a current member of the State Bar of Texas.

Shawna D. Dalrymple was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2009, the State Bars of Mississippi and Tennessee in 2008. She is also licensed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Northern and Southern Federal District Courts of Mississippi. Ms. Dalrymple received her B.A. degree in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs from Southern Methodist University in 2005. While pursuing her undergraduate degree Ms. Dalrymple received an athletic-scholarship and lettered in Womenís Crew, was a University Honors program graduate, and was named Who's Who Among College and University Students. She served as a Summer Intern in Washington, D.C. for United States Senator Jeff Bingaman, and worked for CNN and Reuters during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Ms. Dalrymple received her J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law in 2008. While in law school, Ms. Dalrymple was President and Vice-President of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and a Senator for the Student Bar Association.

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