I am Susan McDonald and I graduated with a degree in English from Vanderbilt University and received my law degree from the University of Mississippi. At Ole Miss, I was an Articles Editor and Research Editor for the Mississippi Law Journal. I was also the Managing Editor of the Fifth Circuit Reporter, which reviewed pending and recently decided cases from the Fifth Circuit. After law school, I clerked for United States District Judge Tom S. Lee in the Southern District of Mississippi and Judges E. Grady Jolly and Rhesa H. Barksdale with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
After my clerkships, I worked for the firm of Neal & Harwell in Nashville and then with firms in my home state of Mississippi. I returned to Nashville in 1995 to work in a corporate law department and began my solo practice in 1998.
I am licensed to practice in Mississippi and Tennessee. I am a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association International. I am also a Tennessee Rule 31 listed mediator and a founding member of the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators.
The internet and outsourcing have enabled me to build a successful practice of providing legal research and writing services to other lawyers around the country. This unique practice is a win-win situation for me and for my clients. I can combine my broad experience in litigation and judicial clerkships with a genuine passion for legal research and writing. With that combination, I provide writing projects that help my lawyer-clients better represent their own clients, without the overhead of an additional full-time attorney.
My unique practice also gives me the opportunity to pursue my interests in legal research and writing while maintaining a flexible schedule that is or should be the envy of every lawyer in the country.

Susan McDonald has been providing legal research and writing services on a contract basis to other attorneys since 1998. Her clients include law firms, solo practioners and corporations throughout the country. Susan's services include:

• Preparation of pretrial motions and responses, including:
• Motions for summary judgment
• Discovery motions
• Motions in limine;
• Preparation of appellate briefs in state and federal jurisdictions;
• Legal research and compilation of significant cases on particular points;
• Updating research for oral argument and settlement purposes;
• Editing of legal memoranda or briefs; and
• Last minute research assignments during trial and settlement negotiations.

Susan provides legal research and writing services to lawyers on an hourly basis. She is also available for speaking and training on legal research and writing.