The Honorable Susan S. Soussan is a first-generation American, her parents having been fortunate to flee from Nazi Europe. She grew up in Austin and graduated from the University of Texas with honors and from the University of Houston School of Law. Susan has been married to Henri Soussan for 40 years. They have a daughter, Nicole Soussan Caplan, married to Seth Caplan, and now have a precious three-year-old granddaughter, Clare Harper Caplan.
In 1977, Susan started practicing law in Houston as a civil litigator. In early 1994, Susan achieved her professional dream of becoming a Texas State District Judge when Governor Ann Richards appointed her to the Harris County Civil District Court.
In 1995, Susan opened her own office, concentrating on mediation and arbitration. She has now mediated over 8,000 cases and arbitrated over 300, both involving disputes as high as $1 billion. Susan takes great joy in helping people resolve very difficult and personal issues affecting their lives and businesses through successful mediations. Susan has been told many times, “Without your continuous drive, intuition, people skills, and just plain hard work, this mediation would have never been successful.”
Her community service is vast, and includes chair or co-chair of Social Motion’s 8th Annual Gala (serving individuals with autism), ADL Annual Jurisprudence Award Luncheons, “Women on the Move Luncheon,” and Mission of Yahweh Gala.
Board activities include Anti-Defamation League Southwest, Texas Executive Women and Holocaust Museum of Houston. Susan also awards an annual scholarship to a teenage girl who is a member of B’nai Brith Girls, Lonestar Region, to attend the B’nai Brith Youth Organization Leadership Program during the summer.
Susan has been recognized as Texas Super Lawyer, The Mission of Yahweh “Woman of Substance,” Texas Monthly “Top Women Attorneys in Texas,” a Woman of Excellence by Federation of Houston Professional Women, named one of “Twenty-Five Beautiful Houstonians,” “Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women,” by Houston Woman Magazine, Texas Top Rated Lawyer by H Texas Magazine, Houston’s Top Women in Business and “Women on the Move” sponsored by Texas Executive Women.