Biographies

Susan C. Rhode is a shareholder and board member at Moss & Barnett.  She is known for her extensive experience and high ethical standards as a family law attorney.  Ms. Rhode is consistently listed among "The Best Lawyers in America" and named a "Super Lawyer" due to her exemplary work representing families who have family issues.  She has received the Hennepin County Professionalism Award and was recently recognized by the Minnesota Judicial Council for her work with the Early Neutral Evaluation statewide training programs.

Ms. Rhode works with clients to resolve all of their family law issues in settlement and litigation.  She manages complex financial issues which include business valuations, executive compensation valuation and division, and complex property divisions for her clients.  She also helps clients with their short and long-term support goals through child support and spousal maintenance.  Ms. Rhode's practice also includes working with clients to protect the best interests of their children through thoughtful and effective parenting plans.  Her prior work as a teacher and her commitment to children's issues provide broad perspective for her work with children in divorce.

Ms. Rhode also works with clients on their prenuptial and postnuptial agreements to protect their financial and personal interests in the event of death or divorce.  She also defends and challenges the enforceability of these contracts if circumstances require.

Ms. Rhode's practice has included working on some of the seminal cases in current Minnesota law on various issues including:  nonmarital property in Gottsacker v. Gottsacker, spousal maintenance in Hecker v. Hecker, and premarital agreements in McKee Johnson v. Johnson.

Ms. Rhode is a frequent lecturer and writer for the local and state family law bar organizations.  She lectures on developing areas of the law, practice techniques, and ethics.  She has written on many issues, including substantive fairness in premarital agreements, spousal maintenance trends, and motion practice.  She recently authored the "Spousal Maintenance Strategies" chapter for the Minnesota CLE Family Law Financial Deskbook.  Ms. Rhode also serves as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer on family law issues to Hamline University School of Law and William Mitchell School of Law.

Ms. Rhode's contributions to the bar are numerous and include:  Chair of the Fourth District Ethics Committee; representative to the Hennepin County Bar Association Board of Directors; past President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers - Minnesota Chapter, as well as serving on the Strategic Planning and Divorce Camp committees for the Chapter; a member of the International Academy and American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers; and Chair of the Admissions Procedures Comimttee for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.  She is also a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Warren E. Burger Inns of Court.

Ms. Rhode is a leader in mediation and other alternative dispute resolution methods.  She works as a mediator, consensual special magistrate, arbitrator, and evaluator for families throughout Minnesota.

Ms. Rhode works with the Bench and Bar in Minnesota to create innovative programs for families.  She serves on the Statewide Steering Committee for Early Case Management and Early Neutral Evaluation, is Chair of the Hennepin County Financial Early Neutral Evaluation Committee, serves on the ADR Review Board, is a Rule 114 Evaluative Neutral, and is a member of the Appellate Mediation Roster.

Ms. Rhode also contributes to the community.  She is the past President of Friends of Children, an organization that helps children in long-term foster care.  She also serves as Secretary for the Courage Center Foundation Board.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Adjunct Professor, Hamline School of Law

Adjunct Professor, William Mitchell College of Law

Warren E. Burger, American Inns of Court

Chair, Fourth Judicial District Ethics Committee - 2010-2016

Past President, Friends of Children Board of Directors

Family Law Mediation Certified Training

Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice - Civil Adjudicative/Evaluative Panel

Statewide Steering Comimttee - Hennepin County Early Case Management and Early Neutral Evaluation

Appellate Mediator

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY:

Board of Directors, Moss & Barnett, A Professional Association - 1999-Present

Shareholder, Moss & Barnett, A Professional Association - 1993-Present

Associate Attorney, Moss & Barnett, A Professional Association - 1987-1993

Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Doris Ohlsen Huspeni, Appellate Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals - 1985-1987

Junior High/High School English and Theatre Teacher, Winnipeg, Canada - 1974-1979