Mediation  ·  Arbitration  ·  National Practice

Resolution at the highest level of the federal judiciary.

Coogler Proctor Law brings more than four decades of combined federal judicial experience to the resolution of complex disputes — with the authority, discretion, and judgment that only the bench can confer.

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Two former Chief Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

"Both judges served on the same court. Each served as its Chief Judge — one in succession to the other. They now bring that shared institutional authority to parties who require more than a standard neutral."

Why a federal judge

The difference is not credential. It is disposition.

Most mediators bring process. A former Article III judge brings something different: a career spent making binding decisions with no safety net, under full public scrutiny, in matters where the stakes were real and the record permanent. That disposition — deliberate, authoritative, unafraid of hard conclusions — does not leave when the robe comes off.

Parties and counsel who engage Coogler Proctor Law are not hiring a facilitator. They are engaging neutrals who have presided over complex class actions, multi-district proceedings, False Claims Act matters, and disputes of national consequence. Neutrals who have seen every litigation posture, every negotiation dynamic, and every category of impasse — and who resolved them.

For matters where the outcome justifies the standard, there are many qualified neutrals. For matters where it does not, there is Coogler Proctor Law.

Ready to discuss a matter in confidence?

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About the firm

Two former Chief Judges. One practice.

Coogler Proctor Law was founded on a premise that is easy to state and difficult to replicate: that the most consequential disputes deserve neutrals who have spent careers making hard decisions under public scrutiny, with the full weight of the federal judiciary behind them.

The Honorable L. Scott Coogler and the Honorable R. David Proctor each served as United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama — and each, in turn, served as that court's Chief Judge. Judge Coogler led the court from 2020 to 2023. Judge Proctor succeeded him, serving as Chief Judge from 2024 to 2026. That succession is not incidental to the firm's identity. It is the firm's identity.

Between them, they bring more than four decades of federal judicial experience to every engagement — experience resolving disputes of every complexity, at every stage, in every posture. They have presided over complex class actions, multi-district proceedings, and matters of national consequence. They have mediated cases that other neutrals could not settle.

Coogler Proctor Law accepts engagements nationally and works with parties directly and through counsel. All inquiries are held in complete confidence.

Hon. L. Scott Coogler
United States District Judge, Ret.
Northern District of Alabama
Chief Judge, 2020–2023

Judge Coogler served on the federal bench for more than twenty years, including four years as Chief Judge of the Northern District of Alabama. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate in 2003.

Before his federal appointment, Judge Coogler was elected Circuit Court Judge for Alabama's Sixth Judicial Circuit in 1998 and served as that court's Chief Judge before his elevation to the federal bench. He served his country as a Captain in the United States Army National Guard, JAG Corps.

In 2020, he was elected by the judges of the Eleventh Circuit to the Judicial Conference of the United States, and was immediately appointed by the Chief Justice to the Conference's Executive Committee — one of seven members — where he served for the duration of his five-year term.

Judge Coogler holds a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Alabama. He has taught federal jurisdiction and complex litigation at the University of Alabama School of Law for more than fifteen years and holds the title of Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law. He is based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Hon. R. David Proctor
United States Senior District Judge
Northern District of Alabama
Chief Judge, 2024–2026

Judge Proctor has served on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama since 2003, when he was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate 92 to 0. He served as Chief Judge from January 2024 to January 2026, succeeding Judge Coogler in that role.

Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Proctor clerked for the Honorable H. Emory Widener, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit — among the most respected appellate jurists of his generation. He then practiced law in Birmingham for sixteen years before his elevation to the federal bench.

Judge Proctor holds a B.A. from Carson-Newman University and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He is a native of Atlanta, Georgia.

What we do

Dispute resolution services

Coogler Proctor Law accepts engagements nationally for matters that benefit from neutrals with the depth and authority of career federal judicial service — particularly where the complexity, stakes, or sensitivity of the dispute demands more than a standard process can provide.

Mediation
Facilitated resolution of civil disputes at any stage — pre-litigation, pending trial, or on appeal. Both judges carry extensive mediation experience from their time on the bench, where they regularly brought complex matters to settlement. All engagements are conducted with complete discretion.
Arbitration
Binding and non-binding arbitration for commercial disputes where parties seek a final, reasoned resolution with the analytical rigor of a federal jurist. Both judges are available to serve as sole arbitrator or as part of a panel.
Special master
Appointment as special master in complex federal or state proceedings requiring independent oversight, factual findings, or active management of discovery and remediation processes. Judge Coogler has served extensively in this capacity for both federal and state courts.
Early neutral evaluation
Confidential assessment of a dispute prior to or at the early stages of litigation — providing parties and counsel a candid, experienced view of the merits before the cost and exposure of full proceedings.
Contact

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All inquiries are treated with complete confidentiality. We respond to all matters within one business day.

Coogler Proctor Law
Mediation & Arbitration
National availability

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Mediation & Arbitration  ·  National Practice