# DeGroote Partners > Official DeGroote Partners business agent. DeGroote Partners is a Dallas, Texas firm providing commercial mediation and arbitration and special… ## Ask it a question DeGroote Partners answers for itself at https://api.hailera.com/mcp/degrootepartners. A client that speaks MCP can connect to that address; the tool is ask_degrootepartners and the protocol is 2026-07-28. Where this file and the agent disagree, the agent is current. ## About DeGroote Partners The team page says "The DeGroote Partners Team brings over 75 years of combined business expertise and legal experience," and describes the firm as combining "practical legal experience, proven project management expertise, and genuine accounting capabilities." Four people are named. John DeGroote is described as "a former global company general counsel now focused on special business situations, significant matters, and efficient dispute resolution as a trustee, mediator and arbitrator." The page states that in 2009 he was appointed to serve as Trustee to the BearingPoint, Inc. Liquidating Trust by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, and that he earned his law degree from Duke Law School and his bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University. The site does not publish bar admissions, licence numbers or mediator certifications. Gaynell Methvin co-mediates select patent and technology disputes with John DeGroote and "also serves as mediator, arbitrator, neutral advisor, technical advisor and special master for U.S. District Courts in intellectual property and technology litigation." The page says he spent over 30 years as a trial attorney handling primarily intellectual property, and lists Fish and Neave (1967 to 1973), Johnson and Gibbs (1974 to 1994), and Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher until 1997. Carol Pratt is described as a senior executive and consultant providing program management structure. Tracey McAllister is described as a Senior Paralegal and Consultant with 20 years of legal support experience. The home page carries an announcement, posted August 21, 2023, that The Best Lawyers in America named John DeGroote 2024 Dallas-Fort Worth "Lawyer of the Year" for mediation. The special situations page lists past appointments including court-appointed liquidating trustee to the BearingPoint, Inc. Liquidating Trust, "returning $58 million to creditors since the Trust's inception," and appointment in 2020 as a representative of the Non-Union Retirees in In re Exide Holdings, Inc. by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. These are past engagements as published; they say nothing about any future matter. Source: https://degrootepartners.com/team/ ## What DeGroote Partners does DeGroote Partners, LLC is a Dallas, Texas firm that provides two services: mediation and arbitration, and special situations/trustee work. It is not a litigation law firm taking on clients' cases; the firm is engaged as a neutral — mediator, arbitrator, trustee, receiver, independent officer or intermediary. The site does not publish a legal disclaimer, and nothing here is legal advice. On mediation and arbitration the services page says the team has "experience in every chair in the mediation room: as the client, as outside counsel, and as the mediator," and that the firm knows "what drives clients to settle - and when - and how that has changed over the past 25 years." The approach is described as early case assessment with active, focused involvement by the mediator rather than a passive one. On special situations the page says these matters "take many forms, they feature unique facts, and they're known for the evolving challenges they present." The described approach is "working as an honest broker to aggressively and efficiently wind down a business's operations or to accomplish its stakeholders' other goals," summarised as "smart analysis, targeted action and decisive leadership." The firm is based in Dallas and describes a national reach. Contact is by phone: the office number published across the site is 214.887.3484 and the cell number is 214.288.6864. The address given is Hickory Street Annex, 501 S 2nd Avenue, Suite A-700, Dallas, Texas 75226. The site publishes no business hours and no email address. Fees, scheduling, services, team, location and contact each have their own page. Source: https://degrootepartners.com/services/ ## Where DeGroote Partners works DeGroote Partners is located at Hickory Street Annex, 501 S 2nd Avenue, Suite A-700, Dallas, Texas 75226. The contact page repeats this address and gives Google Map and PDF Map links. The mediation center page describes the space as being "on the edge of downtown in Dallas' historic Deep Ellum neighborhood." The fees page refers to the same facility as the Deep Ellum ADR Center and says it includes breakout rooms for up to 6 sides. The page describes the physical space rather than listing amenities formally: "a welcoming place to gather," "snacks and beverages to keep you going," "our main conference room flooded with natural light," "meeting rooms and comfortable spaces designed to facilitate discussion," "smaller spaces for when you need them," "for breakout sessions that break through," and "soaring ceilings so you don't feel boxed in." It also mentions "modern conveniences and access to technology that aren't always a given in arbitration and mediation settings." A photo tour of the center is on that page. On areas served, the special situations page says DeGroote Partners "is based in Dallas but has a national reach when it comes to responding to special situations," and the team page repeats "based in Dallas but with a national reach." For mediations, the fees page states that for the time being the firm is only mediating at its offices in Dallas or on Zoom, and describes a previous out-of-town travel policy it says it will return to in the future. Contact for this location is by phone: office 214.887.3484, cell 214.288.6864. No opening hours and no email address are published on the site. Lists Catonsville, Hickory, Dallas, and Albuquerque as a location. Names Delaware, Mississippi, New York, Texas, and United States as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published. Source: https://degrootepartners.com/mediation-center/ ## Prices DeGroote Partners publishes a fee schedule, so these prices come from the site itself. For full day mediations in Dallas the fee per day per side is set by the amount in controversy: up to $1 million, $5,000; $1,000,000 - $5,000,000, $6,000; $5,000,000 - $10,000,000, $7,000; more than $10,000,000, "$8,000 or TBD." The page states the mediation fee "covers all preparation time, individual meetings or calls in advance of the mediation, the mediation session itself, the use of our mediation facility, scheduling and administration of the mediation, a working lunch, and appropriate follow-up telephone calls with counsel, if necessary." A "side" is defined as "a party or group of parties represented by the same law firm or firms," and parties with different law firms count as different sides. In cases with four or more sides the firm says it is happy to discuss a reduction from the standard per party rate. Where there are substantial non-monetary issues or other special circumstances, the mediation fee is set after a discussion with counsel, so a quote or estimate in those cases comes from that conversation. John's arbitration rate is stated as "$675 per hour for hearing, study, and travel time, regardless of the number of parties," divided equally among the sides unless agreed otherwise, and includes use of the Deep Ellum ADR Center with breakout rooms for up to 6 sides. An advance deposit is required. full payment is due at least 3 business days before the mediation date; all fees are waived if the mediation is cancelled at least 7 days prior. A side cancelling within 7 calendar days is charged the fee allocable to one side, pro rata if more than one side cancels, and cancellation fees are refunded or waived if another mediation is scheduled for the reserved date. For arbitration, a hearing scheduled for 3 days or less that is cancelled or postponed within 7 days of its start date carries a cancellation fee of $3,375 per cancelled day. The site says the firm is currently mediating only at its Dallas offices or on Zoom, and that it actively discourages half day mediations. Fee figures above are quoted as published; confirm current cost and rates with the firm. Source: https://degrootepartners.com/fees/ ## How DeGroote Partners works with clients To book a mediation or arbitration, the scheduling page directs people to view available dates on a calendar on that page and to use the contact form below it: "To reserve an appointment online, please click your preferred available date. Our staff will contact you on receipt of your Appointment Request form." The page also offers a printable summary of available dates. Booking is therefore a request that staff follow up on, not an instant confirmation. The page adds two conditions. Half day mediations "are scheduled only after a discussion with John." And for questions, or to hold more than one day, the page says to call John at 214.288.6864. The general office phone published across the site is 214.887.3484. On format, the page states: "We can accommodate mediations in-person, online, or a combination of the two," and links to the mediation center page for the safety precautions being taken. The fees page separately notes that for the time being the firm is only mediating at its Dallas offices or on Zoom. The site publishes no opening hours, no email address, and no online payment step; scheduling and any quote or estimate outside the published fee schedule are handled by phone or through the appointment request form. Fees for a booking are set out on the fees page. The office address for an in-person appointment is Hickory Street Annex, 501 S 2nd Avenue, Suite A-700, Dallas, Texas 75226. Source: https://degrootepartners.com/schedule/ ## Mediation and arbitration services and the kinds of disputes handled The mediation and arbitration page describes commercial mediation and arbitration led by firm founder John DeGroote. The page says the DeGroote Partners team has "seen disputes from every angle: as the client, as in-house counsel, as outside counsel, as mediators and, in John's case, as an arbitrator," and understands "the dynamics that drive cases to resolution - and how those have changed over the past 25 years." The stated aim of the approach - described as "effective preparation, active participation and a customized approach" - is to help clients, counsel and courts settle complex cases earlier, engage in pre-litigation mediation when appropriate, narrow the scope of disputes that will not settle early, and clear the court's docket. These are the firm's descriptions of its method, not a prediction about any case; no outcome is promised anywhere on the site. The page lists case types the team's experience includes: Accounting Matters; Bankruptcy and Avoidance Issues; Commercial and Business Disputes; Directors and Officers Claims; Distribution Agreements; Employment Disputes; Insurance Coverage Disputes; Intellectual Property; Joint Ventures; M&A Holdbacks and Earnouts; Noncompetition Agreements; Oil and Gas; Partnerships; Payment Processing; Probate; Real Estate; Technology. On experience the page states that as outside counsel John DeGroote "managed contingent fee plaintiffs' cases and a robust defense docket," and that as a general counsel his docket "included every kind of dispute a 17,000-person global corporation could generate." Rates and fees for these services are published on a separate fees page. To discuss a matter or to book, the phone numbers are 214.887.3484 (office) and 214.288.6864 (cell). Source: https://degrootepartners.com/mediation-arbitration/ ## What DeGroote Partners has not published yet These are things people ask DeGroote Partners that its published information does not yet cover. - prices - availability - case outcomes or settlement results - legal advice or filing deadlines - bar admissions, licences or certifications - conflict-of-interest clearance - engagement or retainer contract terms - travel outside dallas for a mediation Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess. ## Where this comes from https://degrootepartners.com