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Dawn Norman is a solution-oriented lawyer who built a career at nationally recognized law firms where she advised clients on high-stakes challenges before bringing her expertise in-house to ExxonMobil and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP (CPChem). She’s using those same risk management principles to help families plan and prepare thoughtfully—so when the unexpected happens, their loved ones have the tools and support needed to face challenges with resilience.
Norman is senior counsel at CPChem. As part of CPChem’s dispute resolution team, she partners with business units across the company to navigate complex legal challenges, resolve (and avoid) disputes, and manage risks.
“My role is to be a strategic partner and problem-solver,” Norman explains. “We collaborate closely with in-house experts and outside counsel to navigate complex, high-stakes disputes—whether defending the company or advancing its interests. It’s about anticipating risk, crafting innovative legal strategies, and positioning the company as a market leader.”
Before joining CPChem in 2022, she spent eight years supporting ExxonMobil litigation matters, initially serving as outside counsel before transitioning to its in-house legal team in 2015. Her scope of responsibility expanded over that time to become supervising counsel and included an expatriate assignment with Imperial Oil, ExxonMobil’s Canadian subsidiary. Before that, Norman practiced at Beirne, Maynard & Parsons and Winstead PC, where her practical insight and creative problem-solving earned her a place on prominent trial teams.
When she’s not applying her practical legal skills to resolve disputes for CPChem, Norman uses those skills to encourage families to plan ahead for life’s toughest moments using a tool she developed, called the Goodbye Gift—a heartfelt initiative inspired by a sudden family loss. When a family member lost their spouse just sixteen days after their wedding, Norman stepped in to help sort through the legal and personal affairs—and quickly discovered how overwhelming and unprepared most families (including hers) are for such moments.
“You aren’t limited to traditional ways of adding value as a lawyer. Think about how your expertise and experiences can be used to serve others and creatively solve problems.”
Dawn Norman
That experience became the catalyst for the Goodbye Gift, a web-based tool that guides individuals through practical planning considerations and offers secure file storage (including audio and video) that only trusted designees can access when the time comes. “We plan for weddings, for births, for retirement—but rarely for the one certainty we all share. The Goodbye Gift is about making that planning an act of love, not fear and confidently passing on our legacy to the next generation,” Norman shares.
The senior counsel’s mission is rooted in planning advocacy—working to destigmatize conversations about death planning, but that’s only part of it. She also encourages proactive preparation for all of life’s unexpected turns, including medical incapacitation, not just end-of-life events.
“An important part of the process is approaching the conversation earlier in life,” Norman says. One powerful starting point is helping young adults—especially as they turn eighteen—understand that they are now legal adults. At that age, parents can no longer automatically access medical information or make medical decisions on their behalf. Tools like HIPAA authorizations and medical powers of attorney become essential for families to stay connected and prepared in the event of a medical emergency.
Norman is hoping this generation heeds her message and planning becomes second nature, paving the way for the future. “Then, at each stage of their life, as their planning needs grow—getting married, having children—the importance of personally planning for the unexpected won’t be something they’re learning or practicing for the first time,” Norman explains.
The Goodbye Gift offers a compassionate, approachable way to engage with sensitive topics—making planning accessible to everyone, regardless of age, income, or the size of their estate. Those interested in starting their own planning journey can visit thegoodbyegift.com to explore the tools or other planning resources.
As Norman continues to expand her legal impact, she remains committed to offering perspective to the next generation of lawyers. “You aren’t limited to traditional ways of adding value as a lawyer,” she says. “Think about how your expertise and experiences can be used to serve others and creatively solve problems.”
