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TCBA Charity Golf Tourney
Tulsa County Bar Foundation Annual Charity G lf Tournament
Grab your clubs, sunscreen and whatever lucky charm you have and let’s play some golf! Mark your calendars for Monday, May 4, 2020. The Annual event will be held at the LaFortune Park Golf Course. If you have not signed up your team now is the time. All players will receive a TCBF golf shirt, lunch, dinner and a swag bag. Oh and don’t forget about a visit from those Two Crazy Ladies and a Golf Cart. Who knows what they will be up to this year!
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The TCBF Charity Golf Tournament would not be possible without our sponsors which. Past sponsors have included: Mazzios; McAfee & Taft; Richards & Connor; Doerner Saunders Daniel & Anderson; Barrow Grimm; Moyers Martin; Graves McLain, Works & Lentz; The Khalaf Law Firm; Head, Johnson, Kachigan; Secrest, Hill, Butler & Secrest; and James R. Gotwals & Associates just to name a few.
Since 2003, the TCBF has been able to support some very worthwhile causes with your generosity. Some of the past years beneficiaries of proceeds includes: Blue Star Mothers, Disabled American Veterans, South Tulsa Community House, Tulsa Lawyers for Children, Community Outreach and First Step.
Please contact Lisa Laughrey at (918) 584-5243, ext. 1002 or LisaL@tulsabar.com with any questions.
Test your Golf IQ
1. What is the maximum number of clubs you are allowed to carry in your golf bag?
2. Prior to the invention of rubber, what were golf balls made of?
3. Who has the record for the most wins at The Masters?
4. Who is the only U.S. President to have been a club member at Augusta National?
5. Who was the “Jackie Robinson of golf,” becoming the first African-American on the PGA Tour?
6. Which country has the most golf courses per capita in the World?
7. Prior to 2016, when was the last time golf was in the Olympics?
8. How old was Tiger Woods when he got his first hole in one?
9. Who has the most PGA Tour wins without ever winning a major?
10. How many golfers have won at least 10 majors in their career?
Monday~ May 4, 2020
Lafortune Golf Course
Check out the sponsorship opportunities on pages 5-7 of this issue. Andfindyourregistrationformonpage26.
By Michael P. Taubman
To borrow the title from an album by George Harrison (the quiet Beatle), All Things Must Pass. I say this not in any sort of wistful or sad recognition, but more in acknowledgement of the massive compilation that album represents. You see, it was a 3 LP (that means 3 records) set, with Harrison exhibiting some of his finest work alongside his musical influences such as: Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, the Band, and many others. Over 30 years later, Harrison’s album remains a quintessential body of musical work.
Similarly, Judge Morrissey has served nearly 25 years on the bench, and she has developed a canonical body of work, implementing many changes to the court’s docket system from which we still benefit today, such as:
• While presiding over a family docket, she established the Child Support Enforcement Docket, dedicated to the expeditious enforcement of child support orders. This innovative docket generated over a million dollars in child support the first year, with cases completed in 35 days (on average) rather than many months, as had historically been the practice. For the past 23 years, the docket has continued to be enormously successful in generating child support for custodial parents and their children, and Judge Morrissey received a National Judge of the Year award in recognition of the creation of this docket. • Judge Morrissey implemented the “Families in Transition” program, in an attempt to minimize the adversarial nature of family conflicts and promote a therapeutic model to encourage positive relationships and build healthier families. • While presiding over the Drug Court Docket, she organized the Drug Court Reach Out to Youth Programto allow volunteer Drug Court offenders to speak to high school students and advocate against drug use. • While serving on a Felony Docket, Judge Morrissey authored the “Community Sentencing Guidebook” after the state passed the Oklahoma Community Sentencing Act. 16 Tulsa Lawyer •
In the early 2000s while serving as Chief of the Probate Division, she implemented a background check procedure for individuals applying to become legal guardians over vulnerable adults and children, working with our legislators to draft legislation resulting in this protocol becoming law. Additionally, she promoted legislation to allow the Court to require a Home Study before placing children in a guardian’s home. Since assuming a civil docket in 2008, there were nearly 1,000 pending cases with over 50 pending motions unresolved, so she began anew to implement her case management system, leaving this civil docket with fewer than 500 pending cases and a handful of pending motions. Additionally, she has worked with a group of attorneys to write and promote Discovery Master legislation to reduce the cost and delay with civil litigation.
As we discussed and reviewed her many accomplishments over her judicial career, she offered that she would be pleased to share her case management techniques with other judges. My own first experience with Judge Morrissey began when I was assigned to her pupilage group in Hudson Hall Wheaton Inns of Court some odd 15 years ago. There I saw first-hand her engagement in teaching others, as well as her willingness to share her sense of humor as we prepared our pseudo-SNL skit for the presentation. Below, I share with you all the Q&A from our exchange.
Q: Thank you for allowing me to interrupt you. The last time I appeared in your courtroom a few weeks ago, I had no idea that you were planning on announcing your retirement. Had you been planning on making this change for awhile? A: I expected it to be in September, 2020, but when I contacted our benefits coordinator I learned that my optimal retirement date was the end of March. I’ve always planned on transitioning to a second career as a mediator and arbitrator which is what I will be doing.
Q: From your tenure on the bench, what aspects of being a judge will you miss? A: I will miss the opportunity to assist everyday people with their legal challenges. It has always been important to me to make every litigant feel as if their case is the most important case on my docket because to those litigants, it is the most important case, no matter how complex or simple the matter may be.
Q: You handled just about every single docket in Tulsa County at one time or another. Which docket(s) did you enjoy the most & least? A: I have enjoyed every docket and found each challenging. I especially loved probate and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the civil docket over which I have presided for the last 12 years. The criminal docket was fascinating because the cases are anchored in constitutional law, however many of the cases were tragic, in that everyone involved was adversely affected.
Q: Who motivated you to pursue your career as lawyer and jurist? A: While earning a master’s degree in counseling, it became apparent to me that problem solving was a strength of mine. A law degree seemed like an effective tool to help solve problems.
Q: What made you decide to seek election to the judiciary part of your legal career? A: After serving as a special judge for 3 years, I had the opportunity to run for district judge in a field of 7 candidates. A district judge has the opportunity to preside over every type of case and that appealed to me. Additionally, I wanted to be involved in selecting special judges in order to promote choosing judges who have the right temperament and intellect to have the responsibility of making decisions that have a profound impact of one’s life.
Q: Was there one piece of advice you received during your career on the bench from which all lawyers &/or judges could benefit? A: Yes. Be prepared! Lawyers should know the law and be prepared to advocate using the law with specificity. Judges should also prepare for hearings by reading the lawyers briefs and conducting independent research.
Q: Can you share one or more of memorable cases that you’ve heard, good and bad? A: Certainly, the adoption cases over which I presided brought me great joy. On one occasion, I had the privilege of presiding over my former bailiff’s adoption. She and her husband were graced with adopting an infant boy quite unexpectedly. It was smiles all around in my courtroom when I signed the decree of adoption and pronounced that, the couple would be the “forever” mom and dad of the little boy, whom they obviously adored. On the negative side, I found it discouraging and disappointing when a Drug Court participant failed and had to go to prison. One of those young women came to see me recently to thank me for working with her throughout Drug Court and ultimately sending her to prison for repeated non-compliance with probation. As she described it, “it saved her life.” She had served Q: Do you have a set plan in mind to continue the practice of law in any certain area / capacity? Will there be a Morrisey & Nicks firm on in the future? Perhaps teaching? A: Yes. I will immediately begin conducting mediations and arbitrations with DRC. Additionally, I hope to provide litigation consultation to share the knowledge I have acquired from the thousands of lawsuits over which I have presided. I enjoy probate, oil and gas, and real estate matters and hope to practice in those areas with Barnes Law where my husband, John Nicks, is also of counsel. Finally, I’ve always enjoyed teaching and often describe teaching as my “first love.” So, I’m sure I will find a way to continue teaching in some capacity.
Q: With the recent public health concerns we’ve dealt with in the court system on top of regular dockets, how are you most looking forward to spending some quiet time? A: Frankly, I’m eager to get to work full time as a mediator and arbitrator. I’ve been working at various jobs since I was 13 so it would feel unnatural for me to quit working. Evenings and weekends are for quiet time.
Q: In all your travels, which places would you like to plan to see again? A: Ireland. It is rich with family history and filled with kind, thoughtful, happy people.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to impart to the TCBA, the citizens of Tulsa County and the Court
personnel?
A: Thank you for the privilege of serving the citizens of
the 14 th
Judicial District since 1995. It has been the honor of my professional life to be a member of the judiciary in Oklahoma for almost two and one-half decades and to
work with the phenomenal attorneys in our bar and the extraordinary personnel at the Tulsa County Courthouse. I have thoroughly enjoyed my association with the TCBA. I invested my heart, soul, and mind in my cases and never lost sight of the lives impacted by my decisions. The time has now arrived for me to lay down my gavel. As I approach April 1, 2020, I look forward to the next chapter in my professional career as a mediator and arbitrator. Additionally, I hope to find ways to continue serving the people of the great state of Oklahoma.
The Children & the Law Spring Event is Here!
The Children and the Law Committee is doing a drive for gently used and brand new suitcases!
Have a gently used suitcase? Time for an upgrade? Or, is your generous heart big enough to donate a brand new suitcase? Well then look no further!
Sadly, when a child is placed in foster care or moved from one foster home to the next, a majority of the time they do not have a suitcase to bring their belongings with them. They are forced to use garbage bags to take what they have with them, implying that they are what they have.
The Children and the Law Committee will be trying to change that by providing foster children with their own suitcases to move their belongings and have for their own safekeeping.
Over the next few months, please drop off gently used or brand new suitcases to donate to foster children in the area. I’d love to have a few dozen suitcases to turn over by May, 2020!
So please consider this great cause. If you have any questions about this event, please do not hesitate to contact either Natalie Sears at nsears@ robinettlawfirm.com or Steve Hale at stephen@stephenehalepllc.com “
The YLD Summer Softball League is just around the corner!
If interested in forming a team, please contact Ephraim Alajaji at EAlajaji@bokf.com
