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Fry & Elder Intern Elissa Stiles Thankful For Experiences, Opportunities

Elissa Stiles

Perhaps no other enterprise offers greater perspective, empathy and appreciation than traveling.

Fry & Elder intern Elissa Stiles knows this all too well.

As a 2014 International Studies graduate of the University of Tulsa, Elissa Stiles studied abroad and researched in Peru, Brazil and Madagascar. Those travel experiences provided her greater insight into other cultures and nationalities, along with just how thankful she is for the opportunity to live in the United States.

“It was a great opportunity that allowed for me to meet a wide variety of people from different cultures and regions of the world,” Elissa Stiles said. “The more I talked to them the more I really began to understand the immense privilege I had living over here in the U.S.

“There are a lot of people who would love the opportunity to live here but are unable to come over here because they are poor, don’t know how to get a visa or are just unable to because of the laws we currently have in place.”

Now, a second-year law school student at the University of Tulsa College of Law, Stiles is in the process of learning how to better advocate for immigrants and foreigners hoping to come to the U.S.

She interns for Fry & Elder’s talented and experienced duo of immigration law attorneys Lorena Rivas and Ruth Calvillo and believes her experiences with the acclaimed Oklahoma law firm have reinforced what she learned from her travel experiences.

“I never really planned on pursuing a career in law,” Stiles said, “but I came back to TU (from studying abroad) and began working with international students, and it just became clear to me that becoming an immigration law attorney would better enable me to help those looking to come to the U.S.

“I love working with Lorena and Ruth and have learned so much from both of them during my time at Fry & Elder. Law school is great, but it doesn’t teach the practical skills that it takes to be a good attorney like working for a firm like Fry & Elder.”

Elissa Stiles

Tulsa Media Spotlights Elissa Stiles, Others

With immigration law becoming such a controversial and pressing issue for many, the national and Oklahoma media has taken notice. Stiles and two others are profiled in the November issue of TulsaPeople Magazine. Click HERE to read the article which documents Stiles’ background and how she helped co-found the Immigration Law Society at TU.

Stiles is quoted in the article saying:

“There’s not a specific reason that I was born in the United States and they weren’t. That’s just the luck of the draw. How silly of me to think I deserve to be in this country but the people who weren’t born here don’t deserve that. People who want to come to this country … I want to help them get here.”

Stiles said her first experience studying abroad in Peru was when she initially began to question boarders and that her experiences researching traditional medical practices in Madagascar made her call into question U.S. boarder policy even more. By the time she got to Brazil to research sex trafficking and the World Cup, her beliefs and values were “solidified” in viewing people with a borderless lens.

“Staying with my host families really opened my eyes to the opportunities I have and take for granted,” Stiles said. “They were some of the most kind-hearted and generous people I have ever met.”

Elissa Stiles

Stiles Reinforces Fry & Elder’s Diversity

Elissa Stiles is one of several people at Fry & Elder making a difference. The nationally-recognized firm has embraced a progressive, forward-thinking approach that permeates through its multilingual staff.

Stiles is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, while fellow Fry & Elder intern Danya Mahjoub is fluent in German and Arabic. All total, there are nine Fry & Elder attorneys and employees who are fluent in a foreign language.

“The ability to communicate effectively with clients and in court has always been a vital skill attorneys and legal personnel need to possess,” Rivas said. “As our world becomes more interconnected and immigration law services become in greater demand, having a well-rounded, multilingual legal staff is becoming more and more paramount. Fry & Elder is a firm that has always sought to grow and diversify its ability to help clients. The number of people who are multilingual here is a direct sign of the firm embracing that culture and movement forward.”

Fry & Elder offers legal assistance and representation in immigration law, family law and criminal law matters. The firm’s decorated lineup of attorneys includes:

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to set up a personal consultation with an experienced trial lawyer from nationally-recognized and elite Oklahoma law firm.

Accomplished Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Attend Las Vegas CLE Seminar

November has turned out to be quite the Continuing Legal Education month for Fry & Elder partners and accomplished Oklahoma trial lawyers Aaron D. Bundy and M. Shane Henry.

Accomplished Oklahoma trial lawyers

The tandem kicked off the month on Nov. 3 by winning the 2017 Earl Sneed Award for their significant and outstanding CLE contributions at the OBA Annual Meeting in Tulsa. That was followed up by the two accomplished Oklahoma trial lawyers learning that their application to present at the distinguished 55th Annual Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) Conference this upcoming year was accepted.

If all of that were not enough, Bundy and Henry, along with Fry & Elder standout immigration law attorney Lorena Rivas, closed out a busy and memorable November month by attending the “2017 Defending Sex Cases Conference” presented by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers® (NACDL) on Nov. 16-17 in Las Vegas.

“It’s certainly been a busy month for us, but Shane, Lorena and I all agreed that this was a very important conference to attend, Bundy said. “As with previous NACDL conferences, the speakers were nationally-renowned experts and trial lawyers. The information we learned will apply across the board to all aspects of our practice. Several other great criminal defense lawyers from Tulsa were also at the conference.”

What the Accomplished Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Learned

Founded in 1958, the NACDL has long been recognized at as the “preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation’s criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct.”

The organization’s website lists its mission as:

  • Ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime…
  • Foster the integrity, independence and expertise of the criminal defense profession…
  • Promote the proper and fair administration of criminal justice.

Bundy and Henry attended the NACDL 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Seminar earlier this year in New Orleans. The two-day seminar on Defending Sex Cases Seminar took place at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas and featured a number of informative and thought-provoking breakout sessions Bundy, Henry and Rivas attended including:

  • “Forensic Child Interviews: Suggestiveness and Taint”
  • “False Confessions in Child Sexual Assault Cases”
  • “Stop the Insanity: Effective Cross-Examination of the SANE Witness”

“The topics covered during each of those sessions were very important for both our criminal and family law cases,” Bundy said. “It was a very relevant seminar for us to attend.”

Accomplished Oklahoma trial lawyers

CLE Emphasized

Fry & Elder and its attorneys have developed both a national and state-wide reputation for really putting an emphasis on CLE and professional development opportunities. In addition to the most recent Defending Sex Cases Seminar in Las Vegas, attorneys from the standout Oklahoma law firm have traveled to the following locales for important and relevant CLE conferences.

Why Experience the Fry & Elder Difference?

Whether you are facing a family law, immigration law or criminal law matter, Fry & Elder has the accomplished Oklahoma trial lawyers in place to help you navigate through the process. The firm has been named to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Firms List from 2014-2018.

Its talented lineup of accomplished Oklahoma trial lawyers includes the following:

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to set up a personal consultation with an experienced trial lawyer from nationally-recognized and elite Oklahoma law firm.

Oklahoma Child Support Attorney Page Accepts Leadership Posts

The Oklahoma law firm of Fry & Elder enjoyed one of its most memorable weeks in firm history this past week. The firm moved into its new Tulsa office at 1616 S. Main Street and was named to the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Firms list for a fifth consecutive year before the week culminated with Fry & Elder partners M. Shane Henry and Aaron D. Bundy receiving the 2017 Earl Sneed Award for their significant contributions in Continuing Legal Education during the general assembly of the Oklahoma Bar Association Annual Meeting.

Oklahoma child support attorney

Not to be outdone by last week’s dynamic set of events was Amy Page’s acceptance of two leadership positions during the OBA Annual Meeting Family Law Section day. The experienced Oklahoma child support attorney was formally announced as the 2018 Tulsa County Bar Association Family FLS Chair in 2018, and the 2018 and 2019 OBA FLS CLE Chair.

“I have always believed in the importance of being able to give back to the Tulsa and Oklahoma legal community,” Page said. “There have been numerous attorneys, judges and other legal personnel who have helped me throughout my legal career when they certainly had no obligation to do so. I am very grateful to them.  One of the things that really influenced my decision to join Fry & Elder (in February of 2017) was the firm and its attorneys commitment to continuing legal education and professional development.”

Oklahoma Child Support Attorney Page Gained Experience with DHS

Before joining Fry & Elder, Page worked as an attorney with the Child Support Services Division of Oklahoma’s DHS. While with DHS, Page gained valuable insight and experience into child support (establishment, enforcement, and defense) and paternity/parentage issues. It was during her tenure at DHS when Page held her first OBA leadership position. The experienced Oklahoma child support attorney also served as the OBA FLS CLE Chair in both 2008 and 2009.

“I definitely believe that I learned a lot during those two years,” Page said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that it will help me be more efficient and effective this time around (as OBA FLS CLE Chair).”

Oklahoma child support attorney

Leadership Positions Nothing New for Fry & Elder Attorneys

Page is just the latest in a long line of Fry & Elder trial lawyers to tackle a leadership position with the OBA and TCBA.

Fry & Elder Oklahoma City divorce attorney Allyson Dow is the current OBA FLS Chair and third attorney from the vaunted Oklahoma law firm to hold the post in the past four years, following Henry (2014) and T. Luke Barteaux (2016). Dow, who also is one of five Fry & Elder attorneys to garner Super Lawyers® accolades, was in charge of the FLS day during the OBA Annual Meeting this past week. Several attorneys and personnel with the firm also have been active in the further development of the OBA FLS TAI.

Why Experience the Fry & Elder Difference?

Whether you are in need of legal counsel for a family law, immigration law or criminal law matter, Fry & Elder has the experience and knowledge in place to help implement a plan to resolve the issue in the best way possible. The firm’s decorated staff of attorneys includes the following:

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to set up a personal consultation with an experienced trial lawyer nationally-recognized and elite Oklahoma law firm.

Elite Oklahoma Law Firm Receives National Honor

Five is indeed alive for Fry & Elder.

In what is turning out to be quite the memorable week for the elite Oklahoma law firm, Fry & Elder learned it has been named to the esteemed Best Law Firms list published annually by the U.S. News & World Report for a fifth consecutive year.

Elite Oklahoma law firm

As fate would have it, the highly-regarded media publication unveiled its rankings on Nov. 1 – the same day the Oklahoma Bar Association kicked off its annual meeting and two days after the elite Oklahoma law firm moved into its new prime Maple Ridge Tulsa office – The Headquarters Building – at 1616 S. Main Street.  

Fry & Elder’s M. Shane Henry and Aaron D. Bundy will present at the OBA Annual Meeting on the Crossroads Between Family Law and Criminal Law and receive the 2017 Earl Sneed Award for outstanding continuing legal education contributions on Friday, while Amy Page will be announced as the 2018 Tulsa County Bar Association Family Law Section Chair and as the OBA FLS CLE Chair later this week.

“It’ been a great week, and it’s only Wednesday,” Robert G “Hap” Fry said. “There are a lot of big things happening right now with the firm and all them are very positive. Making the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Firms list for a fifth consecutive year is very significant to us. It is a great honor to say the least. It’s just a tremendous tribute to our firm and the things we are doing here at Fry & Elder to be mentioned in the same breath with all these other great firms that also are listed.”

Long known for its prowess in Tulsa family law, including its work in high-conflict divorce and child custody cases, Fry & Elder was once again spotlighted for its excellence in family law.

To be eligible to make the Best Law Firms list, the firm must have “at least one lawyer who is included in Best Lawyers® in that particular practice area and metro.” This year, Fry & Elder features two attorneys who fit the bill. Both Fry and Henry are listed by Best Lawyers for 2018. Fry is listed for an eighth consecutive year, while 2018 will be Henry’s first appearance.

The U.S. News & World Report, which has long been an authority figure in ranking and “evaluating key institutions in society—from colleges to hospitals,” researched and evaluated close to 14,000 firms throughout the United States across 75 practice areas. Of the 13,745 law firms evaluated, only 1,911 made the prestigious list.

“It’s a very big deal to make this list,” Henry said. “We’re a team here at Fry & Elder. Honors like this truly reflect the team-like culture we embody here at Fry & Elder.”

Elite Oklahoma law firm

In addition to being named to the Best Law Firms list, the elite Oklahoma law firm also had five of its attorneys recently recognized by Super Lawyers®. The firm’s roster of attorneys are some of the most decorated in the state and feature:

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to set up a personal consultation with an experienced trial lawyer nationally-recognized and elite Oklahoma law firm.

Fry & Elder Moves Into New Digs At The Headquarters Building

Growth and expansion forced Fry & Elder to move out of its long-time 906 S. Cheyenne downtown Tulsa office in 2015 and into the Robert G. Fry Jr. Center for Trial Studies.

Less than two years later, growth and expansion has again forced the acclaimed Oklahoma law firm into a new office location. The firm moved out of the Robert G Fry Jr. Center for Trial Studies and into its new bustling Maple Ridge office location at 1616 S. Main Street today.

The Headquarters Building

Aptly named The Headquarters Building, the state-of-the-art 11,200 square-foot facility features 19 offices, four conference rooms, a large training room with full kitchen, a gym and shower facilities. To put it mildly, Fry & Elder has come a long way since its days at 906 S. Cheyenne where the firm resided for 30 years.

“This is our home now, and we hope it’s our home for many years to come” Fry & Elder partner M. Shane Henry said. “It’s a building that offers a lot of space and great amenities, which is something we needed with our growing staff and for our clients. Everybody with the firm feels that The Headquarters Building is a game changer. We’re proud of it.”

As Henry alluded to, Fry & Elder has experienced unprecedented growth since Henry joined the firm in 2010. In the past two years alone, Fry & Elder’s staff has grown from five lawyers to its current roster of 13 attorneys, which are among the most decorated in the state. They include:

Oklahoma immigration law attorney

Further Growth and Expansion, Accolades on the Horizon

Fry & Elder also opened offices in Oklahoma City late last year and is continuing to look to expand and grow its name, which has been synonymous with Oklahoma family law for close to 50 years. The firm has designs on growing into Texas and in Arkansas. Henry, a 2018 Best Lawyers® selection, is also licensed to practice in Texas, while immigration law attorney Lorena Rivas regularly tries her cases in Texas.

It is only fitting that the vaunted firm chose to usher in a new era at this time. This week is a big one for Fry & Elder and many other firms and attorneys throughout Oklahoma. The U.S. News & World Report will unveil its 2018 Best Law Firms List on Nov. 1 and Fry & Elder is vying to make the esteemed list for a fifth consecutive year.

The Oklahoma Bar Association will also be holding its Annual Meetings from Nov. 1-3 in Tulsa and Fry & Elder’s presence will be strong. Aaron D. Bundy and Henry will receive the Earl Sneed Award for their contributions in Continuing Legal Education, while Fry & Elder’s Amy Page will be announced as the 2018 Tulsa County Bar Association Family Law Section Chair and as the OBA FLS CLE Chair.

Though the firm was only at the Robert G Fry Jr. Center for Trial Studies for two years, the office served as a necessary spring board for future growth, which helped pave the way for the firm to move into the The Headquarters Building.

“We felt like we would be at that location a while longer, but we have continued to grow and get bigger,” Henry said. “We definitely didn’t want to impede growth. We’re excited about this new office and what the future holds for Fry & Elder.”

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to set up a personal consultation with an elite Oklahoma trial lawyer.

Rivas Among Best Oklahoma Immigration Law Attorneys

As Lorena Rivas recently conveyed during the University of Central Oklahoma’s Pre-Law Society monthly meeting, the Fry & Elder immigration law attorney learned at a very young just how important a lawyer can be to people and families.

Best Oklahoma Immigration Law Attorneys

About the time Rivas was 4, her father was injured in an Oklahoma oil field accident which landed him in the hospital for a spell and unable to work. With her mother working but struggling to make ends meet and juggle the obligations of caring for Rivas and her sister, the family enlisted the services of an attorney to help them get some much-needed relief and aid needed following the accident.

“We were a low-income family, but I remember who came to the rescue for (my parents) and it was an attorney,” said Rivas, a first-generation Mexican-American. “Somebody who took up their case, fought for them and got us some funds. Did we get a lot? No, probably not … But it was something to keep us going and allowed us to keep our house, keep food on the table and keep us dreaming. That is (when) I got my first taste of what an attorney is and how important they are to people.

“After seeing the importance of a lawyer, I knew I wanted to be somebody that important to somebody in their life and help them out.”

Fast forward some 25 years later and Rivas has become just that – having established herself as one of the best Oklahoma immigration law attorneys as a trial lawyer with Fry & Elder.

Rivas shared what was her first legal memory and a whole lot more during the October Pre-Law Society meeting at UCO.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be invited to speak at some different events over the years, and this was one of the more memorable ones I’ve been able to attend,” Rivas said.  “It wasn’t long ago when I was sitting where they were sitting as an undergrad. It’s such a great and important time of life. I chose to focus my talk on what led me to my current career path and the current trials and tribulations I face as an immigration attorney, especially in this political climate.”

Being One of the Best Oklahoma Immigration Law Attorneys is no Easy Task

As Rivas alluded to, immigration law is a very controversial topic in Oklahoma and throughout the United States. During her presentation, which lasted approximately 45 minutes, Rivas told her audience that when she goes to court, she travels to Dallas and often flies out of Tulsa as early as 5 a.m. the day of court.

“Immigration law is administrative law,” Rivas said. “The practice is very hard. It’s very harsh. It’s very exhausting.”

But it is rewarding.

There is tremendous satisfaction that comes with successfully advocating for a client in the realm of immigration law. Rivas got her first taste of that satisfaction as a second-year law student at the University of Tulsa College of Law when she successfully prevented a Haitian national from being returned to Haiti after he plead guilty to drug possession without fully understanding the consequences of his plead.

“He plead guilty to those drug convictions without knowing the true consequences of pleading guilty,” Rivas disclosed to her audience. “You see, justice is a pretty word. When I go to criminal court and I see the district attorneys and the prison systems and the judicial systems, I don’t know how much justice is truly taking place because people are ushered in and urged to take a plea deal without truly understanding the consequences of things.”

Fry & Elder’s Best Oklahoma Immigration Law Attorneys Available to Assist

It’s been a busy year for Rivas to put it mildly. She visited Capitol Hill in April where she met with Oklahoma lawmakers and attended the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s National Day of Action. Rivas also was in Kansas City this past September for the 2017 HNBA (Hispanic National Bar Association) Latina Leadership Academy.

If that were not enough, Rivas brought in fellow immigration law attorney Ruth Calvillo to further bolster Fry & Elder’s high-regarded immigration law staff. Calvillo recently delivered a passionate speech to TU College of Law students this past August in which she challenged them to give at least one hour back to the Tulsa community per week.

Best Oklahoma Immigration Law Attorneys

Rivas and Calvillo, along with Fry & Elder’s other immigration law personnel, provide the following immigration law services:

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to set up a personal consultation with one of the best Oklahoma immigration law attorneys.

Five Fry & Elder Trial Lawyers Honored as Oklahoma Super Lawyers

The accolades continue to roll in for Fry & Elder trial lawyers. Less than two months after firm attorneys Robert G “Hap” Fry Jr. and M. Shane Henry were named to the prestigious Best Lawyers® 2018 listings another leading legal publication, Super Lawyers®, rolled out its list of this year’s honorees. As expected, several Fry & Elder trial lawyers were spotlighted as Oklahoma Super Lawyers, highlighted by Fry Jr. being again selected as a Super Lawyer for his prowess in family law.

Oklahoma Super Lawyers

The decorated attorney, considered by many to be the best Tulsa divorce attorney, has been tabbed a Super Lawyer every year by the publication since it began spotlighting attorneys in 2007.

“It’s an incredible honor,” Fry Jr. said. “Super Lawyers is a very respected publication in the legal industry. These awards and honors mean a lot and are never taken for granted.”

All total, Fry & Elder had five attorneys recognized as Oklahoma Super Lawyers for 2017.

Also joining Fry Jr. were Super Lawyers Rising Stars selections Henry (2015-2017), Aaron D. Bundy (2013-2017), T. Luke Barteaux (2014-2017) and Fry & Elder Oklahoma City lead attorney Allyson Dow (2015-2017).

For Barteaux, the Oklahoma Super Lawyers’ accolade provides further validation that 2017 has indeed been a banner year for the trial attorney. In May, Barteaux became the first Fry & Elder attorney to be sworn in as a judge when he was appointed and confirmed as Cherokee Nation District Judge.

“It’s been a busy, but great year,” Barteaux said. “It’s special to be able to share this honor with so many other great attorneys we have here at Fry & Elder. We promote a team-like atmosphere here at this firm, and though these are individual honors, I believe they reinforce that team-like atmosphere and how we all feed off one another to become better attorneys and advocates for our clients.”

 

One of the things that distinguishes Super Lawyers from other legal publications is its revered selection process. Only the best 5 percent of attorneys in a specific practice area are selected as Super Lawyers, while 2.5 percent of lawyers in a given practice area are chosen as Rising Stars.

The Super Lawyers website says the selection process is as follows:

“Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with independent research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement.

“Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis. The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. Since Super Lawyers is intended to be used as an aid in selecting a lawyer, we limit the lawyer ratings to those who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys.”

The awards and accolades don’t figure to stop for the prestigious Oklahoma law firm. The U.S. News & World Report is set to reveal its highly-anticipated Best Law Firms List for 2018 on Nov. 1 and Fry & Elder is vying to be on it for a fifth consecutive year.

The Oklahoma Bar Association also will be holding its Annual Meeting for 2017 on Nov. 1-3 and Fry & Elder again figures to be well represented.

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa today to set up a consultation with one of our Oklahoma Super Lawyers.

Seminole County Bar Association, Las Vegas Welcome Bundy & Henry

Fry & Elder partners M. Shane Henry and Aaron D. Bundy are a lot like extended family to the Seminole County Bar Association.

For the second consecutive year, the two acclaimed Oklahoma trial lawyers found themselves under the bright lights of Las Vegas presenting at the always-anticipated Seminole County Bar 11th Annual Las Vegas CLE.

Seminole County Bar Association

Bundy and Henry’s presentation titled “Controlling Cross Examination and Other Trial Tactics” took place at the iconic Golden Nugget during the day-long CLE seminar on Sept. 29. As expected, the two attorneys delivered an engaging, informative and humorous presentation that drew rave reviews from Seminole County Bar Association members and conference attendees.

“As always, they gave an outstanding presentation,” said event organizer Judge Timothy Olsen. “Their presentation was well prepared, informative and engaging. The feedback from our attendees has without exception been very positive. Shane and Aaron are both excellent lawyers as well as outstanding young men. They represent (Fry & Elder) very well.”

Bundy and Henry’s foray into Las Vegas and the Seminole County Bar Association’s annual event commenced in 2016 when the tandem presented on “Evidence at Trial” and “Trial Tactics and Techniques.” Needless to say, both Bundy and Henry look forward to the annual event which takes place each fall.

“Judge Olsen and the rest of the Seminole County Bar Association do a phenomenal job with the event,” Bundy said. “Shane and I have been fortunate enough to be invited to present at a lot of CLE conferences over the  past few years, and this event is as good as any one we attend. It’s an honor to be invited by Judge Olsen to present at it.”

Bundy and Henry have become Accomplished, Reputable CLE Presenters

While the courtroom will always be where Bundy and Henry feel most at home professionally, the duo has developed quite a following and reputation for being elite CLE presenters. Bundy and Henry actively travel throughout the state of Oklahoma and other parts of country to present at various CLE seminars and events. Their lineup of current presentations includes the following:

  • Starting Your Trial Off Right: Winning in the Beginning
  • Evidence at Trial
  • Using Social Media Evidence
  • Advanced Cross Examination
  • Dealing with Speaking Objections at Trial
  • Advanced Trial Techniques
  • Hostile Witness & Cross Examination
  • Connecting in the Courtroom

Visit Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City to learn more about Bundy and Henry’s engaging CLE presentations or contact Allison Smith at 918-585 1107 or Allison@FryElder.com.

Dividing Retirement Plans Requires Skilled Divorce Attorney

It’s easy to think of “property” in terms of real estate, cars, furniture, and even bank accounts. But what about retirement plans? If you are going through or potentially will be going through a divorce, it is important to know that during divorce proceedings, all property accumulated during the marriage gets divided by the end of the process, either by agreement of the parties or after a trial.

Dividing retirement plans

Simply put: Dividing retirement plans can get complicated and tricky, and not all attorneys have the experience or desire to prepare a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO), or other orders to divide retirement accounts. At Fry & Elder, our attorneys are happy to review your final decree and prepare your QDRO. Accomplished child support and family law attorney Amy Page recently completed an advanced family law seminar through the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and has provided some additional information you will want to know about dividing retirement plans.

The process and importance of dividing retirement plans

If your spouse or you worked during your marriage and contributed to a retirement or pension plan, your attorney will need to know some facts about those plans. Some questions to expect would be:

  • When and for how long did you or your spouse work for that employer?
  • Are you or your spouse still employed there?
  • What are the provisions of the plan regarding time periods for vesting?
  • Are there any outstanding loans against the plan?

Retirement plans can be valuable bargaining chips when negotiating a property settlement. There are certain tax advantages and ramifications based on how those assets are divided. Any property settlement that includes retirement benefits should fully explore the tax ramifications for the person paying or receiving retirement benefits as part of the agreement. It’s often advantageous for a party to give up other, more easily transferable assets and keep his or her retirement account intact. This is definitely a discussion to have with an experienced divorce attorney. If your case goes to trial, the tax treatment of divided retirement benefits can support your attorney’s theory of why the benefits should be awarded in a specific way.

Dividing retirement plans

Why the division of retirement benefits should include a QDRO

The final decree for a divorce including division of retirement benefits should include specific provisions about that retirement plan. It should provide for the time period of retirement benefits that accumulated during the marriage, as well as provide for how any gains or losses on the benefits will be handled in the time period between the final decree and the time the account is actually divided by the Plan Administrator. Finally, the decree should provide for the preparation and entry of a Qualified Domestic Relations Order, or QDRO, which is an order that tells the Plan Administrator to divide the account according to the decree. The QDRO provision in the decree should include a plan for who is going to prepare the QDRO and who will pay the expenses involved with the Plan Administrator’s review of the QDRO.

Dividing retirement plans can be especially complicated in cases where the retirement plan is provided by a state agency or the federal government or military. Special documents and language are required that meet the agency’s requirements. For military retirement benefits, a Military Retired Pay Division Order must be completed, filed in the trial court, and forwarded to the appropriate authorities. Similarly, to divide a federal employee retirement account (FERS), a Court Order Acceptable for Processing is required.

Experience the Fry & Elder Difference

For nearly 50 years, Fry & Elder has been a name synonymous with Oklahoma family law. The firm has been named to the U.S. News & World Report’s exclusive Best Law Firms list from 2014-2017 Our team of attorneys are some of the most decorated in the state and include:

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to discuss dividing retirement plans with Amy Page or another accomplished Oklahoma family law attorney.

Collaborative Law Provides Family and Civil Dispute Options

Not every family or civil dispute needs to find its way into the litigation stage. Fry & Elder attorney Melissa Fell is setting out to prove this to be the case. The experienced Tulsa family law attorney recently attended the mandatory 2-day Collaborative Law training for the International Academy of Collaborative Lawyers in Chicago Illinois.  This training, along with her previous certification in Family and Divorce Mediation, now qualifies her to start practicing in this growing field of conflict resolution.

Collaborative Law

“I am very excited to bring this new family law practice area to Fry & Elder,” Fell said. “We now have the ability to offer our family law and other clients additional options when it comes to representing them in family and civil disputes.  One of my greatest strengths is the ability to negotiate difficult disputes, often helping our clients find creative or “out of the box” solutions that they may not have thought of before. This utilizes the skill sets I have attained from my training as a Certified Mediator as well as those I have developed as a Certified Life Coach.”

Collaborative Law Defined

Collaborative Law allows the clients to resolve conflicts without having to go into the courtroom.  It is designed to create an atmosphere of cooperation and teamwork.  Each party is represented by a trained collaborative law attorney, and issues are addressed in meetings between the parties and lawyers along with a collaboratively trained therapist, child specialist (if there are children involved) and financial expert.  The coaches act as neutrals on an as needed basis to guide and assist the parties in assembling and assimilating information to use throughout the problem-solving process.

“I found in my training, as I have in my litigation practice, that involving experts in their specific fields to create a team approach provides the best opportunity for an outcome that works for the parties, and the whole family unit,” Fell said.

Having mental health and financial coaches as a part of the process from the start neutralizes often strong emotions in ways that traditional litigation just cannot do.  The coach is there to redirect the parties during meetings to focus on their needs and interests so that they may come to a resolution that they can agree to.

Collaborative law

The Benefits of Collaborative Law

Collaborative Law is an ideal method for all types of cases, including those where the parties do not want their personal lives published in court documents online.  More and more people are finding that their personal information is used for fishing, or by people snooping into their private life.  With collaborative law, only the necessary documents are filed, and disputes between the parties and confidential information can be kept far more private than in traditional litigation.  The parties own the process and are able to make agreements that work for them and their families at their own pace.

“It gives ownership of the whole process and the outcome to the parties,” Fell said. “I have spent a great deal of time getting to know some of the collaborative professionals in our area, and I am convinced that the professionals in this group are all as invested as I am to revolutionize the practice of law.”

Another important benefit is the potential for cost savings to the parties.  By directly involving the coaches in the process from the beginning, issues are processed by the team members and the parties on a more timely basis than waiting for the court process and experts to be appointed, as well as the parties being able to share in the cost of the services that the experts provide.

The most important aspect of collaborative law is the impact that it has on the parties and their families and loved ones.  By focusing the process on mutual cooperation to find agreements, participants are far less likely to involve their children or to feel the stress of the process when drawn out through combative litigation.

Contact Fry & Elder Tulsa or Fry & Elder Oklahoma City today to set up a consultation with Melissa Fell and find out more about how Collaborative Law can be the right choice for you at Fry & Elder.

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