By all accounts, James Morton is a seasoned and accomplished Tulsa family lawyer.
The Fry & Elder attorney has been practicing family law and domestic cases inside Oklahoma courtrooms for over 30 years, yet Morton knows he’s about to enter uncharted waters.
“It’s going to be different than anything I’ve ever seen,” Morton said. “It’s going to be a mess; it’s going to be like mining through a landfill.”
The mess Morton is referring to is the amount of backed-up cases – many of which involve child custody issues and protective orders – still awaiting a turn in front of a judge inside the Tulsa County Courthouse after the Coronavirus pandemic shut down the courthouse for nearly six weeks.
Though the Tulsa County Courthouse reopened its doors May 18, many safety precautions are now in place which has limited the number of people allowed inside a courtroom to no more than 10 and subsequently has caused a tremendous case log jam.
The climate is vastly different than the days when over 4,000 visitors would regularly enter the Tulsa County Courthouse before the Coronavirus pandemic struck as reported by the Tulsa World.
James Morton
“Safety definitely needs to come first,” Morton said. “But there also are a number of clients in some volatile and stressful situations they need resolved as soon as possible, making it all the more important that they have an experienced attorney advocating for them.”
Better days appear to be on the horizon.
The Tulsa District County Courthouse reported on its website that the Family Safety Center will open June 1 and will be able to then assist petitioners in complete Emergency Protective Orders. Read the full administrative order here from the Tulsa District County Courthouse.
Why You Need an Accomplished Tulsa Family Lawyer now more than ever
Because so many cases have been backed up, Morton believes there will be a very high number of status conferences in the upcoming weeks and months.
The purpose of these status conferences will be to reacquaint the judge and attorneys with the dynamics of various, specific cases. The hopeful result would be a request for a pre-trial or trial date.
“If you don’t have attorney, things could very easily fall through the cracks,” longtime Fry & Elder paralegal Judy Willits said. “If you have a pending domestic legal situation, it’s important that you not only have an attorney but one who is experienced in navigating through the court system.”
Few firms have more history or are more synonymous with Tulsa family law excellence than Fry & Elder.
The firm’s roots go all the way back to 1932 when C. Lawrence Elder began trying and wining cases in Oklahoma courtrooms.
The firm continues to be recognized as an industry leader in family law, having been selected to the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Firms List every year since 2014.
Robert G “Hap” Fry Jr. has been recognized by Best Lawyers® the past 10 years and has been named to Super Lawyers® every year since 2007.
Additionally, Fry is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and is a Martindale-Hubble AV Preeminent Rated attorney.
Contact Fry & Elder today to set up a personal consultation with a seasoned and accomplished Tulsa family lawyer.