Zach Mortazavi carries a boundless, yet infectious energy that comes as no surprise to his clients and those who work with the young up-and-coming trial attorney at Fry & Elder.
In fact, the first words out of Zach Mortazavi’s mouth after recently returning from an intensive legal conference in Washington D.C. was that he felt “100 percent rejuvenated.”
“It’s been a hectic and wild year,” Zach Mortazavi said. “I’ve passed the bar and have had five trials and two appellate cases going on right now. I don’t really have a limit. If there’s a case and there’s something legitimate to argue, I’ll take it to court.”
Zach Mortazavi is a hungry and motivated young lawyer determined to be one of the best family law attorneys in Oklahoma. In pursuit of his goal, he is beginning to emulate some of the actions Robert G “Hap” Fry Jr. took earlier in his career.
To further advance his trial skills and legal knowledge, Zach Mortazavi attended the AFCC-AAML 2023 Conference on Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Evaluation, Litigation, and Settlement in Washington D.C. earlier in the fall. Not surprisingly a big focus at the conference was the heightened mental health issues surrounding child custody cases.
Presented by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), the conference is considered one of the most advanced continuing legal education and professional development opportunities a family law attorney can attend.
“It was an incredible conference,” Zach Mortazavi said. “I met really good attorneys and was able to take away a lot of perspectives and approaches to practicing law that I plan to apply to my practice.”
The seminar also went over several interview strategies including client interviewing and counseling, managing client expectations, analyzing case facts, selecting, and working with a mental health consultant, and preparing for the child custody forensic evaluation.
Another seminar Zach Mortazavi attended during Day 3 of the conference focused on mental health issues surrounding child custody cases.
The seminar titled “Evidentiary Considerations with Mental Health Experts in Child Custody Litigation,” highlighted how the rules of evidence, the reliability and validity of experts’ methods, theories, and opinions, and the relevance and helpfulness of experts’ methods to the court are some of the critical evidentiary issues that judges, lawyers, and experts must consider in performing their roles.
“Mental health pops up a lot in divorce and child custody cases,” Zach Mortazavi said. “It is a big concern and one of the reasons is there are a lot of aggressive divorces in today’s age. Parents really need to shift their focus from themselves to their children. Quite often, kids need more than a parent in a volatile situation, so mental health experts really play a big role today.”
“I feel like my goal was to become an effective family lawyer, and now, with the tools and knowledge I’ve gained in the past year, I feel like I am an effective family law trial lawyer,” Zach Mortazavi said.
Contact Fry & Elder today to set up a personal consultation with Zach Mortazavi.