Fry & Elder Archives - Fry & Elder Tulsa Law Firm

May 24

Popular Tulsa Divorce and Child Custody Attorney Honored Again by Best Lawyers®

Robert G Fry Jr. is showing no signs of slowing down. Although the popular Tulsa divorce and child custody attorney no longer handles the day-to-day operations he once did at Fry & Elder, Robert G Fry Jr. continues to operate his legal practice at a very high level.

So high in fact, that the popular Tulsa divorce and child custody attorney was selected by Best Lawyers® for inclusion in its 2022 directory. This year’s selection marks the 12^th consecutive year that Fry Jr. has been selected, which exceeds that of many other family law attorneys in the Tulsa area.

“He’s a machine,” Fry & Elder managing attorney Simon Harwood said. “It’s really an honor to work with him and be under his tutelage. The fact that he continues to operate and work at such a high level after 50 years really speaks volumes about the passion he has for his clients and the legal process in general. I’ve learned quite a lot from him”

Fry’s passion for his work has been well documented and has not gone unnoticed for some time. He was proactive in embracing and advancing the changes in child support guidelines in the 1980s, which drew national attention.

He was interviewed on CBS The Early Show in a divorce series entitled, “What About the Kids?”

Still, that Fry has been listed by The Best Lawyers in America© every year since 2011 is no small feat. The publication is widely viewed as the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Much of this has to do with the rigorous selection process Best Lawyers® employs. Lawyers are not permitted to pay any fee to participate in or be recognized by Best Lawyers. As the website states:

“Recognition by Best Lawyers® is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.

“Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer-review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.”

Even though this year’s selection marks the 12^th consecutive year Fry has been tabbed by Best Lawyers® for his family law prowess in the Tulsa area, Fry remains very thankful for honors such as these and doesn’t take anything for granted

“It’s a tremendous honor for me to be recognized by peers,” Fry said. “Best Lawyers® has such a good reputation in our legal industry, and deservedly so. They’ve done an excellent job of reporting on and evaluating our industry trends over the years.”

Contact Fry & Elder today to set up a personal consultation with a popular Tulsa divorce and child custody attorney.

Jan 6

Dealing with Borderline Personality Disorders in Family Court

With over 50 years of experience practicing family law in various Northeastern Oklahoma courtrooms, Robert G “Hap” Fry Jr. has long been considered the industry “gold standard” of Tulsa family law excellence.

So when the iconic Tulsa family law attorney was invited to participate in the Annual Family Law CLE Day put on by the Tulsa County Bar Association (TCBA) this past December, it was not at all surprising that Fry’s presentation was well attended by some of the bigger names in the Tulsa legal community.

“I thought it went great,” Fry said. “The TCBA always does such a great job with these events and they were very receptive to me presenting and of my ideas for the presentation.”

Fry not only displayed is technical prowess – using Zoom and a PowerPoint – to broadcast his presentation, the highly-regarded attorney also used the presentation as opportunity to tackle a very serious issue in Oklahoma family law courts: Dealing with Borderline Personality Disorders in Family Court.

“I think it is a very serious issue,” Fry said. “If your client shows signs or has a history of being mentally unstable, they are likely going to be very difficult to work with moving forward and could end up being their own worst enemy in a pending divorce or child custody case.

“While I cannot legally determine whether or not a someone has a personality disorder, I think I can recognize instability or potential problems down the road when I meet with them.”

Fry said dealing with those suffering from personality disorders is comparable to divorcing someone who is a narcissist.

During his CLE presentation, Fry told participants that he evaluates a variety of verbal and non-verbal cues when he consults with prospective clients. Some of these include:

Their capacity to focus
Their ability to make eye contact
If they are really listening to what I say
Are they too easily led?
Are they impossible to lead?
Are there drug issues: marijuana moving up to meth and opioids as a history?
Was there treatment?
Are they capable of accepting responsibility for their own actions or are they, i.e. blaming their spouse, their spouse’s parents, their parents, mediator, parenting coordinator, counselor, their own attorney, or the other attorney?

There are other questions that Fry asks and things he discusses during an initial consultation with a prospective client, but Fry said perhaps the two biggest takeaways a potential client needs to walkaway knowing is that he or she needs to willingly accept responsibility for some of his or her actions. The other is that presently he or she is their ex-spouse’s best witness, which is what will need to change.

Fry closed out the CLE presentation by stating that the final thing he has a potential client do before signing a contract which is anonymously answer 15 True/False questions from a 488-question based MMPI-2.

“If they answer false to five or more of those, they need to be aware that they have some personality issues,” Fry said. “They can get better, but they need to recognize some of their issues and begin to seriously work at changing their behavior.”

Contact Fry & Elder today to set up a personal consultation with Fry.

Nov 10

Fry & Elder Tabbed Again for Tulsa Family Law Excellence

Eight is pretty great for Fry & Elder.

The U.S. News & World Report recently unveiled its eagerly awaited “Best Law Firms” List, and for an eight consecutive year Fry & Elder was recognized for its excellence in the Tulsa family law.

Fry & Elder again received Tier 1 status for Family Law in Tulsa for the upcoming 2021 Best Law Firms edition to further solidify its stature as an elite Tulsa family law firm.

“Tremendous honor,” Robert G “Hap” Fry Jr. said. “I know I’ve said it before, but the firm and I never take any of these awards or accomplishments for granted. You never know what tomorrow will hold, and I think this year has been a pretty good example of why that holds true.

“It’s been a difficult year on most everyone – our firm included. To be included again by the U.S. News & World Report in its annual Best Law Firms List, I think speaks volumes of how hard we work for our clients and for one another here at Fry & Elder.”

Fry knows something about hard work and legal excellence. Earlier this year. he was named to Best Lawyers® 2021 Listings. It marked the 11^th consecutive year the dynamic Tulsa family law attorney had received accolade.

Still, Fry is the first to say that much of the credit for his firm’s continued success deserves to go to its fine teams of attorneys, which included James R. Elder, James C. Morton, Kasey Currey, Simon Harwood, and James Caputo and its dedicated legal staff which features Judy Willits and Jody Geiger.

“I think we’ve really got a great team intact here,” Fry said. “Everyone works hard and is willing to help one another out which really goes a long way.”

Fry & Elder Again in Elite Legal Company

That Fry & Elder was named to this year’s Best Law Firms List, let alone for an eighth consecutive year, is no small feat.

Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer stated in a release:

“For the 2021 ‘Best Law Firms’ publication, the evaluation process has remained just as rigorous and discerning as it did when we first started 11 years ago. This year we reviewed 15,587 law firms throughout the United States – across 75 national practice areas – and a total of 2,179 firms received a national law firm ranking. We are proud that the ‘Best Law Firms’ rankings continue to act as an indicator of excellence throughout the legal industry.”

Contact Fry & Elder today to set up a personal consultation with a trusted and recognized Tulsa family law attorney.

Aug 20

Hallmark of Consistency: Fry Selected Again by Best Lawyers®

No one will say that 2020 has gone as planned. Yet, as surprising, unsettling and disturbing as the year has become, there are a few consistencies which remain intact. Best Lawyers® announced its 2021 listings for its annual directory Aug. 20, and Robert G “Hap” Fry Jr. was again selected for inclusion.

It should come as no surprise.

The upcoming year will mark the 11^th consecutive year Fry has been selected, yet the acclaimed attorney’s run of success dates much further back.

Fry has been synonymous with Tulsa family law excellence for over 50 years during what has been a remarkable legal career at Fry & Elder.

“He never ceases to amaze me,” longtime friend and firm partner James R. Elder said. “He’s supposed to be slowing down a little, but he has not. This year has been one of his best years, especially when you consider all the out-of-control things which have happened in 2020. Most people seek to avoid stress; he thrives on it.”

The year has certainly been one of the most documented for Fry both personally and professionally.

The iconic Tulsa attorney was the subject of four separate feature stories by three leading Tulsa media publications. The below stories spotlighted everything from Fry’s celebrity dog Badger to his immediate family to his unique charitable hobby and, of course, his nationally recognized law firm.

“It’s been a very interesting and challenging year on a variety of fronts for everyone, and it’s not over yet,” Fry said. “I’m not sure I have any profound insight on how to handle things, but I try my best to look at each day with a positive outlook. Some days are easier than others, but work has always been a great outlet for me. I feel very comfortable and at home working on legal issues and consulting with clients and attorneys.”

He was interviewed on CBS The Early Show in a divorce series entitled, “What About the Kids?”

Still, that Fry has been listed by The Best Lawyers in America© every year since 2011 is no small feat. The publication is widely viewed as the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Even though the selection marks 11 years and counting for the well-known Tulsa family law attorney, Fry remains very thankful for honors such as these and doesn’t take anything for granted, particularly in a year such as 2020.

Contact Fry & Elder today to set up a personal consultation with a dedicated and experienced Tulsa family law attorney.

Fry & Elder Again in Elite Legal Company

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