Fellers Snider

Celebrating Lincoln's bicentennial with luncheon

April 16, 2009

By: Jessica Mitchell

The Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice James R. Winchester will be the speaker for the Law Day luncheon May 1 at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Hotel. A native of Clinton, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and his juris doctorate from Oklahoma City University. After graduating from law school, Winchester practiced law in western Oklahoma before being named associate district judge for Caddo County in January 1983. In December 1983, at age 30, he became one of the youngest district judges in the state when he was appointed by Gov. George Nigh as district judge for the 6th Judicial District of Oklahoma.

The theme of this year’s luncheon, presented by the Oklahoma County Bar Association, is “A Legacy of Liberty: Celebrating Lincoln’s Bicentennial.” “As we celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln this Law Day, we should be mindful that although his words are quoted by poets and politicians, his face appears on stamps, coins and currency; mountains, highways and schools bear his name, he felt his most enduring achievement was the Emancipation Proclamation – ‘the one thing that would make people remember that he had lived.’ Indeed, Lincoln’s legacy is most alive in our continuous search for freedom, equality and opportunity,” said James A. Kirk, president of the Oklahoma County Bar Association.

The inaugural Howard K. Berry Award will be presented at this year’s luncheon as well as The Journal Record and Liberty Bell awards. In addition, The Journal Record will honor 32 legal professionals as part of its fourth annual Leadership in Law program. “The nonprofit sector in Oklahoma relies on the service, support and leadership of volunteers. The legal community shines year after year as a beacon of generosity. The Leadership in Law program allows us to highlight this service and provide some much deserved recognition,” said Mary Mélon, publisher of The Journal Record.

The 2009 Leadership in Law award recipients include:

  • Mark Berman – Conner & Winters LLP, Tulsa.
  • Kevin Coutant – Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson LLP, Tulsa.
  • Reuben Davis – McAfee & Taft, Tulsa.
  • Kevin R. Donelson – Fellers Snider Law Firm, Oklahoma City.
  • David Elder – Hartzog Conger Cason & Neville, Oklahoma City.
  • John Funk – Conner & Winters LLP, Oklahoma City.
  • Maria Gonzalez – McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City.
  • Sarah Hansel – Hall Estill, Tulsa.
  • Robert Haupt – Phillips Murrah PC, Oklahoma City.
  • Celeste Johnson – Phillips Murrah PC, Oklahoma City.
  • Larry Lipe – Conner & Winters LLP, Tulsa.
  • Brandon Long – McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City.
  • Marchi McCartney – Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Oklahoma City.
  • James Milton – Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson LLP, Tulsa.
  • Sally Mock – McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City.
  • William Paul – Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma City.
  • John Robertson – Hartzog Conger Cason & Neville, Oklahoma City.
  • Jim Roth – Phillips Murrah PC, Oklahoma City.
  • E. Elaine Schuster – E. Elaine Schuster PC, Oklahoma City.
  • Jay Shanker – McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City.
  • Barry Smith – McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City.
  • Doug Stall – The Stall Law Firm, Tulsa.
  • Irwin Steinhorn – Conner & Winters LLP, Oklahoma City.
  • Mark K. Stonecipher – Fellers Snider Law Firm, Oklahoma City.
  • Jahni Tapley – McCurtain Memorial Hospital, Idabel.
  • Miles Tolbert – Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma City.
  • Bill von Glahn – Conner & Winters LLP, Tulsa.
  • Mike Voorhees – Shelton Voorhees Law Group, Oklahoma City.
  • Stephen Ward – Conner & Winters LLP, Tulsa.
  • Henry Will – Conner & Winters LLP, Tulsa.
  • Harry Woods – Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma City.
  • John Young – Young Law Office PLLC, Sapulpa.

The awards will be presented during Law Week activities in Oklahoma City on May 1. The Leadership in Law program, sponsored by The Journal Record, was created to honor legal professionals for their community efforts. Nominations were solicited and accepted statewide – membership in the Oklahoma County Bar Association is not required. Winners were selected by a panel of business and legal professionals.

In addition, The Central Oklahoma Association of Legal Assistants will sponsor its Law Day mentoring. About 20 high school students will spend time with judges, attorneys and legal assistants. The students will attend the luncheon and then tour the Oklahoma County Courthouse. The county bar’s Douglass High School Task Force will sponsor the moot court team members at the luncheon, where they will be recognized for their outstanding efforts this year. County bar members will also be speaking at various civic groups as part of the law celebration.

On April 30, volunteer lawyers will be handling phone calls from 8:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. as part of the Ask a Lawyer program at OETA. Law Day was conceived by the late Hicks Epton, a Wewoka attorney and past president of the Oklahoma Bar Association. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day nationally by presidential proclamation in 1958.

 

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