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RESUME

Michael E. Morris

1060 Woodcock Road ● Orlando, Florida 32803 ● (407) 316-7076 ● memorrislaw@gmail.com

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BAR ADMISSIONS

 

  • Florida Bar, May 1996

  • New York, February 1995

  • U.S. District Court, Middle District, October 2000

  • U.S. District Court, Northern District, August 1997

  • Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, March 1998

 

EDUCATION

 

LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL                                                                          Los Angeles, CA

                                                                                                                1990-1994

Juris Doctor

                      

Activities

  • Evening Student Bar Association, President, 1993-1994

               

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY                                                             Evanston, IL                                                                                 

  • Bachelor of Arts in Political Science                                            1988

WORK EXPERIENCE

LAW OFFICES OF MICHAEL E. MORRIS, P.A. (MORRIS & HANCOCK,

P.A.), Attorney                                                                                                        Florida

  • Managed one to four attorney firm with significant caseload                  2004-Present

  • Mainly administrative, family law, bankruptcy, and general civil litigation.

  • Some real estate, estate planning, and probate experience.

  • Handled Chapters 7, 11, and 13 for bankruptcy.

  • Significant litigation, trial, and appellate experience.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH                                                                     Tallahassee, FL

  • Worked on physician licensing discipline issues.                                        June 2016 – Dec. 2017

  • Handling DOAH hearings at least once per quarter. 

  • Drafting administrative complaints, and presenting to probable cause

        panels

DeBEAUBIEN, KNIGHT, SIMMONS, MANTZARIS & NEAL Attorney                      Orlando, FL                                                      

  • Handled family law litigation referrals from prepaid legal service             2002-2004

LAW OFFICE OF MICHAEL E. MORRIS, P.A., Attorney                                             Orlando, FL

  • Had small one person office with mainly dependency and family law        2000-2002

DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES, Senior Attorney                                  Orlando, FL

  • Handled dependency and termination of parental rights cases                   1999-2000

  • Ended up doing only termination of parental rights cases.

  • Significant litigation and trial experience

LAW OFFICE OF MICHAEL E. MORRIS, P.A., Attorney                                             Pensacola, FL

  • Had small one person office with family law and criminal cases                1996-1999

LAW OFFICE OF ALICE K. BURKE, Attorney                                                             Albany, NY

  • Worked on family law and criminal cases for one attorney                          1994-1996

Volunteer/Workshops

AMERICAN MOCK TRIAL ASSOC. – Regionals Judge                            2/16-17/2013, 2019

Family Law Institute – SE Regional Conference                                   3/9-10/2013

Speaking and  Citations

5/7/19 - Simple Wills and Special Considerations When Working With LGBTQ+ Clients, Orlando, Florida

5/18/17 – Advocacy 101, Meeting of the Firm, Dept.of Health, Tallahassee, Florida

11/20/15 – Court Mediation Services, LGBT Family Law & Related Issues, Inverness, Florida

10/30/15 – 19th Circuit Bench & Bar Conference, LGBT Family Law Issues, Port St. Lucie, Florida

10/24/15 – Adoptions and Surrogacy, Florida Association of LGBT Lawyers & Allies, St. Petersburg

7/30-8/1/15  Dispute Resolution Center – Same Sex Couples and LGBT Rights

3/13/15 – Same-Sex Dissolutions and Mediation

6/2014 – The Windsor Decision:  One Year Later – US Bankruptcy Court, Orlando Division

8/2013 – The Windsor Decision - FAMU

5/4/13 – DOMA and Adoption Law, Orlando Gay Parents

5/9/13 – Foster Care and Adoption, Joy MCC Forum

4/4/13 – Legal Implications of DOMA & Prop. 8 Cases for Florida Practitioners

April 2013, Cited, “Protecting the Rights of Transgendered Parents and Their Children: A Guide for Parents

And their Lawyers”, ACLU, NOTE, April 2013

2009 – “Who is Your Daddy?:  Assisted Reproductive Technology”, Orange County Family Law Committee

PUBLISHED CASES

D.B. v. W.J.P, 962 So.2d 949, 5th DCA 2007

Wales v. Wales, 10 So.3d 1999, 5th DCA 2009

Smith v. Smith, 39 So.3d 458, 2nd DCA 2010

Wilks v. Cronin, 138 So.3d 1141 5th DCA 2014

T.V., Father of H.V., a Child v. Department of Children and Families, 5D21-275 5th DCA 2021

COMMITTEES

Florida Bar, Health Law Section 2017-Present

Florida Bar, Administrative Section 2017-Present

Central Florida Gay & Lesbian Law Association, Secretary, 2015

Florida Association of LGBT Lawyers & Allies, Board Member, 2014-2017

Florida Bar, Family Law Section, Legislation Committee 2013-2014

American Bar Association, 2018 - present

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