Judy Morse

Biography

The founder of Judith A. Morse, P.C., now known as Morse Law Group, Judith A. Morse has been practicing law for more than 34 years. Judy graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, with a degree in Psychology. After working as an Adult Probation Officer in Maricopa County, Arizona, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame Law School. During law school, she earned several honors, including being named as a Kiley Fellow and being selected for the Notre Dame Law Review.

After law school, Judy worked for Gallagher & Kennedy, a large Phoenix law firm, specializing in insurance defense, highway design litigation, Indian Gaming law, and general commercial litigation. The partners at Gallagher & Kennedy recognized her skills and dedication by electing her partner/shareholder only five years after she joined the firm, making her the first elected female partner of the firm. The extensive training provided at Gallagher & Kennedy, along with the emphasis on strong writing skills and courtroom experience prepared Judy well to branch out and start her own firm.

In 1996, Judy formed Judith A. Morse, P.C., a small boutique firm specializing in collaborative divorce, mediation, general family law litigation, complex divorce property issues, adoption, and guardianships. Over the past twenty years, Judy has represented her clients in a variety of cases with issues such as grandparents' rights, in loco parentis rights, child support modifications, spousal maintenance, business valuations, property valuations, custody valuations, parenting time issues, step parent adoptions, open adoptions, dependency cases with the Department of Child Safety, termination of parental rights, enforcement of divorce decree, and relocation cases.

Judy's background and work experience in the field of psychology and mental health gives her an advantage in complex child custody and parenting time cases. She often involves mental health professionals in the process, especially when children are showing signs of being negatively impacted by the divorce, when one parent is alienating the other parent, or when the level of conflict has become so high that intervention is necessary.

For her legal knowledge, experience and strong adherence to the Arizona Supreme Court professional standards of conduct and ethics, Judy has earned the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating* through Martindale-Hubbell and an Avvo rating of 8.2. She is also recognized by her peers for the quality of her work by the numerous referrals from prior clients, parties against whom she has litigated, and attorneys practicing in family law as well as other areas.

In order to serve the legal community, Judy serves as Judge Pro Tem for the Maricopa County Superior Court. She volunteers her time conducting ADR Settlement Conferences for parties wanting to resolve their disputes out of the courtroom. She is a member of the Arizona State Bar and its family law section, the Maricopa County Bar and its family law section. As part of her ongoing commitment to making the divorce process better for families, she is a member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) and member as well as former president of Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Arizona. Judy is a also a member of Arizona Association of Family Law Attorneys and both the National and Arizona Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.