Page 8 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Winter 2020- Online Magazine
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practice in Harlingen, Texas, but award challenged aspiring law, insurance defense, oil and
in 1949, he and his wife, Estella, attorneys with what he gas, patents and property law. At
took a driving tour of Texas to considered essential ingredients 85, Tom was named one of five
“find a better place.” They had of a successful and rewarding outstanding lawyers with over
turned down offers in Dallas, career. “Represent clients to the 50 years’ experience by the Texas
Ft. Worth, San Antonio and best of your ability. Love what Bar Foundation. His colleagues at
Houston. “Estella had grown up you do. Dedicate yourself to Underwood honored him on his
in Spearman, so we moved to study, to work. It’s not about self- 100th birthday Nov. 12, 2019, to
Amarillo in September 1949 . . .. aggrandizement but about doing pay tribute to his storied life and
We had a couple of lean years, what duty demands.” career.
but Estella worked at the City
Health Department to help out.” Tom Morris still practices Mr. Morris ended his responses
what he preaches. He loves the with this: “I want to say that
“I joined the firm of Gibson, law, and his devotion to it has the most important factor in
Ochsner & Little in 1950, and rewarded him with respect from my success has been my wife
I remained there for 50 years. colleagues throughout his career. Estella and my family of two
I became a good trial lawyer He continues to show up five daughters, Linda Willard
and tried many successful cases days a week at the Underwood and Vicky Finneran, and my
throughout the United States. granddaughters. Without
My greatest success was in the Estella’s support, I never
landmark case of Graham v. would’ve made it. She died
Deere, a patent infringement September 13, 2011.”
case. I spent nearly 10 years
on that case alone. The major It would take much more
case was decided by the United space than we have here to
States Supreme Court in accommodate praise from all of
February 1966. It established the Mr. Morris’ admirers, but we
law on a major point of patent have included a few:
law, and it has remained the law “A young lawyer could find no
ever since, with the case being better example to pattern his or
cited as the authority more than her life after than Tom Morris – a
40,000 times.”
patriot, scholar, fierce advocate, and
In April 2017, Tom Morris was gentleman. I am privileged to be
the 21st lawyer to be named able to call him friend.”
a “Texas Law Legend” by the Phil Johnson, retired Justice of
State Bar of Texas. the Texas Supreme Court
To commemorate that award, “Tom Morris has served as a role
an article by Ben Egel in the model for me and countless other
Amarillo Globe-News on April lawyers. In a society where we often
19, 2017 paid tribute to the Law Firm in Amarillo where see a lack of civility, Tom has taught
illustrious attorney, describing he went to work at the age of us by example that one can zealously
the details of his career-defining 83, when Gibson, Ochsner & advocate a position yet be polite and
case and summarizing his storied Adkins closed. He has focused professional.”
career. Tom Riney, attorney
on litigation covering a broad
Tom’s speech at the Texas Tech spectrum of cases, including “I was always privileged to be raised
Law School after receiving the commercial law, employment in the household of my hero . . .. [It
8 Amarillo Senior Link
