Normally I would consider it impolite to say anything about other attorneys, but I am aware of how important pardons - and the restoration of civil rights that they represent - are to people who have a criminal record. Because of that, I want to share the correct way to find an experienced pardon attorney: by reviewing the Oklahoma Pardon & Parole Board’s hearing docket. (Real quick: a docket is a list of all the cases that a Judge or a Board is going to hear that day.)

The Oklahoma Pardon & Parole Board hears approximately 20 cases per month, and the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act requires them to post their docket online for everyone to see: https://www.ok.gov/ppb/Dockets_and_Results/index.html

If you click on the docket for each month, you will see the names of the individuals who applied for a pardon, along with their criminal record. If they have an attorney, you will see the attorney’s name listed right under the persons name, with an “(A)” immediately proceeding the attorney’s name - for example, by showing “(A) Risley”.

If you review the individual dockets for each month, you can double check to see if your attorney has actually represented anyone in front of the Pardon & Parole Board, for at least the last 13 months (that’s how many dockets the Board posts). You can use “Ctrl+F” on your keyboard to search for your attorney’s name.

Looking at the dockets, you will also notice two other things:

1. That there are lots of attorneys who take 1 or 2 pardon cases per year, but don’t actually practice seriously in this area;

2. 10-15 of the 20 cases heard each month (50-60%) are handled by Michael A. Risley.

We understand that plenty of attorneys want to make a living doing pardons, but our concern is that they don’t actually know what they are doing, simply because they don’t actually practice this kind of law. Because of that, they will be unlikely to serve you well as a client, and Oklahoma’s hard working citizens will continue to have a criminal record problem for longer than is necessary.

Happy searching! Hopefully this little guide helps you pick a pardon attorney with experience, who can really help you put the past behind you.

Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Best, MAR