Who we are
Melissa Brooks
Melissa Brooks is a former Equal Justice Works attorney and staff attorney at Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, where she served low-income and senior clients with consumer (Chapter 7 bankruptcy), estate planning, guardianship, family and other elder law-related issues for fives years.
Additionally, she served as the pro-bono coordinator for the Oklahoma City office of Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma. In that role, she maintained and developed several pro-bono legal clinics, including wills and trusts, a waiver divorce clinic, and a general advice legal clinic. Additionally she placed pro-bono cases with private attorneys.
She continues to serve her community as Lead Administrative Attorney for the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City’s expungement program. She is an active volunteer and member of the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma County Guardianship Clinic, and as a pro-bono attorney for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma.
Ms. Brooks earned her J.D. at OCU School of Law with a certificate in Wills, Trusts and Estates with Taxation. She has an undergraduate degree in Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law. Ms. Brooks is an admitted member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Western District of Oklahoma federal bar.
Publications
September 2024: The Last Resort: Title 30 Adult Guardianship
August 2023: Pro Bono as an Ethical Obligation and Opportunity
October 2023: Pro Bono Expungement Clinics: Creating Second Chances
José D. Cruz
José Cruz was born in Mexico City and raised in Chicago. After graduating Oklahoma Christian University with a degree in communications, José spent years working at an immigration law firm helping families achieve the American Dream. Finding his calling in the legal field, he earned his J.D. from the Oklahoma City University School of Law where he maintained his involvement in the community while attending class.
José Cruz practices law in District Courts across the state and in federal Bankruptcy Courts of Oklahoma. Mr. Cruz also has family and business immigration experience, assisting clients in front of USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Service), the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Department of Labor with immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, adjustment, naturalization, and citizenship.
José has spent over a decade serving the south Oklahoma City community on boards, volunteering with local events, and in state government.
Acerca del abogado, en Español:
El Abogado José Cruz nació en la Ciudad de Mexico y sus padres lo trajeron a los Estados Unidos a los nueve meses. José creció en Chicago Y se mudo a Oklahoma a los 18 años donde se recibió de la Universidad Oklahoma Christian con un bachillerato en comunicaciones.
José empezó a trabajar con familias ayudándoles con casos de inmigración y con estrategia financiera. Esto llevó a José a la facultad de derecho de la Universidad de Oklahoma City. José se ha dedicado a individuos, familias, y sus negocios.
Para el abogado José Cruz, es importante proteger su patrimonio, legado, y familia. El licenciado puede representarlo en cortes federales de Oklahoma, así como en cualquier de los 77 condados del estado.
