I grew up in Stillwater where my family had the Ford dealership for 96 years before it was sold a few years ago. Family, friends and tradition have always meant a lot to me. I always wanted to be a lawyer when I was growing up, but life, well, it took some twists and turns. It wasn’t until my first husband left me and I needed a way to support my four-year-old daughter that I remembered my dream. I was scared and in my 30’s and not sure that I could do it. But, everything fell into place. My daughter started kindergarten when I started my first year at Fordham School of Law in New York City.
After my first year, I was selected to their Law Review board. After my second year, I served as an intern at a Wall Street firm that hired me at the end of that summer. After my third year, I worked for that firm for four years before coming back to Oklahoma to marry my current husband, whom I had known since 6th grade. Back in Oklahoma, I took jobs that enlarged my legal experience and I became active in the Oklahoma Bar Association so I could network with other attorneys and judges across the State since my contacts were in New York.
Some of my favorite opportunities, besides serving my clients, include (1) having had the honor of serving as a Governor on the Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors, (2) helping to change the direction of the Ask A Lawyer television show while working on the Law Day Committee of the Oklahoma Bar Association, (3) helping people work through a myriad of different disputes using the mediation process; and, (4) serving on the Logan County Juvenile Neglected and Deprived Contract. In January of 2004, I opened my own law firm where I have strived to give my clients better service than I received going through my divorce in New York!
Legal Experience
D. Scott Pappas, Esq., Stillwater, OK
January 1, 2004 – Present Solo Practitioner
Law Office Of Melissa Delacerda, Stillwater, OK
February, 2000 – December 31, 2003 Associate
Legal Aid Of Western Oklahoma, Inc., Stillwater, OK
February, 1997-February, 2000 Staff Attorney
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & Mccloy, New York, NY
October, 1991 – December, 1995 Associate
Summer, 1990 Law Clerk
Surrogate’s Court, New York, NY
Summer, 1989 Law Department Intern
Education
Fordham University School Of Law, New York, NY
J.D., 1991
Fordham Law Review
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
B.A., History, 1980
Admissions
Oklahoma, New York, U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Oklahoma and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
Mediation Background
• 1998 John R. McCune, V. Volunteer Mediator of the Year award for Oklahoma
• 40-hour Oklahoma Supreme Court Divorce Mediation Certification Course – Fall, 1996
• Volunteer for the North Region of the Early Settlement ADR Program – 1996 to present
• 20-hour Oklahoma Supreme Court Basic Mediation Certification Course – Spring, 1996
• 40-hour Divorce Mediation Certification Class – Fall, 1995
• Role-Play Coach during attorney training course
◦ for the Southern District Bankruptcy Court, NY – Summer, 1995 & Winter, 1994
• 2-day Basic Mediation Skills Training Course – Winter, 1994
• Volunteer at the Civil Court of the City of New York
◦ Small Claims Part – Spring, 1991 – Winter, 1995
• 80+ hours of in-class training and actual experience
◦ during Mediation Clinic at Fordham University School of Law – Spring, 1991
Activities, Honors And Awards
Oklahoma Bar Association, 1996 – Present
• OBA 2009 Leadership Academy – Recognized as a future Bar leader to guide the Association and as a lawyer who possesses the ability to inspire and challenge others
• Law Day Committee Co-Chair, 2004-2006, Petitioned OBA Board of Governors for & received increased spending the past two years, which was used to revamp the Ask-A-Lawyer television show, Improved the school-aged contests/activities and publicity, which increased the overall participation rate; 2005 Golden Gavel Award from Oklahoma Bar Association; 2005 Law Day Outstanding Activity Award from the American Bar Association
Payne County Bar Association, 1997-Present
• President, 2004
• Law Day Co-Chair, 1999, Hicks Epton Law Day Award from Oklahoma Bar Association
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc.
• Volunteer for Justice award, 2004
Early Settlement Volunteer Mediator, 1997 – Present, 1998 John R. McCune, V. Volunteer Mediator of the Year award for Oklahoma
Stillwater Community Endowment Fund, 2006-Present, Board of Director, Chair – 2010
The Saville Center – 2009 – Present, Board of Director
Publications
History of the Association 1904-1939, Oklahoma Bar Journal, Oklahoma Bar Journal, Volume 75, No. 25, September 11, 2004;
Noteworthy African-American Lawyers in Oklahoma, Oklahoma Bar Journal, Volume 75, No. 25, September 11, 2004;
Protect Your Client Just In Case Your Ex-Spouse Files For Bankruptcy, Oklahoma Bar Journal, Volume 74, No. 6, February 15, 2003, Co-Authored with Marla Hamilton
