JAMS is pleased to announce the addition of Denise Langford Morris, Retired Judge, Oakland County Circuit Court, to its panel. Judge Langford Morris joins JAMS after serving on the Oakland County (Michigan) bench for 30 years. She was the first African American and the first female dean of the Oakland County bench since its inception in 1848.
During her tenure on the bench, Judge Langford Morris presided over thousands of civil, business, family and criminal cases, including jury and bench trials. She managed every aspect of the cases assigned to her from filing to post judgment in a AAA-bond-rated county of over 1.2 million people. She retired as the first African American chief judge pro tempore to serve on the court.
Based in the Detroit Resolution Center, Judge Langford Morris will serve as an arbitrator, mediator and special master/referee, handling business and commercial, professional liability, real estate, torts, employment, family law, products liability, and class action and mass tort disputes. She is available to conduct sessions in person, as well as virtually for attorneys and their clients across the country.
Judge Langford Morris is known for her patience, perseverance, and ability to connect with parties to find a resolution to even the most challenging disputes. Her extensive experience and dedication to the law, along with her deep understanding of ADR, make her an excellent addition to the JAMS panel.
- Chris Poole, JAMS CEO
Judge Langford Morris is a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Civil Division, where she managed cases involving condemnation, premises liability, auto negligence, employment defense, wrongful discharge, fraud and Bivens actions. In addition, she has extensive trial practice as a private practitioner in the areas of insurance defense, municipal defense, products liability, construction accident defense and premises liability. She also has extensive felony criminal trial experience as an assistant Oakland County prosecutor in all types of cases.
I've spent my whole professional life helping people find solutions to hard problems. For me, it's important to move beyond resolving disputes to solving problems.
- Judge Langford Morris
She received her B.A. from Wayne State University and her J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.