Q & A with Fletcher Handley, Jr.
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Q&A
Q & A with Fletcher Handley, Jr.
A founding partner of The Handley Law Center in El Reno, Okla., Fletcher Handley, Jr. received his juris doctorate degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1979. He primarily focuses his practice on personal injury and wrongful death cases, seeking justice for those who have been injured or killed in traffic accidents and other cases of negligence. An alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, Handley began his military career in 1966 as an Air Force ROTC Cadet at OU and served on active duty with U.S. Navy Patrol Squadron 11 as a P-3 Orion aircrew member from 1969-72. He enlisted in the Oklahoma Army National Guard in 1981 and was commissioned into the JAG Corps in 1983. He retired from military duty in 2008 as the Assistant State Judge Advocate for Oklahoma and Military Judge.
Before becoming an attorney, what was your first job?
My undergraduate degree was in professional writing. I worked for a newspaper and tried to write a novel on the side.
What motivated you to pursue a legal career?
My wife got pregnant, and I thought I was going to have to figure out some way to make some money. The newspaper business was not the way.
An avid golfer, Fletcher Handley Jr. and some of his closest friends took a trip to Ireland last June to sample some of the country’s finest courses, including the renowned Ballybunion Golf Club on the southwest coast of the Atlantic island.
Who was your chief mentor and how did he or she influence your career?
I guess I was mentored by my future partners, Rupert Fogg, Richard Fogg, and John Howard. I was interested in trial work from the beginning. They did their best teach me a good work ethic and what to focus on.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Always do what’s in the client’s best interest.
What is your proudest career achievement?
I helped to create the Primerus Six Pillars.
What is one thing you would like to learn to do?
Play the piano.
What other career path might you have chosen?
I originally wanted to be a legal correspondent on one of the big TV news organizations. Once I found out that I had pretty good trial skills, I forgot about that.
What do you do to give back to your community?
We are active in community service in a number of ways. Our firm has given away thousands of turkeys at Thanksgiving each year. We support a local public-school foundation. I taught high school Mock Trial for 20 plus years. We are always willing to help with community endeavors.
Fletcher Handley Jr. and his wife Dianne posed for a photo with their friends Al and Lisa Brayton at the Villa Caletas in Costa Rica.
Can you share a positive referral experience within Primerus?
I have received many referrals from Primerus lawyers over the years and consider all of them equally important.
What is your most treasured material possession?
My gold Cross pen that my wife gave me for a graduation gift in 1975. It still sits in my pen holder on my desk, and I use it every day.
What is your happiest childhood memory?
Spending summers with my older sister and her husband, who was an Air Force pilot. Both are gone now and I miss their company.
What is your favorite movie and book?
Movie: “The Shawshank Redemption” – or maybe “The Magnificent Seven.”
Book: “The Magus” by John Fowles
Fletcher Handley, Jr.
What is the most awe-inspiring place you have visited?
Probably the little city of Ronda in southwestern Spain.
What are your favorite leisure time pursuits?
Golf. Music. Wine. Travel. Sometimes I get to combine all four.
In a cherished photo, Fletcher Handley Jr. with his granddaughter Peyton during a trip to Kauai, the Garden Isle of the Hawaiian Islands.
What is your favorite famous or inspirational quote?
From the movie “Secondhand Lions,” a 2003 film starring Michael Caine and Robert Duvall: “Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good, that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything. That money and power mean nothing, and that good always triumphs over evil. And I want you to remember this, that love—true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things because those are the things worth believing in.”
Who is on your guest list for the ideal dinner party?
The usual suspects. My family and friends. Maybe would have liked to hang out with Jimmy Buffett or Sean Connery or Frank Sinatra. But, they’re all gone. Some of my old Primerus friends are very important to me. Jack and Sheila Buchanan, Richard Fogg, Joel Collins, Don Winder, Al Brayton. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather hang out with more than them.
What are the top three items on your bucket list?
A grandson (or another granddaughter). Play golf at Royal Melbourne in Australia and Royal Dornach in Scotland. Travel to wherever my wife wants to go.
