Our Attorneys

Ronald Merrill Barnes

Ron Barnes brings over 43 years extensive legal experience counseling and representing small and large production companies in all aspects of oil and gas issues with special emphasis in matters before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He served as Chief Trial Examiner with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in 1981. Ron was a partner at McKinney Stringer in Oklahoma City and founded their Tulsa office. In 2001, he and Clyde Crutchmer established the law firm of Crutchmer & Barnes, P.L.L.C. in Tulsa and in 2015 he founded Barnes Law PLLC in Tulsa.

Ron holds a BBA degree from the University of Oklahoma majoring in Petroleum Land Management and a J.D. degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law.

His professional affiliations include the Tulsa and the Oklahoma Bar Association (former OBA Chair of the Mineral Law Section in 2004) and is a member of the Tulsa Association of Petroleum Landmen. Mr. Barnes has attained Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent® rating which is the highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards.

Ron is a native of Okmulgee and has resided in Oklahoma all of his life. He is an active member of First United Methodist Church of Tulsa and serves on its board. Ron has been married to Deborah Browers Barnes for 49 years.

John B. Nicks

John Nicks brings 43 years experience as a trial lawyer in the practice areas of civil litigation and oil and gas law. His oil and gas practice includes drilling and division order title opinions and representation of business and individuals in transactional and pipeline related matters.

John attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from 1970-1972. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma receiving a B.S. in Industrial Engineering in 1974 and a M.S. in Industrial Engineering in 1976. John graduated from the OU College of Law in 1980 where he received a J.D.

John is admitted into the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma and the Western District of Arkansas. His professional affiliations include the Tulsa and the Oklahoma Bar Association and is also a member of the Tulsa Association of Petroleum Landmen. Mr. Nicks has attained Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent® rating which is the highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards. John has been married to Linda Morrissey for 42 years.

Linda Morrissey

Linda Morrissey offers 44 years of legal experience, including 25 years as a District Judge. She recently retired as a judge and joined Barnes Law to represent companies and individuals. As a District Judge, she presided over every type of civil matter, tried complex jury trials and non-jury trials and issued thousands of decisions. She served as Chief Judge of the Civil, Probate, and Domestic Divisions. Before becoming a judge, she practiced law in the areas of oil and gas, probate and real estate. Linda is a professionally trained mediator and is certified in Collaborative Law. She also taught oil and gas law. She graduated from the Oklahoma State University, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Education in 1975 and a Master’s Degree in Counseling in 1977. Linda graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1980 where she received a Juris Doctorate degree. Her professional affiliations include the American, Oklahoma, and Tulsa Bar Associations and she has held leadership positions in these organizations, as well as many other professional organizations.

Linda served as an Appellate Attorney for Justice Daniel Boudreau. Justice Boudreau had this to say about Linda, "I know Linda Morrissey well. She was a staff attorney for me when I was an appellate judge at the Court of Civil Appeals. Linda then served with distinction as a district judge for 25 years. She is patient, industrious and decisive." Several attorneys who practiced law before Linda when she was a judge expressed high regard for her dedication to the rule of law and her work ethic, including Keith Ward who described Linda as, "one of the most distinguished and hard-working judges in the history of Tulsa County" and Greg Williams who said, "Judge Morrissey possesses honesty, integrity, fairness and scholarly knowledge of the law: Judge Morrissey is, without question, among the best of the best." A lawyer for 50+ years, Marvin Spears said, "Linda Morrissey has earned my utmost respect as a Judge and a person. She is always striving to reach a correct and just decision and does so in a consistent manner. Judge Morrissey demonstrates great knowledge of the law, and she is always respectful to attorneys, witnesses, jurors, litigants, and witnesses." The Tulsa World editorial described Linda as, "A tough judge who takes the job seriously and who applies the law properly."

Linda has been recognized for her legal acumen and commitment to excellence with numerous awards including:

  • Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame inductee
  • Golden Rule Award from the Tulsa County Bar Association
  • President’s Award from the Tulsa County Bar Association
  • National Judge of the Year by the National Child Support Enforcement Association
  • Oklahoma Trial Judge of 2017 by Oklahoma Association for Justice
  • James C. Lang Mentoring Award from the Tulsa County Bar Association
  • Pinnacle Award for Public Service
  • Legal Outreach Award from the Mental Health Association
  • Mona Lambird Spotlight Award in 2006 for achievements in the legal profession
  • Received the "Swift Adoption Award" by the Department of Human Services for "tireless dedication on behalf of Oklahoma’s children"
  • Role Model Award from the Girls and Women in Sports Association at the Univ. of Tulsa
  • Named to the Appellate and Trial Division of the Court on the Judiciary
  • Named by the Chief Justice of the Okla. Sup. Court to the Cmt. on Judicial Elections

Linda has been married to John Nicks for 43 years and they have three adult children: Savannah, a medical school student, Travis, a Naval Academy graduate and Duke post graduate, and Denver a law school student.

Grayson Merrill Barnes

Grayson Barnes earned his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2013 where he received the American Jurisprudence Award for Professional Responsibility. While in law school, he focused on oil and gas law, attended the OU College of Law Summer Oxford Program, worked in the OU Legal Clinic and heard cases at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission with a limited license to practice law. Grayson graduated with a BBA Degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2010 majoring in Entrepreneurship and Venture Management. He was a state finalist in the Donald W. Reynolds Oklahoma Governor's Cup Competition and a member of the JCPenney Leadership Program and the Presidents Leadership Class.

Grayson's practice focuses on all aspects of oil and gas law with regard to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He served as a panelist at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's 2015 and 2016 Oil and Gas Institutes. He also served as a presenter for the Tulsa Association of Petroleum Landmen’s Spring Seminar in 2016 and 2021. Grayson graduated from the Oklahoma Bar Association’s 6th Leadership Academy in 2018 and was a member of Leadership Tulsa’s flagship program class 63 in 2020. Grayson is a native of Tulsa and has resided in Oklahoma all of his life. Grayson's professional affiliations include the Tulsa and the Oklahoma Bar Associations and he is a member of the Tulsa Association of Petroleum Landmen, the Southern Oklahoma Association of Petroleum Landmen, and the Oklahoma City Association of Petroleum Landmen. Grayson has been married to Laura Ellis Barnes, an interior designer, for 9 years and they have a daughter, Blue Barnes, and a new son, Grayson “Guy” Merrill Barnes II.