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The Roots of Maurice Abarr - Orange County Attorney.
(Maurice Abarr's BRAG PAGE - Click here)

Born in St. Joseph, Missouri. Jesse James was also born near there. No relation.

Raised on a sharecropper's farm (58 acres) north of Kansas City about 110 miles. Left home when he was 17 years old. Worked briefly in Kansas City at a meat-packing plant. His experience with the 8 to 5 job and city life motivated him to go to college.

Maurice attended Northwest Missouri State University from 1966 to 1968. He then relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana where he attended Louisiana State University at New Orleans (now called University of New Orleans) until the Summer of 1969. Having too much fun living in the French Quarter and the unbelievable humidity prompted still another relocation to the Los Angeles area in mid-1969.

Sam Yorty was the mayor of L.A. Eldridge Cleaver had published Soul on Ice. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters were riding around in that weird bus, and Maurice Abarr was 20 years old. Upon arrival in Los Angeles, Maurice lived in a house with several other younger people high on a hill in the western edge of Alhambra, California. They could see most of the San Gabriel valley from their front living room window…. smog and all.

In September, 1969, Maurice started attending a part-time night law school in Anaheim called Western State University, College of Law. It was a relatively small school at that point in time. [When he called the first time to ask for information about the school, Maxwell Boas, the Dean of the school, answered the phone.]

In June, 1974, Maurice graduated from Western State University law school. [Since he had no family in California, he invited a beer bar maid from a local biker bar to witness his graduation. The beer bar maid's name was Dottie. She now is retired and lives near Big Bear, California]

In July, 1974, Maurice took the California Bar Examination and was admitted to practice in December, 1974. It was soon after his admission to the Bar that he met a young lawyer named Milton C. Grimes. Maurice briefly did some work for Milton writing motions for the defense of criminal cases and other documents for civil cases.

Maurice moved to Seattle, Washington in early 1975 and co-wrote affirmative action programs for school districts in that state with an old friend of his from Missouri. Maurice next moved to Monterey, California where he attempted to find work. He was unsuccessful in finding employment in lovely Monterrey and made contact with his new friend, Milton Grimes.

In September, 1975, Maurice began an association with Milton Grimes in the practice of law. Milton and Maurice practiced together for about three and a half years. Maurice then opened his own office in early 1979 and has been primarily in solo practice since then. He continues to this day to associate with Milton Grimes on specific cases. [Maurice briefly worked with Milton in preparing the now famous Rodney G. King for his testomy during the federal criminal trial against the police officers charged with beating him.]

Maurice has spent an extraordinary amount of time and energy to hone his skills as an advocate and a trial lawyer. He has attended numerous seminars put on by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy [Notre Dame Law School], the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Consumer Attorneys of the California (formerly known as the California Trial Lawyers Association), the California Applicants Attorneys Association (attorneys who represent injured workers), the Orange County Bar Association, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association, and most recently, Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers' College.

The Trial Lawyer's College is the brainchild of famous trial lawyer, Gerry Spence of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The College takes place on his ranch outside of Dubois, Wyoming.

The Trial Lawyer's College is a training school for lawyers who represent the common person. Corporate attorneys, governmental prosecutors, and attorneys who represent insurance companies are specifically excluded. The Trial Lawyers' College has taken place every August (the entire month) since 1994. Maurice was invited to attend in 1998. [Richard "Race Horse" Haynes of Houston, Texas was the lawyer that telephoned Maurice in May of 1998 to let him know that he had been invited to attend. What a thrill that was!]

Most of Maurice's free time is now spent with his wife, Lisa, and their two (of course) beautiful children, Miles and Halie. Miles is presently (1999) 12 years of age and Halie is 10 years of age. They both have numerous sports and hobbies which they take for granted.

Wrongful Death in Orange County, California.

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