THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 52 | JUNE 2024 The following awards will be presented during the OBA Annual Luncheon on Thursday, July 11. AWARD OF JUDICIAL EXCELLENCE Judge Barbara Hatfield, El Reno Judge Barbara Hatfield has served as a special judge in Canadian County for more than 13 years. She is assigned to a busy docket, including divorces and paternities, traffic court, community sentencing, small claims and more, and she happily volunteers to help other judges with their dockets when needed. Judge Hatfield is known for treating everyone who appears before her with dignity and respect, as well as showing care for attorneys and their lives outside of work. Behind the scenes, Judge Hatfield works tirelessly for the Canadian County Bar Association, securing CLE speakers, planning and organizing recognition events – such as retirement parties, swearing-in ceremonies and receptions for milestone members – keeping the association updated, helping prepare resource lists for attorneys and litigants and more. Those who are privileged to know and work with Judge Hatfield know what a tremendous asset she is, not only to the judicial profession but to Canadian County as well. AWARD OF JUDICIAL EXCELLENCE Magistrate Judge Paul Cleary, Tulsa Magistrate Judge Paul Cleary has had a distinguished career as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Northern District of Oklahoma since 2002. His patience and fairness are admired by many – litigants who enter his courtroom know they will receive an impartial decision. He has exhibited excellence of character, quality job performance and service to the bench, bar and community. Magistrate Judge Cleary’s characteristics and hard work earned him an appointment as head of the Northern District’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program for many years. In this role, he recruited and appointed respected attorneys in the community as adjunct settlement judges and directly oversaw settlement conferences in complicated and contentious cases. He has also contributed to the legal profession with high-quality writing in his reports and recommendations, which were adopted in their entirety by U.S. district judges in the Northern District and the Oklahoma Bar Journal. His writing is repeatedly cited by judges across the country, particularly regarding pretrial matters, such as discovery practice. Although he has served on the bench for more than two decades, most recently in a senior role, Magistrate Judge Cleary never waivers in his support for the Northern District of Oklahoma and other magistrate judges. His service and continued support have minimized the burden on other judges and ensured that litigants get their day in court in a timely manner. Judge Cleary graduated with honors from the TU College of Law in 1981. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1971 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. 2024 OBA AWARDS
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