“Off the Record,” a cooperative effort between McAfee & Taft and the University of Tulsa College of Law’s Professional Development Office, is an annual event that offers female law students the opportunity to meet with successful women lawyers and judges for an evening of networking and straight talk to discuss real-world issues and concerns not typically discussed in the classroom. Nearly 40 special guests from the bench, government, private practice, nonprofits and industry met with a record number of TU law students on October 8, 2026, to share their experiences, offer candid advice, and answer questions about what they might expect from their legal careers.
Now in its 18th year, the event was once again hosted by Rachel Blue, McAfee & Taft shareholder and intellectual property attorney and a 1988 graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Featured guests in this year’s recap video, in order of appearance, are Morgan Moore (director of professional development, University of Tulsa College of Law), Rachel Blue, Jaela Sanderson (J.D. candidate, University of Tulsa College of Law), the Honorable Loretta Radford (special judge, Tulsa County Family Court), Rylee Houston (J.D. candidate, University of Tulsa College of Law), and Callie Crone (trial lawyer, McAfee & Taft).
Morgan Moore: “I think the thing that sets Off the Record apart from other networking events for the students is it being women-only. I also think the setting is just really warm and inviting. You walk in here, you feel the warmth. You feel that you’re welcome. You feel that you can ask those questions that you might not want to in other settings. That’s, I think, the biggest thing that sets it apart.”
Rachel Blue: “There are so many relationships that have started at this event, and they meet people here, and you’ll see them later and they’ll say, “Oh, I met you at Off the Record.”
Jaela Sanderson: “Off the Record is always just a beautiful event. I always meet so many women who are just excited to be here and excited to pour into each other. And you always leave with a new mentor or peer or role model.”
Honorable Loretta Radford: “One thing that’s always been very important to me are the relationships that you build in a lifetime. It’s not about how much money you can make always. It’s not about do you live in the biggest house, drive the nicest car. Life comes down to what relationships did you build while you were here. And this is an opportunity to mentor young women whom hopefully someday will be running for district judge. The world continues because we mentor.”
Rachel Blue: “I think it’s important to show these young women and have them meet the people who are here tonight at very different stages in their careers. Some very senior people, some people who are five years in, who just started. I think it’s important for the firm. I think it’s important for women in the law community. And I think it’s important for our guests to share their experiences and their knowledge.”
Jaela Sanderson: “We’re trying to encourage women to take up more space in the legal field and feel more confident. And I think that this event is a beautiful way to bring women together. First year law students are trying to find their place, and this is a great way to connect them with other law students, but also people in the legal field that might be able to connect them to their dream position.”
Rylee Houston: “Coming here kind of helped me realize that the women around me really just want to support me and build me up, and it’s kind of just an event where you see that happen in real time in kind of a consolidated space. And I think that that is just so powerful.”
Callie Crone: “I hope that the students leaving here tonight know that they are supported in this community, that they do not have to figure out things by themselves. It doesn’t matter if they come from a family of lawyers, if they have worked in law before, if they are a first-gen student, if this is their first networking opportunity. We want them to succeed, and we want to help them succeed. Yes, there will be challenges, but those challenges will bear fruit.”
Honorable Loretta Radford: “When I first started practicing law, many people thought I was the secretary that they had sent. Many judges didn’t know why I was in there. And I have seen that change from a level of condescending attitudes toward women in the courtroom to absolute respect. I was raised at a time in America when it was hard. And I think I just kind of grew up with that, recognizing that the world needed individuals who were willing to accept the challenges to make sure that history went forward instead of backwards.”
Morgan Moore: “I hope that the women here, the students especially, will remember some of the conversations that they’ve had tonight. I hope that they can look back on this as a really positive experience, and I hope that they sit with the advice that they get. I hope that the students get more ideas of how to shape their professional identity, what that means. Not only their professional identity as an attorney, but also how their identity continues to develop as women.
Rachel Blue: “This evening isn’t just about this evening. It’s about the rest of a law career. It’s about a community that’s being built.”
