Grapevine News

whose state and federal litigation practice areas include construction law, as well as all areas of general civil and business litigation.

Barrow & Grimm, P.C is pleased to announce the following changes:

James R. Hicks has moved from an Of Counsel role to the position of Common Shareholder. Mr. Hicks is the immediate past President of the Oklahoma Bar Association, having served the organization as President in 2022. He concentrates his practice in business and construction related litigation, while also representing clients in other civil litigation matters. Mr. Hicks received the American Bar Association’s First Place Award of Achievement for Service to the Public in 1994, the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer award in 1995, the Tulsa County Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer award in 1993, and the Tulsa County Bar Association’s President’s Award in 1992. Mr. Hicks was awarded the Bishop’s Cross by Episcopal Bishop of Oklahoma in 2021. Mr. Hicks has been selected to the Oklahoma Super Lawyers list from 20092022, and has been an AV Preeminent Rated Lawyer for the last seventeen years. Mr. Hicks was voted by the readers of Oklahoma Magazine as Best Attorney in the 2011 and 2012 “Best of the Best” editions.

Anne S. Maguire has been promoted to Common Shareholder. Ms. Maguire joined the firm in 2014 after graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and practicing briefly with another prestigious firm in Tulsa. Ms. Maguire focuses her practice on business law, trust and estate litigation, real estate, and estate planning. She regularly counsels businesses and individuals on contract negotiations, real estate transactions, and trust administration and other related matters.

John S. Wolfe has been promoted to Preferred Shareholder. Mr. Wolfe joined the firm in 2016 and is a 2014 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and a 2015 graduate of the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law tax LLM program. Mr. Wolfe focuses his practice on corporate law, estate planning, real estate, and tax. He regularly counsels entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors on business formation and succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, contract negotiation and real estate transactions.

Emily B. Kosmider has been promoted to Preferred Shareholder. Ms. Kosmider joined the firm in 2019 after graduating with honors from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2014. Ms. Kosmider is a trial lawyer

Melissa A. Bell has been promoted to Member. Ms. Bell joined the firm in 2019. After graduating from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2013, Ms. Bell began her practice at the Law Office of Karen L. Carmichael & Associates. Ms. Bell primarily focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and probate and guardianship matters.

Dillon J. Hollingsworth has been promoted to Member. Mr. Hollingsworth joined the firm in 2019, after graduating from the University of Oklahoma in the same year. Mr. Hollingsworth’s practice includes general civil litigation, with a focus on business and real estate law, and corporate transactional services. Mr. Hollingsworth also provides regulatory and corporate guidance to a wide range of medical marijuana commercial licensees.

GableGotwals is pleased to announce the addition of Shareholder John D. Sullivan, who will lead the Firm’s presence in Texas, including being part of the team to launch the Firm’s Houston office. With more than 35 years of litigation experience, John has tried many types of cases in state and federal courts, focusing on civil trials and arbitration matters dealing with complex energy issues, commercial disputes, wrongful death and catastrophic injuries, environmental contamination, and insurance claims and coverage disputes. He has been in private practice for the last five years. Prior to that, he was in-house litigation counsel for two major energy companies – Texaco, Inc. and Shell Oil Company. John has counseled a broad range of litigation matters and disputes covering all aspects of the energy business, including onshore and offshore exploration and production, pipelines and terminals, refineries and chemical plants, service station and retail operations, lubricants, shipping, and trading.

“I am very excited to join such a reputable law firm. I have worked with GableGotwals for over 30 years as a client and co-counsel on a wide range of matters. I know first-hand how robust the Firm’s capabilities are in practice areas like litigation, transactions, and regulatory within the energy, oil, and gas industry, and I look forward to helping establish the Firm's presence in Houston,” said John Sullivan. For more than 40 years, GableGotwals attorneys have been advising clients who conduct business in Texas or are based in Texas. “This growth opportunity is part of our strategic plan to continue providing excellent service to our clients. Many of our attorneys are licensed and actively practice in Texas, representing clients in litigation and transactional matters. Therefore, an expansion into Texas, specifically Houston, is a natural step. Several of our Shareholders worked with John in the past, which made him a natural fit to join the Firm and help with our expansion in the region, ensuring our continued growth and success,” said John Dale, CEO of GableGotwals.

Crowe & Dunlevy attorney J. Christopher Davis has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), a prestigious organization of North American trial lawyers dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics and the administration of justice.

Davis is a shareholder and director in the firm’s Tulsa office where he represents businesses and individuals in state and federal courts. A seasoned litigator and mediator, Davis is Oklahoma’s only active paraplegic trial attorney. He joins Crowe & Dunlevy attorneys William G. Paul, Andrew M. Coats, D. Kent Meyers, and Clyde A. Muchmore as fellows.

“To be inducted into the college is one of the most important honors a trial lawyer can receive,” said Andrew M. Coats, Crowe & Dunlevy attorney and former president of the ACTL. “For Chris to be asked to provide the response on behalf of the new inductees is a benediction as to what kind of lawyer and person he is.”

The ACTL is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only to experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality.

Lawyers must have a minimum of fifteen years trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship. Membership in the College cannot exceed one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province.

“Chris is an experienced, talented trial lawyer that well deserves this honor. He clearly meets the high standards of this organization,” said Roger A. Stong, Crowe & Dunlevy’s president and CEO. “Our firm is proud of Chris and our relationship with him, and we are glad to have another colleague as part of this association.”

A former federal law clerk, Davis serves as an Adjunct Settlement Conference Judge, is a member of the Committee on Local Rules and Court Operations, and is a former member of the Admissions and Grievances

Committee for the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Davis was recently named to the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, America’s foremost professional organization for experienced mediators and arbitrators.

With more than 27 years of experience in the courtroom, Davis represents clients as a member of the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Trial, and Product Liability Practice Groups.

The ACTL maintains and seeks to improve the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice through education and public statements on independence of the judiciary, trial by jury, respect for the rule of law, access to justice, and fair and just representation of all parties to legal proceedings.