Grapevine News

GableGotwals is pleased to announce the recent additions of Brian Blackstock and Clare Gibbons as Of Counsel attorneys to the Firm’s offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, respectively.

Brian Blackstock has significant experience in civil litigation, primarily focusing on defending corporate and individual clients in both state and federal courts. He represents insurers facing allegations of bad faith and institutional misconduct and healthcare professionals and entities against medical malpractice, investigations, and disciplinary proceedings before state licensure boards and regulatory agencies. He is distinguished as a Barrister in the Ruth Bader Ginsburg American Inn of Court and is a member of the Defense Research Institute, American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, and the Oklahoma County Bar Association. Brian received his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma.

Clare G. Gibbons advises clients in corporate transactional matters, focusing on cybersecurity, federal contracting, and commercial and operational contracts. Prior to joining the Firm, Clare held positions at Cherokee Federal and ONE Gas, where she managed federal contracts. Her experience includes drafting and negotiating a variety of agreements, including Master Service Agreements for IT services, non-disclosure agreements, teaming agreements, reseller agreements, and government contracts. In addition, Clare analyzed and advised internal stakeholders on emerging cybersecurity requirements, specifically DFAR requirements, NIST standards, and TSA cybersecurity directives.She is a member of the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, and Tulsa County Bar Association. She received her J.D. from the University of Indiana Maurer School of Law, where she graduated cum laude and was the Articles Editor for the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies. Clare received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.“We welcome Brian Blackstock and Clare Gibbons to the Firm. With their knowledge and experience, I am confident they will be great additions to the Firm in providing exceptional legal services to our clients,” said John Dale, CEO of GableGotwals.

Helton Law Firm is pleased to announce that it has added two new attorneys to the firm. Joe Byars joins the firm in an Of Counsel role with a focus in litigation matters to include business and commercial litigation, employment, construction, serious personal injury, and trust and estate litigation. Joe also has significant experience with regulatory compliance and licensing. Joe is licensed to practice in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas and multiple federal jurisdictions, with many years of trial experience in state and federal courts. Josh Dickens joins the firm in an Of Counsel role bringing over 20 years of oil, gas, real estate and commercial experience. Josh has worked in leading roles in over $1 billion in transactions ranging from small business sales to large oil and gas asset transactions. Josh is licensed to practice in Oklahoma and several federal courts.

Hall Estill is pleased to announce Larry G. Ball and Betsy G. Jackson have been elected to the Executive Committee. Additionally, Daniel V. Carsey, Christopher L. Carter and Andrew J. Romanow have been elected to the Board of Directors.

“Our lawyers carefully choose members of our Executive Committee and Board of Directors,” said Steve Ray, managing partner for Hall Estill. “It is an honor to serve, and I welcome my talented and experienced colleagues to our Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Their expertise and guidance will be invaluable as we continue to grow and succeed in the future."

Ball has been practicing in the bankruptcy, litigation and commercial law fields for more than 35 years and this is his second time serving on the Executive Committee. Ball is located in the firm’s Oklahoma City office and was named Best Lawyers’ 2021 Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year.”

Jackson is an attorney with over 30 years’ experience who primarily focuses her practice in the corporate/ commercial arena, specifically dealing in securities, business transactions, commercial finance, real estate, and mergers and acquisitions. Selected as a

2018 attorney recipient of the Oklahoma Bar Association Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Diversity Award and recognized in Chambers USA for corporate/commercial expertise, Jackson practices in the firm’s Tulsa office.

Carsey, who is located in the firm’s Oklahoma City office, focuses primarily on commercial litigation in the oil and gas, banking and technology industries, representing hundreds of businesses across the country. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers each year since 2009, 405 Magazine Oklahoma Top Commercial Litigation Attorney each year since 2020, and Best Lawyers each year since 2021.

Carter began his legal career with Hall Estill in 2008 in the Tulsa office and focuses primarily in the fields of real estate, finance and corporate transactions. During his career he has assisted in the representation of a variety of clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to local small businesses and has been named a Rising Star in Real Estate Law by Super Lawyers. Romanow is located in the firm’s Denver office where he represents businesses and entrepreneurs with governance, operations and documentation needs. He advises commercial clients on financial and corporate transactions, and a number of business organizational matters, including formation and governance matters, litigation and event response, standards of conduct and internal investigations, regulatory and compliance matters and risk management.

Returning honorees in the “Corporate/Commercial” category were W. Chris Coleman and Joshua D. Smith. Timothy J. Bomhoff and J. Todd Woolery were recognized in “Energy & Natural Resources,” and J. Derek Hardberger, Robert J. Joyce and Garry L. Keele, II were honored in “Environment.”

Elizabeth Dalton, Michael E. Joseph, Terra Lord Parten, and Patricia Rogers were once again named in the “Healthcare” category.

Returning honorees for “Intellectual Property” were Rachel Blue, Clifford C. Dougherty, III, Michael J. LaBrie, Zachary A.P. Oubre, and Anthony Rahhal. “Labor & Employment” honorees were Courtney Bru, Michael F. Lauderdale, Brandon P. Long, Charles S. Plumb, Tony G. Puckett, W. Kirk Turner and Nathan L. Whatley.

Honorees for “Litigation: General Commercial” were Mary Quinn Cooper, William S. Leach and Drew Neville.

Ranked for “Real Estate” were Frank D. Hill, Robert L. Garbrecht, Lloyd T. Hardin, Jr., Myrna Latham, Joe C. Lewallen, Jr., and Cole Marshall

T. Michael Blake, Bonner J. Gonzalez, and Matthew B. Hickey returned as top-ranked honorees in the corporate area of “Tax.”

Researchers with London-based Chambers & Partners Publishing, publishers of the 2023 guide, conducted in-depth interviews of attorneys and clients throughout the United States to identify and rank the nation’s leading business lawyers. The final rankings are based on such factors as technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness/ astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities most valued by the client.

McAfee & Taft received top marks in the 2023 edition of the exclusive Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and was the only Oklahoma law firm to receive the top Band 1 ranking in all nine major categories of legal practice Corporate/ Commercial, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Healthcare, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation, Real Estate, and Tax.

Additionally, for the fifth consecutive year, McAfee & Taft was the sole Oklahoma firm to earn a Band 1 ranking in the category of Litigation.

In addition to firm honors, 38 McAfee & Taft attorneys including three first-time honorees – were singled out for individual honors. Those named to the prestigious list for the very first time were Danae V. Grace (Corporate/ Commercial), Tony Mastin (Tax), and Patrick L. Stein (Energy & Natural Resources).

Ken Ray Underwood, Attorney at Law, announces the relocation of his office to:

The Petroleum Club Building

601 S. Boulder Ave.

Suite 802

Tulsa, OK 74119

The practice will continue to focus on representing people and families who suffer catastrophic injuries or loss of life from collisions, medical mistakes, nursing home neglect, defective products and dangerous premises. All referrals gratefully accepted and appropriately acknowledged.

Phone: 918-582-7447

Fax: 918-582-0166

Email: ken@ulawok.com