Environmental Attorney Elected and Appointed to National Positions in Technical and Legal Professional Organizations

Mary Ellen Ternes, a shareholder with the law firm of McAfee & Taft, has been elected Director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environmental Division, after serving a term as Chair of Legislative and Regulatory Educational Programming for the Division.  Ternes was also elected as Second Vice Chair of the AICHE Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum, a position which progresses to Chair after two years of service.  Ternes has been appointed Ethics Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy & Resources (SEER), Vice Chair of the SEER Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Ecosystems Committee, as well as continuing Vice Chair of the SEER Air Quality Committee.

At the ABA SEER 2007 Fall Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ternes’ comprehensive publication entitled “Basic Practical in Nanotechnology,” won a competitive, peer reviewed “Best Paper Award.”

In her law practice, Ternes represents and counsels clients regarding environmental issues arising under federal and state law, involving regulatory, enforcement, transactional and litigation matters.  She is also a frequent speaker and author on environmental topics, particularly air and hazardous waste, due diligence, climate change, and nanotechnology.  Ternes is recognized by Best Lawyers in America and has been included in the International Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers 2008 (4th Edition). Ternes is one of only 365 attorneys worldwide to be named to the highly selective list of pre-eminent environmental lawyers.

McAfee & Taft is one of the largest, most experienced law firms in Oklahoma, serving clients throughout the Southwest in the areas of aviation, business law, corporate and securities, employee benefits, entertainment, environmental law, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, oil and gas, real estate, and tax and family wealth.  The firm employs over 210 Oklahomans, including 130 attorneys.