News

A total of 136 attorneys from McAfee & Taft were selected by their peers for inclusion in the recently released 2024 editions of Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. This year marks the 30th publication of Best Lawyers in America and the fourth publication of its companion list, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, which recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated outstanding professional excellence earlier in their careers. Both lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer review evaluation.

Named as a first-time honorees by Best Lawyers in America are Jacob S. Crawford (labor and employment litigation), Kate N. Dodoo (commercial litigation), Paige Hoster Good (employment law – management), Danae V. Grace (mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law), Christopher Scaperlanda (commercial litigation), Joel D. Stafford (tax law; tax litigation and controversy), and Patrick L. Stein (energy law; oil and gas law).

First-time Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch honorees are Logan Blackmore (energy law; oil and gas law), Colby J. Byrd (commercial litigation; eminent domain and condemnation law; real estate litigation); Robert J. Clougherty (business organizations; corporate law); Katie Gant Crane (commercial litigation; securities litigation; white collar criminal defense), Katherine Crowley Jimenez (energy law); Evan J. Crumpley (banking and finance law; business organizations; mergers and acquisitions law; securities regulations), Genni Ellis (patent litigation); Thomas Goresen (energy law; environmental law); Peyton S. Howell (medical malpractice law – defendants), Katelyn King (commercial litigation; oil and gas law; personal injury litigation – defendants), Alyssa Lankford (labor and employment litigation), Elke Meeùs (commercial litigation; construction litigation), Jennie M. Mook (commercial litigation; labor and employment litigation), Haley Maynard Nimmo (business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law), Micah J. Petersen (commercial litigation; personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants), Anna C. Proctor (labor and employment law – management; labor and employment litigation), Jennifer B. Puckett (commercial litigation; energy law; oil and gas law), Gatlin Squires (banking and finance litigation; commercial litigation; eminent domain and condemnation law; real estate litigation) and Emily Z. Xiao (corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law).

Attorneys re-selected for the annual Best Lawyers in America list are:

• Michael K. Avery (commercial litigation; real estate litigation)
• Jeremy M. Black (business organizations; corporate law, mergers and acquisitions law; tax law)
• T. Michael Blake (business organizations; closely held companies and family businesses law, corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; tax law; trusts and estates; venture capital law)
• Rachel Blue (copyright law; intellectual property litigation; media law; trademark law)
• Timothy J. Bomhoff (commercial litigation; employment law – management; energy law; environmental litigation; labor and employment litigation; labor law – management; mass tort litigation/class actions – defendants; oil and gas law; product liability litigation – defendants; qui tam law; securities litigation)
• Matthew K. Brown (banking and finance law; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law)
• Courtney Bru (employment law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• J. Craig Buchan (commercial litigation; mass tort litigation/class actions – defendants)
• Brandon L. Buchanan (commercial litigation; construction litigation; health care litigation; insurance law; insurance litigation; mass tort litigation/class actions – defendants)
• Steven W. Bugg (bankruptcy, creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law; bankruptcy litigation)
• Jennifer H. Callahan (employee benefits/ERISA law; non-profit/charities law)
• Brita Haugland Cantrell (family law)
• Jodi C. Cole (commercial litigation; energy law; environmental litigation; oil and gas law)
• Steven P. Cole (business organizations; corporate law; tax law; tax litigation and controversy; trusts and estates; trust and estates litigation)
• W. Chris Coleman (business organizations; closely held companies and family businesses law; corporate compliance law; corporate governance law; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; securities/capital markets law; securities regulation; venture capital law)
• Mary Quinn Cooper (bet-the-company litigation; commercial litigation; insurance litigation; mass tort litigation/class actions – defendants;  personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants; professional malpractice law – defendants)
• Todd Court (employment law – management; labor law – management)
• Richard D. Craig (business organizations; closely held companies and family businesses law; corporate law; tax law; tax litigation and controversy; trusts and estates; trust and estates litigation)
• Ryan Cross (patent law)
• C. Bruce Crum (banking and finance law; business organizations; corporate law; financial services regulation law)
• Elizabeth L. Dalton (antitrust law; business organizations; corporate law; corporate compliance law; corporate governance law; franchise law; health care law; non-profit/charities law)
• Wagner R. Dias da Silva (closely held companies and family businesses law; mergers and acquisitions law; securities/capital markets law; venture capital law)
• Jessica L. Dickerson (commercial litigation; insurance law)
• Bradley K. Donnell (bet-the-company litigation; commercial litigation; construction law; construction litigation; labor and employment litigation; real estate litigation)
• Clifford C. Dougherty III (advertising law; copyright law; intellectual property litigation; patent law; patent litigation; trade secrets law; trademark law)
• Gregg B. Eichner (banking and finance law; business organizations)
• Roberta B. Fields (employment law — management; labor and employment litigation)
• Bill G. Freudenrich (employee benefits/ERISA law)
• S. Gregory Frogge (business organizations; health care law)
• Robert L. Garbrecht (business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)
• Bonner J. Gonzalez (commercial finance law; corporate law; tax law)
• Charles Greenough (bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law; banking and finance litigation; bankruptcy litigation; commercial litigation)
• William D. Hall (patent law;)
• J. Derek Hardberger (energy regulatory law; environmental law; environmental litigation)
• Lloyd T. Hardin, Jr. (construction law; international trade and finance law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law; real estate litigation)
• Stephen M. Hetrick (business organizations; real estate law)
• Matthew B. Hickey (business organizations; closely held companies and family businesses law; nonprofit/charities law; tax law; tax litigation and controversy)
• Frank D. Hill (corporate law; economic development law; land use and zoning law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)
• Alan G. Holloway (tax law; trusts and estates)
• Henry D. Hoss (commercial litigation; construction law; construction litigation; professional malpractice law – defendants)
• Christian S. Huckaby (commercial litigation; product liability litigation – defendants)
• Sean S. Hunt (commercial transactions/UCC law; corporate law)
• Justin Jackson (business organizations; corporate governance law; corporate law; securities/capital markets law)
• Richard D. Johnson (corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; nonprofit/charities law; real estate law; tax law; trusts and estates; trusts and estates litigation)
• Michael E. Joseph (antitrust law; biotechnology and life sciences practice; business organizations; corporate compliance law; corporate governance law; corporate law; franchise law; health care law; non-profit/charities law; project finance law)
• Robert J. Joyce (commercial litigation; environmental law; environmental litigation; mining law)
• Garry L. Keele, II (energy regulation law; environmental law; environmental litigation; natural resources law)
• Michael J. LaBrie (advertising law; copyright law; intellectual property litigation; patent law; patent litigation; trade secrets law; trademark law)
• Myrna S. Latham (business organizations; real estate law)
• Michael F. Lauderdale (commercial litigation; employment law – management; health care law; labor law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• William S. Leach (commercial litigation; insurance law; insurance litigation; mass tort litigation / class actions – defendants; personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants)
• Joe C. Lewallen, Jr. (commercial litigation; commercial transactions/UCC law; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)
• Ronald W. Little (family law; family law mediation)
• Brandon P. Long (employee benefits/ERISA law)
• Laura J. Long (energy law; environmental litigation; oil and gas law)
• Robert T. Luttrell III (banking and finance law; banking and finance litigation; commercial finance law; corporate law; financial services regulation law)
• H. Cole Marshall (business organizations; real estate law)
• Tony Mastin (tax law)
• Michael D. McClintock (commercial litigation; construction litigation; environmental litigation; intellectual property litigation; patent litigation; securities litigation)
• Scott D. McCreary (aviation law; equipment finance law)
• M. Richard Mullins (commercial litigation; health care law; health care litigation; securities litigation)
• Kathy R. Neal (commercial litigation; employment law – management; labor law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• Drew Neville (antitrust litigation; bet-the-company litigation; commercial litigation; securities litigation; white collar criminal defense)
• Richard D. Nix (business organizations; corporate law; employee benefits/ERISA law)
• Zachary A.P. Oubre (advertising law; commercial litigation; copyright law; intellectual property litigation; patent litigation; privacy and data security law; trade secrets law; trademark law)
• John A. Papahronis (employee benefits/ERISA law)
• Terra Lord Parten (corporate law; health care law)
• Ross A. Plourde (bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law; bankruptcy litigation; commercial litigation)
• Charles S. Plumb (employment law – management; labor law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• Louis J. Price (bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law; bankruptcy litigation; commercial finance law)
• Tony G. Puckett (employment law – management; labor law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• Anthony L. Rahhal (biotechnology and life sciences practice; copyright law; intellectual property litigation; patent law; patent litigation; trade secrets law; trademark law)
• Natalie Ramsey (employment law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• Andrew Richardson (commercial litigation)
• Patricia A. Rogers (health care law; privacy and data security law)
• Paul A. Ross (employment law – management; labor law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• John N. Schaefer (trusts and estates)
• Susan B. Shields (business organizations; closely held companies and family businesses law; non-profit and charities law; tax law; tax litigation and controversy; trust and estates; trust and estate litigation)
• Ronald T. Shinn Jr. (commercial litigation; health care litigation; qui tam law)
• Kristin M. Simpsen (employment law – management;  labor and employment litigation; labor law – management)
• Joshua D. Smith (business organizations; corporate law; corporate governance law; mergers and acquisitions law)
• Spencer F. Smith (banking and finance litigation; commercial litigation; securities litigation)
• Mark D. Spencer (commercial litigation; employee benefits/ERISA law; ERISA litigation; insurance law)
• N. Martin Stringer (business organizations; corporate governance law; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law)
• Jeff L. Todd (agriculture law; commercial litigation; eminent domain and condemnation law; environmental litigation; real estate litigation; water law)
• W. Kirk Turner (employment law – management; labor and employment litigation; labor law – management)
• Erin M. Van Laanen (aviation law; equipment finance law)
• Nathan L. Whatley (employment law – management; labor law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• Elizabeth Scott Wood (employment law – management; labor law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• J. Todd Woolery (commercial litigation; natural resources law; oil and gas law)
• Harold C. Zuckerman (commercial litigation; personal injury litigation – defendants)

Attorneys re-selected for the annual Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list are:

• Simon Bright (business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law)
• J.D. Brown (transportation law)
• Judy Burdg (employee benefits/ERISA law)
• Kaitlyn Schrick Chaney (banking and finance law; business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law)
• Melissa J. Cottle (employee benefits/ERISA law; labor and employment law – management; workers’ compensation law – employers)
• Valerie L. Dixon (appellate practice; commercial litigation; mass tort litigation/class actions – defendants; personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants)
• Alex Duncan (commercial litigation; securities litigation; white-collar criminal defense)
• Emalie Foster (commercial litigation; construction litigation; family law; product liability litigation – defendants)
• William J. Holland (commercial litigation; insurance law; privacy and data security)
• Sam Ikard (commercial litigation)
• Harrison M. Kosmider (labor and employment law – management; labor and employment litigation)
• Andrew J. Morris (appellate practice; commercial litigation; insurance law)
• Dru Prosser (commercial litigation; medical malpractice law – defendants; personal injury litigation – defendants; personal injury litigation – plaintiffs; product liability litigation – defendants)
• Will Silvia (business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)
• Tim Spencer (commercial litigation; personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants)
• Jeffrey L. Vogt (banking and finance law; business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)
• Chase C. Webb (intellectual property law; intellectual property litigation; patent law; technology law)
• Emma L. Wilson (transportation law)
• Anna E. Wolfe (commercial litigation; insurance law; product liability litigation – defendants)