Myrna Schack Latham

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Bio Menu
  • Overview
  • Experience
  • Honors & Involvement
Bio overview

Myrna Schack Latham’s practice is concentrated in business transactions, primarily in the area of real estate. Her diverse client base includes buyers, sellers, lenders and borrowers involved in commercial real estate transactions; landlords and tenants of commercial properties; and public entities such as state universities, foundations and public trusts. She also represents and counsels clients regarding the organizing and structuring of business entities and joint ventures.

In addition to her current focus on transactional matters, she has 14 years of experience representing individuals and companies in business and commercial litigation and arbitration.

Her achievements have earned her inclusion in Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America (business organizations; real estate law) and Oklahoma Super Lawyers, which has also named her to its list of “Top 25 Women Oklahoma Lawyers.” She was selected by Best Lawyers as the “Oklahoma City Real Estate Lawyer of the Year” for 2023, an honor only given to a single lawyer in each legal specialty in each market. In 2007, she was recognized for her professional and civic contributions to the state by being named to The Journal Record’s list of Leadership in Law honorees.

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Experience, Honors, & Awards

Representative Experience

  • Representation of owner/developer group and affiliated entities (which include data center colocation and managed IT services company, and industrial-scale bitcoin mining and digital asset company) in acquisition, redevelopment, and expansion of 2 million sf former Western Electric/AT&T manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City into data center and business campus with expansive and redundant power (including dedicated onsite electrical substation) and fiber connectivity; including title/survey matters, environmental remediation, project financing, utility agreements, and leases/colocation agreements.
  • Representation of owner/developer group in redevelopment of iconic one million square foot First National Center in downtown Oklahoma City (over $250 million redevelopment project with boutique luxury hotel and premium residential units, restaurants, retail, business incubator space, and a 14-floor parking garage), including title and survey matters, condominium documents, environmental matters (including Brownfield loans for remediation of asbestos and lead paint), leasing, operation and service agreements, and project financing (including construction loans, tax increment financing through the City of Oklahoma City, new markets tax credit financing, state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credit financing, tourism tax credits, and HUD Section 108 financing).
  • Representation of owners/developers in acquisition, master planning, and development (including title/survey, zoning matters, permitting, utility easements and connections, engineering and traffic studies, tax increment financing, design guidelines, purchase and sale agreements, and leasing) of University North Park, a 585-acre planned unit development in Norman, Oklahoma, which includes public park, hotel/conference center, retail, multi-family residential, office and industrial owners and tenants.
  • Representation of owner/developer group in acquisition and redevelopment of historic Journal Record Building and adjacent property in downtown Oklahoma City, which sustained extensive damage in 1995 as a result of the bombing of the Murrah federal building, including site acquisition, title/survey matters, negotiation of architectural agreements and construction contracts, and project financing (which included economic development assistance from the City of Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Industrial Cultural and Facilities Trust, and the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust).  Current phase of development includes expansion of multi-level parking garage expansion and construction of a new 12-story building, with commercial financing from private lenders, tax increment financing, and C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing through Oklahoma County’s C-PACE program, which provides low-cost, long-term funding for expenditures related to energy efficiency, including lighting, HVAC systems, and energy efficient building materials.
  • Representation of City of Tulsa and Tulsa Public Facilities Authority in $52.25 million purchase of multi-tenant office building and parking garage for use as City Hall, including assistance with project financing (which included revenue bonds issued by the Authority), tenant leases, and other matters related to management and operation of the building and parking garage.
  • Representation of Devon Energy Corporation in site acquisition and development of 50-story office tower and complex in downtown Oklahoma City ($750 million project, with more than 1.9 million square feet of space, as well as parks, plazas, and other public spaces), including negotiation and drafting of agreements related to acquisition and development of the project site, title/survey review and other due diligence, and working with city leaders to facilitate state and local government incentives, including tax increment financing and other financing arrangements for public improvements surrounding the Devon project.
  • Representation of sellers and buyers in commercial real estate transactions, including transactions involving Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 exchanges and tenant-in-common arrangements.
  • Representation of landlords and tenants in commercial leasing transactions.
  • Representation of lenders and borrowers in commercial financing transactions, including acquisition and construction financing.
  • Representation of individuals and businesses in organizing and structuring business entities (including corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies) and joint ventures.
  • Representation of hospitals, physician groups and other healthcare organizations in property-related transactions (including leases, real estate sales and acquisitions, and financing transactions).
  • Representation of public entities, including state universities and foundations, municipal hospitals, county hospitals, and public trusts in property-related transactions (including leases, real estate sales and acquisitions, and financing transactions), investment management contracts, and matters concerning public contracting (including competitive bidding requirements).

Honors and Awards

  • Listed in the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
  • Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (business organizations; real estate law)
  • Named “Oklahoma City Real Estate Lawyer of the Year” for 2023 by The Best Lawyers in America
  • Listed in Oklahoma Super Lawyers
  • Named to Oklahoma Super Lawyers’ list of “Top 25 Women Lawyers”
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubble Peer Review Ratings
  • Honored with Southern Nazarene University’s Outstanding Alumni Award (2015)
  • Honored with The Journal Record’s Leadership in Law Award, recognizing legal professionals for their professional and civic contributions to the state (2007)
  • Honored with the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Special Recognition Award (2002)
  • Honored with the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Meritorious Service Award (1998)

Professional Organizations and Memberships

  • Oklahoma County Bar Association
  • Oklahoma Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Oklahoma City Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)

Civic Involvement and Leadership

  • Southern Nazarene University (Vice Chair, Board of Trustees)
  • Southern Nazarene University Peer Learning Network (Co-Chair)
  • Southern Nazarene University Foundation (Past President, Board of Directors)
  • Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium (Board of Directors; Chair, Governance Committee)

ATPs display in this column

At The Podium

Navigating the Process of Conflicts and Waivers

2017 Corporate Counsel Seminar
Oklahoma City, OK | December 7, 2017
Attorney Articles

Articles

How to Use a Moral Compass

Directions, a publication of OK Ethics |

The Role of Lawyers in ‘Corporate Responsibility’

Oklahoma Bar Journal |

Specialized Approaches to Outsourcing Legal Work

Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel |
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Admissions

  • Oklahoma, 1985
  • U.S. District Courts for the Western and Northern Districts of Oklahoma
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
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Education

  • J.D., with honors, University of Oklahoma, 1985
    • Order of the Coif; Phi Delta Phi
  • B.A., Southern Nazarene University, 1978
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In The News

Photo of McAfee & Taft exterior signage with the Best Lawyers logo overlaying the image
Best Lawyers' 2022 ‘Lawyers of the Year’
Best Lawyers names 128 McAfee & Taft lawyers to 2023 lists
McAfee & Taft honored as top-ranked firm by Chambers USA 2022

Oklahoma Super Lawyers honors 87 McAfee & Taft attorneys in 2021 edition

Best Lawyers names 128 McAfee & Taft lawyers to 2022 lists

McAfee & Taft honored as top-ranked firm by Chambers USA 2021, 33 attorneys singled out for individual honors

Oklahoma Super Lawyers honors 93 McAfee & Taft attorneys in 2020 edition

Chambers USA 2020 honors McAfee & Taft as top-ranked firm, 32 attorneys singled out for individual honors

Oklahoma Super Lawyers honors 101 McAfee & Taft attorneys in 2019 edition

Chambers USA 2019 honors McAfee & Taft as top‑ranked firm

Oklahoma Super Lawyers honors 113 McAfee & Taft attorneys in 2018 edition

The Best Lawyers in America names 107 McAfee & Taft attorneys to 2019 edition

Chambers USA 2018 honors McAfee & Taft as top-ranked firm, 35 attorneys singled out for individual honors

The Best Lawyers in America names 102 McAfee & Taft attorneys to 2018 edition

Chambers USA 2017 honors McAfee & Taft as top-ranked firm, 39 McAfee & Taft attorneys as leading lawyers for business

Chambers USA 2016 honors McAfee & Taft as top-ranked firm, 41 firm attorneys as leading lawyers

Southern Nazarene University honors Myrna Latham with 2015 Outstanding Alumni Award

McAfee & Taft attorney Myrna Latham gives university commencement address

The Oklahoman |

Pure Inspiration

OCBA Briefcase |

Five McAfee & Taft Attorneys Named Leadership in Law Honorees

The Journal Record |

Myrna Latham recognized for ethics, integrity

The Journal Record |