One of Oklahoma’s most prominent corporate attorneys, Martin Stringer has a wealth of legal experience and expertise as a negotiator in the fields of business, financial institutions and governmental relations. His legal practice is concentrated in the area of business law, with emphasis on negotiating and structuring business combinations, including acquisitions, mergers and other private and public securities transactions. He is widely regarded for his strategic planning expertise in complex business litigation matters and his experience in counseling corporate and financial institutions on financial, state and federal regulatory and legislative matters, and in particular, corporate governance under the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley.
Martin is also a key member of the firm’s Sports Industry Group. In 2008, he represented the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics in settlement negotiations with the City of Seattle, Washington, that resulted in the relocation of the NBA team — subsequently renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder — to Oklahoma City prior to the start of the 2008–2009 basketball season. In addition to representing the Thunder ownership group in ongoing matters, he also represents the Dallas Wings WNBA team and a number of individual professional athletes as part of his sports practice.
His achievements have earned him repeated inclusion in some of the nation’s most prominent legal guides, including The Best Lawyers in America (corporate law; corporate governance law; mergers and acquisitions law), Oklahoma Super Lawyers, and the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He has been lauded by interviewees of Chambers as client-oriented, creative and candid, having what it takes to close a deal, and admired by peers as one of the best corporate merger and acquisition lawyers in America for his knowledge of financing.
Prior to joining McAfee & Taft in 2005, Martin served as director and president of McKinney & Stringer, a corporate law firm he co-founded in 1971. Throughout his career, he has also served as a trial attorney in the county district attorney’s office, worked as a campaign aide to a former U.S. senator, and mediated for the System Board of Adjustment of the National Labor Relations Board and the National Association of Securities Dealers.
Martin is a frequent lecturer at bar association seminars, law schools, and business group conferences.
Download Bio (PDF)Representative Experience
- Lead counsel for contested decanting issues involving South Dakota dynasty trust and related matters.
- Lead counsel for the Estate of Aubrey K. McClendon, encompassing multiple entities in several states and foreign countries.
- Ongoing representation of the Oklahoma City investor group that purchased and currently operates the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle SuperSonics). Led the the settlement negotiations on behalf of the investors with the City of Seattle, resulting in the relocation of the NBA team from Seattle, Washington, to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, prior to the beginning of the 2008-2009 NBA season.
- Retained as special counsel to the board of directors of a large publicly held retail chain. Led and assembled a pre-bankruptcy team, structured the transaction and successful corporate reorganization, and facilitated appointment of a new board of directors. Also appointed special counsel for corporate governance affairs by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
- Co-lead counsel for New York Stock Exchange energy company resulting in successful hostile takeover.
- Represented a multi-billion dollar public/private healthcare and education joint venture resulting in the most successful healthcare joint operating agreement in the United States and generating multi-million dollar EBITDA. Also named special counsel to the resulting authority.
- Negotiated and structured successful specialty hospital partnership with major hospital system and physician group.
- Appointed special counsel to receiver by the U.S. District Court in a case involving a financial services and insurance holding company. Successfully negotiated sales of insurance company subsidiaries.
- Served as outside general counsel to manufacturing concern. Structured and negotiated successful spin-off of major business components to a Fortune 500 company.
- Served as outside general counsel to a diversified holding company. Led and negotiated a creditor plan for the sale of drilling division and oil and gas properties to eliminate debt subsequent to merger.
- Represented Global Gaming Solutions, LLC, a subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation, in its acquisition of Lone Star Park, a horseracing track located in Grand Prairie, Texas, from Magna Entertainment Corp. through a complex bankruptcy auction.
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 (corporate law; corporate governance law; mergers and acquisitions law)
- Listed in Oklahoma Super Lawyers
- Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubble Peer Review Ratings
- Honored with the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Outstanding Service Award
Professional Organizations and Memberships
- Oklahoma County Bar Association (Director and Treasurer)
- Oklahoma Bar Association (Chair, Business Association and Management/Finance Committees; Budget and Executive Committees)
Civic Involvement and Leadership
- Governor’s Environmental Council for Solid Waste (Chair)
- Oklahoma Foundation for Digestive Research (Chair)
- Oklahoma Foundation for Cardiovascular Research
- Robert S. and Grayce B. Kerr Foundation (Advisor)
- Select Committee for Securities Legislature
- University of Oklahoma Centennial Committee
- University of Oklahoma Development Committee
- University of Oklahoma College of Law (Board of Visitors)
In The News
Best Lawyers names 128 McAfee & Taft lawyers to 2023 lists
August 18, 2022
Best Lawyers names 128 McAfee & Taft lawyers to 2022 lists
August 19, 2021
