Ross Plourde practices primarily in the areas of commercial litigation and arbitration, commercial law and bankruptcy.
Ross has extensive experience in complex business litigation, bankruptcies and receiverships, as well as the arbitration and mediation of commercial disputes and out-of-court workouts. In commercial litigation, Ross has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of matters, including contract disputes, creditors’ rights, receiverships, lender liability, intellectual property disputes, real estate disputes, litigation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, environmental litigation and all forms of business torts.
His expertise has earned him inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law; bankruptcy litigation; commercial litigation) and Oklahoma Super Lawyers, where he has been named to its list of “Top 50 Lawyers.” He was selected by Best Lawyers as the “Oklahoma City Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Lawyer of the Year” for 2017, an honor given to a single lawyer in each legal specialty in each market. His active civic involvement was recognized in 2008 by the Oklahoma City University School of Law, which honored him with the OCU Law Alumni Association Award for Community Service.
Subsequent to admission to the Oklahoma Bar, Ross served as assistant attorney general for the State of Oklahoma.
Download Bio (PDF)Representative Experience
- Representation of creditors and debtors in bankruptcy, bank insolvency, insurance company insolvency, and state insolvency proceedings.
- Representation of creditors’ committees in bankruptcy litigation involving a variety of businesses.
- Representation of the creditors’ committee in a bankruptcy case involving 18 debtors that owned and operated numerous rural hospitals and healthcare-related businesses.
- Representation of energy clients in connection with enforcement of creditor’s rights and related issues in the oil and gas industry.
- Representation of an energy company in connection with its claim against Petrosurance in its receivership action.
- Representation of clients in connection with the enforcement of oil and gas liens and mechanic’s and materialmen’s liens.
- Served as debtor’s counsel in numerous cases involving contested plan confirmation hearings.
- Served as creditors’ committee counsel in contesting claims of large secured creditors.
- Served as trust counsel in litigation regarding the extent of the estate’s interest in a partnership and the right to liquidate the partnership.
- Litigated on numerous occasions cash collateral motions, both as debtor’s counsel and counsel to the secured creditor.
- Represented creditors seeking to transfer bankruptcy cases to other districts
- Regularly involved in defense of preference actions in courts across the country.
- Experience in a broad range of litigation, including contract and commercial disputes, banking, construction, products liability, intellectual property and environmental litigation.
Honors and Awards
- Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (bankruptcy and creditor debtor right/insolvency and reorganization law; bankruptcy litigation; commercial litigation)
- Named “Oklahoma City Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Lawyer of the Year” for 2017 by The Best Lawyers in America
- Listed in Oklahoma Super Lawyers
- Named to Oklahoma Super Lawyers’ list of “Top 50 Oklahoma Lawyers”
- Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings
- Honored with Oklahoma City University School of Law’s OCU Law Alumni Association Award for Community Service (2008)
Professional Organizations and Memberships
- Oklahoma County Bar Association (Former Director; Former Chair, Fee Grievance and Ethics Committee; Former President of the Bankruptcy Section; Former Library Trustee)
- Oklahoma Bar Association (Former Board Member and Past President, Commercial Law Section; Board Member and Past President, Bankruptcy Section)
- Federal Bar Association (President of the Oklahoma City Chapter, 1997—1998)
- American Inn of Court (Master of the Bench, Emeritus)
- Conference on Consumer Finance
- American Bankruptcy Institute
Civic Involvement and Leadership
- Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, OKC (Chair of Trustees, Lay Leader, Chair of Building Committee, and Chair of Administrative Board)
- Children’s Hospital Foundation (Board of Directors)
- Committee of 100 (Member)
- Epworth Villa Retirement Center (Former Board of Directors)
- Independence Charter Middle School (Former Board of Directors)
- Mayor’s Judicial Advisory Board (Former Member)
- Oklahoma City Rotary Club (Assistant Treasurer; Former Member, Board of Directors)
- Oklahoma City Tree Bank (Former Member of the Board of Directors)
- Oklahoma Zoological Society (Former Treasurer and Member of the Board of Directors)
At The Podium
2022 Tenth Circuit Year in Review: Commercial Law
2021 Tenth Circuit Year in Review: Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Decisions
2020 Tenth Circuit Year in Review: Commercial and Bankruptcy Law
32nd Annual Advanced Bankruptcy Seminar
Strengthening Credit and Collection Policies and Practices
The Oil and Gas Creditor’s Bankruptcy Toolbox
Media
In The News
Best Lawyers names 128 McAfee & Taft lawyers to 2023 lists
August 18, 2022
OU Law Honors Ceremony
May 3, 2022
