T. Michael Blake

Shareholder, Practice Group Leader

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

Mike Blake’s practice is focused on tax and transaction planning and implementation for corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and individuals. Mike’s experience and expertise have earned him inclusion in Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America (business organizations; closely held companies and family businesses law; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; tax law; trusts and estates; venture capital law) and Oklahoma Super Lawyers. Mike was also named by Best Lawyers as the “Oklahoma City Business Organizations Lawyer of the Year” for 2022 and 2024, “Oklahoma City Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year” for 2016 and 2020 and “Oklahoma City Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Lawyer of the Year” for 2019 and 2024.  He currently serves as leader of the firm’s Tax & Family Wealth Group.

Mike has worked on numerous highly complex transactions affecting a wide variety of business interests, including the energy industry, private equity, advanced manufacturing, the food industry and the healthcare industry. In addition to structuring investments in, and acquisitions and dispositions of, entities and assets in tax-efficient transactions, he represents owners and entities in negotiating the terms of the resulting transactions. He also has experience in structuring private equity transactions to meet business objectives while qualifying for state and federal tax incentives. Mike’s practice also involves investments in, financing of, and acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas assets.

Mike regularly advises owners and entities with regard to tax and other issues as outside general counsel.

Mike also structures tax-deferred (Section 1031) exchanges of property, including real estate, oil and gas interests, and aircraft. In addition to structuring forward like-kind exchanges, he has also structured numerous reverse and “build-to-suit” exchanges.

In addition to his tax practice, Mike is actively involved with Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to use the time, talent and resources of qualified pro bono lawyers and other volunteers to represent and assist deprived, abused and neglected children in the Juvenile Division of the Oklahoma County District Court.

In 2009, he was honored with the organization’s prestigious Mona Lambird Service to Children Award for outstanding service by a volunteer attorney.

Mike has previously served on McAfee & Taft’s board of directors.

Download Bio (PDF)
Experience, Honors, & Awards

Representative Experience

  • Advising energy industry and oil and gas clients on tax and other matters.
  • Counsel to buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, including tax-free reorganizations.
  • Counsel to private equity investors and private equity funds.
  • Income tax planning.
  • Planning for acquisition, financing and disposition of oil and gas assets.
  • Joint ventures to develop oil and gas leashold.
  • Tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service, especially regarding oil and gas tax issues.
  • Acquisition and divestiture of real estate.
  • Real estate development and redevelopment projects.
  • Tax-deferred exchanges.
  • Structuring private equity transactions to qualify for tax incentives, including New Markets Tax Credits and various state tax incentives.
  • Company reorganizations and restructurings, including spin-offs, split-offs and split-ups under Section 355 of the Internal Revenue Code.

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; closely held companies and family businesses law; corporate law; merger and acquisitions law; tax law; trusts and estates; venture capital law)
  • Named “Oklahoma City Business Organizations Lawyer of the Year” for 2022 and 2024, “Oklahoma City Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year” for 2016 and 2020 and “Oklahoma City Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Lawyer of the Year” for 2019 and 2024 by The Best Lawyers in America
  • Listed in Oklahoma Super Lawyers
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings
  • Honored with Oklahoma Lawyers for Children’s Mona Lambird Service to Children Award (2009)

Professional Organizations and Memberships

  • Oklahoma County Bar Association
  • Oklahoma Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

Civic Involvement and Leadership

  • Oklahoma Lawyers for Children (Board Member and Volunteer)
  • Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence (Board of Trustees)

ATPs display in this column

At The Podium

Hot and Emerging State and Local Tax Issues

2019 Corporate Counsel Seminar
Oklahoma City, OK | December 5, 2019

Hot and Emerging State and Local Tax Issues

2019 Corporate Counsel Seminar
Tulsa, OK | December 4, 2019
Attorney Articles
mt_bio_practice_areas
mt_bio_industry_groups
mt_admissions

Admissions

  • Oklahoma, 1996
  • U.S. Tax Court
mt_education

Education

  • LL.M. Taxation, New York University
  • J.D., with highest honors, University of Oklahoma, 1996
    • Board of Editors, Oklahoma Law Review; Order of the Coif
  • A.B. (Economics and English), Duke University, 1993
mt_certifications
mt_bio_media_items
mt_bio_news_items

In The News

Photo of McAfee & Taft exterior signage with the Best Lawyers logo overlaying the image
Photo of Mike Blake, Justin Jackson and Nathan Whatley in the Oklahoma City office reception area.
Best Lawyers names 128 McAfee & Taft lawyers to 2023 lists
McAfee & Taft honored as top-ranked firm by Chambers USA 2022

Best Lawyers names 10 McAfee & Taft attorneys as 2022 ‘Lawyers of the Year’

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

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

McAfee & Taft’s Corporate Counsel 2019 Seminar draws hundreds of in-house lawyers

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

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

Charles Machine Works to be acquired by Toro for $700 million

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

Best Lawyers honors 25 McAfee & Taft attorneys as ‘Lawyers of the Year’ for 2019

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

Best Lawyers names 17 McAfee & Taft attorneys as 2016 ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in 18 categories

President Obama highlights firm client ASCO Industries

McAfee & Taft shareholders elect T. Michael Blake to board of directors

T. Michael Blake Receives Prestigious Mona Lambird Service to Children Award

15 McAfee & Taft attorneys honored as ‘Oklahoma Rising Stars’

Mike Blake to Speak on ‘Like-Kind’ Property Exchanges

Seminar to Focus on Tax-Deferred Property Exchanges

Blake quoted in Forbes article on S Corps audits

Forbes |

McAfee & Taft Shareholder to Speak at National Business Institute Seminar