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McAfee & Taft trial lawyer Mary Quinn Cooper has been elected by fellow Oklahoma Bar Association members to serve a six-year term as District 1 commissioner of the 15-member Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission. Six of the 15 commissioners are lawyers and the remaining nine are non-lawyers, all serving without compensation.

The commission nominates the most qualified candidates for appointment by Oklahoma’s governor to fill vacancies on the state’s Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, Court of Civil Appeals, District and Associate District Judgeships (when vacancies occur outside the normal election process), and Workers’ Compensation Court of Existing Claims. The JNC has jurisdiction to determine whether applicants for judicial office meet the relevant qualifications for the respective office.

“The firm is very pleased that Mary was elected to serve on the Judicial Nominating Commission,” said Michael Lauderdale, McAfee & Taft’s managing director. “As a member of the JNC, Mary will play a crucial role in the selection of highly qualified and competent judges within that state of Oklahoma.

“Mary brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the JNC. With an impressive background as a highly skilled trial attorney, Mary has tried dozens of jury trials within our state court system and thus a demonstrated a deep understanding of the law. Mary’s meticulous attention to detail, fairness and ability to consider multiple perspectives makes her an invaluable asset to the JNC.”

Mary serves as national trial counsel for major corporations and defends product liability claims and class actions across the country. For more than 25 years, she has represented Ford Motor Company nationally in challenging cases with high exposure. Mary has also tried high-stakes cases for various other manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies, including Toyota Motor Company, and has defended clients in professional malpractice matters.

Mary currently serves as co-leader of McAfee & Taft’s Litigation Group. She previously served as an appointed member of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility Tribunal, a panel whose function is to conduct hearings on formal complaints filed against lawyers and on applications for reinstatement to the practice of law in the State of Oklahoma.

Her experience and expertise have earned her recognition in the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, Benchmark Litigation and Oklahoma Super Lawyers, where she has been named to its lists of “Top 10 Oklahoma Lawyers,” “Top 25 Women Lawyers” and “Top 50 Oklahoma Lawyers.” She was listed in Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation” from 2013-2015. Additionally, she has been designated as Best Lawyers “Tulsa Product Liability Litigation Defense Lawyer of the Year” for 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021 and “Tulsa Bet-the-Company Lawyer of the Year” for 2017 and 2019, honors given to a single lawyer in each legal specialty in each market.