News

McAfee & Taft, the state’s largest law firm, has announced the addition of Stephanie R. Wells and Alessa French as paralegals in its Tulsa office.

As a paralegal for the firm’s Litigation Group, Stephanie Wells works with trial lawyers providing comprehensive support in the resolution of civil disputes involving claims of product liability, premises liability, personal injury, mass torts, professional negligence, and other complex business matters.

Wells’ responsibilities include preparing and filing pleadings and other legal documents, coordinating depositions and mediations, reviewing and organizing evidentiary and discovery documents, docketing, preparing and organizing documents and exhibits for trial, and assisting attorneys at trial.

A Missouri native, Wells attended Southwest Missouri State University and began her legal career in 1987 as a legal administrative assistant for a law firm in Springfield, Missouri. Upon moving to Oklahoma, she worked for the in-house legal department of a leading petroleum company and at law firms based in Tulsa and Claremore. She is also a member of the Tulsa Area Paralegal Association.

As a certified professional paralegal for the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group, Alessa French provides support to attorneys engaged in all aspects of employee benefits law, with an emphasis on matters involving retirement plan qualifications and design and executive compensation. She also provides assistance in business and transactional matters involving corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions, as well as estate planning law.

French began her legal career in 1996 and, while continuing her legal education, gained experience as a paralegal and office manager for a small family and criminal law office working on many high-profile cases involving criminal matters in municipal, state and federal courts. She went on to work as a legal administrative assistant for both a mid-sized law firm and the legal department of a publicly held corporation.

French is a member of NALS, the association for legal professionals.

McAfee & Taft is one of the nation’s 250 largest law firms as ranked by the National Law Journal and serves clients locally, nationally and internationally in the areas of aviation, business law, corporate and securities, employee benefits, entertainment law, environmental law, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, oil and gas, real estate and tax and family wealth. The firm employs nearly 350 Oklahomans, including 175 attorneys, and has offices in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.