McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma’s largest law firm, today announced it will further expand its service offerings and depth of talent by combining practices with the Oklahoma City-based law firm of Blaney, Tipton, Hiersche & Odom. The addition of 11 attorneys and five professional support staff is effective October 1, 2024, and solidifies McAfee & Taft’s position as one of the region’s largest law firms with 179 lawyers.
The combination will also result in adding to the largest full-service banking and financial institutions practice in Oklahoma.
Joining the firm are veteran banking attorney Kevin Blaney, shareholders Trey Tipton, Justin Hiersche and Eric Odom, associates Elizabeth Fudge, Miranda Harrison and Russell Taylor, and of counsel attorneys Scott Henderson, Rudy Hiersche, Jr., Keith McIlhaney, and Meredith Tipton.
Founded by senior partner Kevin Blaney, who has focused his 47-year legal career on the financial services industry, Blaney, Tipton, Hiersche & Odom has maintained a strong banking and commercial lending practice throughout its history while also expanding and adding depth in the complementary areas of complex business and commercial transactions, real estate, and civil litigation.
“This merger is a natural fit for both firms, and it’s a perfect transition into the future for all of us,” said McAfee & Taft managing director Michael Lauderdale. “It allows the Blaney Tipton lawyers to expand and grow their individual practices by accessing and leveraging our substantial resources and client base, and we get the opportunity to add to our bench strength and provide their clients with a full range of legal services, including niche expertise in a number of areas of law, not previously available to them.”
Trey Tipton, managing partner at Blaney Tipton, agreed that the combining of firms was a natural fit for them as well.
“For a long time I have said that our firm does big firm work in a small firm environment,” said Blaney Tipton managing partner Trey Tipton. “Well, to continue doing the big firm work and providing the high levels of service our clients have come to expect, we knew we needed the big firm support that goes along with it – the resources, the technology, the deep bench of both lawyers and professional staff. But also, if you look at our respective firm cultures, philosophies, and the way we operate our businesses, those were natural fits as well.”
“We’re excited about the possibilities this combination will provide for both our firm and clients,” said McAfee & Taft Director Josh Smith. “We have followed the growth of their law firm for years. We know them, we know their capabilities, and we have great respect for what they have built. This marks another new and exciting chapter in the 72-year history of McAfee & Taft.”
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