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McAfee & Taft, the state’s largest law firm, has announced the addition of Jacob P. Black, Robert J. Clougherty, Evan J. Crumpley, Thomas P. Goresen, Courtney D. Keeling, Haley J. Maynard, and Elke C. Meeùs as new associates.

Jacob P. Black is a transactional lawyer whose practice encompasses the areas of business and commercial transactions as well complex business litigation in state and federal courts.  Black graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in letters from the University of Oklahoma and with highest honors from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.  While in law school, he served as an editor of the Oklahoma Law Review, was a member of Phi Delta Phi and the Board of Advocates, and was the recipient of numerous scholarships and honors, including the Nathan Scarritt Prize for the highest academic record in his graduating class

Robert J. Clougherty advises and represents clients in business and commercial transactions, including contract negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate financing, business entity formation and organization, and real estate transactions and financing.  Clougherty earned his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 2012 and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy for five years before returning to Oklahoma and graduating with highest honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2020.  While in law school, he served as a legal intern at a Fortune 500 company, was recognized by TU Law for the pro bono hours he provided to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and served as an editor of the Tulsa Law Review.

Evan J. Crumpley is a transactional lawyer whose practice encompasses a range of corporate and business matters, including real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, business entity formation, contract negotiations, general business transactions, and related business and transaction financing.  He graduated with honors with his bachelor’s degree in sports management with a minor in accounting from the University of Oklahoma in 2017 and with honors from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2020.  While in law school, he served as the scoring director of the Board of Advocates and as an assistant articles editor of the Oklahoma Law Review.  Crumpley also worked as a legal extern with the University of Oklahoma’s Sooner Club, where he performed risk analysis for the University’s Athletic Department

Thomas P. Goresen is an environmental lawyer with a broad practice involving environmental litigation and regulatory compliance with state and federal environmental health and safety regulations governing air, hazardous waste, solid waste, water, emergency planning, underground and above-ground storage tanks, risk-based environmental remediation, groundwater and surface water use, and worker safety regulatory programs.  Goresen earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law.  While pursuing his law degree, he served as a symposium editor for the Texas Review of Litigation and competed on the university’s Alternative Dispute Resolution triathlon team. He also worked as a legal intern at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Courtney D. Keeling is a transactional lawyer whose practice encompasses a broad range of corporate and business matters, including business entity formation and organization, mergers, asset and stock acquisitions and divestitures.  Keeling graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English from Oklahoma State University in 2016 and with highest honors from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.  While in law school, she served as a note and comment editor of the Oklahoma Law Review, worked as a legal extern to the Honorable Robert Bacharach of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and was a member of the Board of Advocates, Organization for the Advancement of Women in Law, and Phi Delta Phi legal honor society.

Haley J. Maynard is a corporate lawyer who represents and counsels clients in a diverse range of business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, business and transaction financing, contract review and negotiations, and real estate leasing, sales, development and financing.  Maynard graduated with distinction with her bachelor’s degrees in public affairs and administration and sports management from the University of Oklahoma in 2017 and with distinction from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2020.  While in law school, she served as assistant executive editor of the American Indian Law Review, earned American Jurisprudence Awards in criminal law and family law, and was a member of the Board of Advocates, Business Law Society, Sports and Entertainment Law Society, and Phi Delta Phi legal honor society.

A former international journalist and press officer for more than a decade, Elke C. Meeùs draws upon her investigative research, fact-finding, professional communication, and interpersonal skills to represent clients primarily in a broad range of complex business and commercial lawsuits.  The Belgium native graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in information and communication from Université Libre de Bruxelles and summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University School of Law, where she was a Merit Scholar, served as an editor of the Oklahoma City University Law Review, was a three-time member of the Jessup International Moot Court Competition Team, and was named to the Order of the Barristers.

With more than 175 attorneys and offices in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Springfield, McAfee & Taft is one of the nation’s 250 largest law firms as ranked by the National Law Journal.