The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch

Thirty-eight McAfee & Taft lawyers — 25 from the firm’s Oklahoma City office, one from Springfield, and 12 from Tulsa — were named to the 2024 list of The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch. This honor recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated outstanding professional excellence earlier in their careers, with the majority of recipients having been in private practice for 5–9 years. Recognition by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch is based entirely on peer review and employs the same methodology as the publisher’s namesake publication, The Best Lawyers in America, which made its debut in 1981.

Attorneys named to the most recent list, as well as the practice areas in which they have been recognized, are:

Logan Blackmore (energy law; oil and gas law)
Simon Bright (business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law)
J.D. Brown (transportation law)
Judy Burdg (employee benefits/ERISA law)
Colby J. Byrd (commercial litigation; eminent domain and condemnation law; real estate litigation)
Kaitlyn Schrick Chaney (banking and finance law; business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law)
Robert J. Clougherty (business organizations; corporate law)
Melissa J. Cottle (employee benefits/ERISA law; labor and employment law – management; workers’ compensation law – employers)
Katie Gant Crane (commercial litigation; securities litigation; white collar criminal defense)
Katherine Crowley Jimenez (energy law)
Evan J. Crumpley (banking and finance law; business organizations; mergers and acquisitions law; securities regulations)
Valerie L. Dixon (appellate practice; commercial litigation; mass tort litigation/class actions – defendants; personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants)
Alex Duncan (commercial litigation; securities litigation; white-collar criminal defense)
Genni Ellis (patent litigation)
Emalie Foster (commercial litigation; construction litigation; family law; product liability litigation – defendants)
Thomas Goresen (energy law; environmental law)
William J. Holland (commercial litigation; insurance law; privacy and data security)
Peyton S. Howell (medical malpractice law – defendants)
Sam Ikard (commercial litigation)
Katelyn King (commercial litigation; oil and gas law; personal injury litigation – defendants)
Harrison M. Kosmider (labor and employment law – management; labor and employment litigation)
Alyssa Lankford (labor and employment litigation)
Elke Meeùs (commercial litigation; construction litigation)
Jennie M. Mook (commercial litigation; labor and employment litigation)
Andrew J. Morris (appellate practice; commercial litigation; insurance law)
Haley Maynard Nimmo (business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law)
Micah J. Petersen (commercial litigation; personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants)
Anna C. Proctor (labor and employment law – management; labor and employment litigation)
Dru Prosser (commercial litigation; medical malpractice law – defendants; personal injury litigation – defendants; personal injury litigation – plaintiffs; product liability litigation – defendants)
Jennifer B. Puckett (commercial litigation; energy law; oil and gas law)
Will Silvia (business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)
Tim Spencer (commercial litigation; personal injury litigation – defendants; product liability litigation – defendants)
Gatlin Squires (banking and finance litigation; commercial litigation; eminent domain and condemnation law; real estate litigation)
Jeffrey L. Vogt (banking and finance law; business organizations; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)
Chase C. Webb (intellectual property law; intellectual property litigation; patent law; technology law)
Emma L. Wilson (transportation law)
Anna E. Wolfe (commercial litigation; insurance law; product liability litigation – defendants)
Emily Z. Xiao (corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law; real estate law)

Best Lawyers lists are compiled using Purely Peer Review™ methodology. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers publications are considered a singular honor.