August 21, 2025 | GableGotwals is pleased to announce that 68 lawyers have been recognized in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, five of which were newly included, and one newly named on the “Ones to Watch” list. In addition, 11 GableGotwals attorneys were named 2026 “Lawyer of the Year.”

Best Lawyers has published their list for more than three decades. Its first international list was published in 2006, and since then has grown to provide lists in more than 75 countries. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas and are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise.

GableGotwals would like to congratulate the following attorneys named to 2026 The Best Lawyers in America list:

The Best Lawyers in America
Houston
	John D. Sullivan Commercial Litigation
Oklahoma City
	Ellen A. Adams Energy Law Employment Law – Management
	Jeffrey A. Curran Insurance Law Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants	Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
	E. Talitha Ebrite Banking and Finance Law Commercial Litigation	Energy Law Oil and Gas Law
	Jake M. Krattiger Commercial Litigation Oil and Gas Law
	Lance E. Leffel Commercial Litigation Construction Law	Insurance Law Litigation – Insurance
	Robert G. McCampbell Administrative / Regulatory Law Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation	Criminal Defense: White-Collar Government Contracts Government Relations Practice Health Care Law Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
	Nick V. Merkley Commercial Litigation Energy Law	Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions Oil and Gas Law
	J. Blake Patton Commercial Litigation
	Leo J. Portman Corporate Law Energy Law	Litigation – Trusts and Estates
	Brooks Richardson Commercial Litigation
	Rob F. Robertson Commercial Litigation Corporate Governance Law Energy Law Oil and Gas Law (Lawyer of the Year)	Litigation – Banking and Finance Litigation – Bankruptcy Litigation – Environmental Litigation – Real Estate
	Leasa M. Stewart Insurance Law Litigation – ERISA (Lawyer of the Year)	Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
	Amy M. Stipe Commercial Litigation Oil and Gas Law
	Jay P. Walters Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation – Securities (Lawyer of the Year) Native American Law
Tulsa
	Steven J. Adams Commercial Litigation Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
	Jennifer R. Annis Litigation – Health Care Litigation – Insurance	Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants (Lawyer of the Year)
	John R. Barker Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law Securities / Capital Markets Law
	Brandon C. Bickle Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation
	David L. Bryant Arbitration Bet-the-Company Litigation	Commercial Litigation Mediation
	Frank J. Catalano Copyright Law Patent Law	Trademark Law
	Jason B. Coutant Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law
	John D. Dale Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
	Renee DeMoss Commercial Litigation Insurance Law	Litigation – ERISA
	Adam Doverspike Commercial Litigation Municipal Law
	Alicia J. Edwards Patent Law
	LeAnn Drummond Ellis Litigation – Trusts and Estates
	Grant Fitz Litigation – Insurance Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants	Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
	Craig A. Fitzgerald Commercial Litigation Insurance Law	Litigation – Antitrust Litigation – Intellectual Property
	Amelia A. Fogleman Appellate Practice (Lawyer of the Year) Commercial Litigation	Litigation – Antitrust
	John A. Gaberino, Jr. Energy Law
	Jeffrey D. Hassell Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (Lawyer of the Year) Corporate Law
	Jeffrey T. Haughey Securities / Capital Markets Law Securities Regulation
	Steven G. Heinen Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law
	Philip D. Hixon Appellate Practice Commercial Litigation
	Andrew J. Hofland Commercial Litigation
	Thomas J. Hutchison Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law	Real Estate Law
	Susan I. Jordan Health Care Law Litigation – Health Care
	Stephen W. Lake Banking and Finance Law Commercial Litigation Corporate Law	Energy Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law Oil and Gas Law (Lawyer of the Year) Securities / Capital Markets Law Securities Regulation (Lawyer of the Year)
	Lloyd W. Landreth Litigation – Environmental (Lawyer of the Year) Natural Resources Law (Lawyer of the Year)
	James F. Lea III Copyright Law Patent Law	Trademark Law
	David Limekiller Commercial Litigation
	Justin A. Lollman Commercial Litigation
	Graydon D. Luthey, Jr. Commercial Litigation Corporate Compliance Law	Corporate Governance Law Corporate Law Gaming Law Native American Law
	David B. McKinney Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Health Care Law	Litigation – ERISA Trusts and Estates
	Carrie McNeer Insurance Law
	Barbara M. Moschovidis Insurance Law
	Todd A. Nelson Copyright Law Litigation – Patent
	Richard B. Noulles Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation	Natural Resources Law Oil and Gas Law
	Terry D. Ragsdale Commercial Litigation Energy Law
	Paul E. Rossler Patent Law Technology Law	Trademark Law
	John Henry Rule Banking and Finance Law Commercial Litigation	Litigation – Banking and Finance Litigation – First Amendment
	Stephen A. Schuller Energy Law Land Use and Zoning Law	Litigation – Real Estate Real Estate Law
	Deborah C. Shallcross Appellate Practice Arbitration	Family Law
	Trent Shores Commercial Litigation Native American Law
	Lisa T. Silvestri Energy Law (Lawyer of the Year) Insurance Law
	Tina Soin Banking and Finance Law
	Timothy J. Sullivan, Jr. Commercial Litigation Energy Law
	Sidney K. Swinson Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Bet-the-Company Litigation Litigation – Bankruptcy
	Chris S. Thrutchley Employment Law – Management Labor Law – Management	Litigation – Labor and Employment
	Mia Vahlberg Commercial Litigation Corporate Law	Energy Law Insurance Law (Lawyer of the Year)
	David G. Woodral Patent Law Trademark Law
	Scott R. Zingerman Copyright Law Patent Law (Lawyer of the Year)	Trade Secrets Law
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America
Oklahoma City
	Gerard D’Emilio Appellate Practice Commercial Litigation
	Scott Kiplinger Litigation – Construction Oil and Gas Law
	Ashlyn Smith Insurance Law Oil and Gas Law
Tulsa
	Barrett L. Powers Commercial Litigation Insurance Law
	Alex R. Telarik Commercial Litigation Oil and Gas Law

June 5, 2025 | GableGotwals has been recognized by Chambers USA 2025 as a leading firm in the areas of Corporate/Commercial (Band 1), Energy & Natural Resources (Band 1), Environment (Band 1), Insurance (Band 1), Intellectual Property (Band 2), Labor & Employment (Band 3), Litigation – General Commercial (Band 1), Native American Law (Band 1), Real Estate (Band 2), and Tax (Band 1) in Oklahoma by Chambers & Partners. In addition, 24 GableGotwals attorneys have also been recognized as leaders in their field.

Chambers rankings are assessed on technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities most valued by the client. Interviews are conducted with peers outside of the firm and clients in order to determine inclusion and rankings.

Attorneys recognized include:

Corporate/Commercial – Band 1

Jason B. Coutant (Band 3)

Jeffrey D. Hassell (Band 1)

Stephen W. Lake (Band 2)

Thomas Hutchison (Band 3)

Energy & Natural Resources – Band 1

Rob Robertson (Band 3)

Terry Ragsdale (Band 2)

Environment – Band 1

Lloyd Landreth (Band 1)

Insurance – Band 1

Leasa Stewart (Band 1)

Lance Leffel (Band 2)

Carrie McNeer (Up and Coming)

Intellectual Property – Band 2

James F. Lea, III (Band 3)

Todd A. Nelson (Band 1)

David G. Woodral (Band 2)

Paul E. Rossler (Band 3)

Labor & Employment – Band 3

Chris S. Thrutchley (Band 2)

Ellen Adams (Band 3)

Litigation—General Commercial – Band 1

David Bryant (Senior Statespeople)

Amelia A. Fogleman (Band 2)

Robert G. McCampbell (Band 3)

Native American Law – Band 1

Amelia A. Fogleman (Band 3)

Dean Luthey (Band 1)

Barrett L. Powers (Up and Coming)

Trent Shores (Band 2)

Real Estate – Band 2

Tina N. Soin (Band 3)

Tax – Band 1

James Scears (Band 3)

December 11, 2024 | On December 9, 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, by unanimous vote of all justices participating, confirmed GableGotwals’ summary judgment victory obtained for its client David Qualls in a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought against him by the Peoria Tribe of Indians.

A company owned in part by Mr. Qualls managed the Tribe’s casino. When external forces caused a decline in casino cash flow, an external CPA and lawyer, according to the Tribe, devised and implemented a casino accounting change that resulted in five million in additional cash flow to the Tribe and increased the company’s management fee by a substantially lesser amount.

The Tribe sued Mr. Qualls in an Oklahoma State District Court in Shawnee, alleging that through the accounting change, Mr. Qualls embezzled, committed fraud, breached fiduciary duties, was liable for four other related claims, and owed the Tribe a $2 million fine previously imposed by the Tribe’s gaming commission. After all the discovery was completed and two oral arguments held, the District Court found that the fine was unconstitutional and that all of the Tribe’s claims failed as a matter of law. Summary judgment was awarded to Mr. Qualls.

The Tribe appealed. The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals rejected all of the Tribe’s arguments and unanimously affirmed the summary judgment against the Tribe. The Tribe then filed a petition for certiorari seeking discretionary review by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The Supreme Court denied the petition, thereby making the judgment in favor of the Firm’s client final.

GableGotwals’ Co-Chair of its Native American Law practice, shareholder Dean Luthey, represented Mr. Qualls throughout the litigation.

District Court judgment opinion

Court of Civil Appeals opinion

About GableGotwals’ Native American and Gaming Practice

GableGotwals’ attorneys have successfully represented Native American tribes, their leaders, vendors, and commercial organizations in federal, state, and tribal courts as well as before administrative agencies, and have successfully argued on behalf of Indian rights before the United States Supreme Court.

GableGotwals’ Native American practice is ranked Band 1 by Chambers & Partners stating the team is known as a “well-established Oklahoma firm with expertise in all areas of legal disputes, representing Indian tribes, vendors, their leaders and organizations in federal, state and tribal courts.” Lead attorney Dean Luthey has been recognized by his peers as a premier attorney in Oklahoma in Native American Law, with honors including: Best Lawyers in America as Tulsa’s Best Lawyer in Indian Law, a Chambers USA selection as a Band I attorney (Native American Law), and Super Lawyers designation as a Top Rated Lawyer in the area of Native American Law. For over a decade, Dean served as general counsel of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association.

Click here to read more.

October 22, 2024 | Super Lawyers has named 33 GableGotwals attorneys in their 2024 “Super Lawyers” list for Oklahoma. Four of the Firm’s shareholders have been ranked in the 50 top attorneys for the state of Oklahoma, including Jennifer R. Annis, Jeffrey Curran, Lance Leffel, and Robert McCampbell. Jennifer R. Annis and Amelia A. Fogleman were honored on the list of “Top 25 Women Lawyers” in the state. In addition, seven attorneys were newly named as Rising Stars: Bailey Barnes, Brian Blackstock, Zoe Butts Dowdell, Gerard M. D’Emilio, Scott Kiplinger, Ashlyn M. Smith, and Lacy B. Williamson.

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, and selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis.

The comprehensive 2024 Oklahoma Super Lawyers and 2024 Rising Star list for GableGotwals includes:

Oklahoma City
	Jeffrey A. Curran Top 50 – Oklahoma Personal Injury – Products: Defense		Lance E. Leffel Top 50 – Oklahoma Business Litigation
	Robert G. McCampbell Top 50 – Oklahoma Business Litigation		Nick V. Merkley Energy & Resources
	Rob F. Robertson Business Litigation		Amy M. Stipe General Litigation
	Jay P. Walters Business Litigation

Tulsa
	Jennifer R. Annis Top 50 – Oklahoma Top 25 Women – Oklahoma Personal Injury Medical Malpractice		David L. Bryant Business Litigation
	John D. Dale Business/Corporate		Craig A. Fitzgerald Business Litigation
	Amelia A. Fogleman Top 25 Women – Oklahoma Appellate		Jeffrey D. Hassell Banking
	Thomas J. Hutchison Business/Corporate		Stephen W. Lake Mergers & Acquisitions
	Graydon D. Luthey, Jr. Native American Law		Todd A. Nelson Intellectual Property Litigation
	Sidney K. Swinson Bankruptcy		Chris S. Thrutchley Employment and Labor

2024 Oklahoma Rising Stars – GableGotwals

Oklahoma City
	Brian Blackstock Civil Litigation: Defense		Zoe Butts Dowdell Business Litigation
	Gerard D’Emilio General Litigation		Scott Kiplinger Employment and Labor
	John (Jake) Krattiger Business Litigation		Ashlyn Smith General Litigation
Tulsa
	Bailey Barnes Mergers & Acquisitions		Andrew J. (A.J.) Hofland Criminal Defense: White Collar
	Justin A. Lollman Business Litigation		Barbara Moschovidis Civil Litigation: Defense
	Barrett L. Powers Business Litigation		Alex Telarik Business Litigation
	Lacy Williamson Healthcare

August 15, 2024 | GableGotwals is pleased to announce that 74 lawyers have been recognized in the 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, three of which were newly included, and two newly named on the “Ones to Watch” list. In addition, seven GableGotwals attorneys were named 2025 “Lawyer of the Year.”

Best Lawyers has published their list for more than three decades. Its first international list was published in 2006, and since then has grown to provide lists in more than 75 countries. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas and are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise.

GableGotwals would like to congratulate the following attorneys named to 2025 The Best Lawyers in America list:

The Best Lawyers in America
Houston
	John D. Sullivan Commercial Litigation
Oklahoma City
	Ellen A. Adams Energy Law
	Jeffrey A. Curran Insurance Law Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants	Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
	E. Talitha Ebrite Banking and Finance Law Commercial Litigation	Energy Law Oil and Gas Law
	Jake M. Krattiger Commercial Litigation Oil and Gas Law
	Lance E. Leffel Commercial Litigation Construction Law	Insurance Law Litigation – Insurance
	Robert G. McCampbell Administrative / Regulatory Law Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation	Criminal Defense: White-Collar Government Contracts Government Relations Practice Health Care Law Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
	Nick V. Merkley Commercial Litigation Energy Law	Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
	J. Blake Patton Commercial Litigation
	Leo J. Portman Corporate Law Energy Law	Litigation – Trusts and Estates
	Brooks Richardson Commercial Litigation
	Rob F. Robertson Commercial Litigation Corporate Governance Law Energy Law Oil and Gas Law	Litigation – Banking and Finance Litigation – Bankruptcy Litigation – Environmental Litigation – Real Estate
	G. Blaine Schwabe III Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation
	Leasa M. Stewart Insurance Law Litigation – ERISA
	Amy M. Stipe Commercial Litigation Oil and Gas Law
	Jay P. Walters Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation – Securities Native American Law
Tulsa
	Steven J. Adams Commercial Litigation Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
	Jennifer R. Annis Litigation – Health Care Litigation – Insurance	Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
	John R. Barker Banking and Finance Law (Lawyer of the Year) Corporate Law Securities / Capital Markets Law
	Brandon C. Bickle Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation
	David L. Bryant Arbitration Bet-the-Company Litigation	Commercial Litigation Mediation
	Frank J. Catalano Copyright Law Patent Law	Trademark Law
	Jason B. Coutant Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law
	John D. Dale Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
	Renee DeMoss Commercial Litigation Insurance Law	Litigation – ERISA
	Alicia J. Edwards Patent Law
	LeAnn Drummond Ellis Litigation – Trusts and Estates
	Grant Fitz Litigation – Insurance
	Craig A. Fitzgerald Commercial Litigation Insurance Law	Litigation – Antitrust Litigation – Intellectual Property
	Amelia A. Fogleman Appellate Practice Commercial Litigation	Litigation – Antitrust
	John A. Gaberino, Jr. Energy Law
	Robert J. Getchell Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation – Real Estate
	Jeffrey D. Hassell Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Corporate Law (Lawyer of the Year)
	Jeffrey T. Haughey Securities / Capital Markets Law Securities Regulation
	Steven G. Heinen Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law
	Philip D. Hixon Appellate Practice (Lawyer of the Year) Commercial Litigation
	Andrew J. Hofland Commercial Litigation
	Thomas J. Hutchison Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law	Real Estate Law
	Susan I. Jordan Health Care Law Litigation – Health Care
	Stephen W. Lake Banking and Finance Law Commercial Litigation Corporate Law	Energy Law (Lawyer of the Year) Mergers and Acquisitions Law Oil and Gas Law Securities / Capital Markets Law (Lawyer of the Year) Securities Regulation
	Lloyd W. Landreth Litigation – Environmental Natural Resources Law
	James F. Lea III Copyright Law Patent Law	Trademark Law (Lawyer of the Year)
	David Limekiller Banking and Finance Law Commercial Litigation
	Graydon D. Luthey, Jr. Commercial Litigation Corporate Compliance Law	Corporate Governance Law Corporate Law Gaming Law Native American Law
	David B. McKinney Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Health Care Law	Litigation – ERISA (Lawyer of the Year) Trusts and Estates
	Todd A. Nelson Copyright Law Litigation – Patent
	Richard B. Noulles Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation	Natural Resources Law Oil and Gas Law
	Terry D. Ragsdale Commercial Litigation Energy Law
	Paul E. Rossler Patent Law Technology Law	Trademark Law
	John Henry Rule Banking and Finance Law Commercial Litigation	Litigation – Banking and Finance Litigation – First Amendment
	Stephen A. Schuller Energy Law Land Use and Zoning Law	Litigation – Real Estate Real Estate Law
	Deborah C. Shallcross Appellate Practice Arbitration	Family Law
	Trent Shores Commercial Litigation Native American Law
	Lisa T. Silvestri Energy Law Insurance Law
	Timothy J. Sullivan, Jr. Commercial Litigation Energy Law
	Sidney K. Swinson Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Bet-the-Company Litigation Litigation – Bankruptcy
	Chris S. Thrutchley Employment Law – Management Labor Law – Management	Litigation – Labor and Employment
	Mia Vahlberg Commercial Litigation Corporate Law	Energy Law Insurance Law Oil and Gas Law
	Tom C. Vincent II FinTech Practice Privacy and Data Security Law
	David G. Woodral Patent Law (Lawyer of the Year) Trademark Law
	Scott R. Zingerman Copyright Law Patent Law	Trade Secrets Law
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America
Oklahoma City
	Gerard D’Emilio Appellate Practice Commercial Litigation
	Scott Kiplinger Litigation – Construction Oil and Gas Law
	Ashlyn Smith Oil and Gas Law
	Tim Sowecke Energy Law Environmental Law	Natural Resources Law
Tulsa
	Emily Collins Litigation – Trusts and Estates Trusts and Estates
	Madeline Cook Litigation – Intellectual Property
	Adam Doverspike Administrative / Regulatory Law Appellate Practice	Commercial Litigation Litigation – Construction Municipal Law
	Justin A. Lollman Appellate Practice Commercial Litigation	Criminal Defense: White-Collar Labor and Employment Law – Management
	Barrett L. Powers Commercial Litigation Insurance Law

June 6, 2024 | GableGotwals has been recognized by Chambers USA 2024 as a leading firm in the areas of Corporate/Commercial (Band 1), Energy & Natural Resources (Band 1), Environment (Band 1), Insurance (Band 1), Intellectual Property (Band 2), Labor & Employment (Band 3), Litigation – General Commercial (Band 1), Native American Law (Band 1), Real Estate (Band 2), and Tax (Band 1) in Oklahoma by Chambers & Partners. In addition, 22 GableGotwals attorneys have also been recognized as leaders in their field.

Chambers rankings are assessed on technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities most valued by the client. Interviews are conducted with peers outside of the firm and clients in order to determine inclusion and rankings.

Attorneys recognized include:

Corporate/Commercial – Band 1

Jason B. Coutant (Band 3)

Jeffrey D. Hassell (Band 2)

Stephen W. Lake (Band 2)

Thomas Hutchison (Up and Coming)

Energy & Natural Resources – Band 1

Rob Robertson (Band 3)

Terry Ragsdale (Band 2)

Environment – Band 1

Lloyd Landreth (Band 1)

Insurance – Band 1

Leasa Stewart (Band 1)

Lance Leffel (Band 2)

Carrie McNeer (Up and Coming)

Intellectual Property – Band 2

James F. Lea, III (Band 3)

Todd A. Nelson (Band 1)

David G. Woodral (Band 3)

Labor & Employment – Band 3

Chris S. Thrutchley (Band 3)

Ellen Adams (Band 3)

Litigation—General Commercial – Band 1

David Bryant (Senior Statespeople)

Amelia A. Fogleman (Band 3)

Dean Luthey (Band 3)

Robert G. McCampbell (Band 3)

Native American Law – Band 1

Amelia A. Fogleman (Band 3)

Dean Luthey (Band 1)

Trent Shores (Band 3)

Real Estate – Band 2

Stephen Schuller (Band 3)

Tax – Band 1

James Scears (Band 3)