September 10, 2025 | GableGotwals is pleased to announce that Ryan Heatherman has joined the Tulsa office as a Shareholder, where he will focus on business issues, estate planning, and a broad range of litigation matters.

Ryan helps businesses thrive at every stage – from launch to growth and beyond. He assists clients in negotiating deals, guiding them through government or internal investigations, and successfully resolving disputes. An experienced litigator, Ryan is no stranger to the courtroom, having tried dozens of cases to verdict in federal, state, and military courts. In addition, Ryan has extensive experience helping clients navigate the complexities of probates and estate planning.

Ryan began his career as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps, where he prosecuted courts-martial as a Trial Counsel, including numerous jury trials to verdict. Ryan later deployed to Afghanistan, embedded with an infantry battalion (2/7 Marines) involved in constant combat throughout 2008, where he resolved law of war and rules of engagement issues, in real time, and led all enemy combat detainee operations across a 27,800 square foot area in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Following his military service, Ryan served as General Counsel of a Tulsa-based oil and gas company before founding a successful litigation law firm. He later returned to public service as an Assistant United States Attorney, where he held several leadership roles, including White-Collar Crime Coordinator for the Eastern District of Oklahoma and Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Coordinator for all federal districts in Oklahoma. He was promoted to Violent Crimes Team Leader and Lead Homicide Prosecutor for the Northern District of Oklahoma, serving as first chair in numerous jury trials, including multiple complex first-degree murder cases.

“When it comes to meeting the needs of our clients, GableGotwals is service-minded and mission-oriented – just like our newest Shareholder, Ryan Heatherman,” said Trent Shores, Managing Shareholder of GableGotwals’ Tulsa office. “Ryan’s experience in both public service and private practice will well serve the diverse needs of our clients.”

Ryan received his J.D. from The University of Tulsa College of Law, MBA, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame, and BBA in accounting from the University of Oklahoma.

About GableGotwals
GableGotwals® is a full-service law firm with 100 attorneys and more than 70 other business professionals in Oklahoma and Texas. We represent a diversified client base across the nation, and our connections and reach are global. Fortune 500 corporations, privately owned companies, entrepreneurs, foundations, and individuals entrust us every day with the stewardship and strategic management of their legal challenges.

June 18, 2025 | By:  Jason T. Seay

As artificial intelligence transforms industries, the legal field faces both unprecedented challenges and opportunities. As discussed in a recent webinar hosted by ACC Houston, experts from legal, corporate, and AI governance spheres explored how legal professionals can adapt to and lead in this evolving landscape. Here are the key takeaways:

1. Essential AI Terms for Legal Professional
   
   Understanding core terminology, including machine learning, generative AI, natural language processing (NLP), and large language models, is foundational for ethical and informed AI adoption in legal work.

2. AI’s Current Legal Impact

• • AI tools are already being used for contract review, legal research, and compliance analysis.
  • Legal professionals must learn not only to use AI but to question and validate its outputs.
  • “Trust but verify” becomes essential when dealing with automated legal content.

3. Future Opportunities for Lawyers

• • AI will not replace lawyers, but lawyers who leverage AI will replace those who don’t.
  • Attorneys will increasingly serve as “AI supervisors” – ensuring accountability, ethical use, and legal soundness of AI-driven processes.
  • Specialized roles will emerge in AI governance, algorithmic auditing, and regulatory compliance.

4. Ethical and Regulatory Considerations

• • Bias in AI outputs, data privacy, and explainability are critical issues.
  • Legal professionals must stay current with evolving regulations (e.g., EU AI Act, U.S. AI policy efforts).
  • Corporate legal departments must take a leadership role in setting responsible AI policies.

Conclusion

The integration of AI in law is inevitable. Those who proactively educate themselves and embrace change will not only future-proof their careers but help shape a more just, efficient, and ethical legal system.

GableGotwals’ Technology and Cybersecurity and Data Privacy teams will continue to monitor developments and keep our clients informed.

Jason T. Seay

918-595-4832

jseay@gablelaw.com

This alert is provided as a summary for information purposes. It does not contain legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. It is not intended or written to be used and may not be used by any person to avoid penalties imposed under Oklahoma laws. The information provided should not be taken as an indication of future legal results; any stated information should not be acted upon without consulting legal counsel.

June 2, 2025 | GableGotwals is pleased to announce that Jason Seay has joined the Tulsa office as Of Counsel. He has extensive experience advising clients on healthcare regulatory compliance, data privacy and security, artificial intelligence governance, and broader regulatory matters.

Prior to joining the Firm, Jason held in-house legal and compliance leadership roles at companies including GeneDx, a global genetics and diagnostics company, and DaVita, a leading healthcare provider. He also served as Associate General Counsel for a regional health system in Alaska and represented state agencies as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma. He has additional private practice experience in healthcare law, civil litigation, and administrative law.

“Jason brings valuable experience in HIPAA compliance, breach response, data governance, and AI implementation, which will be a great addition to our Healthcare and Cybersecurity and Data Privacy teams,” said Trent Shores, Managing Shareholder of GableGotwals’ Tulsa office. “His background in both the public and private sectors strengthens our ability to support our clients across a range of industries.”

Jason earned his J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law, where he completed the Health Law Certificate, received a CALI Award in Philosophy of Law, and was a member of the Board of Advocates. He received his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma.

He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and is licensed to practice in Oklahoma and Alaska.

About GableGotwals

GableGotwals® is a full-service law firm with nearly 100 attorneys and more than 70 other business professionals in Oklahoma and Texas. We represent a diversified client base across the nation, and our connections and reach are global. Fortune 500 corporations, privately owned companies, entrepreneurs, foundations, and individuals entrust us every day with the stewardship and strategic management of their legal challenges.

November 7, 2024 | Best Lawyers®, for the 14th consecutive year, announced the “Best Law Firms” rankings. GableGotwals is ranked in the 2025 list regionally in 51 practice areas. Firms in the “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

GableGotwals received the following rankings:

Metropolitan Tier 1

Oklahoma City

• Administrative / Regulatory Law
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Energy Law
• Government Relations Practice
• Insurance Law
• Litigation – Banking & Finance
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – Environmental
• Litigation – Insurance (NEW)
• Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
• Litigation – Securities (NEW)
• Litigation – Trusts & Estates
• Oil & Gas Law
• Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Tulsa

• Appellate Practice
• Banking and Finance Law
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Copyright Law
• Corporate Law
• Energy Law
• Family Law
• Gaming Law
• Health Care Law
• Insurance Law
• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Litigation – Banking & Finance
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – ERISA
• Litigation – Patent
• Litigation – Real Estate
• Litigation – Trusts & Estates
• Natural Resources Law
• Oil & Gas Law
• Patent Law
• Real Estate Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Technology Law
• Trademark Law
• Trust & Estates Law

Metropolitan Tier 2

Houston

• Commercial Litigation (NEW)

Oklahoma City

• Banking and Finance Law
• Corporate Governance Law
• Corporate Law
• Litigation – ERISA
• Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions
• Litigation – Real Estate
• Native American Law
• Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Tulsa

• Corporate Compliance Law
• Corporate Governance Law
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Employment Law – Management
• Labor Law – Management
• Litigation – Environmental
• Litigation First Amendment
• Litigation – Health Care
• Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law
• Privacy and Data Security Law
• Securities Regulation

Metropolitan Tier 3

Oklahoma City

• Health Care Law

Tulsa

• Litigation – Insurance
• Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Native American Law