September 17, 2025 | GableGotwals is pleased to announce that four experienced Associates have joined the Firm.

Caleb Evans is a litigation Associate in the Firm’s Oklahoma City office, where his practice focuses on business and commercial litigation. Prior to joining the Firm, Caleb served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable David L. Russell of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Tristan Reagan is a litigation Associate in the Firm’s Tulsa office, where he focuses on general commercial and business litigation. Prior to joining the Firm, Tristan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Susan E. Huntsman and the Honorable Jodi F. Jayne, United States Magistrate Judges for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Bailey Tulloch is a litigation Associate in the Firm’s Tulsa office, where she focuses on commercial litigation and other business disputes in federal and state courts. Prior to joining the Firm, Bailey served as a law clerk to the Honorable David Alan Ezra of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. She also worked as a litigation associate at a national law firm, where she handled a wide variety of matters in state and federal courts, including breach of contract, property disputes, employment matters, white-collar investigations, collections, fiduciary litigation, and Fifth Circuit appeals.

Francesca Walentynowicz is a transactional Associate in the Firm’s Tulsa office, where her practice focuses on banking and commercial law matters. She previously worked as an associate at a Tulsa-based law firm, where she handled a wide variety of commercial law and financial services matters. She also served as a legal intern to the Honorable Gregory K. Frizzell of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma and a legal extern with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma while attending The University of Tulsa College of Law.

Bailey, Caleb, Francesca, and Tristan join more than a dozen other GableGotwals attorneys who have gained valuable experience through judicial clerkships, internships, and externships in federal and state courts.

“My experience as a law clerk provided me with insight into the judicial decision-making process and sharpened my legal research and writing skills, which continues to benefit me and my clients. I am excited to welcome this group of talented young attorneys who bring similar experience to the Firm,” said Amy Fogleman, Director and Shareholder at GableGotwals.

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.

September 15, 2025 | GableGotwals is pleased to announce that former summer associates Trisha Bunce, Logan Norton, CJ Pollins, and Madison Taylor have joined the Firm as litigation Associates.

Trisha Bunce is an Associate in the Firm’s Oklahoma City office, where her practice focuses on commercial litigation, bankruptcy law, and Native American law. At the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Trisha received the Joel Jankowsky Outstanding Graduate Award and was involved with numerous student organizations, including Oklahoma Law Review, the Native American Law Student Association, the Federal Bar Association, and Phi Alpha Delta. She was a finalist in the New York State Bar Association National Moot Court Competition, finishing second in the region and qualifying for the national-level tournament.

Logan Norton is an Associate in the Firm’s Tulsa office, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation, employment law, energy law, and healthcare. Logan graduated with highest honors from The University of Tulsa College of Law, where he served as an elected delegate for the Student Bar Association and participated in numerous student organizations such as the Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Society, the Health Law Society, and the Business Law Society. He also earned CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Criminal Law & Administration and Artificial Intelligence & Law. While in law school, Logan completed the Public Defender Clinic with the Tulsa County Public Defender’s Office, where he acquired an academic LLI and represented incarcerated individuals before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board through Project Commutation.

CJ Pollins is an Associate in the Firm’s Oklahoma City office, where his practice focuses on a wide range of matters involving commercial law, energy, and sports, media, and entertainment. While in law school, he was on the Oklahoma City University Law Review Editorial Board as a Resource Editor, a member of the ABA Moot Court Team, and externed for the Honorable Sarah Hall and the Honorable Janice Loyd at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Prior to joining the Firm, he served as a consultant for United Youth Football League and worked as a high school teacher and football coach in Mansfield, Texas, co-developing a financial literacy curriculum and coaching student-athletes, including several who earned collegiate scholarships and state honors.

Madison Taylor is an Associate in the Firm’s Tulsa office, where her practice focuses on matters involving medical malpractice, oil and gas law, commercial law, and Native American law. At the University of Oklahoma College of Law, she received the Student Bar Association Prize for outstanding contributions to the student body, the Professional Responsibility Award, and was named Outstanding 3L. Madison was also recognized as a 1L Moot Court Distinguished Speaker and participated in multiple competition teams. She was active in several student organizations, serving as the Student Body President of the Student Bar Association, as a Negotiations Assistant for the Board of Advocates, and as an Articles Editor for the Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal. 

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.

Each summer, GableGotwals hosts 1L and 2L students who gain valuable experience alongside our attorneys through hands-on legal work, exposure to a broad range of practice areas, and meaningful opportunities to connect with our people and culture. The program provides opportunities for both the Firm and the candidate to get to know each other. The program emphasizes integrating law students into the practice of law. For more information, click here.

June 3, 2025 | Congratulations to the GableGotwals attorneys recently recognized in the 2025 Top Attorneys guide by 405 Magazine. This marks the Firm’s sixth consecutive year to appear in the review.

The local guide to attorneys and practices was developed through extensive peer-review surveys conducted by DataJoe Research. This year, 20 GableGotwals attorneys were highlighted in 13 practice areas:

Appellate Law

Gerard M. D’Emilio

Business Law

J. Blake Patton

Civil Law Litigation

Amy M. Stipe

Commercial Litigation

John M. “Jake” Krattiger
Nick V. Merkley

Eminent Domain

Scott Kiplinger

Energy, Oil and Gas

Brooks A. Richardson
Rob F. Robertson

Government and Administrative

David R. Herber
Robert G. McCampbell

Insurance

Lance Leffel
Ashlyn M. Smith
Leasa M. Stewart

Labor and Employment

Ellen A. Adams

Land Use Environment

Tim Sowecke

Medical Malpractice Defense

Brian Blackstock
Zoe Butts Dowdell

Oil and Gas

Talitha Ebrite
Leo J. Portman

Product Liability

Jeffrey A. Curran

GableGotwals’ profile is featured in the June 2025 issue of 405 Magazine, beginning on page 67. The article is also available online.

May 5, 2025 | GableGotwals is pleased to announce that Mark Nawfal has joined the Houston office as Of Counsel, where his practice will focus on mergers and acquisitions, taxation, and energy law.

Mark has more than 15 years of international legal experience advising multinational companies, private equity funds, and partnerships on a wide range of corporate and transactional matters. He represents clients in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, corporate governance, inbound and outbound tax planning, tax efficient restructuring, foreign investment matters, energy infrastructure projects, and the negotiation of complex commercial contracts. Mark also counsels clients on U.S. compliance and anti-corruption laws.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mark practiced at law firms in Houston, New York, and the Middle East.

“We are excited to welcome Mark to GableGotwals as we continue to expand our Houston office. His extensive international experience in mergers and acquisitions, taxation, compliance, and anti-corruption enhances our ability to serve clients across various industries. Mark’s addition reflects our ongoing commitment to strategically growing our presence in Texas and delivering excellent legal services to our clients,” said John Dale, CEO of GableGotwals.

Mark earned his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, holds an LL.M. in Global Energy from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and an LL.M. in Taxation with a Certificate in International Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. He received his B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University. Mark is admitted to practice in Texas, New York, and Florida.

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.

April 23, 2025 | By: Jeffrey T. Haughey

The recent flurry of activity regarding tariffs and the resultant market volatility should have public companies reviewing and analyzing their risk factors and MD&A sections in the preparation of their upcoming 10-Q filings for the first quarter. In addition, they should also be prepared to answer questions on these subjects (to the extent possible) during their earnings calls on their quarterly results.

Risk Factors
Companies should be reviewing the Risk Factors section in their last 10-K filing to determine whether any of them should be updated or if a new Risk Factor would be appropriate to include because of the ongoing tariff restructuring and the market volatility that has accompanied such actions. Some of the possible areas that could trigger the need to update one or more Risk Factors include:

• The magnitude of business subject to tariffs (both domestic and foreign) on the company’s own goods or goods used in producing those goods
• The impact that tariffs could have on the company’s supply chain
• The company’s ability to raise the prices on its goods in response to the imposed tariffs and the resulting impact on the demand for its goods if it does raise the prices on its goods
• Whether the company would incur unrecoverable costs in trying to limit the effect of the tariffs
• The impact on future capital expenditures, acquisitions etc.
• The possibility of an economic slowdown or recession, which may reduce demand for the company’s goods, limit its availability to the capital markets, increase the cost of capital due to increased interest rates, lower its equity valuation or adversely affect foreign currencies (companies may wish to revisit their “recession” risks from 2008-2009)

In reviewing their risk factors, companies should also be on the lookout for “hypothetical” risks that are no longer hypothetical. In Huddleston v Herman & MacLean, 640 F.2d 534, 544 (5th Cir. 1981), the Fifth Circuit admonished that “[t]o warn that the untoward may occur when the event is contingent is prudent; to caution that it is only possible for the unfavorable events to happen when they have already occurred is deceit.”

MD&A
Here, too, companies should analyze the impact of tariffs and market volatility on their results and liquidity, particularly if they need to delay or abandon planned capital expenditures or acquisitions or if the company’s access to capital becomes more expensive or limited.

Companies are obligated to address in the MD&A “known trends or uncertainties that have had or that are reasonably likely to have a material favorable or unfavorable impact on net sales or revenues or income from continuing operations” and “known trends or any known demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that will result in or that are reasonably likely to result in the registrant’s liquidity increasing or decreasing in any material way.” Unfortunately, this is made more difficult since the tariff situation is so uncertain at this time, and if there is an economic slowdown, recoveries can take days or years depending on the circumstances.

Companies should bear in mind that in addition to the consequences of the current tariff/market upheaval, if they cannot conclude that the possibility of much higher tariffs taking effect in 90 days from “Liberation Day” is not reasonably likely to occur, then such a known trend or uncertainty would also need to be discussed if the consequences of such higher tariffs would be material to their results or liquidity.

In the past, some companies have tried to support their stock price by initiating a share repurchase program. Companies should be satisfied that they have ample liquidity to do so and that they are not in possession of material, nonpublic information at the time of such purchases. It would be safer if the company had previously adopted a Rule 10b5-1 plan when it is not in possession of material, nonpublic information.

Earnings Calls
While executives may wish to answer questions on these topics generally by saying that they are “closely monitoring” the situation, they may be better served by having answers and plans to such questions, if possible, to show that the company is staying abreast of the circumstances. As always, companies need to ensure that the entire communications team is providing consistent messages. If the situation continues to be volatile, it may be appropriate, under Regulation FD, to avoid reaffirming earnings guidance after an earnings call in subsequent private calls with analysts.

For questions regarding the impact of tariffs and market volatility on risk factors, MD&A, and earnings calls, please contact your GableGotwals attorney or a member of our Corporate & Securities Group.

Jeffrey T. Haughey
918-595-4837
jhaughey@gablelaw.com

This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not contain legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. The information provided should not be taken as an indication of future legal results; any information provided should not be acted upon without consulting legal counsel.

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