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Trial Practice

When the stakes are highest and the courtroom is inevitable, you need legal representation that commands respect.

When a complex dispute heads to court, is your legal team ready to take it to verdict?

Our Trial Practice brings together lawyers with the demonstrated experience needed to prepare and present complex cases before judges, juries and arbitrators. Membership is not based on litigation experience alone; every lawyer must satisfy a minimum threshold of trials to verdict before joining the group. That standard provides clients with the distinct and powerful advantage of a concentrated team skilled in developing persuasive themes, translating complicated facts into clear stories and understanding the psychology and dynamics of a courtroom. For clients facing consequential disputes in Oklahoma, we combine the resources and subject matter depth of a full-service firm with the judgment that comes from extensive trial experience.

A proven legacy of trial excellence and unmatched subject matter depth

Trying a case requires a different skill set than managing litigation, and our standard reflects that distinction. Our trial lawyers all have meaningful first-chair experience and include Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, members of the American Board of Trial Advocates and former federal prosecutors who served with the US Attorney’s Office and US Department of Justice. Few firms in the Oklahoma market bring this level of proven trial experience together in a dedicated practice.

A reputation for taking on and winning cases that demand exceptional strategic execution

We represent companies, individuals and insurance carriers in disputes where the potential financial, operational or reputational consequences demand seasoned trial counsel. Our experience spans:

  • Corporate dissolution, contract and commercial disputes, business torts and trade secret misappropriation
  • Product liability, construction, wrongful death and other significant tort claims
  • Labor and employment, antitrust, tax and insurance matters
  • Energy, oil and gas and environmental disputes
  • Civil and criminal trials, as well as complex arbitrations

The experience needed when a settlement is no longer an option

We are often asked to “parachute” into a matter as trial approaches and a seasoned trial team is needed to take a case to completion. Our ability to quickly assess the record, refine the theory of the case and lead the courtroom presentation makes us well suited for these eleventh-hour assignments. Whether we are involved from the outset or brought in when trial is imminent, we remain focused on presenting the strongest case possible to achieve the most favorable outcomes for our clients.

Sharpening our skills to win before judges and juries

Because many disputes are resolved before going to trial, genuine courtroom experience has become increasingly valuable. Our trial lawyers regularly sharpen their own skills and conduct annual training for younger lawyers in the firm looking to join the trial team. This commitment strengthens the firm’s next generation of courtroom advocates and gives clients continuity across matters without having to search for a new trial team each time a dispute escalates.

More Relevant Experience

  • Obtained a defense verdict for an Oklahoma hospital at the end of a weeklong jury trial involving a $20 million claim for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.
  • Served as trial counsel for a 10-day jury trial stemming from a blowout of an oil and gas well in Southeast Oklahoma that killed five men.  Plaintiffs sought approximately $200,000,000 in damages but were awarded only 1% of that amount.
  • Obtained an arbitration award of approximately $9.9 million for the firm’s client in an action to recover for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and professional negligence.
  • Successful defense of the existing owner of an upscale housing development and executive golf and country club in a two-week bench trial in which the plaintiff sought to acquire the ownership of the club or alternatively to recover more than $30,000,000 against the existing owner.
  • Obtained summary judgment for the defendants in a wrongful death case in which the plaintiffs sought more than $10,000,000 for the deaths of two teenage drivers who had crashed into a semi-tractor trailer parked on the side of the highway.
  • Successfully defeated or otherwise resolved claims seeking over $6,000,000 from the firm’s client in a dispute over ownership of oil and gas field and liability of partners for debts of contract operator for development and maintenance of the field.
  • Obtained summary judgment for the owner of a paper mill in defense of a subcontractor’s mechanic’s lien and commercial tort claims that sought more than $9,000,000.
  • Obtained summary judgment on a product liability claim alleging a design defect for the manufacturer of an industrial grinder used in oil well drilling operations.  The ruling led to a successful resolution of a catastrophic injury claim in which the plaintiff sought more than $10,000,000.
  • Successful defense of an oil-well operator via a settlement reached at the close of the evidence in a 4-day wrongful death jury trial in which the plaintiff sought more than $5,000,000.

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