Sarah Jane Gillett

Ms. Gillett is a shareholder in the Tulsa office of Hall Estill and has nearly 20 years of experience in all phases of commercial litigation, including alternative dispute resolution.  She developed and currently heads the firm’s electronic discovery practice group.  In that role, she regularly counsels clients on the development of records retention policies; litigation readiness strategies; the preservation, collection, and production of electronic evidence; and obtaining electronic evidence from opposing parties.  She also attends and speaks at conferences on a range of electronic discovery issues.  She is a member of Sedona Conference Working Group 1 on Electronic Document Retention and Production, the American Bar Association’s Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence Committee, and the Civil Procedure Committee of the Oklahoma Bar Association.  

She graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, and from Boston College Law School, with honors.  She serves as an Adjunct Settlement Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma’s alternative dispute resolution program and as a Criminal Justice Act panel attorney.  She has received an individual AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is the recipient of the American Inns of Court 2006 James R. Sontag Award for exemplifying the highest standards of professionalism, civility and ethical legal practice. In addition, she received the Leadership in Law award presented by the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Journal Record in 2010 and has been named a future star by Benchmark Litigation.

Ms. Gillett is active in her community, currently serving as a director for the Tulsa Ballet. Past involvement includes service either as a director or fundraiser for the American Lung Association, the Association of Junior Leagues International, Junior League of Tulsa, Child Abuse Network, and Y-Me of Northeastern Oklahoma.  She is married to Matt and has two daughters, Natalie and Sophia. 

• Shareholder

• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Class Action Defense
• Complex Commercial Litigation
• Electronic Discovery
• Indian Law
• Litigation
• Media
• SEC Disclosure/Securities Regulation
• Trade Secrets
• Trademarks

• "Sarah Jane Gillett Featured on Electronic Discovery Podcast"

• Boston College Law School (J.D., with honors, 1992)
• Wellesley College (B.A. in Political Science, cum laude, 1989)

• 1996 - Present Hall Estill
• 1995 - 1996 United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Law Clerk for the Honorable Sven Erik Holmes (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
• 1992 - 1995 Hunton & Williams, Associate (New York, New York)

• New York, 1993
• Oklahoma, 1996
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma
• U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits

• United Way, Steering Committee, Women's Leadership Council
• Tulsa Ballet, Personnel Vice President and Director
• Chaired Tulsa Ballet's "Sinatra Ball"
• Association of Junior Leagues International, Director (2006-2008) 
• Chaired American Lung Association's "Beaujolais Nouveau"
• Child Abuse Network, Director (2003-2004)
• Junior League of Tulsa, President (2004-2005), Director (1999-2003)

• Member, Oklahoma Fellows of the American Bar Association
• Sedona Conference Working Group 1 
• American Bar Association, Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence Committee
• Oklahoma Bar Association
• Tulsa County Bar Association
• Tulsa Women Lawyers Association

• Named Oklahoma "Future Star" by Benchmark Litigation (20110
• Oklahoma Bar Association & Leadership in Law Award presented by The Journal Record (2010)
• Oklahoma Bar Association Civil Procedure Committee
• The James R. Sontag Award (2006) by the Coucil Oak/Johnson-Sontag American Inn of Court; recognition of the highest standards of professionalism, civility and ethical legal practice
• Chair, Federal Public Defender Reappointment Committee (2004)
• Adjunct Settlement Judge, Northern District of Oklahoma
• Criminal Justice Act Panel member, Northern District of Oklahoma
• Special Master assisting Court with determination of attorney fee award to class counsel in Millsap, et al. v. McDonnell Douglas Corp., 94-CV-633H(M) (2003)
• Local Rules Committee appointment, Northern District of Oklahoma (1998-1999)

• "Electronic Discovery - In-house and Outside Counsel Perspectives," for the Federal Bar Association (Oklahoma City, 2011) (co-presenter, Jeb Joseph)
• "Law Firm Perspective: Electronic Discovery Concerns for Retained Counsel & Ensuring a Team Approach," at the IQPC eDiscovery Summit for Oil & Gas Companies (Houston, 2011)
• "Records Retention - a Panel Discussion," at ARMA (Tulsa, 2011)
• "Kroll Ontrack ESI Report," Podcast on cost-shifting, social media, and discovery operation (2011) (co-presenter, Catherine Harris)
• "ESI Symposium: Avoid Being a Digital Dinosaur (or How to Save Face in a Facebook World)," team lead to organize and present ful-day electronic discovery seminar for TCBA (2010)
• "Oklahoma ESI Symposium: Avoid Being a Digital Dinosaur (or How to Save Face in a Facebook World)," team lead to organize and present ful-day electronic discovery seminar for OBA (2010)
• "Defending Your Expert against a Daubert Challenge," published in Litigators on Experts, Strategies for Managing Expert Witnesses from Retention through Trial ABA (2010) (co-authors Stephanie T. Gentry and Briana J. Clifton)
• "Avoid Being a Dinosaur in a Digital World: Information Management Risks & Rewards," at ARMA (Tulsa, 2010)
• "Avoid Being a Dinosaur in a Digital World: Buidling Blocks to Litigation Readiness," at Institute of Management Accountants Annual Meeting (Tulsa, 2010) (co-presenter, Missy Johnson)
• "Building Blocks to Litigation Readiness in the Age of E-Discovery," for Tulsa Chapter of CPAs (Tulsa, 2010) (co-presenter Trent A. Gudgel)
• "All You Need to Know about Privilege," for Kroll Ontrack E-Discovery Certification Course (Eden Prairie, MN, 2010)
• "TIFF, Native, Online, Oh My! Production Problems Solved," for Kroll Ontrack E-Discovery Certification Course (Eden Prairie, MN, 2010) (co-presenter Andrea Marshall)
• "Ethical Considerations and Consequences in the Realm of Electronic Discovery," published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal (2008) (co-author Matthew A. Sunday)
• "Ensuring Your E-Discovery Procedures Are in Compliance with the New Rules," for NBI E-Discovery Seminar (Oklahoma City, 2007)
• Guest Lecturer on Electronic Discovery, University of Tula College of Law (2010-2011)
• Guest Lecturer on Electronic Discovery, University of Oklahoma College of Law (2011)