Hall Estill Lawyers Named as 2021 Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch and Lawyers of the Year

August 2020

Hall Estill, a leading regional Southwestern law firm with offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Denver and Northwest Arkansas, announced 53 lawyers have been named as 2021 “Best Lawyers in America,” “Ones to Watch” and “Lawyers of the Year.” 

A total of 53 lawyers have been named to the “Best Lawyers in America” list, 10 of whom were also named “Lawyers of the Year,” while two have been named to the “Ones to Watch” list.

“This national recognition is a huge honor for our attorneys and firm,” said Mike Cooke, managing partner for Hall Estill. “Being recognized by your peers is a great accomplishment and a testament to the dedication our attorneys have to our clients and profession.” 

This year marks the first ever Best Lawyers’ “Ones to Watch” list, which recognizes young attorneys who have typically been in practice for 5-9 years for their outstanding professional excellence. 

Best Lawyers® is the most regarded source for judging top legal talent worldwide. The lawyers on the list are chosen through a rigorous peer review process in which clients and lawyers evaluate leading attorneys in each field and additional information is provided by law firms on the formal submissions. 

Best Lawyers 2021 Lawyers of the Year from Hall Estill are:

Pamela S. Anderson – Best Lawyers 20021 Tulsa Oil and Gas Law “Lawyer of the Year”
Larry G. Ball – Best Lawyers 2021 Oklahoma City Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year”
Steven A. Broussard – Best Lawyers 2021 Tulsa Labor Law–Management “Lawyer of the Year”
Michael D. Graves – Best Lawyers 2021 Tulsa Environmental Law “Lawyer of the Year”
Sarah E. Hansel - Best Lawyers 2021 Tulsa Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) “Lawyer of the Year” 
James C. Milton – Best Lawyers’ 2021 Tulsa Litigation-Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year”
Robert D. Nelon – Best Lawyers’ 2021 Oklahoma City Litigation-First Amendment “Lawyer of the Year”
P. David Newsome, Jr. – Best Lawyers’ 2021 Tulsa Litigation-Securities “Lawyer of the Year”
Randall K. McCarthy – Best Lawyers’ 2021 Oklahoma City Copyrights Law and Trademark Law "Lawyer of the Year”
Stephen W. Ray –  Best Lawyers 2021 Tulsa Corporate Governance Law "Lawyer of the Year”

Tulsa Office Best Lawyers in America 2021

Gregory W. Alberty, Real Estate Law
Pamela S. Anderson, Oil & Gas Law
Vaden F. Bales, Real Estate Law
Mark Banner, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law
Mark K. Blongewicz, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law
Steven A. Broussard, Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management, Litigation-Labor & Employment
W. Deke Canada, Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law
Michael D. Cooke, Banking & Finance Law, Communications Law, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Thomas A. Creekmore III, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy
Samantha Weyrauch Davis, Trusts & Estates
Robert F. Dougherty, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
Heather Flynn Earnhart, Family Law
Kristen Pence Evans, Commercial Litigation 
Pamela H. Goldberg, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance Law 
Michael D. Graves, Environmental Law, Litigation-Environmental
Del L. Gustafson, Corporate Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation 
Sarah E. Hansel, Business Organizations (including LLC’s and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Technology Law
James C.T. Hardwick, Commercial Litigation, Natural Resources Law, Oil & Gas Law
J. Kevin Hayes, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law
Brian T. Inbody, Commercial Litigation and Oil and Gas Law
Betsy G. Jackson, Banking & Finance Law, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance Law
Michael T. Keester, Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Construction, Litigation-Municipal 
Daniel R. Ketchum II, Trusts and Estates
James C. Milton, Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Municipal, Litigation-Trusts & Estates, Water Law
P. David Newsome, Corporate Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation, Litigation-Securities
William W. O’Connor, Commercial Litigation
James J. Proszek, Communications Law 
Stephen W. Ray, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation 
James M. Reed, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Bankruptcy, Litigation-Securities
James D. Satrom, Energy Law, Oil & Gas Law
Thomas P. Schroedter, Administrative/Regulatory Law, Energy Law, Oil & Gas Law
Steven W. Soulé, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy
Richard A. Wagner II, Family Law
Keith A. Wilkes, Employment Law-Management
D. Kenyon “Ken” Williams, Jr., Litigation-Environmental
Andrew M. Wolov, Tax Law, Trusts & Estates

Oklahoma City Office Best Lawyers in America 2021

​Larry G. Ball, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation-Bankruptcy
Daniel V. Carsey, Commercial Litigation
Jon A. Epstein, Litigation-First Amendment 
Michael R. Ford, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law
John W. Gile, Family Law
Matthew R. Gile, Family Law 
Kent A. Gilliland, Banking and Finance Law
Daniel J. Glover, Banking and Finance Law, Litigation-Banking and Finance, Real Estate Law
J. Frederick Kempf, Jr., Real Estate Law
Randall K. McCarthy, Copyright Law, Litigation-Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Litigation – Patent, Trademark Law, Trade Secrets Law
Robert D. Nelon, First Amendment Law, Litigation-First Amendment 
Raymond S. Rudnicki, Energy Law
Ralph E. Seals, Jr., Oil & Gas Law
Michael E. Smith, Litigation-Environmental
Michael H. Smith, Patent Law, Trade Secrets Law, Trademark Law
Elaine R. Turner, Employment Law-Management, Litigation-Labor & Employment

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch Tulsa Office

Isaac B. Helmerich, Corporate Law
Margo E. Shipley, Commercial Litigation