(Cleveland, Ohio) May 2, 2012 – Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP (Calfee) is pleased to announce that Donald P. Fischbach has joined their firm as a partner and chair of the firm’s Energy and Natural Resources practice, including oil and gas exploration and shale production.

Fischback is a 1987 graduate of Oklahoma City University School of Law.  He has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas exploration and production business.  he counsels clients on matters such as lease acquisition, operations, environmental issues, finance, land rights, exploration, risk management, government relations/regulation, labor and litigation.

“We are excited to add Don’s voice and experience to the sound counsel Calfee has been providing our clients in the oil and gas industry for the last 30-plus years,” siad Brent D. Ballard, Managing Partner.

TO READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE, CLICK HERE.

Congratulations to the following alumni for their notable accomplishments:

1965

RICK MARTIN and fellow alums Jack H. Petty and Jeffrey I. Crain announce their association for practice at The Bethany Law Center in Bethany, OK.

1966

JACK H. PETTY and fellow alums Rick Martin and Jeffrey I. Crain announce their association for practice at The Bethany Law Center in Bethany, OK.

1972

BILL MCCARTHY joined Hall Estill’s intellectual property practice.

1973

T. LOGAN BROWN is named a fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

JEFF DASOVICH is named a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

1974

STEVE A. COLEMAN is named a fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

1975

RICK RESCORLA is honored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by having the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience named for him.

1976

JOHN D. SINGLETON is named a sustaining fellow of  the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

BARRY G. STAFFORD is named a sustaining fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

1979

DAN SPROUSE spoke at the Capital Association of Professional Division Order Analysts in February.

1988

MARK D. KEYL announced the established of Keyl ADR Services LLC in Petal, MS.

MIKE KIEFNER is now leading Grand River Dam Authority’s Land and Property Management Department.

CARLA SNIPES has been nominated by Governor Mary Fallin to serve on the Worker’s Compensation Court.

1990

TOD S. MERCER is president of the professional corporation and senior attorney at the Mercer Law Firm in McAlester, OK.

1993

BEN BROWN was named by Governor Many Fallin to serve on the Board of Juvenile Affairs.

Judge DEBORAH HACKLER is honored by the Girl Scouts at the Juliette Low Luncheon in McAlester, OK.

1995

RANDALL MCCARTHY joined Hall Estill’s intellectual property practice.

BEVERLY I. VILARDOFSKY is named a shareholder at Phillips Murrah in Oklahoma City.

1997

Representative BEN SHERRER was re-appointed to the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council by Governor Mary Fallin.

1999

DANIEL DOOLEY joined Hall Estill’s intellectual property practice.

2001

JUSTON R. GIVENS is named a shareholder at Phillips Murrah in Oklahoma City.

2003

PAMELA J. BROWN joined offices with fellow alum Kenna K. Bolton.  They are now located in Bethany, OK.

JEFFREY I. CRAIN and fellow alums Jack H. Petty and Rick Martin announce their association for practice at The Bethany Law Center in Bethany, OK.

RICHARD L. ROSE had his article Committee to Help Take on Least Understood Branch Project published in the Law Day issue of the OBA Journal.

2004

TANYA S. BRYANT is elected a director at Crowe & Dunlevy in Oklahoma City.

2005

AUDREY HUFFMAN is named a fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

2006

JOI E. MCCLENDON joined Miller Dollarhide in Oklahoma City as an associate.

JUSTIN MEEK is named a fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

2007

AARON M. ARNALL is named a sustaining fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

2008

KEVIN CUNNINGHAM is named a fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

STEPHEN ECK is appointed vice president and general counsel of Oklahoma Christian University.

JENNIFER O’STEEN was inducted into the Leadership Greater Enid 2011-2012 Class XXI.

2010

KENNA K. BOLTON joined offices with fellow alum Pamela J. Brown.  They are now located in Bethany, OK.

TODD A. MURRAY joined the law firm of Beeler Walsh & Walsh in Oklahoma City as an associate.

JOSHUA M. SNAVELY is selected to serve as Interim Assistant Dean for Advancement at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

If you have news to share about yourself or a classmate, email lawnews@okcu.edu.

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Lawrence J. Trautman ’09 is having his article “American Entrepreneur in China: Potholes and Roadblocks on the Silk Road to Prosperity” published in the Wake Forest Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law in April.

Trautman is currently the Chairman & CEO at COGENT INFORMATION ANALYTICS, INC.  He is also a past president of the New York and Metropolitan Washington/Baltimore Chapters of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

The abstract to his article is below:

In many ways, China is the new frontier for entrepreneurship; perceived to be: a logical primary source of economical manufacturing, raw materials, component parts, and as a major end market. China may also represent the most likely future competition for many American industries as well as our major trading partner. Increased commerce between the United States and The People‟s Republic of China (“PRC”) demands that U.S. entrepreneurs understand the basic foundation for doing business in the PRC. An increasing demand for United States citizens to engage in commerce, or sit on boards dealing with significant exposure to Chinese developments has also become a reality. A comprehensive and exhaustive treatment of this subject is beyond the scope of this article. However, an identification of some major issues, with suggestions for further research, is attempted. Hopefully, constructive thinking will result from an overview of how conducting business is fundamentally different in the PRC along with an examination of relevant legal and corporate governance issues.

Click here to read a copy of the article.

OCU LAW congratulates Trautman on his accomplishment.

Shannon Davies ’89 has added fiction author to her resume.  A founding parter of Lester, Loving & Davies, Shannon published her first book, Hunting License, in 2011.  Read an excerpt from a Daily Oklahoman article below.

Veteran Oklahoma attorney brings her own experiences to her first book
New Oklahoma author peppers novel with local sites, happenings
BY PAULA BURKES
Published: January 29, 2012

Simms Mitchell is an Oklahoma girl. She owns a ranch, and she can ride a horse. And, yes she knows what it means when her grandfather says, “Dad gummit , that would make a jack rabbit spit in a bulldog’s eye.” Of course, like every other properly bred southern girl, Simms was raised on football and fried chicken, and she knows never to leave the house without her lipstick on.

This teaser on the back cover of the new book “Hunting License” gives a hint at the storyline of the first novel of Shannon Davies, aka author Shannon Forth. It also hints at Davies’ real life.

Like her heroine, Davies is an Oklahoma girl who loves University of Oklahoma football. And as a veteran attorney, she, like her main character, handles sexual harassment and other employment law cases. Only none of her cases, so far, have threatened her life.

Davies self-published her book, which was released last month, and is available on Amazon.com. She has several book signings coming up, including on the evening of Feb. 29 at the Starbucks at 2929 E Memorial Road, near her home in Edmond’s Chimney Hill addition.

Read more: http://newsok.com/article/3644388#ixzz1kxJMuljd

(OKLAHOMA CITY – January 19, 2012) – Oklahoma City University School of Law alum Cathy Christensen ’86 is sworn in as the Oklahoma Bar Associations (OBA) President for 2012.  The ceremony took place in the Supreme Court Ceremonial Courtroom at the state capitol.  Christensen will serve a one year term as the President of the OBA.

“Cathy Christensen is simply awesome,” said friend and incoming OCU LAW Dean Valerie K. Couch.  “Her tenacity, good judgment and ability to balance a complex life with unruffled ease all contribute to her great leadership skills.  And underpinning her considerable talents is an unstoppable devotion to the well-being of the legal profession in Oklahoma.  We will all benefit from her year as President of the OBA.”

Christensen is the President at Cathy M. Christensen & Associates, P.C. in Oklahoma City.  Her practice is in the area of family law, guardianships, adoptions, general civil litigation, and collections.  She is admitted to practice in the state of Oklahoma and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Over the years, Christensen has received a variety of awards for her service and professionalism including the OBA’s Mona S. Lambird Spotlight Award (2006), the Oklahoma County Bar Association’s Professional Service Award (201o), OBA Presidents Award (2008), and Oklahoma City University School of Law’s Award for Community Service (2009) and the Distinguished Law Alumna Award (2011).

She is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Oklahoma Bar Foundation, and the Oklahoma County Bar Association.

Additionally, OCU LAW alumna were sworn in today to the OBA Board of Governors including Gerald Dennis (District No. Two – Antlers), Glenn A. Devoll (District No. Four – Enid), and Nancy Parrott (At Large).  Each will serve a three-year term.  Jennifer Kirkpatrick ’02 will serve a one-year term as the Young Lawyers Division Chair.

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To view pictures from the ceremony, click here.

OCU LAW would like to congratulate Blake Lawrence ’11 who recently accepted an offer to publish with Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly in their 2012 Issue.  His article, “The First Amendment in the Multicultural Climate of Colleges and Universities: A Story Ending with Christian Legal Society v. Martinez,” discusses the application of the First Amendment on college and university campuses.  It also analyzes the Supreme Court decision in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez.  Lawrence also received offers to publish this piece from Rutgers Law Record and the Faulkner Law Review.

Lawrence is an associate with the firm of Hall Estill and was the 2010-2011 Law Review Staff Editor.

For more on all of OCU LAW’s published authors, CLICK HERE.

Brett M. Stingley ’12, resource editor for the Oklahoma City University Law Review, recently co-authored an article titled “A Statistical Criticism of Jury Selection Procedures in U.S. District Court” with Dr. Bob Darcy, Regents Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Statistics at Oklahoma State University. The article will appear in the 2011-2012 edition of the Buffalo Public Interest Law Journal, a professional journal published by students at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law. The Buffalo Public Interest Law Journal commits itself to publishing articles relating to public interest law and policy affecting traditionally underrepresented populations.

Stingley’s article is the sixth by an OCU LAW student, and the fifth by a member of the Oklahoma City University Law Review, to be accepted recently for publication by an outside journal.

“Five law review students have now published in outside journals this academic year. This is really significant,” said Oklahoma City University Law Review faculty advisor Vicki Lawrence-MacDougall. “It is rare for any Review to publish articles from students enrolled in other law schools. Few schools could state that five of their law review members published in outside journals. This is great for the school and great for the Review. It is really incredible. Congrats to Mr. Brett Stingley for this very significant accomplishment”

Class of 2011 graduate Blake Lawrence, who served as a staff editor for the Oklahoma City University Law Review, published a note titled “To Infinity and Beyond: FCC Enforcement Limiting Broadcast Indecency from George Carlin to Cher and Into the Digital Age” in the UCLA Entertainment Law Review.

Also a former staff editor at the Oklahoma City University Law Review, 2011 graduate Corry Kendall accepted an offer to publish his note “State Tolling Practices: The Future of Highway Finance or an Unconstitutional State Practice?” in the University of Denver’s Transportation Law Journal.

OCU LAW 2011 graduate Benjamin Saunier published a Note in the Summer 2010 issue of the Oklahoma City University Law Review titled “The Devil is in the Details: Managed Care and the Unforeseen Costs of Utilization Review as a Cost Containment Mechanism.” Saunier served as an articles editor for the law review. This article will be reprinted in Issues in Law & Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published three times a year by the National Legal Center for the Medically Dependent & Disabled, Inc., the Horatio R. Storer Foundation, Inc., and the American Academy of Medical Ethics, Inc.

Dan Correa, a staff member of the Oklahoma City University Law Review, graduated in May ranked first in his class. His recent submission, titled “Reciprocity Interest in Political Affiliation: Redefining the Political Community Toward Just Principles in Immigration Reform,” has been accepted for publication in the 14 Harvard Latino Law Review. Corea also has published an article titled “Neuroprudence: Using Neuroscience to Debunk Positivism’s Separation Thesis,” in The Journal Jurisprudence. That article is available online.

Dana Blake ’11, with co-author professor Beth Stetson of OCU’s Meinders School of Business, wrote an article titled “Why Courts have been Correct to not Follow Exacto Spring,” to be published in the Fall 2011 edition of the Chapman Law Review.

The Oklahoma City University Law Review is an Executive Board member of the National Conference of Law Reviews. Lawrence-MacDougall serves as faculty advisor and Laana Layman is Editorial Publishing Coordinator.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has chosen OCU LAW alumna Mykel Fry ’04 to head the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

“Mykel Fry is a dedicated prosecutor who is well-suited to investigate and root out misuse of taxpayer funds by individuals or businesses through the Medicaid Program,” Pruitt said in a release. “Under her leadership, the Unit will continue to scrutinize accusations of fraud, charge those who take advantage of the system and protect against patient abuse.”

Oklahoma’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit serves as a safeguard against service providers that dole out fraudulent, criminal or sub-par services to Oklahoma Medicaid recipients. In addition to prosecuting cases in which an individual has defrauded or abused someone in their care, the Unit prosecutes Medicaid providers who fraudulently bill the state through its Medicaid Program.

The Unit’s prosecutors investigate more than 100 cases of Medicaid fraud each year throughout the state. Since 2000, they have recovered nearly $78.5 million for the state through prosecution and restitution. During her tenure, Fry will focus on new training for law enforcement to help them recognize potential Medicaid fraud situations during criminal investigations. Prosecutors also plan to develop a database that includes information about Medicaid providers to improve the state’s ability to recognize and track fraud and patient Medicaid abuse.

“We are developing a database we hope will serve as a kind of Better Business Bureau to guard against Medicaid fraud,” Fry said. “It is important we create more tools to protect patients and taxpayers from misuse of a service meant for those in need.”

Fry, who is one of 12 women leading Medicaid fraud units nationwide, has been with the Attorney General’s Office since January 2009 as part of the Multicounty Grand Jury Unit. While assigned to the Unit, Fry served as an adviser to the multicounty grand jury and prosecutor in cases involving sex crimes, drugs, gambling and misuse of state property.

Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Fry served as an assistant district attorney in the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office. She was responsible for prosecuting juvenile and adult cases that primarily involved drugs, gangs, murder and capital murder.

Fry attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in finance.

OCU LAW alumna Col. Sue Abreu ’11 was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American College of Nuclear Medicine at the ACNM Annual Meeting in San Antonio on June 6. Abreu graduated from OCU LAW in May with honors and a Certificate in Health Law.

From the ACNM website:

Each year, the ACNM presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding level of dedication to the ACNM and the field of Nuclear Medicine. The recipient must meet the following criteria:

1. Nationally recognized name in nuclear medicine.
2. Past president or officer of a nuclear medicine organization or noted for research, or editor of a journal
3. Member of the ACNM
4. Fellow of the organization
5. Credentials in other relevant areas
6. Strongly supported ACNM and its goals
7. Countless lectures on nuclear medicine and service to other nuclear medicine related organizations

Abreu attended Purdue University on an Army ROTC Scholarship, the first year that women were allowed to have such scholarships.  While at Purdue, she was named the Outstanding Senior Engineer and graduated, with highest distinction, with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1978.  She served as the student commander of the Purdue ROTC unit and received the Hughes Award as the Outstanding Army ROTC graduate in the nation, the first woman to receive the award.  She was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation.

After college, Abreu continued her education at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine where she earned her M.D. in 1978.  She continued her medical training at Walter Reed Army Medicine Center where she specialized in Nuclear Medicine.  After serving as a staff physician at Walter Reed, she trained further in a Medical Research Fellowship at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.  There she was awarded the A. H. Hoff Memorial Prize Medal as the Outstanding Research Fellow, the first woman to receive the award.

Abreu then transferred to Ft. Bragg, N.C. where she served at Womack Army Medical Center in various roles of increasing responsibility.  At the time she retired from the Army in 2002, she had risen to the rank of Colonel, worked as the Assistant Deputy Commander for Clinical Services for the Medical Center and served as the Nuclear Medicine Consultant to the Surgeon General of the Army, the highest position in her specialty.

Throughout her career, she has volunteered time with her nuclear medicine professional organizations, serving on multiple committees, with a special focus on quality in nuclear medicine. Abreu is a past president of the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM) and is immediate past president of the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories.

With multiple publications and presentations concerning nuclear medicine, Abreu is often called on to speak at conferences.  She has also been invited annually since she graduated to speak at Purdue University to the freshman Women Engineering Seminar class. She was named a Purdue Outstanding Interdisciplinary Engineer in 2001, elected to the Purdue Tri-Service ROTC Hall of Fame in 2004, and was selected as one of Purdue University’s Old Masters in 2004.

Abreu also has volunteered time as the team physician and team manager of the U.S. Parachute Team.  She is also an Honorary Golden Knight, the U.S. Army’s elite parachute demonstration team.

Since retirement from the U.S. Army in 2002, Abreu has been busy with volunteer work and her work as a healthcare and management consultant, Sue Abreu Consulting.

OCU LAW alumnus Weldon W. Stout Jr. ’74 has been elected to serve on the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission. Stout will serve as one of six lawyers on the 15-member commission, which plays a key role in the selection of Oklahoma judges.

Stout was elected by fellow lawyers and will represent District Two, comprised of Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Rogers, Sequoyah, Wagoner and Washington counties.

Stout has worked in private practice with the Muskogee firm of Wright, Stout & Wilburn since 1980. Prior to that, he served as an assistant to former Muskogee District Attorney Mike Turpen. He also served as an assistant district attorney in Stephens County. He is a former president of the Muskogee County Bar Association and served on the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Board of Governors from 1989–1991.

The Judicial Nominating Commission is charged with selecting candidates for judicial appointments made by the governor. When there is a judicial vacancy on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals or the Court of Civil Appeals, the commission chooses a field of three candidates from which the governor will make her appointment. Oklahoma trial court judges are elected by popular vote, however mid-term vacancies are also filled by the nominating process.