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GableGotwals recently secured a unanimous victory from the Oklahoma Supreme Court regarding the necessity of takings under the power of eminent domain. The Firm’s client, a FERC interstate natural gas pipeline, brought a condemnation action to acquire additional easement rights, including access easements over existing roads because the existing agreements between the parties did not provide reliable access to the pipelines and facilities for erosion control and maintenance work. The landowner challenged the necessity of the taking, arguing that the preexisting easements preempted any later exercise of eminent domain and that the taking did not meet the legal standard of necessity for public use. The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected the landowner’s arguments and ruled in favor of the Firm’s client. In affirming the district court’s ruling, the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld well settled law that the right of eminent domain cannot be contracted away, meaning that preexisting easements do not prevent later exercise of eminent domain. The Court also reiterated that condemning authorities, such as pipelines, have wide discretion in determining the location and routes of their easements. The Court concluded that the easement rights sought in the condemnation action were necessary for the public use.The GableGotwals team included oil and gas shareholders John Dale, Ryan Pittman, Barbara Moschovidis, and Alicia Edwards, and associate Hope Forsyth.

Conner & Winters, LLP hired Laura Rudicel as its first-ever director of marketing. Rudicel brings with her nearly twelve years of experience in journalism, public relations and marketing. As the firm’s new marketing director, she will provide strategic oversight for all firm marketing and communications efforts. This will include managing budgets, department operations, and the execution of the overarching creative, marketing and communications strategies. Additionally, Rudicel will oversee the development and implementation of support materials and services for business development. Scott Hathaway, president of Conner & Winters, said, “Laura will add a welcomed new depth of integratedmarketing experience that will compliment the business development work already being done by our attorneys. We are excited to have her as part of the Conner & Winters

team and to see how the firm grows with the new marketing initiatives.” Immediately prior to joining Conner & Winters, Rudicel served as an account supervisor at Saxum where she worked closely with organizations in the banking, healthcare, energy, nonprofit and government sectors and led internal teams to accomplish marketing goals for her clients. Her work portfolio includes developing strategic marketing plans, offering crisis communications counsel, leading global PR efforts for one of the largest conferences in Houston and preparing c-suite executives for media opportunities. Additionally, Rudicel served as marketing communications manager at the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, multisite communications manager at Corvias Group, communications manager at the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce and as a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor at KSWO-7 news in Lawton, Oklahoma and KWTX News 10 in Waco, Texas. Rudicel received a B.A. in Film and Media Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an active member of Junior League of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Zeta Tau Alumnae chapter. Rudicel previously served on the Public Relations Society of America Oklahoma City Chapter board and graduated from Leadership Lawton Fort Sill.

Professor Evelyn Aswad, Herman G. Kaiser Chair at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, has been appointed to the newly created Oversight Board, which will review certain content decisions by Facebook and Instagram. The board will make binding decisions on selected content matters as well as submit recommendations on platform policies. The Oversight Board is composed of 20 independent members from around the world. The other members include law professors from Stanford and Columbia, individuals with journalism backgrounds, former high-ranking government officials and judges, and leaders from civil society. In its work, the board will consider freedom of expression protections within the framework of international human rights principles. “Professor Aswad's profound accomplishments within the field of human rights cannot be overstated,” said

OU Law Interim Dean Katheleen Guzman, “making her appointment to this extraordinary group of thought leaders both remarkable and unsurprising. OU Law is proud that one of our own will engage in the essential work of determining how best to moderate speech in today’s digital landscape.” Aswad’s expertise is in international human rights law and global corporate responsibility standards, with a focus on speech standards. She has written a number of articles advocating that social media companies use universal human rights protections in their content moderation decisions. She also teaches a Human Rights Practicum on comparative freedom of expression issues and a course on International Business and Human Rights. In addition, she is the director of the College of Law’s Center for International Business and Human Rights. Prior to joining the OU Law faculty in 2013, Aswad was the director of the human rights law office at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC. “The Oversight Board is an innovation in platform governance, and I hope it will bring some much needed outside oxygen and expertise into the often mysterious world of corporate content moderation,” said Professor Aswad. “I’m really looking forward to working with experts from around the world to try tackle some of the most consequential issues involving online speech.”

Born January 19, 2020 to John and Kara Pratt, he joins big sisters Judah and Karis and big brothers Granite, Gryffon, and

Gideon. Kara Pratt is on the TCBA board of directors and she chairs the membership committee.

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Jon Starr Mediator and Arbitrator Contact DRC for scheduling 918-382-0300

Mentorship with referrals from Downtown Firm

Office space available, 2 years practice with a desire to be an excellent trial lawyer with interest in Family Relations Law. Copy, fax, receptionist, 2 community conference rooms and free downtown parking. Send resume to halfdisme@tulsacoxmail.com