Grapevine News Twelve McAfee & Taft lawyers – nine from the firm’s Oklahoma City office and three from Tulsa – were named to the inaugural list The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch. This honor recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated outstanding professional excellence earlier in their careers, with the majority of recipients having been in private practice for 5 – 9 years. Recognition by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch is based entirely on peer review and employs the same methodology as the publisher’s namesake publication, The Best Lawyers in America, which made its debut in 1981. Attorneys named to the 2021 inaugural list, as well as the practice areas in which they have been recognized, are: • Elizabeth Bowersox (labor and employment law – management; labor and employment litigation) • J.D. Brown (transportation law) • Philip R. Bruce (labor and employment law – management; labor and employment litigation) • Judy Burdg (employee benefits/ERISA law) • John R. Chubbuck (transportation law) • Jacob S. Crawford (labor and employment law – management) • Alex Duncan (commercial litigation; securities litigation; white-collar criminal defense)· • Paige Hoster Good (labor and employment law – management; labor and employment litigation) • Danae V. Grace (business organizations; closely held companies and family business law; corporate governance and compliance law; corporate law; mergers and acquisitions law) • Allison C. McGrew (transportation law) • Jason A. McVicker (commercial litigation) • Patrick L. Stein (commercial litigation; energy law; environmental litigation) Best Lawyers lists are compiled using Purely Peer Review™ methodology. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers publications are considered a singular honor.
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30 Tulsa Lawyer
The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice (OCCJ) accepted Conner & Winters lawyer, Hayley N. Stephens, into its 2020 cohort of the Inclusive Leadership Institute. This three-day, immersive training develops leaders who are informed and want to challenge diversity, creating a more inclusive workplace. “Hayley is an exceptional lawyer and has served the Tulsa community through many organizations. I’m very proud of the work she’s already done at the firm through our diversity and recruiting committees, and I look forward to hearing her recommendations on how we can improve after she completes the program,” said Scott Hathaway, president of Conner & Winters. Stephens was selected through a competitive application process and will join 20-30 participants from the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas. Participants will gain a tool kit for addressing diversity in personal and professional settings, build upon their six characteristics of inclusive leadership (commitment, courage, cognizance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence, and collaboration,) and gain the ability to be an advocate for diversity and inclusion. “The firm’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion is part of what drew me to Conner & Winters, and I have strived to enhance the firm’s diversity and inclusive atmosphere during my tenure here. I’m excited to continue deepening my understanding of the connection between inclusion and organizational success, thus, driving Conner & Winters forward in offering a more equitable environment, and enabling me to better assist clients with their own diversity and inclusion initiatives,” said Stephens. Stephens joined Conner & Winters in 2015 as an associate immediately after law school. She primarily focuses her practice on commercial litigation and labor & employment law matters. She also serves on the firm’s diversity, business development, and recruitment committees, as well as assists with planning events for the firm’s Connecting Women initiative. Stephens was recently named to the inaugural Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch list for 2021. Outside of the office, she serves as a board member for Youth Services of Tulsa. Stephens also enjoys spending her free time with her beloved puppies, practicing yoga, and traveling as her busy schedule allows. Stephens earned her Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2015 and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arkansas in 2011 where she studied economics, political science, and African American studies.
