McAfee & Taft Announces Addition of Eight Lawyers to Tulsa Office

McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma’s largest law firm, has announced the addition of eight established attorneys to its Tulsa office.  Joining the firm are John A. Burkhardt, Reuben Davis, Bill G. Freudenrich, Charles Greenough, Gerald L. Hilsher, Frederic “Nick” Schneider, Barry Smith and associate Susan E. Walker.

John Burkhardt is a trial lawyer with more than 25 years of experience representing clients in a broad range of business and complex commercial litigation matters on a local, national and international level.

Burkhardt is 1980 graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law, a barrister with the Council Oak/Johnson-Sontag American Inn of Court, and a member of the Tulsa County, Oklahoma and American Bar Associations and the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association.

Reuben Davis is a veteran trial lawyer whose practice focuses on litigation of complex business cases and whose achievements have earned him inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and Oklahoma Super Lawyers and induction into the Society of Outstanding Lawyers of America.

A 1973 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Davis has held leadership positions with both the Tulsa County and Oklahoma Bar Associations over the course of his distinguished career.  He is also very active in the Tulsa community, currently serving as president of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Association, and on the board of directors of 12 & 12, Boy Scouts of America Southern Region and Downtown Tulsa YMCA.

Bill G. Freudenrich is an employee benefits attorney with specific expertise in retirement plan design, deferred compensation, mergers and acquisitions, plan terminations, leased employees, self-insured medical plan design, COBRA and HIPAA compliance.

Freudenich is a 1988 graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law and a member of the Tulsa County, Oklahoma and American Bar Associations.

Charles Greenough’s practice is concentrated in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, complex licensing and contract matters, corporation organization and governance and commercial litigation.  He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of banking law.

Greenough is a 1987 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law and a member of the Tulsa County and Oklahoma Bar Associations.

Gerald L. Hilsher is a seasoned litigator whose practice is primarily trial and appellate work in complete commercial litigation, business torts, environmental litigation, employment litigation and white collar criminal defense.  Prior to entering private practice Hilsher served as an Assistant District Attorney in Austin, TX, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in charge of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force in Tulsa, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for law enforcement at the U.S. Treasury Department.

Hilsher is a member of the Tulsa County, Oklahoma and American Bar Associations and the State Bar of Texas.  He is a gubernatorial appointee and current chair of the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission and serves as treasurer of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section.

Frederic “Nick” Schneider is a veteran trial attorney whose practice is focused in the areas of commercial litigation and employment and labor law.  Prior to entering private practice, Nick worked as a law clerk to the Honorable Allen E. Barrow, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and as also a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Henry Bellmon in Washington, D.C.

Schneider is a 1972 graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law and a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, National Association of Professional Background Screeners and Society for Human Resource Management.

Barry L. Smith is a litigator, healthcare lawyer and health advocate who has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in the field of healthcare law and by Oklahoma Super Lawyers for his achievements in healthcare law, government relations and general litigation.  His expertise in these areas, as well as his previous experience serving as general counsel and senior vice president of administration for a large health system in Tulsa, have earned him appointments to numerous task forces and committees examining healthcare public policy issues.  In 2004, he was appointed to a nine-year term on the Oklahoma State Board of Health, where he currently serves as president.

Smith is a 1987 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law and is a member of the Tulsa County and Oklahoma Bar Associations, the Oklahoma Health Lawyers Association and the American Health Lawyers Association.

Susan E. Walker’s practice is primarily focused on the rapidly growing and highly regulated field of healthcare law.  In addition to advising clients on administrative and regulatory matters such as fraud and abuse, self-disclosure and compliance, she also consults with hospitals, physicians and other healthcare facilities on operational matters and provides legal assistance concerning a wide range of business transactions.

Prior to entering private practice Walker served as a senior attorney for Williams Communications and The Williams Companies as well as a Judicial Clerk of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals for The Honorable Charles M. Wilson  of Oklahoma City and The Honorable William W. Means of Tulsa.

Walker is a 1984 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law and a member of the Tulsa County and Oklahoma Bar Associations and the Tulsa Area Human Resources Association.  She also serves on the board of directors of Operation Aware of Oklahoma, Inc. and the Booker T. Washington Foundation for Excellence.

McAfee & Taft is Oklahoma’s largest law firm, serving clients throughout the Southwest and nationally in the areas of aviation, business law, corporate and securities, employee benefits, entertainment, environmental law, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, oil and gas, real estate, and tax and family wealth.  The firm employs over 250 Oklahomans, including 140 attorneys, in its Oklahoma City and Tulsa offices.