58 Conner & Winters Lawyers Recognized in 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®

08.29.2025

Tulsa, OK (August 29, 2025) - 58 lawyers from Conner & Winters are among those recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®, representing all 5 offices and 53 practice areas. Four Tulsa-based lawyers earned the special distinction of "Lawyer of the Year" for 2026, a designation that honors a single attorney in a given practice area and geography. In addition, five lawyers with under ten years of experience were included on the 2026 list of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America^®.

Best Lawyers^® is one of the oldest and most respected legal rankings company that uses a peer review process to recognize the top 5% of legal talent in a given region. The Ones to Watch program follows a similar methodology, recognizing lawyers who have been in private practice for less than 10 years.

A special congratulations to the following attorneys who were recognized in the Best Lawyers rankings for the very first time in 2026:

Hilary Velandia - Tulsa Commercial Litigation (Best Lawyers)
Matthew Good - Dallas Commercial Litigation (Best Lawyers)
Robert White - Dallas Corporate Law (Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch)

The following attorneys received the special designation of "Lawyer of the Year" for 2026:

Robert Melgaard - Tulsa Corporate Compliance Law
Kevin Redwine - Tulsa Securities/Capital Markets Law
Ryan Sacra - Tulsa Corporate Law
Stephen Ward - Tulsa Native American Law

Congratulations to all the attorneys who were recognized in the 2026 rankings. We're proud to have so many lawyers from Conner & Winters recognized by their peers for providing service that's a step above the rest.

listed in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers^® in America

Fayetteville, AR

Vicki Bronson (Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Antitrust, Litigation - Environmental)
John Elrod (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Litigation - Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Kerri Kobbeman (Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Employment Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation - Securities, Transportation Law
Todd Lewis (Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Litigation)
Greg Scharlau (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law)
John Scott (Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction)
Alan Wooten (Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants)

Oklahoma City, OK

Mitchell Blackburn (Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Litigation - Construction)
Dillon Curran (Banking and Finance Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance)
John Funk (Banking and Finance Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Real Estate Law)
Jared Giddens (Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Energy Law, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Bankruptcy, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Litigation - Real Estate, Litigation - Trusts and Estates)
Curtis Long (Administrative / Regulatory Law, Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), Natural Resources Law)
Kiran Phansalkar (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation - Bankruptcy, Litigation - Real Estate, Real Estate Law)
Justin Pybas (Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Real Estate Law)
Russell Woody (Commercial Litigation)

Tulsa, OK

Brad Bendure (Employment Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Mark Berman (Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law)
Elise Brennan (Health Care Law, Litigation - Health Care, Qui Tam Law)
Teresa Burkett (Administrative / Regulatory Law, Health Care Law, Litigation - Health Care, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Privacy and Data Security Law)
David Cordell (Commercial Litigation, Employment Law - Management, Energy Law, Labor Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment)
Katherine Coyle (Art Law, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates)
Robert Curry (Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation)
Melodie Freeman-Burney (Commercial Litigation)
Daniel Gomez (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Bankruptcy, Native American Law)
Scott Hathaway (Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction)
John Ingraham (Tax Law, Trusts and Estates)
Jed Isbell (Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law)
Robert James (Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants)
Kathryn Kindell (Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law)
Richard Love III (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Insurance)
Steven McGrath (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation - ERISA)
Robert Melgaard (Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation)
Lynnwood Moore, Jr. (Corporate Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law)
Russell Ramzel (Health Care Law)
Douglas Rather (Tax Law)
Kevin Redwine (Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Law, Energy Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Oil and Gas Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law)
Ryan Sacra (Corporate Law, Energy Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation)
Paige Shelton (Commercial Litigation)
Eric Smith (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)
Beverly Smith (Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Real Estate Law, Trusts and Estates)
Gentra Sorem (Banking and Finance Law, Litigation - Real Estate, Real Estate Law)
Jason Taylor (Commercial Litigation)
Timothy Trump (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law)
Andrew Turner (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation - Bankruptcy)
Nancy Vaughn (Employment Law - Management)
Hilary Velandia (Commercial Litigation)**
Stephen Ward (Banking and Finance Law, Energy Law, Gaming Law, Native American Law)
Christopher Wilson (Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law)
Martin Wing (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Tax Law)

Dallas, TX

Kevin Good (Commercial Litigation)
Matthew Good (Commercial Litigation)**
Daniel Miller (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)

Houston, TX

Douglas Selwyn (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)

2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America

McKayla Hendrix - Tulsa
Eric Sardella - Tulsa
Ryan Scharnell - Tulsa
Hayley Stephens - Tulsa
Robert White - Dallas**

** denotes 2026 is the first year the lawyer was been recognized by Best Lawyers

About Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service in the world. For 40 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualiﬁed to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers awards are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe.

Lawyers who are nominated for consideration are voted on by currently recognized Best Lawyers working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region. Our awards and recognitions are based purely on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to make sure they are currently still in private practice. Only then can these top lawyers be recognized by Best Lawyers.

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