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December 15 - Tulsa SANDRA J. ALEXANDER is a sole practitioner in Tulsa, where her practice is concentrated in the areas of real estate, small and medium businesses, wills, estates, trusts, probate and legal services for the elderly. Ms. Alexander served on the Board of Trustees at the Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma (a not-for-profit entity) for 12 years and is currently serving as chairman of the Advisory Board of Hillcrest Medical Center (a for-profit entity). She was an instructor in business law and legal implications of the insurance industry for Tulsa Junior College and an adjunct professor of law teaching real estate transactions at the University of Tulsa College of Law. She is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar. Ms. Alexander earned her B.A. degree from Swarthmore College, her J.D. degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law, and finished 26 hours of graduate study in regional and city planning at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. GALE ALLISON is the founder of The Allison Firm in Tulsa, practicing exclusively in the areas of estate planning, complex postmortem and probate, pension distribution planning, business succession planning, all facets of charitable transactions, tax litigation, domestic relations taxation and estate and gift taxation. Ms. Allison earned her B.A. degree in English from the University of Georgia and her J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee. She was awarded her LL.M. degree in taxation from Emory University, while working as an estate tax attorney for the IRS in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Allison is licensed to practice law in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Georgia. She is a published author in the area of state tax procedure and she is a frequent speaker before bar associations, CPAs and chartered financial planners and other professional groups. She is a member of the Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tennessee and American bar associations, the State Bar of Georgia, the Tulsa Estate Planning Forum, the Oklahoma Planned Giving Council, the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers and the Tulsa Title and Probate Lawyers Association. KAREN L. CARMICHAEL is the president of the Law Offices of Karen L. Carmichael and Associates, P.C., in Tulsa, where she practices in the areas of estate planning, living trusts, wills, probate, business counseling, irrevocable trusts, asset protection, charitable giving, long term care and adoption. She has lectured on family limited partnerships and also has spoken for the Oklahoma Bar Association on asset protection issues. Ms. Carmichael earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Oklahoma State University and her J.D. degree from the University of Tulsa. She is a member of the Tulsa County and Oklahoma (member, Estate Planning Section) bar associations and the State Bar of Texas. December 16 - Oklahoma City CRAIG RIFFEL is a managing member of the law firm of Mitchel, Gaston, Riffel & Riffel, P.L.L.C. Mr. Riffel is an attorney and certified public accountant. Currently, he is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Oklahoma Bar Association, Garfield County Bar Association, Oklahoma Society of CPAs, National Society of Accountants, Oklahoma Society of Accountants, Enid Chapter of CPAs and Northwest Chapter of CPAs. Mr. Riffel is a past member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and American Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before all Oklahoma Courts, the Federal District courts and U.S. Bankruptcy Courts in the Western and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma and the U.S. Tax Court. Mr. Riffel was recently admitted to practice law in the state of Kansas. He is considered one of the foremost authorities on benefit planning (i.e. Medicaid, Medicare, Veteran's benefits and Social Security disability) in the central United States. Mr. Riffel has taught approximately 100 seminars regarding benefit planning. He is one of only three Oklahoma attorneys who have been nationally recognized for Medicaid planning by being asked to teach Medicaid planning seminars for the national companies and several bar associations. Mr. Riffel has taught benefit planning to more than 3,000 attorneys, accountants and other professionals. In addition, he writes monthly columns on Medicaid for approximately 100 publications. Mr. Riffel's benefit planning has helped clients with net worths from as little as $25,000 to as much as $3.5 million. He earned his B.S. degree, in accounting, and B.S. degree, in finance, from Oklahoma State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma. JERRY E. SHILES is the managing member of the Oklahoma City law firm of Parman & Easterday, LLP, with additional offices in Tulsa and Enid, Oklahoma; Overland Park and Hays, Kansas; and Kansas City, Missouri. His practice is concentrated in the areas of family law, elder law and Medicaid planning, estate planning, will and trusts and probate and trust administration. For the past 30 years, Mr. Shiles has lectured extensively to professional groups in the United States, Europe and Japan, including the Frankfurt American Bar Association in Frankfurt, Germany; the American Attorneys Forum in Okinawa, Japan; the Oklahoma Bar Association; the Garfield County Bar Association; the Army Judge Advocate General's School; the Naval Justice School; AARP; and numerous other continuing legal education programs. He wrote a weekly legal column for more than 20 years, has hosted his own radio and television programs, contributed law review articles, authored three chapters of the Oklahoma Bar Association Family Law Section Practice Manual and recently co-wrote a book titled Estate Planning Basics: A Crash Course in Safeguarding Your Legacy, in 2007. Mr. Shiles earned his B.S. degree, Dean's list, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and his J.D. degree, with honors, from the University of Utah. He is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association; State Bar of Nevada; The District of Columbia Bar (Family Law, Real Property, Probate and Trust Administration and Estate Planning sections); and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Mr. Shiles also is a fellow of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys; and the Oklahoma City Tax Lawyers' Association; the Judge Advocates Association; the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War; and the American Bar Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Operation Outreach, providing assistance to military personnel and a former member of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Assistance to Military Personnel, having served on that committee for four years. Mr. Shiles is member of the Oklahoma City Estate Planning Council. He is admitted to practice before all courts in Oklahoma, Nevada and Washington, D.C.; the Federal District Courts; the 9th, 10th and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal; the U.S. Tax Court; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; and the U.S. Courts of Claims, Customs and Patent Appeals and International Trade. Among other awards, Mr. Shiles has received the Internal Revenue Service Certificate of Recognition, the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award and Legion of Merit, and the American Bar Association's Distinguished Service Award for Excellence in Legal Assistance. SHARON VOORHEES is a partner in the South Oklahoma City law firm Voorhees & Voorhees, P.C., in association with Shelton Voorhees Law Group. Her primary areas of practice are probate, guardianship, real estate, estate planning, collections, general civil litigation, and appeals. Ms. Voorhees is also trained to mediate both civil and family law cases. Ms. Voorhees received her education at the University of Oklahoma (B.Ac., 1978; J.D., with honors, 1991). She is admitted to practice before all Oklahoma Courts, as well as the U.S. District Court, Western and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. She is a member of the Order of the Coif, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Cleveland County Bar Association, the Conference on Consumer Finance Law, and the South Oklahoma City Lawyer's Association. Ms. Voorhees is a Special Municipal Judge for the City of Oklahoma City, having served in that position since 1999. She has served as a commissioner for the Oklahoma Community Service Commission since 2002, and she is a member of the Rotary Club of South Oklahoma City.
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