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W.A. DREW EDMONDSON is with the law firm of Gable Gotwals. Mr. Edmondson is a former state attorney general and district attorney, and has been involved in some of Oklahoma's highest-profile and most-complex criminal and civil litigation. He brings more than 30 years of legal experience in practice areas including administrative law, case settlement, commercial litigation, government law and white collar crime. Mr. Edmondson served four terms as Oklahoma's attorney general. He was one of eight attorney generals asked to serve on the negotiating team for the states involved in the lawsuit filed against the tobacco industry. The suit resulted in a more than $200 billion national settlement with the industry that will bring more than $2 billion to Oklahoma over a 25-year period. The injunctive relief obtained has permanently changed the way tobacco products are marketed across the country. Under Mr. Edmondson's leadership, the attorney general's office helped reform the death penalty appeals process, established victims' services and vigorously represented ratepayers in telephone, gas and electric rate cases. On his watch, the attorney general's office finally ended the Battles prison case, the Terry D. juvenile justice case and the Hissom class action lawsuit. Mr. Edmondson was instrumental in creating the constitutional Tobacco Trust and the Oklahoma Educational Technology Trust. Before his election as attorney general, he was elected, unopposed, to three consecutive terms as Muskogee County district attorney in 1982, 1986 and 1990. Mr. Edmondson served as president of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, and was selected as Outstanding District Attorney for the state of Oklahoma in 1985 and the Outstanding Death Penalty Prosecutor in the 9th and 10th Circuits. He also served as president of the National Association of Attorneys General and was presented with the organization's highest commendation, the Kelly-Wyman Award. Mr. Edmondson is a Navy veteran with a tour of duty in Vietnam. He is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Mr. Edmondson is admitted to practice before the federal district courts in all Oklahoma districts, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the Supreme Court of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Mr. Edmondson earned his bachelor's degree in education from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. He taught high school debate and served one term in the Oklahoma legislature before receiving his J.D. degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law. DAVID W. LEE is managing partner of Lee Law Center, P.C. Mr. Lee has served as chief of the criminal and federal divisions of the Oklahoma attorney general's office for three attorney generals; Jan Eric Cartwright, Michael C. Turpen and Robert H. Henry. He was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, assistant district attorney in Washington and Oklahoma Counties, and assistant public defender in Oklahoma County. Mr. Lee is a regular lecturer for the National College of District Attorneys. He has lectured on civil rights subjects for the Illinois Attorney General's Office. Mr. Lee also has given lectures to the Vermont Law School, the Georgetown University Law Center and the Texas District Attorneys' Association. For more than 20 years, he was an adjunct professor for the Oklahoma City University School of Law and taught courses in constitutional civil rights, disability law, trial practice, employment law and appellate advocacy. Mr. Lee has been a lecturer on civil rights for the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement, Education and Training (CLEET). In addition to representing county and municipal officers and employees around the state, he has represented the many state agencies in civil rights cases. Mr. Lee is the hearing officer for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), with regard to appeals of denials of Self-Defense Act (concealed handgun) application. He is the author of "Handbook of Section 1983 Litigation" (2011), Eleventh edition, published by Aspen Publishers. Mr. Lee earned his B.S. degree from the University of Oklahoma and his J.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. STEPHEN T. MURDOCK has been the city attorney of Edmond, Oklahoma since October 1987. He is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma, then Central State University, with a degree in political science, with an emphasis on municipal management. Mr. Murdock earned his J. D. degree from the University of Oklahoma and began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Cleveland County. He was previously in private practice of law in Oklahoma City with the firm of Smith & Murdock. Prior to becoming city attorney, Mr. Murdock worked as assistant city attorney for Edmond. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Edmond. Mr. Murdock also serves on the board of the Oklahoma Association of Municipal Attorneys and the board of Trinity Legal Clinic of Oklahoma. In 2007, Mr. Murdock received the Don Rider Award from the Oklahoma Municipal League for his outstanding contribution to municipal government in Oklahoma. Edmond was recently named by CNBC.com as #1 on its list of Top 10 Perfect Suburbs in the nation. MICHAEL R. PACEWICZ is a shareholder/director based in Crowe & Dunlevy's Tulsa office. A member of the firm's Labor and Employment Law and Litigation sections, he has represented business entities ranging from sole proprietorships to Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Pacewicz has also represented Native American governmental entities in a variety of matters. He has experience in the areas of employee benefits, wrongful termination, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, race and gender discrimination, non-compete agreements, and other labor and employment issues. Mr. Pacewicz's practice also includes commercial litigation, bankruptcy, securities litigation, construction law, telecommunications law, products liability, insurance defense and real estate disputes. He has served as an adjunct settlement judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Mr. Pacewicz has experience before state and tribal courts in Oklahoma and federal courts in Oklahoma, Texas and New York, as well as federal appellate courts. In addition, he is a regular speaker at seminars and continuing legal education programs. Mr. Pacewicz earned his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and has served on the university's Alumni Association Board of Directors. He graduated from The University of Tulsa College of Law with highest honors. Mr. Pacewicz has published articles in the Tulsa Law Review, the Oklahoma Law Review and the Oklahoma Bar Journal. He is admitted to practice before all Oklahoma State courts; the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Pacewicz is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the American Bar Association (member, Litigation and Labor and Employment sections) and the Tulsa County Bar Association. KEVIN B. RATLIFF is a member of the law firm of Hartzog Conger Cason & Neville, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of wealth transfer planning, trusts and estates, state and local taxation, and tax planning and controversies. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Ratliff was listed in Oklahoma Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in tax law. He frequently lectures to various groups regarding estate planning, probate, sales and use tax, and other tax related topics. Mr. Ratliff is a member of the Oklahoma City Estate Planning Council, the Oklahoma City Tax Lawyers Group, the Oklahoma (member, Tax and Estate Planning sections) and Oklahoma County bar associations, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and the U.S. Tax Court. He earned his B.B.A. degree from the University of Oklahoma and his J.D. degree, with honors, from Oklahoma City University School of Law.
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