McAfee & Taft

In addition to serving as the Firm's Healthcare Practice Group leader, Elizabeth Tyrrell is engaged in a broad-based transactional practice, serving individuals and entities in the healthcare industry (including physicians, hospitals and joint ventures), charitable organizations (local and national, generally focusing on medical and health research and treatment), publicly traded companies and closely held entities in a variety of businesses. Her practice includes corporate, securities and franchise law with emphasis on issues relating to healthcare for both taxable and tax-exempt clients. She represents clients in a wide range of business transactions, including organization, acquisitions and mergers, secured and unsecured lending and business contracts.

John Hermes is a veteran trial lawyer whose practice encompasses all forms of business-related litigation, including the prosecution and defense of cases involving banking, insurance coverage, franchises, healthcare, municipal bonds, oil and gas, products liability, real estate transactions, securities, taxes, trusts, telecommunications, trademarks, and other commercial controversies. John has also served as counsel on high-profile cases involving the constitutionality of Oklahoma's Right-To-Work Amendment in which the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the validity of the 2001 law. John is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is included in The Best Lawyers in America (Business Litigation), the Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Lawyers for Business (Litigation), and Legal Media Group's Guide to the Leading US Litigation Lawyers. In 2006, he was named to the prestigious list of "Top 50 Oklahoma Lawyers" in the inaugural issue of Oklahoma Super Lawyers. John currently serves on McAfee & Taft's board of directors and previously served as the firm's managing director for six years. Prior to entering law school, John served in the U.S. Army as a captain in military intelligence for four years.

Michael Joseph is a transactional lawyer, widely regarded for his experience and expertise in representing clients in a broad range of corporate, healthcare, franchise and business law matters. His successful, aggressive representation of client interests has been recognized by clients and peers alike and has earned his inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and Oklahoma Super Lawyers. As a business lawyer, Mike represents privately-owned businesses in joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, strategic and business planning, and capital-raising activities. He also represents numerous industry leaders, as well as emerging companies and tax-exempt organizations, in a variety of business transactions. In addition to transactional work, he regularly advises senior management and boards of directors on a host of organizational and operational matters, including legal and regulatory compliance, corporate strategy and fiduciary duties. Mike's diverse business practice includes extensive experience representing and advising healthcare clients in a wide range of business transactions. In addition to representing physicians and physician groups in Oklahoma and surrounding states (including a number of multi-specialty and single-specialty group practices in both private and academic settings), he also represents hospitals, including major tertiary referral centers, nonprofit hospitals, investor-owned hospitals, physician-owned specialty hospitals, religious-sponsored hospitals, academic medical centers, children's hospitals, rural community hospitals, and government hospitals. Also included among his clients are numerous other types of healthcare facilities, health-related institutions and foundations, trade associations, educational institutions and healthcare organizations. Mike regularly represents businesses using franchising, licensing and direct selling arrangements for the distribution of goods and services. He has a broad range of experience in representing franchisors in transactional and regulatory matters, including acquisitions and divestitures, contracting, development of franchise agreements and franchise systems, franchise registration, operational advice, antitrust and dispute resolution. He has represented franchise clients in a number of industries, including retail photography, food distribution, restaurant, healthcare, business services, building products, home accessories, and other products and services. A leader in the community, Mike serves on numerous community, civic and educational boards, advisory boards, selection committees and task forces and is a frequent speaker on the topics of board member responsibilities, regulatory compliance, tax-exempt status issues, and other matters specifically related to charities and nonprofit organizations. Separate from his board service, Mike has also provided pro bono legal representation to numerous Oklahoma charitable and civic organizations, including the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Oklahoma affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Oklahoma City Wind Symphony, Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, Oklahoma Health Center Foundation, Presbyterian Health Foundation, Children's Medical Research Institute, Center for Nonprofits, The Homeless Alliance, Payne Education Center and Quality of Life Self-Care Foundation.

Michael Lauderdale's practice involves civil litigation focusing on the representation of employers and management in all phases of litigation before federal and state courts, regulatory and administrative agencies and arbitration matters. He also handles litigation matters involving the enforcement of non-competition and confidentiality agreements, arbitration, breach of employment contracts, handbook and personnel policy violations, wage and hour disputes and other issues arising out of the employer/employee relationships. In addition to his litigation practice, Michael counsels employers on employment issues, including discipline, terminations, policies and procedures, OSHA matters, drug and alcohol testing, employment contracts, arbitration provisions and enforcement of trade secret and confidentiality provisions, as well as training on employment issues. Much of Michael's expertise is focused on employment and medical staff issues for healthcare institutions. His work in this area has earned him inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. In 2006, he was also named to the inaugural edition of Oklahoma Super Lawyers. Michael also has represented numerous franchisors in a variety of litigation related matters involving dispute with franchisees. Since 2002, he has also served as an administrative law judge for the Oklahoma Department of Labor.