Dimitrios Panagopoulos grew up in Northern Indiana. He graduated from Valparaiso University with a B.S. degree. After Valparaiso, Dimitrios attended Podiatry School and graduated with a DPM in 1998. He practiced medicine for 16 years in Michigan. He moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2015 to attend the University of Tulsa Law School. He graduated with honors and earned a health law certificate from the University of Tulsa Law School in 2017. Dimitrios was awarded the Order of the Barristers, the law school’s highest award for oral advocacy. While in law school, he interned at the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office and participated in a national health law competition. After law school, Dimitrios joined Richards and Connors where he focused on professional liability matters involving the defense of healthcare providers against professional negligence and medical malpractice claims. Dimitrios is married. He and his wife have three children, a cat, and an Australian Shepard. He enjoys spending time with his children, running, playing golf, and watching Notre Dame Football. Dimitrios focuses on helping people with financial problems. When times are tough, Dimitrios will stand up for you and make sure your rights are protected. He offers one-on-one personal service and will help you get a fresh start. Dimitrios also focuses on estate planning. He developed an interest in this area of law when his father developed dementia. Dimitrios had to help his parents navigate the difficulties this situation created. This gives him a personal understanding of the problems people face when making decisions about their future. Dimitrios’ background in medicine makes him the perfect person to evaluate your disability claim. He knows how to speak the language of medicine and make sure you get the best results. He understands the difficult position are put in and their families when they have a disability and will fight for your rights.

James Lea is a shareholder at GableGotwals where he is a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. His engineering background provides valuable insight into his practice assisting clients ranging from start- ups to multi-national and global organizations. As a patent attorney, James’ experience includes intellectual property matters, foreign and domestic patents, trademarks, and copyrights. In addition to his work in patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution, James has advised corporate counsel on product clearance and infringement analysis prior to products entering the marketplace. He has worked with an array of technologies including submersible pumps, drilling equipment, extrusion equipment, medical implants, business methods, software applications, microchips, and sporting goods. He possesses a wealth of international experience, having managed patent and trademark prosecution in more than 27 countries. A former mechanical engineer at Texaco, James holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. He earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

M. Bryce Lair is a practicing lawyer in the State of Oklahoma handling criminal defense matters.

After developing a successful high school speech and debate program, Randall Vaughan left education to pursue a career as a trial lawyer, a goal that guided his law school education and decision to join Pray Walker in 1985. Randall has tried numerous cases in federal and state courts, written legal briefs, and presented oral arguments at the appellate level. He has also served as an advocate for clients in private arbitrations. As a counselor, he assists large companies in managing their nationwide litigation and advises them in advance of litigation. In furtherance of his personal belief regarding the value of advanced planning to avoid disputes and uncertainty, he also assists clients with their estate planning needs.

Tony Edwards was born and raised in McAlester and has devoted himself to serving the legal needs of the people in his home area. He achieved an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, indicating the highest level in legal ability and ethical standards. He received his undergraduate degree in sociology and psychology from East Central University in Ada and then went to Oklahoma University College of Law, receiving his J.D. in 1982. He took a position with a general-practice law firm in Ada and stayed there for five years before returning to McAlester to join the Stipe Law Firm. At the Stipe firm, Edwards began focusing on civil litigation on behalf of plaintiffs. In 2006, he decided to that he wanted to create a smaller firm that would give him an opportunity to provide more personal service. The Edwards firm was born that year, and he has continued to concentrate on plaintiff’s civil litigation. His practice today encompasses cases involving motor vehicles, nursing homes, defective products, and oil-field injuries. He also handles Social Security cases and has been involved in numerous mass-tort cases involving defective products. His efforts have resulted in numerous significant verdicts and settlements for his clients. One of his most notable was a confidential settlement on the eve of trial with the Ford Motor Co. on a products-liability case involving the design of a gas tank that ignited. In another, he represented the family of an East Central University football player who was killed in a hate-crime incident. No matter what the case, Edwards brings the same committed approach to the benefit of his clients. “Our logo is: ‘We care. We fight. We win.’ That’s an honest statement of what we do. We try to treat people fairly and give them our best effort,” he says. Edwards and his wife, DeVonna, are active in the Lakewood Christian Church, where he has been an elder for more than 20 years. They are also active in an organization, Shared Blessings, which DeVonna launched in 1998 to provide clothing for people in need. Since then, it has continued to expand and now also provides food, household goods, disaster relief, and emergency financial assistance. In his spare time, Edwards enjoys golf and is a passionate Oklahoma University sports fan.

Matthew Davis holds a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude and with distinction, from Cornell College. He received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1993. Davis also attended Cornell University, where he earned a master’s in public administration. Early in his career, Davis worked for the US Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.; in 1995, he entered private practice. Davis has extensive litigation and business representation experience. He has served as lead or co-counsel in litigation cases with recoveries in excess of $50,000,000, including numerous jury trials and a substantial victory against the Bank of America. He also regularly represents clients in complex arbitration. He maintains a limited clientele of established clients and takes select cases for new clients. His current focus is on representing new and existing business clients in the firm’s outside general counsel program. He also acts as general counsel for Groendyke Transport, Inc. Davis is a member of both the Oklahoma and Garfield County Bar Associations and is involved in the Enid Kiwanis Club.

For more than two decades, Phillip P. Owens II has been fighting on behalf of individuals and families in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and throughout the state. Over his years in practice, he has learned what makes a good lawyer: strong research and writing skills, the ability to advocate for clients in court, and an instinct for when strategic negotiations can achieve legal objectives more efficiently. Just as importantly, he knows the importance of making the legal process simple and approachable for our clients. Whether they have a personal injury claim, a family law dispute or any other type of legal matter, handling the logistics alone can be daunting. Our responsibility is to handle the legal problems and allow you to focus on the other areas of your life.

Alex grew up in Newcastle, Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. While earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas, Alex interned with the Travis County Drug Court Program assisting individuals modify their driver's licenses. Alex returned to Oklahoma for law school, where he attended the University of Oklahoma College of Law and met his wife, Tayler. During law school, Alex earned his legal intern's license and practiced in the OU Law Criminal Clinic. He attended the OU Law Oxford program and was a student member of the Luther Bohanon Inn of Court. Alex interned for the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office and for the Cleveland County District Attorney's Office. After graduating law school, Alex was hired as an Assistant District Attorney for the Cleveland County District Attorney's Office, where he practiced for 5 years. During his time as an Assistant District Attorney, Alex prosecuted thousands of cases from beginning to end, including jury trials ranging from DUI to Murder. Alex handled the Community Sentencing Prison Diversion Program for the Cleveland County District Attorney's office, where he grew the program's participation. During his time at the District Attorney's office, Alex regularly taught courses to the Oklahoma City Police Department, Norman Police Department, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Alex helps people navigate the complicated and often frustrating process of dealing with insurance companies and medical providers. He uses the skills he learned and honed as a prosecutor to help victims injured by someone else to achieve justice. When insurance companies refuse to do the right thing, Alex fights for his clients and holds the insurance companies accountable. In his spare time, Alex enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs. He is an avid traveller and scuba diver. He also enjoys hunting and fishing on his family's cattle ranch. Alex volunteers as a therapy dog handler with his dog Bandit. Alex and Bandit belong to the Human Animal Link of Oklahoma (H.A.L.O.), where Alex serves as a board member.

I have always felt obligated to help others through what can be some of the hardest times of their lives. When someone is injured at work, without income, and not aware of their rights, I help them navigate the complicated field of workers’ compensation. The law does not always protect the injured worker, especially in Oklahoma, but I will never stop trying to help injured workers through either the court and/or commission or through the legislature. When not practicing law, I enjoy spending time with my family on our ranch. I grew up farming and something has always drawn me back to it. It recharges my batteries. If you can’t find me at court or in the office, then I am likely at the ranch but never too far away to help.

Melanee McAfee Kistler was born and raised in Tulsa Oklahoma, where she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa, majoring in Advertising/Public Relations. She worked at Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa for four years as Editorial Assistant, working on museum publications, organizing public events, and taking minutes for a 40-member board of directors. After becoming engaged to her husband, she moved to Oklahoma City to work for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum as Editorial Assistant. She also helped organize art sales and banquets, presenting awards with guest celebrities at the prestigious Western Heritage Awards, She embarked on a career change when her daughters were still in grade school and began attending OCU law school. She became a Certified Mediator through the Oklahoma Supreme Court Early Settlement Mediation Program, mediating small claims cases upon referral from district court judges. After law school, she worked on the Fen Phen litigation with Phillips, Murrah during the discovery phase of the complex litigation for the opt-out lawsuits. She later spent six years working for Oklahoma Child Support Services, managing an interstate caseload and taking remedies to enforce court orders. In 2012, she opened her own law firm, focusing her practice on family law and social security disability claims. In 2017, she worked as a decision writer at the Office of Hearings Operations, following Administrative Law Judges instructions in drafting final case decisions. She returned to private practice in 2018, and continues to represent claimants in social security hearings before Administrative Law Judges throughout the state. Her professional associations include membership in the Social Security disability and Estate Planning sections of the Oklahoma Bar Association. She is also involved with the Women in Law section where she participates in community service projects. She is admitted to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. She and her husband, Steve, have been married for 35 years and have two marvelous daughters. Lindsay started her own law firm after six years as an associate attorney with Hall Estill, and Hillary is a Speech Language Pathologist for Integris and Norman Regional Health System.