THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 82 | AUGUST 2026 Motahareh H. Nickel has joined the Oklahoma City office of GableGotwals as of counsel. Her practice focuses on general corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, commercial agreements, real estate and regulatory matters, with experience across a broad range of industries, including energy and aviation. Prior to rejoining the firm, Ms. Motahareh served as corporate counsel for a large company headquartered in Oklahoma City with operations throughout the U.S., where she advised a diverse portfolio of business units and supported corporate development initiatives, including acquisitions, divestitures and strategic partnerships. She also supported operations, fleet and finance functions through the negotiation of commercial agreements and the delivery of strategic day-to-day business counsel. James F. Lea III and David G. Woodral have joined McAfee & Taft in the intellectual property practice. Together, they bring 55 years of combined experience exclusively in the field of intellectual property law to the firm. Mr. Lea received his J.D. from the OU College of Law. Mr. Woodral received his J.D. from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. Maddison Bacon has joined the Oklahoma City office of Bressler, Amery & Ross PC as an associate. She practices in the Financial Institutions Group. Ms. Bacon received her J.D. from the OU College of Law. Erin J. Rooney has joined Ryan Whaley. His practice focuses on helping injured Oklahomans and handling complex corporate litigation. When not serving his clients, Mr. Rooney serves on the board of the Piedmont Public Schools Education Foundation. He received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 2012. Retired Judge Jodi B. Levine was awarded the Burnham “Hod” Greeley Award at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, in August. She is the first Oklahoman to receive this honor. The award honors the late Hawaii attorney Burnham “Hod” Greeley, a dedicated leader within the ABA who was committed to promoting public trust and confidence in our justice system. It is presented to any individual or organization who has made a significant, positive impact on public understanding of the role of the judiciary in a democratic society and its importance to the rule of law. The award recognizes extraordinary outreach efforts designed to enhance public awareness of the need for a fair and impartial judiciary. HOW TO PLACE AN ANNOUNCEMENT: The Oklahoma Bar Journal welcomes short articles or news items about OBA members and upcoming meetings. If you are an OBA member and you’ve moved, become a partner, hired an associate, taken on a partner, received a promotion or an award or given a talk or speech with statewide or national stature, we’d like to hear from you. Sections, committees and county bar associations are encouraged to submit short stories about upcoming or recent activities. Honors bestowed by other publications (e.g., Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, etc.) will not be accepted as announcements. (Oklahoma-based publications are the exception.) Information selected for publication is printed at no cost, subject to editing and printed as space permits. Submit news items to: Hailey Boyd Communications Dept. Oklahoma Bar Association 405-416-7033 barbriefs@okbar.org Articles for the September issue must be received by August 1. ON THE MOVE KUDOS
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