Attorneys

Jerry W. Foshee, a founding partner with the law firm, handles cases involving bodily injury resulting from automobile accidents, nursing home negligence, train wrecks, truck accidents, medical negligence and products that cause injuries. He has lectured extensively on issues related to negligence and injuries result from negligence. He is a trial lawyer who has had jury verdicts in excess of a million dollars. He holds the record for the largest jury verdict in Canadian County. He practices law not only in Oklahoma but all over the United States.

Mr. Foshee completed his undergraduate work at the University of Central Oklahoma, and he received his Juris Doctorate degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1976. Mr.Foshee is a member of the Oklahoma and Oklahoma County Bar Associations, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Foshee and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children, Elisa, Jeri Beth and Christopher. He recently became a grandfather to his first grandson, Samuel James Hedenburg. He is a lifelong resident of south Oklahoma City and currently serves as City Councilman for Ward 5 in Oklahoma City.

Areas of Law: Personal Injury | Accidental Death |Medical Malpractice |Civil Litigation

M. Blake Yaffe, is a founding partner in the law firm. The primary areas of his practice are personal injury including auto negligence, medical negligence and nursing home negligence.

Mr. Yaffe graduated from Ardmore High School and received Bachelor Degrees in Business and Economics from the University of Oklahoma. He received a Juris Doctorate degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1977. He is a member of the Oklahoma and Oklahoma County Bar Associations, the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association and formerly the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission. He has served on the County Bar Grievance Committee. His Courts of admission are the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma. Mr. Yaffe has recovered millions of dollars for the injured people he has represented.

Mr. Yaffe’s wife, Nancy, is a teacher for the Moore Public Schools. They have three children; Eliot, who practices law with Foshee & Yaffe; Stacy, who is a 2nd grade teacher in Dallas; and Alex, who is currently a 2nd year law student and is a legal intern with Foshee & Yaffe. Mr. Yaffe recently became a grandfather to his first granddaughter, Sydney Grace.

Areas of Law: Personal Injury | Medical Malpractice | Civil Litigation | Product Liability

Eliot Yaffe has been with the law firm since 2001. His primary areas of practice are employment law, personal injury, workers’ compensation, civil rights and education law.

Mr. Yaffe graduated from Westmoore High School in 1993, and obtained his Bachelors Degree in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. Upon obtaining his undergraduate degree, Mr. Yaffe worked as a professional educator in Oklahoma City Public Schools for two years. He pursued a Master’s Degree in School Administration, until he began law school at the University of Tulsa.

Mr. Yaffe is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Oklahoma County Bar Association, and Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Assocation. He volunteers at the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA and tutors in Oklahoma City Public Schools.

Mr. Yaffe and his wife, Brooke, have one daughter and one son.

S. Alex Yaffe, has been around Foshee & Yaffe since he was 5 years old. He has worked in all aspects of the firm from being a runner, intern and now attorney. Alex is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma and is proud to continue the tradition of protecting the rights of individuals who have been wronged.

Alex graduated from Westmoore High School and continued his education at The University of Oklahoma. During his junior year at O.U. he had the opportunity to serve the students in the role of student body President. He garnered a great deal of experience from his tenure as the President of the student body. After graduating from O.U., he attended Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Alex is admitted to all Courts in the State of Oklahoma. He is also admitted to the Federal Court of the Western District of Oklahoma and the Federal Court of the Eastern District of Oklahoma.  Alex is a Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2011.

Alex is married and has two daughters and a house full of dogs.

Rick E. Powell is a general practice attorney whose cases involve civil and criminal litigation, probate, domestic relations, personal injury, workers’ compensation, and social security law.

Mr. Powell received is Bachelor’s Degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1975. He attended Oklahoma City University School of Law, graduating in 1979. He also conducted postgraduate study in history at the University of Central Oklahoma. His association memberships include the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Family Law Division of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit and the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Mr. Powell has one son, Will, and they are lifelong residents of Oklahoma.

Areas of Law: Debtor & Creditor Rights | Bankruptcy | Criminal Litigation | Family Law

Walter E. Suttle has been with the firm since 1978. Mr. Suttle’s primary areas of practice are social security disability, probate, estate planning and adoption.

Mr. Suttle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma City University in 1974. He graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1977 and was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 1978. He is a member of the Oklahoma and Oklahoma County Bar Associations and the Oklahoma Municipal Judges Association. He was a Municipal Judge for the City of Del City and an alternate Municipal Judge for the City of Luther, Oklahoma.

Mr. Suttle and his wife, Connie, have one child, Albert.

Areas of Law: Estate Planning | Probate | Social Security Disability

Greg H. Haubrich is a personal injury trial lawyer. He has represented injured people in auto and truck liability, product liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, toxic injuries, and insurance disputes since 1986. Greg is A-V rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for both legal ability and ethics. He is licensed to practice in Oklahoma, all Oklahoma federal district courts, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Greg has tried more than eighty jury cases as lead counsel for injured people, and was co-counsel with Ed Abel in Greg Walton v. Black & Decker, a $10 million verdict which at the time was the highest in the history of Oklahoma for an injured person. He is the Continuing Legal Education Chairman and is on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Association for Justice, the organization of lawyers dedicated to preserving and fighting for the rights of people injured by acts of others.

David K. Hilbern joined Foshee & Yaffe in 2010. His areas of practice include personal injury, social security, bankruptcy, and veteran’s benefits.

Mr. Hilbern was born and raised on the south side of Oklahoma City. After graduating from Westmoore High School in 1991 Mr. Hilbern attended the University of Oklahoma, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry in 1996. He received his law degree from OU in 2000. Mr. Hilbern is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Oklahoma County Bar Association, the South Oklahoma City Lawyers Association, and the Oklahoma Association for Justice. Mr. Hilbern is licensed to practice in all Oklahoma State Courts and the U.S. Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma.

David L. Teasdale is a trial attorney focusing primarily on personal injury.
A native of McKinney, Texas, Mr. Teasdale graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. In 2010, he received his law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law. While at OCU, he was an active member of the American Association of Justice trial team, serving as its president his last year of law school. Before graduating, Mr. Teasdale was awarded the prestigious Order of the Barristers award and selected to become a national member of The Order of Barristers for having exhibited excellence and attaining high honor through the art of courtroom advocacy. Also, while at OCU, Mr. Teasdale received a Masters of Business degree from the Meinders School of Business, graduating with honors. Mr. Teasdale received numerous awards, including the Deans Fellowship, and was a pupil of the Holloway Inn of Court and the Turner Inn of Court.

Mr. Teasdale joined Foshee & Yaffe Law Firm in 2008 as a law clerk. While a law clerk, he was involved in nearly $10 million in settlements and verdict amounts in his short 2 year career. Mr. Teasdale also won numerous motions in front of the Tenth Circuit, Supreme Court, Western District and Oklahoma County District Court.

Currently, Mr. Teasdale devotes his practice to helping victims of the negligence of others. His first personal injury trial occurred while he was still in law school as a third year student and was successful in receiving a jury verdict for his client. Since that time, Mr. Teasdale has tried many personal injury trials throughout Oklahoma. He has handled cases including vehicular collisions, premises liability, general liability, civil rights, contract dispute and mass torts.

Mr. Teasdale is licensed to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma and all courts of the State of Oklahoma. While not practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his dogs, Winston and Weston, traveling and spending time with his family.

Seth Hendrick has been with the law firm since 2000 first serving as a legal intern until his completion of law school in 2002. His primary areas of practice are civil and criminal litigation, personal injury, domestic relations and family law.

Mr. Hendrick received is Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1999. While attending Oklahoma University, Mr. Hendrick was a member of the football tem for two years. He attended the University of Oklahoma Law School, graduating in 2002. His association memberships include the Oklahoma Bar Association, Oklahoma County Bar Associations, and the U.S. District Court for the Western District.

Mr. Hendrick is single and currently resides in Oklahoma City.

P. Blair McMillin, joined the law firm as a legal intern and received her Juris Doctorate in May of 2006. Blair was an Assistant District Attorney at the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office before joining Foshee & Yaffe in October of 2006. Her primary areas of practice are domestic relations, family law, adoption, personal injury, and civil litigation.

Blair received her Bachelor’s Degree from Oklahoma State University in 2003 and attended the Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Blair is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, and Oklahoma County Bar Association. Blair is admitted to all Courts in the State of Oklahoma. She is also admitted to the Federal Court of the Western District of Oklahoma and Supreme Court of the Chickasaw Nation.

Blair is married with twin daughters and currently resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Eric J. Cavett has been with the firm since 2006. He currently handles cases involving personal injury, real property, contracts, corporate/business law, and oil and gas.

He is originally from Mustang, Oklahoma, graduating from Mustang High School. He received his Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Finance and Management Information Systems from the University of Oklahoma in 2002. He graduated from Oklahoma City University in 2008 with his Juris Doctorate degree. Eric served for 2 years as a staff member for the OCU Law Review journal.

Eric is heavily involved in charitable activities such as Camp Cavett and also an active member in the Turner Inn of Court.

Patricia Podolec has a BA from Oklahoma State University, an MBA from University of Central Oklahoman and received her JD from the Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2006, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Before law school, Patricia worked over 30 years in the human resources field. Prior to joining Foshee and Yaffe, Patricia was an Assistant Attorney General in the General Counsel Section of the Office of the Attorney General.

J. Drew Houghton is a native Texan who has been practicing since 1998.  Mr. Houghton had been in private practice in Oklahoma since 2003 before merging with Foshee & Yaffe.   His practice entails a broad range of specialties, including: general civil and business litigation; insurance litigation; mass torts; class actions; personal injury; medical malpractice; products liability; business formation and organization; and virtually all other aspects of a general litigation practice.  Prior to entering into private practice, Mr. Houghton worked with law firms representing both plaintiff and defense interests after graduation from the Oklahoma City University College of Law.  These experiences sharpened Mr. Houghton’s broad understanding and unique perspective regarding litigation and trial strategy.  In addition, Mr. Houghton also has extensive experience with routine legal matters involving contracts, property, and business transactions through his representation of individuals and small businesses.  Prior to entering the practice of law, Mr. Houghton earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

Mr. Houghton’s practice at Foshee & Yaffe will continue to focus on the areas of practice listed above.  Mr. Houghton represents clients in all Oklahoma state and federal courts and has appeared and argued before the United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He is a member of the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, Oklahoma Association for Justice, and Robert J. Turner Inn of Court.  In his free time, Mr. Houghton is an avid cyclist and endurance athlete and has trained for and successfully completed a number of half-marathons, adventure runs, and cycling events.

Alexandra E. Stankus was born in New Orleans and raised in New York.  Ms. Stankus joined Foshee and Yaffe during law school as a licensed legal intern.  She is a 2010 graduate of the Oklahoma City University School of Law.  While attending law school, Ms. Stankus was actively involved in numerous organizations and received academic recognition, including serving as a member of the Oklahoma City University Law Review, as a merit scholar, and as a member of The Ruth Bader Ginsburg American Inn of Court.  While attending law school at OCU, Ms. Stankus concurrently obtained a Masters in Business Administration from the Meinders School of Business.  Currently, Ms. Stankus focuses her practice on personal injury law, including automobile negligence, premises liability, and general negligence.

Ms. Stankus is admitted to practice in all Oklahoma state courts and the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.  She is a member of the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association and Oklahoma Association for Justice.

In her free time Ms. Stankus enjoys interior decorating and spending time with her two dogs, Winston and Weston.

The background, experience, character, and record of achievement of Foshee & Yaffe’s recent attorney additions complement the Firm’s expanded practice offerings, and, together, reinforce the Firm’s commitment to providing clients capable and quality representation that is Big Enough to Fight and Small Enough to Care.

Christopher B. Keim joins Foshee & Yaffe after spending several years working with one of Oklahoma’s largest corporate law firms.  During such time, Mr. Keim’s practice included both general litigation and a specific concentration in litigation, regulatory, administrative, and compliance matters associated with the health care industry.  Through his practice, Mr. Keim developed extensive experience and expertise in assisting clients through providing counsel both for business planning/risk management and representation in the course of judicial and administrative proceedings.

Mr. Keim arrives at Foshee & Yaffe looking forward to having the opportunity to work directly with individuals and small businesses in addressing their legal needs.  Mr. Keim’s practice with the Firm will include representation of clients in civil and commercial litigation, employment, and insurance litigation related matters.  Mr. Keim will also assist clients in matters involving business organization and planning and estate planning and asset protection.

Mr. Keim is a 2008 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law.  He graduated With Honors, finishing in the top 10% of his law school class, was Assistant Articles Editor for the Oklahoma Law Review, and earned membership in the Order of the Coif and the Order of Solicitors honors societies.  Mr. Keim was a member of OU’s National Trial Team and also received the 2008 Professional Responsibility Award, recognizing the graduate who most exemplifies the spirit of professionalism and leadership upon entry into legal practice.  Prior to law school, Mr. Keim graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, earning Bachelors of Arts Degrees in Political Science and Communication Arts.

Mr. Keim is member of Rotary International, the Moore Rotary Club, the United Way Emerging Leaders and United Way Community Investment Volunteer programs, and volunteers with committees serving Earlywine YMCA.  Mr. Keim is a member of the American Bar Association, the Oklahoma Bar Association, and the Oklahoma Association for Justice.  Mr. Keim’s wife, Andra, is a physician practicing with INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center and Access Medical Centers in Oklahoma City. 

Laura A. Rudnicki is an Energy and Natural Resources law attorney.  She has been in practice since 2007. Ms. Rudnicki has extensive experience with leasing preparation, oil and gas contracts, and title opinions. Ms. Rudnicki received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2007.  She graduated with a degree in Finance from the University of Oklahoma in 2004.  Laura is an active member of the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, the Federal Bar of the Western District of Oklahoma and the American Association of Professional Landmen.

Ms. Rudnicki enjoys running, traveling, gardening, reading and doing volunteer work in the community.  She resides in Oklahoma City.