Logan Blackmore

A total of 126 attorneys from McAfee & Taft were selected by their peers for inclusion in the recently released 2025 editions of Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. This year marks the 31st publication of Best Lawyers in America and the fifth publication of its companion list, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, which recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated outstanding professional excellence earlier in their careers.

In Knox, an employee died at a construction site while working for his employer, BJ Oilfield Construction. The decedent’s spouse brought claims against another contractor on site who, relying on its status as third-party beneficiary in BJ Oilfield’s contract, tendered demand for defense and indemnity against BJ Oilfield. The relevant indemnity provision provided that BJ Oilfield agreed to: “defend, indemnify, and hold harmless . . . from and against any claim, cost, expense or liability . . .

On May 21, 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court issued an opinion in Knox v. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., 2024 OK 37, holding that an employer cannot contractually create or assume liability where liability is based on the same physical injury used by the employee to recover a worker’s compensation award. In , an employee died at a construction site while working for his employer, BJ Oilfield Construction.