Wyatt

Swinford

Partner

Wyatt Swinford is a Partner in Elias Books litigation group. His practice focuses on a wide variety of litigation, appellate, and administrative proceedings, including issues relating to ad valorem taxation, the oil and gas industry, and bankruptcy law. His focus is primarily on complex commercial litigation in both state and federal court. Wyatt is active in the firm’s state and local tax appeal practice, largely involving property tax valuations of commercial property in the energy sector, including upstream and midstream assets, along with interstate Commerce Clause issues. Wyatt also handles ad valorem cases covering a wide range of other commercial property, including telecommunications assets, apartment complexes, hotels, retail shops, and other real estate. In the oil and gas industry, Wyatt has represented clients in midstream contract disputes, surface use clashes, class action royalty underpayment cases, industry regulation, and mineral title curative actions. Wyatt is also involved in the firm’s bankruptcy practice, including representing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee and representing creditors in Chapter 11 liquidations.

Wyatt is active in state and local legal associations. Since 2018, Wyatt has served on the Board of Directors for the Young Lawyers Division of the Oklahoma County Bar Association, helping to organize events to raise funds for the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank. Wyatt has also been an associate with the Luther L. Bohanon Inn of Court. In 2019, Wyatt was selected to be a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Leadership Academy.

A native of Okemah, Oklahoma, Wyatt graduated from University of Oklahoma College of Law with his Juris Doctorate in 2015 and received a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness from Oklahoma State University in 2011. While at Oklahoma State, Wyatt served as the school’s mascot, Pistol Pete. Between his undergraduate and law school studies, Wyatt worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee in Washington D.C.

Areas of Expertise

Education

2015 – Juris Doctor, University of Oklahoma College of Law
2011 – Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, Oklahoma State University

Professional Admissions

2015 – Oklahoma
2015 – U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
2015 – U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
2016 – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
2017 – U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
2017 – Arkansas

Professional Affiliations

Luther Bohanon Inn of Court
Mineral Lawyers Society of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Association of Professional Landmen
Oklahoma County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Board of Directors

Recognition

Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch (2023)
Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters – Rising Star (2018-present)
The Journal Record’s Power List of Young Legal Professionals (2023)
405 Top Attorney in Tax Law (2023)

Civic Involvement and Leadership

Publications and Presentations

Range War: Conflicts between Oil & Gas Operations and Wind Farms, 70 CAIL Annual Institute on Oil & Gas Law Ch. 4 (2019)

The Range War Between Wind Farms and Oil & Gas Operations, 70th Annual Institute on Oil and Gas Law, Center for American and International Law, February 2019

Hatfields and McCoys? The Range War Between Oil & Gas Operations and Wind Farms, Mineral Lawyers Society of Oklahoma City, September 2017 Meeting

Lessons Learned: Avoiding the Hardships of a Tribal Mineral Leasing Past in Developing Tribal Wind Energy Leasing in Oklahoma, 40 Am. Indian L. Rev. 99 (2016)

About Us

At Elias, Books, Brown & Nelson, our attorney roster is as diverse as the areas of law we practice. From recent JDs to seasoned partners, the EBB&N team has a history of success and expertise in the areas of Oil & Gas Law, Property Tax, Corporate Law, Commercial Law and Litigation.

A tradition of excellence.