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McKenna & McKenna

Tulsa Law Firm, Insurance Defense and Commercial Litigation
(918) 935-2085

Bruce A. McKenna

bmckenna@mpoklaw.com

Bruce A. McKenna

Bruce McKenna has nearly 40 years of legal experience representing a diverse client base in many areas of disputes. Bruce’s practice is primarily devoted to insurance defense in the context of professional errors and omissions, director’s and officer’s liability, construction defect, commercial general liability claims, employment discrimination, and complex commercial litigation, including class action defense. Bruce has tried cases in state and federal courts, arbitration proceedings under collective bargaining agreements, and before agency licensure and disciplinary boards. During his career, Bruce has been involved in numerous appeals in state and federal courts across the country. Bruce’s practice has also involved the preparation of insurance coverage opinions.

Bruce has participated in presenting continuing education seminars for claims handlers and counsel in the areas of health law, errors and omissions defense, and catastrophic litigation defense. Bruce has been “AV” rated by Martindale Hubbell for 28 years and is included in the “Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.” Bruce has been included in “The Best Lawyers in America,” considered by many to be the nation’s premier objective peer reviewed publication, for 9 consecutive years starting in 2012, including the new 2019 award. In addition, Bruce has been included in the Oklahoma “Super Lawyers” magazine for 14 consecutive years, 2007–2020, an award given only to the state’s top 5% attorneys. He is included in Strathmore’s “Who’s Who - Worldwide” and Continental’s “Who’s Who.” He has been on the editorial board of The Federal Lawyer, the magazine of the Federal Bar Association, since 2008 and has served as Senior Proofs Editor of that magazine with the responsibility of performing the final editorial review of the entirety of the monthly publication. Bruce has been a member of and served on the editorial board for the University of Tulsa Alumni Association Magazine. Until it was disbanded, Bruce served as a member of the American Bar Association Advisory Committee and served on the Tulsa County, Oklahoma, ethics committee until its responsibilities were subsumed into the Oklahoma Bar Association’s disciplinary board.

Education:

  • Long Island University, B.A., 1977 (magna cum laude)
  • University of Tulsa College of Law, J.D. 1980 (with honors)
    • Editor, Tulsa Law Journal Vol. 15
    • Staff, Tulsa Law Journal Vol. 14
    • Author, False Light: Invasion of Privacy?, 15 Tulsa L.J. 113 (1979–80)
    • College of Law Moot Court Board, teaching assistant
    • American Jurisprudence Awards: Labor Law and Conflict of Laws
      • Harvard University Law School, Program on Negotiation, mediator’s certificate

Professional Experience:

  • Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Tulsa College of Law,
  • Adjunct Settlement Judge, USDC, Eastern District of Oklahoma
  • Certified Mediator, Harvard University Law School Program on Negotiation, 2008
  • Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, Temporary Division, 1993
  • Member, Board of Directors, University of Tulsa College of Law, Alumni Association, 2007-2011

Professional Associations:

  • Oklahoma Bar Association
    • Chairman, Judicial Administration Committee, Oklahoma Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, 1984
    • Charter Member, Oklahoma Bar Association, Litigation Section
    • Member, Insurance Law Section
    • Member, Appellate Practice Section
  • New York Bar Association
  • Muscogee (Creek) Nation Bar Association
  • Cherokee Nation Bar Association
  • Tulsa County Bar Association
    • Member, Grievance and Ethics Committee
    • Delegate, Oklahoma Bar Association
    • Alternate Delegate, Oklahoma Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
    • Member, ABA Advisory Committee 2008-2014
  • Defense Research Institute
    • Member, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
  • Oklahoma Association of Defense Counsel

Admissions to Practice:

  • Oklahoma 1980
  • New York 1987
  • United States Supreme Court 1989
  • United States Courts of Appeal, Second, Fifth and Tenth Circuits
  • United States District Courts, Oklahoma and New York
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • United States Tax Court
  • Muscogee (Creek) Nation (all Courts)
  • Cherokee Nation (all Courts)

Honors and Awards:

  • AV Preeminent (Martindale-Hubbell Attorney Ratings)
  • Best Lawyers in America
  • Super Lawyers
  • Honorary Lifetime Member, SCRIBES, The American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects
  • Coach, University of Tulsa College of Law National Health Law Moot Court Competition Team
    • Coached teams to two national championships and two second place finishes in the national competition
  • Namesake, The Bruce A. McKenna Health Law Competition, University of Tulsa College of Law
  • Phi Eta National Honor Society
  • Pi Gamma Mu National Honor Society
  • Senior Proofs Editor, The Federal Lawyer
  • Member Editorial Board, The Federal Lawyer

Publications:

  • False Light: Invasion of Privacy?, 15 Tulsa L. J. 113 (1979–80)
  • A Jury of One's Peers, “The Federal Lawyer,” Vol. 57, p.4 (August 2010)
  • Breed Discrimination Laws: So Wrong in So Many Ways, “The Federal Lawyer,” Vol. 58, p.4 (June 2011)
  • Biodiversity: It is the Law of Nature so We'd Better Take Heed!, “The Federal Lawyer,” Vol. 59, p.4 (July 2012)
  • The Transgender Dilemma, “The Federal Lawyer,” Vol. 61, p. 4 (September 2014)
  • Amusing Anecdotes of What Not To Do, “The Federal Lawyer,” Vol 63, p. 4 (June 2016)

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