OU Law Names Sharon Thomas 2024 Kuntz Award Recipient

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NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma College of Law is proud to announce that Sharon Taylor Thomas is the 2024 Eugene Kuntz Award recipient. This award recognizes an outstanding individual in the field of oil, gas and natural energy law. It is named after Eugene Kuntz, a former professor of law and Dean of OU College of Law. Thomas is the first female recipient of this award.

“I am very honored to receive this award, especially an award named after such an influential figure in the oil and gas industry. I am, even more so, humbled to be among the accomplished and impressive past recipients of this award,” Thomas said. “During my 40-year career, I have worked with many skilled and excellent attorneys, and it is an unforeseen distinction to be chosen this year and a great honor that I will always cherish.”

Thomas is one of the most experienced appellate attorneys in the state of Oklahoma. A 1981 graduate of OU Law, she has been practicing law for 43 years – advising clients, offering opinions on the law and producing countless respected briefs and legal writings.

“I have worked closely with Sharon since 1995 and witnessed her legal skills first-hand. Sharon possesses all the skills and traits that are required to be a top-notch attorney deserving of the Kuntz award,” said Thomas Schroedter, shareholder at Hall Estill Attorneys at Law. “Her creative thinking and outside-the-box approach has resulted in solutions that other lawyers may not have considered.”

Recognized by U.S. News and World Report Best Lawyers annually since 2013 and named in The Best Lawyers in America for Oil & Gas and Energy Law from 2013-2025, Thomas was named Lawyer of the Year in 2022 for Energy Law in Oklahoma City. She is also a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Attorney and has been named to the 2022-2024 Super Lawyers list for Appellate Law in Oklahoma.

“A quick search on OSCN and Westlaw will explain how deserving Sharon Thomas is of the Kuntz Award. Sharon is a renowned and well-respected appellate lawyer and has been the lead brief writer in over fifty published decisions and countless unpublished decisions from the Tenth Circuit and Oklahoma appellate courts, many of which have shaped the legal landscape of Oklahoma,” said Jodi Cole, shareholder at McAfee & Taft. “Sharon is who you call when you lose at trial and need to throw your Hail Mary pass. She is your pinch hitter – a case in which Sharon has entered an appearance causes even the most confident of opponents to work a little harder. There is no one more deserving of this lifetime achievement award.”

During her decades of experience, Thomas has focused her career on several arenas. Among her appellate accomplishments, she has served as counsel of record on over 50 published decisions from the Tenth Circuit and Oklahoma appellate courts and in numerous proceedings before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. She has defended multiple oil and gas companies under both state and federal law and has represented companies in a variety of environmental-related proceedings.

“I am a lawyer because of Sharon. Our firm continues to be successful and known for excellent legal briefs because of Sharon,” said Leah Rudinicki, owner of Rudinicki Law Firm. “Because of Sharon, I know I can stand up in a courtroom anywhere in the country and know that our side’s research is superior. Because of Sharon, we can hire young lawyers. She will teach them, guide them, and show them respect. Sharon cares about her clients, cases, co-workers, family, and, above all, the rule of law, and we are so happy that she is receiving this prestigious award.”

Thomas will be honored during an awards ceremony of the 2024 Eugene Kuntz Conference on Natural Resources Law and Policy. Presented by OU Law and the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Energy and Natural Resources Law Section, the conference will take place at the Oklahoma City Convention Center on Friday, Nov. 22.