Steptoe & Johnson Names New Managing Members for Dallas, Denver, Louisville, and Oklahoma City Offices

Bridgeport, WV – Steptoe & Johnson PLLC has named Lori T. Oliphant the Managing Member of the Dallas office, David R. Little the Managing Member of the Denver office, Benjamin L. Riddle the Managing Member of the Louisville office, and Sandra K. Fraley the Managing Member of the new Oklahoma City office. They will oversee the day-to-day operations of their respective offices in addition to maintaining their legal practices.

“We are excited that Lori, David, Ben, and Sandy will be leading these growing offices,” said Steptoe & Johnson CEO Christopher L. Slaughter. “We have great confidence in them and know they will serve these positions well. We are thankful for the good leadership shown by previous Office Managing Members Elizabeth Cromwell, Lori Dawkins, and Jim Newberry in Dallas, Denver, and Louisville, respectively.”

Oliphant is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Department and focuses her practice on employee benefits and compensation matters. She is well versed in advising clients on investments in qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and accounts, Title I issues in the context of corporate transactions, fiduciary responsibility rules and guidelines to maintain regulatory compliance, and complex ERISA matters. She earned her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, her Master of Laws from the University of Houston Law Center, and her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University.

Little is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and his practice focuses on energy litigation. He represents clients on matters involving oil and gas, regulatory issues, torts, joint operating agreements, commercial contracts, oil and gas leases, mineral title disputes, and royalty payments. He earned his law degree from Stanford Law School and his bachelor’s degrees from the University of Colorado.  

Riddle is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and focuses his practice on business litigation. He represents regional banks, private businesses, and non-profit entities in litigation and pre-litigation disputes. He also negotiates resolutions of commercial lease disputes, breach of contract claims, partnership disputes, construction defect claims, insurance and bad-faith claims. He earned his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.

Fraley is a member of the firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Department and is the Land Administration Group Leader. She has a diverse background in managing litigation and advising on challenging legal issues. Her experience includes upstream oil and gas agreements, acquisitions and divestitures, exploration, development and joint operating agreements, farmouts, leases, deeds, assignments, easements, mineral title, managing results-driven litigation, and managing legal and land teams. She earned her law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University.

About Steptoe & Johnson

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is a law firm nationally recognized for its strengths in energy law with more than a century of know-how in the areas of business, labor and employment, and litigation. Steptoe & Johnson has over 400 lawyers and other professionals practicing in 18 offices in Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. Visit and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

For more information, contact Ryan Daniels, Chief Marketing Officer, at (614) 456-1647 or by email: press@steptoe-johnson.com.