Ryan Leonard is an experienced litigator in federal and state courts, and specializes in solving complex business problems for his clients. Ryan practices primarily in the areas of business law and litigation, receiverships and Native American law. He maintains the highest Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent Attorney Recognition (“AV”) rating for skills and ethics for attorneys and is recognized as a “Super Lawyer” for business litigation. Prior to entering private practice, Ryan served as a state prosecutor. Ryan also served for four years (1994-98) as a Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Senator Don Nickles in Washington, D.C. In 2020, Ryan was named “Special Counsel for Native American Affairs” to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma, a decision which resulted in nearly half of Oklahoma being designated as a “reservation” more than a century after statehood. In 2021, Ryan was designated as the lead negotiator for Oklahoma in discussions with Native American tribes to address the unprecedented jurisdictional complexities raised by McGirt. Ryan also appeared as co-counsel for Oklahoma before the U.S. Supreme Court in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, a post-McGirt case in which Oklahoma successfully reclaimed important criminal jurisdiction in eastern Oklahoma. Through his law practice, Ryan is also regularly appointed by federal and state courts as a “Receiver,” tasked with either managing, rehabilitating or liquidating businesses. Ryan has also represented receivers, including serving as lead counsel for the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner in the liquidation of a nationwide insurance company involving hundreds of millions of dollars in claims. In 2018, Ryan was appointed by a court as the interim CEO of Union Mutual Insurance Company, the first ever Oklahoma-domiciled insurance company to have been successfully rehabilitated from receivership. In 2019, Ryan was appointed by a federal judge as chairperson of a commission in an eminent domain pipeline action. Ryan also serves on the Magistrate Judge Selection Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Ryan is very active in the local community, having served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercy Hospital-Oklahoma City, as well as having served on a number of other boards including the Board of Trustees of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Central Oklahoma Red Cross, the Central Oklahoma YMCA, KIPP Charter School, the Executive Committee of the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals and the Legal Ethics Committee of the Oklahoma Bar Association. Ryan was also a member of Leadership Oklahoma Class XIX, and volunteered his time pro bono for Oklahoma Lawyers for Children. At a younger age, Ryan earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Since 2008, Ryan has been appointed and reappointed by Governors of both parties to serve as a Commissioner on the national Uniform Law Commission. Ryan has served on the Executive Committee of the national organization (2015-23), and has held the offices of Secretary (2022-23) as well as Chair of the national Legislative Council (2015-2019) tasked with overseeing enactment of uniform laws in all states and territories. Ryan earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma and graduated magna cum laude from Boston College with a B.A. in History. Ryan also attended the L’Institut d’Etude Politiques in Strasbourg, France. In his spare time, he enjoys coaching his childrens’ activities, reading history, travel and archaeology. He is the co-author of two books, “Opala: In Faithful Service to the Law,” a biography of former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Marian Opala, and “Principles and Perseverance: The Life of Don Nickles.” Ryan is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Tax Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Western, Northern and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Supreme Court and all Oklahoma state courts.