Jerry Warren, a retired partner with McAfee & Taft and an accomplished corporate and securities lawyer, passed away on Tuesday, April 5, 2017.
“We are deeply saddened by Jerry’s passing,” said Justin Jackson, the leader of the firm’s Securities Group. “Jerry had a love of life and the law that was infectious and unparalleled. He was a brilliant and talented man and was one of the firm’s most colorful personalities. I am proud to call him friend and mentor.”
Jerry earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Oklahoma in 1965 and went on to earn his Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law three years later. Upon graduation, he joined McAfee & Taft, where he practiced for more than 44 years until his retirement in December 2012.
Over the course of his career, Jerry served as principal corporate and securities counsel for some of the largest acquisitions and securities offerings involving Oklahoma-based companies. His practice ranged across the spectrum of corporate and securities matters, including public and private debt and equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, going-private transactions, hostile takeovers and defenses, shareholder disputes, leveraged buyouts, and corporate governance and compliance.
“For years, Jerry was the ‘go-to” securities lawyer in Oklahoma City,” said Reid Robison, a colleague and law school classmate. “Not only was he very talented and creative, but he was also a good and loyal friend.”
Jerry’s achievements as a corporate lawyer earned him inclusion in the exclusive Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, as well as continuous recognition in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of corporate compliance law, corporate governance law, mergers and acquisitions, securities/capital markets law, and securities regulation.
“I have many memories of Jerry, all of them favorable and all of them special,” said Dee Replogle. “But most of all, I will remember Jerry as an incredible authority on partnership, corporate, and securities law who was always available to answer questions, provide advice, and lend whatever support he could. He was a valued friend with a very large heart, and a great partner whom I saw all too little after he retired. If a man’s legacy is measured by his friends and family, Jerry left quite a mark.”
“Jerry will be missed,” said Elizabeth Dalton Tyrrell. “He was a good lawyer that was fun to work with. He was also very much a family man.”
Jerry is survived by his daughter Megan, son Brad, five granddaughters, two great-granddaughters, and numerous family members, friends and colleagues. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 49 years, Jolinda, last year.
“Jerry was a great mentor and an even better friend,” said Jennifer Wheeler. “He loved his family and friends, his scotch, and the law — in that order!”