Education
B.S., Oklahoma State University, 1980
J.D., University of Oklahoma College of Law, 1988
LL.M., New York University School of Law, 1989
About
Joel Stafford is Of Counsel at McAfee & Taft in Oklahoma City. He began his legal career at McAfee & Taft in 1989 and, for the nine years prior to rejoining McAfee & Taft in 2022, he served as Senior Tax Counsel at Devon Energy Corporation, a leading independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in Oklahoma City. Over the years, Joel’s legal and tax experience has focused primarily on corporate and partnership transactional planning and on tax audit and controversy matters. His practice at McAfee & Taft continues that focus.
In addition to practicing law, Joel loves to teach tax law and has done so from time to time throughout his career. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and the East Central University Department of Accounting. Most recently, Joel taught Oil & Gas Taxation at OCU Law for the Spring 2023 semester, Individual Income Taxation at OU Law for the Fall 2022 and Fall 2021 semesters, and coached the tax moot court team at OU Law for the Spring 2022 semester. Joel is teaching Corporate Income Taxation at OU Law for the Fall 2023 semester, plans to teach Partnership Income Taxation at OU Law for the Spring 2024 semester, and plans to coach the tax moot court team at OU Law for the Spring 2024 semester.
Additional Information
J.D.:
- Business Tax 6820
- Individual Income Tax 5463
- Partnership Tax 6100
New York University School of Law, LL.M
- Harry J. Rudick Award (outstanding student in LL.M graduating class)
- Highest academic average in LL.M graduating class
- Gerald Wallace Scholarship (one of six merit-based scholarships awarded)
- Graduate Editor, Tax Law Review
University of Oklahoma College of Law, J.D.
- Nathan Scarritt Prize (highest academic average in graduating class)
- Order of the Coif
- Chief Note Editor, Oklahoma Law Review