Melissa TaylorMelissa S. Taylor

Melissa Shepard Taylor graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where she was a National Merit Scholar, in 1999 with a B.A. in Letters (summa cum laude) and Classics (special distinction).  While at the University of Oklahoma, she studied abroad in Caesarea, Israel on a archeological dig.  She obtained her teaching certification and taught Latin for five years before attending law school.  She attended the University of Tulsa College of Law and graduated in 2009.  During law school, she was awarded the distinction of the “Most Outstanding Student in the College of Law.”  Melissa earned her LL.M in Taxation from the University of Alabama College of Law in August, 2011.

Following law school, Melissa joined GableGotwals as an associate.  Her practice includes tax law, probate administration, trust and estate planning, and employee benefits, including executive compensation.

Melissa's most recent experience includes:

  • Representation of corporate and individual clients in tax protests before the Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Internal Revenue Service
  • Assisted in obtaining a favorable appellate ruling in a contested probate administration

Melissa has published:

  • Co-Author, Do Intangibles Add Up to Uncertainties, January/February 2010, CPA Focus
  • Categorical vs. Game-Specific: Adopting the Categorical Approach to Interpreting “Permits Such Gaming”, 2008, Tulsa Law Review

Melissa was a speaker at the WE Inspire Conference in Spring 2010, and was recently interviewed by the Journal Record regarding ad valorem tax issues.