Ed Main joined the firm as an associate in May 1988, and became a partner of Secrest Hill Butler & Secrest in August, 2004.  Most of his work has been in legal research and appeals and has involved a wide range of civil tort issues.  Ed has published several articles on law, law-related topics, and academic issues.

A native Tulsan, Ed graduated from The University of Tulsa in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in history.  Following undergraduate school, he attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he received a master’s degree in philosophy in 1974, and a doctorate, also in philosophy, in 1982. He then attended The University of Tulsa and received a Juris Doctorate with honors in 1986.  Before joining Secrest, Hill, Butler & Secrest, he served as a legal assistant for the Oklahoma Court of Appeals, Tulsa Divisions.  Ed has also taught quite a number of college level courses in Philosophy and Humanities.

Year Joined Firm:

• 1988

Areas of Practice:

• Appellate Advocacy, State and Federal
• Dispositive Motions, State and Federal
• Legal Research
• Insurance Coverage

Bar Admissions:

• Oklahoma Supreme Court
• United States Supreme Court
• United States Courts of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
• United States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• United States District Court for the Eastern Districts of Oklahoma
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
• United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
• United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
• United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma

Education:

• J.D., with honors, The University of Tulsa College of Law, 1986
• Ph.D., Philosophy, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1982
• M.A., Philosophy, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1974
• B.A., History, The University of Tulsa, 1969

Professional Associations:

• American Bar Association
• Oklahoma Bar Association
• Tulsa County Bar Association
• Oklahoma Association of Defense Counsel
• Defense Research Institute

Articles and Publications on Legal and Law-Related Matters:

• Bad Faith After Badillo, Vol. 77 Okla. B.J., No.2, 149-157 (Jan. 14, 2006)
• The Perfect(ed) Appeal, Vol. 75 Okla. B.J., No. 9, 749-756 (Mar. 13, 2004). Revised, July 25, 2007, for “Appellate Practice: Things You Always Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask,” written materials and oral presentation Aug. 31, 2007, Sponsored by OBA/CLE and OBA Appellate Practice Section
• Who Owns a Nursing Facility? Vol. 75 Okla. B.J., No.2, 111-119 (Jan. 17, 2004); cited in Fanning v. Brown, 2004 OK 7, ¶12 n.7, 85 P.3d 841, 846 n. 7
• The Current State of Landowner Liability in Oklahoma, Vol. 63 Okla. B.J., No. 36, 2723-2731 (Sep. 30, 1992).
• Bad Faith in the Workers Compensation Context: A Cause in Search of an Action, Vol. 30 Tulsa L.J., No. 3, 507-524 (1995)
• Removal, Remand, & Review of ‘Bad Faith’ Workers Compensation Claims, Vol. 13 Thomas M. Cooley L. Rev., No.1, 121-141 (1996)
• The Relevance of a Biological Definition of Life to Fundamental Rights, 6 Med. & L. 189-209 (1987)
• The Neglected Prong of the Miller Test for Obscenity: Serious Literary, Artistic, Political or Scientific Value, 11 S. Ill. U. L.J. 1159-1177 (1987)
• Practical Ultimacy and Hart’s Rule of Recognition, Aitia, Vol. 17, No.2, pp.11-13 (Winter, 1992).
• Logic, Philosophy and the Fundamentals of Ethics, written materials and oral presentation, continuing legal education, sponsored by Tulsa County Bar Association, Nov. 27, 2007
• How Do You Know What’s Right? written materials and oral presentation, continuing legal education, sponsored by Oklahoma Association of Defense Counsel, Summer Meeting, June 19, 2008
• Settlements after Nichols, OADC News, Spring, 1997, pp.1, 8-10
• Service in Medical Liability Actions, OADC News, Sep. 2007, pp.2-3

Articles and Publications on Other Matters:

• The Prufrock Challenge: Reflections on Meaning in Art, Crosstimbers, Fall [2006]/Winter 2007, pp. 20-28 (published by the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma)
• Art as Imagination: The Development of R.G. Collingwood’s Theory of Art, Dialogos, Ano XXIII, No. 51, pp.123-137 (Jan. 1988)
• Hume’s Criterion for Historical Evidence (or Lack Thereof), Kinesis, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 62-74 (Spring, 1977)
• Marx’s “Phenomenology” of Value, Auslegung, Vol IV, No. 1, pp.64-77 (Nov. 1976)

Reported Court Opinions (Briefing for Prevailing Party):

• Edwards v. Pepsico, 268 Fed.Appx. 756 (10th Cir. 2008)
• Bogart v. Caprock Communications Corp., 2003 OK 38, 69 P.3d 266
• Burke v. Webb Boats, Inc., 2001 OK 83, 37 P.3d 811
• Christopher v. Circle K Convenience Stores, Inc., 1997 OK 27, 937 P.2d 77
• Beard v. Viene, 1992 OK 28, 826 P.2d 990
• Leding v. Eastern Oklahoma. Medical Center, 1996 OK CIV APP 143, 932 P.2d 40
• Cook v. Downing, 1994 OK CIV APP 178, 891 P.2d 611
• Stotts v. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1994 OK CIV APP 134, 882 P.2d 1106
• Warner v. Hillcrest Medical Center, 1995 OK CIV APP 123, 914 P.2d 1060,  cert. denied, 519 U.S. 861, 117 S.Ct. 165, 136, L.Ed.2d 108 (1996).
• D.T. by M.T. v. Independent School Dist. No. 16 of Pawnee County, 894 F.2d 1176 (10th Cir., 1990), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 879, 111 S.Ct. 213, 112 L.Ed2d 172.
• North American Specialty Ins. Co. v. Britt Paulk Ins. Agency, Inc., 579 F.3d 1106 (10th Cir., 2009).

Community Organizations:

• Tulsa Artists’ Coalition (Board Member, 1986 to present)
• Tulsa Philosophical Society (Board Member, 1988 to present)
• Tulsa Photography Collective (Board Member, 1989 to 2008)

Awards:

• Tulsa County Bar Association Golden Rule Award (March, 2019)

Prior Employment:

• Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, Judicial Clerk, Nov. 1986 to May, 1988
• Herrold, Gregg & Herrold, Inc., Attorneys at Law, Associate, Aug. 1986 to Nov. 1986
• Tulsa Junior College, Part-Time Instructor of Philosophy, Sep. 1977 to May 1988
• The University of Tulsa, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Philosophy, 1985, 1982
• Houston & Klein, Inc., Attorneys at Law, various positions, 1979 to 1983
• Allentown College of St. Francis De Sales, Center Valley, PA, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Fall 1976 to Spring 1977
• Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall 1969 to Spring 1975