Attorney/Mediator/Arbitrator/Private Judge

Ed Cunningham has twenty-nine years of experience as a judge in one of the fastest growing counties in Oklahoma.  He retired from the bench in 2010, after serving as the presiding District Judge for twenty-five years, the Associate District Judge and Special Judge for two years each.  His judicial experience included every possible type of litigation from complex multiple party class actions and more than 250 jury trials to traffic court and small claims cases.

In addition, Ed was a member of the Court on the Judiciary for twenty-one years, serving as Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division of that Court at the time of his retirement from the bench. He was appointed Presiding Judge for a number of panels for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and served on the Court of Tax Review for the State of Oklahoma.

Areas of Expertise

• Business and Employment Law
• Class Actions
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Disputes
• Insurance Issues
• Oil & Gas Disputes
• Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
• Products Liability
• Professional Negligence
• Real Property – Title disputes and Condemnation

Education

• University of Oklahoma College of Law, Norman, OK
  Juris Doctor 1978

• University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
  Bachelor of Business Administration 1974

• University of Nevada, Reno, NV
  General Jurisdiction Program for State Trial Judges 1981

• Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
  Graduate studies in Warehousing and Transportation

Specialized Dispute Resolution Education and Training

University of Missouri, Columbia, School of Law

• Mediation Training for Civil Cases, 2010

Teaching/Seminars/Certifications

• Oklahoma Bar Association Continuing Legal Education - Seminars on numerous topics, including the examination and cross-examination of expert witnesses, family law, sentencing considerations for trial judges, annual updates for both civil and criminal law, and various "views from the bench" presentations
• National Judicial College, Reno, NV - Adjunct faculty member and principal presenter for judicial seminars on Proper Trial Practices for Presiding over Death Penalty Cases
• United States Department of Justice - Certified expert in the Trial of Capital Case Litigation

Professional Affiliations/Positions

• Member of Oklahoma Bar Association and Canadian County Bar Association
• President-District Judge of Oklahoma Judicial Conference
• Master Emeritus with Ruth Bader Ginsberg American Inn of Court.
• Oklahoma Judicial Conference Delegate to the National Conference of State Trial Judges
•  National Conference of State Trial Judges of the American Bar Association - Executive Board member and representative for trial judges of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.  Member of "Rights of Victims of Crimes" and "Courts and the Community" committees.
•  Chairman of the Oklahoma Bar Association Criminal Law Committee. 
• Chairman of Criminal Law Section for the National Conference of State Trial Judges
• Oklahoma Civil Jury Instruction Committee member
• Oklahoma Criminal Jury Instruction Committee Chair

Awards/Special Recognition

• Oklahoma Bar Association John E. Shipp Award for Ethics
• Trial Judge of the Year award from Oklahoma Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates
• Outstanding Member of the Judiciary award from Oklahoma Bar Association Family Law Section
• "Special Judicial Service Award" from the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association
• Fellow of the Young Lawyers Division of the Oklahoma Bar Association
• United States Department of Justice honoree for work on the rights of victims of crime
• Honored Member in "Who's Who in Law Enforcement"
• Governor's Commendation from Governor Frank Keating for "Devotion to the principles of justice and the rights of the victims of crime."
• Oklahoma Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

Published Work

• Co-author of "Recommended Judicial Practices for Trial Judges" 

Military Service

• United States Marine Corps – Vietnam veteran