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graphite drawing of Whitten Burrage office
J. Renley Dennis

Biography

A citizen of the Choctaw Nation, J. Renley Dennis was raised in Antlers, a small town in District 7 of the Choctaw Nation Reservation. Renley moved to Arizona upon graduation to fight wildfires, working for the United States Forest Service for two years, then Northwest Fire in Tucson, AZ for two years before returning home. Once back within the Choctaw Nation Reservation, Renley moved to Oklahoma City and received a bachelor's degree in Interpersonal Communications from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2013. He then attended the University of Oklahoma College of Law and earned his Juris Doctorate and his Masters in Native American Studies in 2017. While in law school, he earned the American Jurisprudence awards for Civil Procedure II and Professional Responsibility, signaling the highest grade in those classes. Renley was also awarded the Ed & John Shipp Memorial Scholarship his second and third year of law school and the Chahta Foundation Doctorate Scholarship. Upon graduation, Renley was awarded with the Joseph F. Rarick "Just Deserts" Award for 2016-2017. He now serves on the OU College of Law's Young Alumni Board.

He has worked for Whitten Burrage since midsummer 2011, serving as the runner, chauffeur, custodian and maintenance. Since graduation, Renley has worked closely with tribal governments such as the Choctaw Nation, the Quapaw Nation, the Chickasaw Nation, and others in litigation. Renley also works closely with Michael Burrage, the General Counsel to the Choctaw Nation and Quapaw Nation, and Austin Vance in improving governance. Renley has served as the Parliamentarian the Tribal Council of the Choctaw Nation since his initial appointment in 2018. Renley continues to study the legal realities of the tribal nations as well as the other areas of Whitten Burrage's practice.

Renley has also represented the University of Oklahoma in litigation as well as the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. He has represented individuals in insurance bad faith, wrongful death, negligence, breach of contract and other areas of law. He has contributed to multiple seven and six figure settlements.

Renley is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Choctaw Nation Bar Association, the Quapaw Nation Bar Association, the Oklahoma County Bar Association, and is licensed to practice in the Eastern, Western and Norther District Courts as well as the Tenth Circuit.

Education

  • University of Oklahoma College of Law, Norman, Oklahoma
    • Juris Doctorate - 2017
    • Honors: American Jurisprudence awards for Civil Procedure II and Professional Responsibility
    • Honors: Ed & John Shipp Memorial Scholarship
    • Honors: Chahta Foundation Doctorate Scholarship
    • Honors: Joseph F. Rarick “Just Deserts” Award for 2016-2017
  • University of Central Oklahoma
    • Bachelor’s Degree - 2013
    • Major: Interpersonal Communications
  • University of Oklahoma
    • Master's Degree - 2017
    • Major: Native American Studies

Pro-Bono Activities

  • OU College of Law’s Young Alumni Board