Debbie L. Self - an Oklahoma City, United States Family Law Lawyer

Oklahoma City Family Law Lawyer

Updated: 03/10/2026

Areas of Practice

Family Law

Attorney Information

Overview

Ms. Self was on the President’s and Dean’s Honor Rolls at the University of Oklahoma where she earned her Juris Doctorate in Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs and Administration. She also studied law at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Ms. Self was a member of the honor legal fraternity, Phi Delta Phi, and was the pledge class president of her sorority in undergraduate school. Ms. Self is named in “Who’s Who: American Law Students.”

While attending law school, Ms. Self owned and operated her own business, while at the same time working as a judicial law clerk, and later as a criminal prosecutor with the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office. As a law clerk, Ms. Self researched and prepared judicial opinions for administrative and criminal appeals. At the District Attorney’s office, she litigated negligent homicides, DUIs, probation violations, and white collar crimes.

Ms. Self later became an Assistant Attorney General where she worked on complex multi-state antitrust, bankruptcy, telecommunications, consumer fraud, and white collar fraud litigation. Ms. Self served as lead counsel for the 26-state National Association of Attorneys General working group in the WorldCom bankruptcy in New York, and the related criminal prosecution of WorldCom in Oklahoma state courts. She also served on the Oklahoma Inter-Agency Bankruptcy Fraud Task Force comprised of officials from the IRS, FBI, DEA and other law enforcement agencies. While on the Leadership Council of the National Association of Attorneys General multi-state insurance group, she helped draft legislation which shaped the National Association of Insurance Commissioners interstate insurance licensing compact. Ms. Self served as liaison with the Oklahoma Department of Insurance for various matters of consumer interest, and on many multi-state working groups and legal teams which revolutionized consumer rights in the wireless, telemarketing and telecommunications industries.

Before opening her own practice, Ms. Self practiced with an insurance and entertainment law firm in Nashville and served for many years as the Chief Legal Counsel (General Counsel) to nationwide insurance and medical management companies with employees and operations throughout the United States. She most recently served as Chief Counsel for Claimetrics, a division of Express Employment Professionals – the nation’s largest privately held temporary staffing agency with over 300,000 employees in 50 states and four countries. Additionally, she headed up the legal departments at Humana Workers’ Compensation Services, PCA Solutions, Hallmark Management, and Sterling Dental Services.

Business start-ups, operations, licensing and regulatory compliance are key components of her practice. Throughout her career, Ms. Self has acquired thousands of business, professional and insurance licenses on behalf of her clients. She has also been licensed as an insurance agent, adjuster, third party administrator and managing general agent in her own right.

As the Chief Legal Counsel to several start-up companies, she architected the legal departments from the ground up. While leading these legal departments, she also directed the Compliance, Human Resources and Risk Management departments from time to time. As a result, she developed a wealth of experience in employment, insurance, medical management and regulatory law. She has represented numerous employers and employees in unemployment benefit hearings, labor board hearings, drafting employee handbooks, developing employee benefit plans, ERISA law, EEOC claims and employment discrimination litigation.

She is now the owner and operator of Self Legal Group, PLLC, a business, estate planning, family law and civil litigation firm in Oklahoma City.

As an aggressive advocate for individual rights, Ms. Self also concentrates on providing legal services to individuals in the areas of business law, civil litigation, family and estate planning matters. Because of her vast background in business and insurance law, Ms. Self is often called upon to handle such matters for business owners, medical professionals and individual clients with complex legal needs.

PAST AND PRESENT MEMBERSHIPS, CIVIC AND COLLEGE ACTIVITIES

Member: Oklahoma State Bar Association
Member: Oklahoma County Bar Association
Member: American Bar Association
Named “50 Making A Difference” by Journal Record Woman of the Year event (2012)
Secretary: Insurance Law Section, Oklahoma Bar Association (2008)
Member: Association of Corporate Counsel (2002 – 2008)
President: Women of the South (2010 – 2011 & 2012 – 2013)
Board of Directors: Women of the South (2010 – Present)
Board of Directors: Friends of OSBI, Inc. (2008 – Present)
Advisor: Chad Peery Foundation (2010 – Present)
Adjunct Professor of Bankruptcy Law (2002 – 2004)
Moot Court Judge: OSBI Law Enforcement Academy (2006-2008)
Moot Court Judge: University of Oklahoma International Law Competition (2000)
Speaker: Identity Theft – Detection and Prevention (2002 – 2004)
Speaker: Insurance and Contract Law – What’s In The Fine Print? (Oklahoma Procurement Professionals seminar) (2007)
Speaker: Insurance Compliance in the 21st Century (1998 – 2001)
Phi Delta Phi Honorary Legal Fraternity (1992-1995)
Christian Legal Society (1992-1995)
Federalist Society (1992-1995)
Who’s Who: American Law Students (1995)
Public Affairs and Administration Club (1990 – 1992)
Kappa Delta Social Sorority: Pledge Class President (1990-1991)
Treasurer and Fund Raiser: Voting Precinct 10 (1995)
Page: Oklahoma House of Representatives (1984)

Awards and Honors

Honors

University of Oklahoma Moot Court Judge for International Law Competition
OSBI Moot Court Judge for Agent's Academy
Quality Solution Award, 1996
Nominated for the Oklahoma Journal Record's Woman of the Year, 2011

Education

Legal Education
- University of Oklahoma College of Law, Norman, Oklahoma
  J.D.
  Honors: Dean's Honor Roll, 1992 - 1994
  Honors: Phi Delta Phi Honor Society
- Oxford University Faculty of Law, Oxford, England
  Honors: 1993 Legal Study Abroad Program
Non Legal Education
- University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
  B.A.
  Honors: President's Honor Roll, 1991
  Major: Public Affairs and Administration

Current Employment Position(s)

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Senior Litigation Attorney
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Past Positions

Claimetrics, Subsidiary of Express Personnel, Chief Legal Counsel, 2004 - 2008
Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, Assistant Attorney General, 2002 - 2004
Gladstone, Doherty and Associates, Associate Attorney, 1999 - 2001
American Agency System, General Counsel, 1998 - 1999
Humana Workers' Compensation Services, General Counsel, 1995 - 1998
Oklahoma County District Attorney, Intern - Criminal Prosecution, 1994 - 1995

Classes and Seminars

Insurance Compliance in the 21st Century, Gladstone, Doherty & Associates, 1999
Insurance Licensing Law, Claimetrics, 2004 - 2008
Adjunct Professor of Bankruptcy Law (2002 – 2004)
Moot Court Judge: OSBI Law Enforcement Academy (2006-2008)
Moot Court Judge: University of Oklahoma International Law Competition (2000)
Speaker: Identity Theft – Detection and Prevention (2002 – 2004)
Speaker: Insurance and Contract Law – What’s In The Fine Print? (Oklahoma Procurement Professionals seminar) (2007)
Speaker: Insurance Compliance in the 21st Century (1998 – 2001)

Pro Bono Activities

Christian Legal Society (1992-1995)
Federalist Society (1992-1995)
Treasurer and Fund Raiser: Voting Precinct 10 (1995)
Page: Oklahoma House of Representatives (1984)

Representative Clients

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American Agency System Inc
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Angel Reen, Inc.
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Angelical Tears
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Associations Services LLC
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Briggs Youth and Family Association
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Chad Peery Foundation
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Claimetrics, Subsidiary of Express Personnel

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Covenant Insurance
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CRA Inc ( Crosstimber Riders Association)

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Excel Home Care and Hospice LLC
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Friends of OSBI Inc
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Grandmark Management System LLC
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Hallmark Management LLC
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Harris House Moving  
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Heart and Hand Ministries Inc
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Homebuilders Mutual Insurance
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Humana Workers' Compensation Services
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Icon Ceptual Designs LLC
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Koome Ministries
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Maxey Homes Hallmark Management LLC
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Nationwide Builders Supply Inc 
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PCA Solutions Inc
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Snipes Insurance Agency
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Sterling Dental Services, LLC   
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Sterling Health Services LLC  
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Women of the South Inc
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Ancillary Businesses

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Insurance Licensing
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Bar Admissions

Oklahoma, 1995
U.S. District Court Western District of Oklahoma, 1995

Other Affiliations

Women of the South, 2010 - 2011 (President)
Women of the South, 2008 - Present (Board Member )
Oklahoma Bar Association, Insurance Law Section, 2008 - Present (Secretary)
Women of the South, 2008 - Present (Committee Chair)
Family Law Section, Oklahoma Bar Association
Bench and Bar Committee, Oklahoma Bar Association
Professionalism Committee, Oklahoma Bar Association

Fraternities and Sororities

Kappa Delta

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Contact

Oklahoma City, OK

11200 S Pennsylvania Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73170

Directions

Phone: 405-353-6387

Email: Send a message

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Debbie L. Self - Oklahoma City, OK