Volume 2 No. 52 | Dec. 28, 2022
Courts
- 2022 OK CR 30: STATE v. RABY
- 2022 OK CR 31: PURDOM v. STATE
- No published opinions this week.
Dispositions Other than by Published Opinions
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma Court Calendar
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is in session year round, unless otherwise noted. The Court regularly schedules conferences on Mondays and other days as needed.
More
Bar Center Holiday Hours
The Oklahoma Bar Center will be closed Monday, Jan. 2, in observance of the New Year's Day holiday.
Court of Criminal Appeals Judicial Assignments Announced
The five judges of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals voted in conference to name Scott Rowland presiding judge and Robert Hudson vice presiding judge of the court for 2023 and 2024. Judge Rowland has served as presiding judge since Aug. 1, 2021, finishing the term of Justice Dana Kuehn, who was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He is from Oklahoma City and was appointed to the court in 2017. Judge Hudson also currently serves as vice presiding judge, having been elected to that position by the court in January 2021. He is from Guthrie and was appointed to the court in 2017.
"Reuters reported in late June that thousands of email records it had uncovered showed cyber spies hacking into parties and law firms involved in lawsuits around the world. Apparently, hired spies have become a weapon of litigants looking for an advantage. Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) describes this segment of attackers as 'hack-for-hire' firms who take advantage of known security flaws to compromise accounts and exfiltrate data as a service. As found in the Reuters investigation, law firms who handle high-profile or high-dollar litigation matters are particularly at risk for such attacks."
"As I sit down to write this – my final article for the Oklahoma Bar Journal in my capacity as your Young Lawyer’s Division chairperson, the afterimage of the 2022 Annual Meeting has yet to fade from my mind’s eye. The Annual Meeting, at least for me, is an annual tonic. A yearly reinvigoration. A reminder of why I am so immensely proud to call myself a member of the OBA – to consider you all my colleagues and to have the immeasurable honor of representing a broad swath of you.
After trudging bent-backed through the last few pandemic years, contrary to statistics, I’m of the belief that 2022 was the first year we were able to return to some semblance of normalcy. Throughout the year, the YLD was still able to have in-person meetings, we were all able to gather for the Solo & Small Firm Conference, and as the evanescent flashbulbs of recent memory remind me, we topped everything off with an amazing Annual Meeting. But all good things must come to an end. Prospero’s words to Ferdinand in Act IV of The Tempest come to mind:
'You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
As if you were dismayed. Be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended.'"
"I often consult with lawyers setting up a new solo or small firm practice. There are many items involved in setting up any new business – like applying for an employer identification number (EIN) and deciding on the best entity to use for the business.
But there are also aspects of setting up a law practice unique to the legal profession. The OBA Management Assistance Program maintains the "Opening Your Law Practice" resource at www.okbar.org/oylp and provides a day-long seminar on the subject twice a year. Our fall "Opening Your Law Practice" program was recorded and is available on demand at no charge (no MCLE credit).
As the end of the year nears, law firms are making their plans for the next year. So in this month’s column, I decided to outline the technology tools a lawyer should consider when opening a new solo and small firm practice."
The Oklahoma Bar Association, the leading provider of continuing legal education in the state of Oklahoma, seeks a director of educational programs. The position manages and directs the OBA’s CLE Department and other educational events for the association. The OBA CLE Department offers comprehensive and unique live programming for Oklahoma lawyers and has an impressive list of online programs that are available to lawyers nationwide. The OBA is a mandatory bar association of 18,000 members with its headquarters in Oklahoma City.
Job Summary: The position is responsible for CLE development, advertising, planning and coordinating numerous continuing legal education programs annually, as well as planning and participating in organizational meetings, adult public education programs and the OBA Leadership Academy. CLE programs include live presentations and online learning opportunities. The director of educational programs is responsible for managing a staff of four employees, all pre- and post-program logistics, communication to program attendees and faculty members, administrative reporting, vendor and sponsorship coordination and providing on-site support to assigned programs. Salary commensurate with experience and excellent benefit package available to qualified candidates.
Deadline to apply: Jan. 31, 2023
Featured CLE
By Jim Calloway, OBA Management Assistance Program Director
The end of the year is the perfect time to take stock of how your law firm did this year and set goals for the next year.
A few things to review include: Gross revenues this year versus last year. Hopefully, you can break these down by practice area to help inform your 2023 marketing plan. How many new files did you open last year compared to the last couple of years? Again, it is best to break this down by practice area. What were the highlights and lowlights of the year? What was the most painful matter you handled and why? You still have a few days to check for client files to close this year with any remaining trust account funds applied to the bill and transferred to the operating account. Do you have any clients with large balances who need some special attention in January? The longer a statement goes unpaid, the more likely it won’t be paid.
Setting goals for next year: After you have reviewed the past year, it is a good time to set goals for next year. Goals should be objective so you can grade yourself on how well you have done this time next year. “Making as much revenue as possible” is not a goal, just a desire. A goal would be “increase revenue by 10% next year.” Another goal might be reducing accounts receivable by a certain percentage. This goal would require process improvements in handling clients who fall behind with their fee obligations. Perhaps you want to expand marketing efforts or do that long-delayed technology upgrade or decide whether you will hire an associate or resolve to become more selective on new client intakes. You need not create a lengthy list of goals, outlining every goal. It is easier to focus on fewer things at a time. Then calendar a date every month next year when you look at your goals and examine how well you are doing on meeting the goals.
We hope you have a happy and profitable year next year!
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2022 Oklahoma Bar Association. Statements or opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. Although advertising copy is reviewed, no endorsement of any product or service offered by any advertisement is intended or implied by publication. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their ads, and the OBA reserves the right to edit or reject any advertising copy for any reason. Legal articles carried in The Oklahoma Bar Journal are selected by the Board of Editors. Information about submissions can be found at www.okbar.org.