Vol. 4 No. 30 | July 24, 2024
Courts
No published opinions this week.
- 2024 OK CR 18: STATE v. AGUILAR
- 2024 OK CR 19: BOWLDS v. STATE
- 2024 OK CR 20: BOWLDS 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.
Member Transitions
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Coming Soon: Manage MCLE Reporting Through MyOKBar!
The wait is almost over! OBA members will soon be able to check their MCLE compliance, report credit and request exemptions through one single sign-on (SSO) to MyOKBar. This means Oklahoma lawyers will no longer need to log in with an additional password to a separate website for MCLE reporting. This simplified sign-on will be more convenient and result in increased time savings for our membership. More details coming soon!
"Oklahoma has emerged as an increasingly attractive destination for real estate investors, both foreign and domestic. With diverse economic sectors and a favorable business climate, our state offers a wealth of investment opportunities across various asset classes. It is important for legal professionals who counsel real estate investors to understand the unique dynamics of the Oklahoma real estate market and the intricacies of popular tactics and methods, such as a Section 1031 like-kind exchange (1031 exchange)."
This month is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, helping to bring awareness to the struggles of minorities regarding mental health and ending the stigma surrounding mental health.
Mental health struggles do not end with attorneys. To aid you in your law practice, it is also important to have an awareness of your clients' unique experiences. Mental Health First Aid put together a curriculum that helps increase awareness of others' perspectives. Here are a few tips they've included in their curriculum to help promote connection and understanding of others' lived experiences:
1.) Take time to learn about the impact of mental health and substance abuse on other cultures
2.) Respect other cultures when connecting with others
3.) It is OK to ask questions
4.) Shift mental health conversations from "illness" to "well-being" and "recovery"
If you are an attorney who is feeling overwhelmed or is struggling with severe stress, anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts, the OBA offers all bar members up to six hours of free short-term, problem-focused or crisis counseling. The service is strictly confidential. Call the Lawyers Helping Lawyers hotline (800-364-7886) to be referred to a counselor in your area.
The CLE Department provides a value of at least $600 worth of CLE programs to OBA members. This includes hundreds of in-person seminars, webcasts and audio programs, and on-demand programs that are available 24 hours a day. Members can also schedule group webcasts that allow five or more members to view a webcast together at their home or office. See all available programs now.
Featured CLE
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
No, it’s not your imagination. You are most likely receiving more phishing emails and strange phone calls with people talking in the background this year. Attempted fraud is on the rise, and the schemes are increasingly sophisticated. Soon we will see more artificial intelligence-aided scams, such as a deepfake voice message from a voice well known to you.
"The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to A Stranger" is Charlotte Cowels’ account of how she was scammed. She is an experienced journalist who has written about personal finance for years. She even had a brother who was a lawyer, but she was scared to talk to anyone.
Just last week, an Oklahoma lawyer received an invoice for $596.61 for an insurance policy renewal. The invoice was from the Oklahoma Bar Association. Not only had no one in the law firm ever heard of this insurance policy, but the return address to mail payment was in Cheshire, Connecticut. So they reached out to the OBA and confirmed the invoice wasn’t from us. This may be a good story to share with your staff.
For a good overview of today’s scams, see "The Latest Scams You Need to Be Aware of in 2024" from Experian.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2024 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.