Vol. 6 No. 4 | Jan. 28, 2026
Courts
Supreme Court of Oklahoma
No published opinions this week.
Court of Criminal Appeals
No published opinions this week.
Court of Civil Appeals
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
More
Register Now for the Jan. 30 Legislative Kickoff
The Oklahoma Legislature reconvenes in February, and hundreds of bills will be prefiled – many of them potentially affecting your practice or the administration of justice. Join the OBA Legislative Monitoring Committee at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30, at the Oklahoma Bar Center as they identify top bills of interest to the OBA and your practice area. There is no cost to attend, and attendees can receive 3 hours of general MCLE credit. Register now to attend either online or in person.
January Bar Journal | The Third Way: Traditional Tribal Customary Marriages Are Here to Stay
"Law students and attorneys tend to think that there are only two types of recognized marriages in Oklahoma – license marriages and common-law marriages – and that each requires a statutory divorce. However, there has been and continues to be a third legally valid way to get married and even divorced in Oklahoma: traditional tribal customary marriages or divorces in certain circumstances. Not everyone can be married or divorced in this way, but some are, despite the legal complications that arise from these types of arrangements."
January Bar Journal | From Author Todd Alexander
In Loco Parentis: Stepparent (Third-Party) Visitation and Custodial Rights
"This article examines Oklahoma’s evolving jurisprudence of the rights of stepparents and other nonbiological caregivers to seek custody and visitation under the doctrine of in loco parentis. While Oklahoma courts have long recognized that the 'best interests of the child' supersede strict parental entitlement, the statutory and constitutional contours of those rights have shifted considerably. The following discussion traces the development of this doctrine from early 20th-century cases to the modern framework, through the 2021 decision in Guzman v. Guzman."
Ethical Dimensions of Representing a Ward in Guardianship Court
"Once the decision is made to place an adult with diminished capacity into a guardianship, ethical duties arise, along with ethical pitfalls for the practitioner. This article seeks to explain the difficulties and duties of counsel in assisting and guiding a ward through a guardianship action and to ensure that when a successor attorney for a ward is sought, it is done ethically."
Bar Foundation News | Meet 2026 OBF President Courtney Briggs
"Law School: OU College of Law
Graduation Year: 1991
Current Position: Partner at Derrick & Briggs LLP
Location: Oklahoma City
Why did you decide to be a lawyer? I decided to become a lawyer after working in publishing in New York, where I spent years negotiating contracts as a literary agent and later handling international rights at Random House. Those roles gave me a front-row seat to how critical a strong legal understanding is in protecting authors, shaping deals and helping people understand their rights and options in general."
Applicants for the February 2026 Bar Exam
The Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct impose on each member of the bar the duty to aid in guarding against the admission of candidates unfit or unqualified because of deficiency in either moral character or education. To aid in that duty, the following is a list of applicants for the bar examination to be given Feb. 24-25.
The Board of Bar Examiners requests that members examine this list and bring to the board’s attention in a signed letter any information that might influence the board in considering the moral character and fitness to practice of any applicant for admission. Send correspondence to Cary Pirrong, Administrative Director, Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, OK 73152.
Featured CLE
A Simple Way To Make a Big Difference (and Oklahoma Lawyers Who Prove It!)
By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Julie Bays
This week, I received a note from the ABA national pro bono manager that made me stop and smile.
Every year, the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service recognizes attorneys across the country who have provided extraordinary volunteer service through the Free Legal Answers program. To qualify, a lawyer must answer at least 50 client questions in a year.
Three Oklahoma lawyers did far more than that.
- Paula D. Wood answered 193 questions.
- Timothy C. Dowd answered 145 questions.
- Travis C. Smith answered 73 questions.
In fact, many lawyers may not realize how easily they can provide meaningful pro bono service through Oklahoma Free Legal Answers. By answering questions online, one at a time, on a flexible schedule, attorneys can make a real impact. This user-friendly platform offers a simple way for lawyers to help others, even if they have never participated before.
If you are not familiar with Oklahoma Free Legal Answers, it is a program developed by the ABA and administered in Oklahoma through the Oklahoma Bar Association. It connects low-income Oklahomans with volunteer attorneys who provide brief legal advice online. Clients post civil legal questions, and approved volunteer attorneys log in when they have time and answer the questions they choose.
You are never assigned a question. You can answer as many or as few as you want. In fact, the system limits volunteers to five open questions at a time so no one gets overwhelmed.
The types of questions are exactly what you would expect: family law, landlord-tenant, small claims, basic consumer issues. The kinds of problems people face every day but often cannot afford to pay a lawyer to ask about.
The clients who qualify must be below 250% of the federal poverty level, not incarcerated, over 18 and have limited assets.
And here is the part many lawyers don’t realize. Lawyers remain anonymous and are covered by an ABA professional liability policy for the advice they give through the system.
For Paula, Timothy and Travis, that “simple” act turned into hundreds of real people receiving help they otherwise would not have had. And they did it on their own schedule.
That is what makes this program so powerful.
If you have ever thought, "I want to do more pro bono work, but I don’t know how to fit it into my schedule," this is your answer.
To register online, visit oklahoma.freelegalanswers.org and click "Attorney Registration." You can also view FAQs for volunteer attorneys. Once your membership is verified, you can log in at any time and browse questions in areas you feel comfortable answering.
Congratulations to Paula, Timothy and Travis for their incredible pro bono service. You set a wonderful example for the rest of us.
And if you have not signed up yet, maybe this is the nudge you needed.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2026 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.