Vol. 4 No. 16 | April 17, 2024
Courts
- 2024 OK 26: STATE ex rel. OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION v. MARRS
- 2024 OK CR 9: WASHBURNE v. STATE
- 2024 OK CIV APP 12: IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF JONES
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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On Wednesday, May 1, celebrate Law Day with the Oklahoma Bar Association! For more than 60 years, the Oklahoma Bar Association has celebrated Law Day with activities and events taking place over several weeks and in dozens of counties across our state.
This year, Oklahomans will have the opportunity to ask questions via phone or email. Attorney volunteers are needed to answer legal questions at no charge from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. To volunteer in Oklahoma City, contact Connie Simmons at connie@okcbar.org or 405-236-8421. To volunteer in the Tulsa area, contact Dan Crawford at lawdaytulsa@okbar.org or 918-240-7331. For all other counties, contact your local county Law Day chair.
Information about county Law Day chairs may be submitted to haileyb@okbar.org.
Valued at $250 an hour, the OBA Ethics Counsel is a benefit included in your OBA membership. Receive informal advice, interpretations of the rules of attorney conduct, free assistance with ethical questions and inquiries on subjects such as conflicts, confidentiality and client concerns. The counsel also offers CLE on ethics to groups and associations. Call 405-416-7055 or email ethics@okbar.org.
"Bridging the gap means the tribal practitioner must critically analyze the four sources of authority that determine the extent of an Indian tribe’s powers and the limitations imposed upon said powers. The four sources of authority are inherent authority, constitutional authority, congressional authority and judicial authority. The tribal practitioner should spend most of their time analyzing the situation that is the subject of the requested legislation, its problems and solutions, while focusing on the tribe’s traditional, cultural and spiritual values that must be incorporated into the legislation. Once the tribal practitioner understands the mission or purpose behind drafting the legislation, they must bridge the gaps between the legislation’s mission or purpose and the four sources of authority. The following sections discuss the 'gaps' (each of the four sources of authority), the 'tools' needed to bridge the gaps and the instructions on how to bridge the gaps."
"On Nov. 22, 2022, the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (LBBP) came to an end. Authorized by Congress as part of the settlement of the Cobell v. Salazar litigation, the LBBP included a $1.9 billion fund that was used to purchase small fractional interests in trust or restricted allotments owned by individual tribal members and consolidate those purchased interests into tribal ownership."
Dr. Karen Korematsu will be the keynote speaker at the Plenary Session on Thursday, July 11, at the 2024 OBA Annual Meeting! Note: This session will be held jointly with the Oklahoma Judicial Conference.
Dr. Korematsu is the founder and president of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute and the daughter of the late civil rights icon Fred Korematsu. Dr. Korematsu is a national speaker and travels the country advocating for civil liberties, social justice, civics and ethnic studies education. She promotes the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on Jan. 30 in perpetuity for all 50 states, and she has signed on to several amicus briefs opposing violations of constitutional rights.
"A year ago, when ABA TECHSHOW 2023 commenced, a national cable news network previewed Casetext’s new product, CoCounsel, a legal research tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The hosts discussed how this product would impact law firm staffing, adding to the existing discussion on how AI developments would affect lawyers. So, this year, everyone anticipated many AI announcements and demonstrations at ABA TECHSHOW 2024, and we were correct. AI was the hot topic with several vendors who unveiled new tools and features that use AI. We saw several impressive AI demonstrations and listened to many pitches that highlighted AI-powered features coming soon."
"Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping various facets of society, and the legal domain is no exception. In the ever-evolving landscape of legal practice, today’s young lawyers are finding themselves at the intersection of traditional legal methodologies and cutting-edge technologies like AI, which presents both opportunities and challenges. As digital natives, young lawyers are well positioned to embrace AI tools and leverage them to enhance their legal practice in various ways."
"Lawyers often ask about the rules governing advertising. The rules that govern lawyer advertising in Oklahoma are found at 7.1-7.5 of the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct. The rules are in a section of the ORPC titled 'Information About Legal Services.'"
Register for the Oklahoma Chief Justice Colloquium on Civility and Ethics
The Oklahoma Supreme Court is pleased to announce the Oklahoma Chief Justice Colloquium on Civility and Ethics, an annual OBA event. Presenters this year will be Judge Brantley Starr, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, and Judge P. Kevin Castel, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York.
Judge Starr and Judge Castel will discuss the ethical issues of artificial intelligence. Judge Castel was the first judge to discover and then fine lawyers for using ChatGPT in a court filing that generated fake case citations. Judge Starr was the first judge to create rules for his court on the use of AI. The judges will discuss the ethical issues with artificial intelligence and their personal scenarios with AI in their courts, followed by a discussion on the need for or against AI rules for lawyers.
This program will be offered both in-person and online. There is no cost to attend. MCLE Credit: 1.5 Ethics.
Featured CLE
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
It is important for a lawyer to have their client’s trust, particularly when important decisions must be made. While we all appreciate what building trust with our clients entails, few have examined the elements of improving trust.
In "The Trust Equation: The Most Important Formula for Developing New Business," Jay Harrington discusses his thoughts on the trust equation. Among the authorities he references is The Trusted Advisor, a classic in attorney-client relationship management, which recently published its 20th anniversary edition. While the authors’ trust equation formula looks complex, it contains commonsense observations that are easy to understand. I appreciate Mr. Harrington sharing that formula and his thoughts on it with a new audience.
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.