Vol. 5 No. 17 | April 23, 2025
Courts
No published opinions this week.
- 2025 OK CIV APP 8: ROCKET PROPERTIES LLC vs THE CITY OF TULSA
- 2025 OK CIV APP 9: STEPHENS vs STATE OF OKLAHOMA EX REL STATE BD OF OSTEOPATHIC EXAMINERS
- 2025 OK CIV APP 10: PARSON v. FARLEY et al.
- 2025 OK CIV APP 11: OAKES v CITY OF STILLWATER and THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION COMMISSION
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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The national and statewide celebration of Law Day is Thursday, May 1! Volunteers are needed to answer calls as part of Ask A Lawyer. To volunteer for Ask A Lawyer in Oklahoma City, contact Christina Drake by email or phone at 405-236-8421. To volunteer in Tulsa, contact Mary Clement by email or phone at 918-805-2352. For all other counties, contact your local Law Day chair.
The OBA Law Day Committee encourages every county bar to join our efforts and plan its own Law Day events – whether it’s coordinating student visits to the courthouse or giving free legal advice for at least one hour. The goodwill generated for the profession by offering this community service makes the effort worthwhile, regardless of the number of activities or calls received. The OBA would love to know what your county bar is doing for Law Day and help you promote your event. If you plan to answer calls as part of Ask A Lawyer, please provide your Ask A Lawyer information, including the phone number, using this form. Email other activity information to communications@okbar.org.
"There are times when a lawyer may be required to give legal advice to their organizational clients about conduct that may create legal risk for nonclient constituents of the organization. Both in-house and outside counsel advise organizations about contracts, regulatory requirements and many other issues up to and including potential criminal liability. When a lawyer does this, they communicate advice to individuals who are likely to implement and act on that advice. Except for extraordinary circumstances, such as when a constituent of the organization becomes a co-client, the organization remains the client. Recently released ABA Formal Opinion 514 provides ethical guidance to lawyers about such a situation. The opinion describes its application as follows:
(1) a lawyer – in-house or outside counsel – is giving advice to an organization client through a constituent about future action the organization may choose to take;
(2) the lawyer knows or reasonably should know that the constituents are likely to have their own legal interests at stake – for example, where the lawyer is advising the organization about possible future conduct for which the constituents may be subject to personal civil or criminal liability; and
(3) the lawyer does not intend to create a client-lawyer relationship with the constituent or otherwise to assume fiduciary or contractual duties to the constituent."
"Since the passage of State Question 788, which legalized medical cannabis, Oklahoma’s cannabis industry has exploded. Oklahoma is currently home to 1,811 dispensaries and 3,029 grow facilities. It has the most cannabis dispensaries per capita of any state: 36 dispensaries for every 100,000 residents.
When State Question 788 was passed in 2018, there was a lack of comprehensive regulatory framework and government resources to manage the cannabis boom. Medical cannabis quickly became a billion-dollar industry in the state, second only to oil and natural gas. Now, after thousands of licenses for dispensaries and grow facilities have been issued, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is struggling to manage and keep up with the industry."
"The Oklahoma Bar Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of two new scholarships that honor the legacies of distinguished legal professionals and further the OBF’s mission of making justice accessible to all Oklahomans. These scholarships aim to support aspiring attorneys who demonstrate exceptional ethics, dedication to community service and commitment to the legal profession."
Please note that vendor space is limited.
Featured CLE
By OBA Practice Management Advisor Julie Bays
ABA TECHSHOW turned 40 this year, and what a celebration it was. The conference moved to McCormick Place in Chicago, drawing record attendance and a packed schedule full of sessions on AI, legal tech and practical tools for modern law practice.
One of the biggest highlights (and the best-attended session of the week) was “Soaring with Copilot,” where Ben Schorr from Microsoft and I showed the attendees how Microsoft 365 Copilot is changing the way lawyers work. Mr. Schorr covered everything from prompt strategies to productivity hacks, and the response was overwhelming!
Another crowd favorite was the “40 Tech Tips in 40 Years” session. This high-energy presentation brought together past TECHSHOW chairs, including our own Jim Calloway, to share their favorite tech tips, old and new. From floppy disks to facial recognition, it was a fun and fast-paced walk-through of legal tech history with plenty of practical takeaways for today’s practitioners. Read about their reflections here.
Saturday’s judicial panel also left a strong impression. Judges Ashleigh Parker and Timothy Driscoll offered a candid look at how generative AI is being used in courtrooms, and the ethical responsibilities that come with it. My TECHSHOW co-chair, Steve Embry, captured the spirit of that session and the overall event in his article "ABA TECHSHOW 2025: A Landmark Event That Highlights the Power of Team." You can read it on TechLaw Crossroads.
Everything wasn’t perfect, though. The new venue was so large that the empty entrance areas made the show feel a bit less attended than it actually was. Bob Ambrogi shared that observation and more in his recap: "Marking its 40th Anniversary in a New Venue ABA TECHSHOW Experiences Growing Pains."
All in all, it was a great year for TECHSHOW and a strong reminder of how quickly things are changing in the legal technology world.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2025 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.