Vol. 3 No. 14 | April 5, 2023
Courts
No published opinions this week.
- 2023 OK CIV APP 9: RAY v. STITT
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
The April Oklahoma Bar Journal focuses on the topic of "Attorneys & Aging." The print version will arrive in your mailboxes soon. Check out the online publication now, featuring the following articles related to aging in the legal profession:
Aging and Declining Cognitive Ability in Lawyers
By Rhiannon K. Baker
Law Practice Transition: Preparing a Practice for Sale or Retirement
By Claude E. Ducloux
Closing Your IOLTA Account: A Checklist
A Guide to File Retention and Destruction
By Jimmy Oliver
A Checklist for Closing Your Law Office
The Graying of the Legal Profession and Its Effect on Disciplinary Models
By Gina Hendryx
Considering Closing Your Practice? Protect Yourself From Malpractice Claims When You Wind Up
By Phil Fraim and John E. Barbush
ORPC 1.17 and the Ethical Sale of a Law Practice
By Richard Stevens
"Having practiced law for more than 43 years, I have watched many lawyers come to the end of their practice. It is a time of concern and doubt for many of them; giving up what has defined their existence is never going to be easy. Deciding when it is the right time to quit practicing law and navigating how to make the transition to closing your practice is certainly a life-changing event.
Many attorneys have law partners who can help with making the decision. It is hoped that the associates of those lawyers will take the time to help their officemate understand the need to retire from the practice. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. It is difficult to tell someone who was your mentor in your earlier years as an attorney that they need to step aside. I have seen lawyers from great firms have difficulty with legal issues that, a few years earlier, were second nature to them. It seemed that no one was willing to have that talk with their partner."
"The beginning of March brings several harbingers of spring – Bradford pear trees and forsythias begin blooming, severe weather alerts interrupt our regular rhythms, and the first deadline of the 2023 legislative session comes and goes.
At this point, if a bill did not get out of the committee in its house of origin with a 'do pass' recommendation, then it is dead for the rest of this session. If the measure was considered in committee but given a 'do not pass' recommendation, then it is dead for next year too. However, if a bill simply did not get a hearing in committee, it continues to be a 'live round' for purposes of next year’s session. Rest assured we will continue to keep our eye on those measures."
"After three years of the Socratic method of teaching, countless lattes and cold brews and maybe some frustrated tears, the conquerors of the February bar will be sworn in next month – an exciting reason to celebrate! As a TU College of Law spring starter (aka 'Half-L'), I find the May swearing-in to be the best one. It’s a smaller ceremony, and you get a jump start to a year of practice. Of course, you get sworn in before the Solo & Small Firm Conference!
I have attended multiple Solo & Small Firm Conferences, and I feel that every year, it gets better. From great hotel accommodations to a large choice of CLEs, the conference has something to offer everyone. You are able to complete all your CLE for the year; there is everything from a YLD-focused CLE to ethics, family law and estate planning."
The Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) consists of 15 unpaid volunteer members. Of the 15 members, only six members are lawyers. Lawyer commissioners are elected by their fellow Oklahoma Bar Association members, each representing one of six congressional districts across the state, as they were in 1967 when the commission was established. They each serve a 6-year term. Elections are held each odd-numbered year for members from two districts.
In 2023, there will be elections for members in Districts 1 and 2. District 1 is composed of Creek and Tulsa counties. District 2 is composed of 17 counties in the eastern and northeastern parts of the state, as those congressional districts existed in 1967.
Nominating petitions must be received at the bar center by 5 p.m. May 19, 2023.
When submitting a nominating petition, candidates should include a biography of 100 words or fewer and a photo (preferably both digital). Email Mark Schneidewent for additional details and a sample bio format.
On Monday, May 1, celebrate Law Day with the Oklahoma Bar Association! Attorney volunteers are needed to answer legal questions at no charge from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 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. Forty-seven of those years have been spent offering free legal advice to Oklahomans.
This year, Oklahomans will have the opportunity to ask questions via phone or email. If you are interested in offering free legal advice, sign up to volunteer by reaching out to your local county Law Day chair.
Featured CLE
By Jim Calloway, OBA Management Assistance Program Director
Approximately one year ago, it became more challenging to record phone calls on Android phones. In April 2022, Google announced Android apps in the Play Store could no longer use Android’s accessibility APIs for non-accessibility purposes. Since that was how most third-party call recording apps operated, they were effectively killed when the policy went into effect in May 2022.
"How to Record a Phone Call on Android" by How-To Geek is a comprehensive article on every available way to record a conversation now on your Android phone. Of particular interest is a Google Voice setup where you can push the 4 button to record a call, and Google Voice notifies the parties that a recording is underway. But that only works on incoming calls, not ones the caller has placed. Items like that are why this post is so useful. Android users should review this post and set up their preferred method to record calls now, so it will be available if needed. For example, recording a client authorizing you to settle a case might not be the preferred method of documentation, but it works, if you preserve the audio file.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2023 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.