Vol. 6 No. 32 | Aug. 12, 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 2026 OBA Legislative Debrief on Aug. 21
The annual Legislative Debrief is an opportunity for OBA members to hear the latest updates on legislation that may impact their legal practices. This year's agenda will include a legislative panel as well as the always informative "90 Bills in 90 Minutes" session featuring updates on legislation impacting legal practice in Oklahoma. There is no cost to attend, and 3 hours of MCLE credit are available. Walk-in registration will be available.
Submit Nominating Petitions for YLD Leadership by Aug. 14
The deadline to run for 2027 OBA YLD leadership is nearing! Article 5 of the division bylaws requires that any eligible member wishing to run for office must submit a nominating petition to the Nominating Committee. The petition must be signed by at least 10 members of the OBA YLD and must be submitted by Friday, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m. A separate petition must be filed for each opening, except a petition for a directorship shall be valid for one-year and two-year terms and at-large positions. A person must be eligible for division membership for the entire term for which elected.
All OBA members in good standing who were admitted to the practice of law 10 years ago or less are members of the YLD. Membership is automatic – if you were first admitted to the practice of law in 2016 or later, you are a member of the OBA YLD.
DEADLINE
Nominating petitions, accompanied by a photo and bio of 350 words or less for publication in the Oklahoma Bar Journal, must be sent to lrtalbert@gmail.com no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14. Results of the election will be announced at the YLD meeting at the OBA Annual Meeting Nov. 11-13 at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City.
Legal Potpourri | Hearsay in Family Law and Oklahoma's New Trust Code
Have you checked out the August bar journal yet? This month's journal features several articles on the topic of "Legal Potpourri," including:
The Use and Abuse of Hearsay in Family Law Matters
By Jessica Tueller and Monica Dionisio
"One significant effect of 12 O.S. §2803.3 to domestic matters is that, as it is currently written, statements made by adults or children in the course of domestic violence proceedings will also be admissible without evidentiary safeguards otherwise available. It is likely, if not inevitable, that the number of Oklahoma appeals will increase as a result. Practitioners should consider whether to challenge the admission of this evidence when it appears and should also be careful not to leave their own evidence open to easy challenge."
What Trustees Need To Know About Oklahoma’s New Trust Code: Key Changes and Practical Applications
By Amanda Swain
"Effective Nov. 1, 2025, Oklahoma enacted a modified version of the Uniform Trust Code (OUTC), significantly reshaping the legal landscape for trust administration in the state. Unlike many legislative changes, the OUTC applies not only to trusts created after its enactment but also to existing trusts. As a result, trustees may now be subject to duties and obligations that did not exist, or were less clearly defined, when the trust was originally drafted."
From the Executive Director | A Season To Refocus
"As summer prepares to leave us behind, lawyers have a valuable opportunity to do more than return to full calendars and familiar routines. I challenge you to pause, reassess, and approach the remainder of the year with renewed focus and attention. Before diving back into packed calendars, overflowing inboxes, and court deadlines, there is value in taking a moment to reset. Summer has a way of changing our pace. Whether you managed to squeeze in a family vacation, enjoy a few long weekends, or simply slow down enough to catch your breath, the transition back to a full legal workload presents an opportunity that often goes unnoticed: the chance to refocus with intention."
Submit Your Board of Governors and House of Delegates Information
Mark your calendars for this year's OBA Annual Meeting, Nov. 11-13 at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City.
BOARD OF GOVERNORS VACANCIES
It's time to submit your nominating petitions for the OBA Board of Governors. The deadline for submitting nominating petitions for 2026 OBA leadership is Sept. 14. The Board of Governors is comprised of 17 active members of the Oklahoma Bar Association. One representative is elected for each of the nine Supreme Court judicial districts, as such districts existed prior to Jan. 1, 2020 [Order No. SCBD 4483 (2020 OK 17)], by lawyers in those respective districts, plus three statewide at-large members and the Young Lawyers Division chairperson. Officers are the president, vice president, president-elect and secretary/treasurer. You can view vacancy information here.
SUBMIT YOUR DELEGATES
It's also time to submit your local delegates to this year's House of Delegates, to be held Nov. 7 during the meeting. The deadline for submitting delegate certification forms is Sept. 1. In accordance with OBA bylaws, the House of Delegates shall be composed of one delegate or alternate from each county of the state, who shall be an active or senior member of the bar of such county. A PDF is available online with the count of members per county and the corresponding number of delegates and alternates allowed for each county.
Contact Mark Schneidewent at marks@okbar.org or visit our certification page for more information.
Featured CLE
A Simple Word Fix for Lawyers Who Prefer Their Own Font
By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Julie Bays
This week, I taught a four-hour Microsoft Word class for lawyers, and it was a good reminder that everyone comes to Word with a different comfort level. Some participants were less experienced users, while others were ready for more advanced tips. Next time, we may want to offer a beginner class and then a more advanced session later. But the good news is that everyone seemed to pick up at least one useful idea they can put to work right away.
One simple tip appealed to almost everyone: how to keep your default font in Word from returning to Aptos every time you open a new document.
- Open a new blank document
- Right-click anywhere on the blank page and select Font
- Choose your preferred font and font size
- Select Set As Default.
- Choose All documents based on the Normal template
- Select OK
That fifth step is the key. If you select only the current document, Aptos will be waiting for you when you open the next one.
I also want to thank Barron Henley of Affinity Consulting Group for his help as I prepared for the class. Mr. Henley generously sent me some articles to share with the attendees. In my opinion, he is the leading expert on Microsoft Word for lawyers, and I always learn something from him.
In “The Hidden Tax: Word Processor Inefficiency in Law Firms,” he explains how much time lawyers and their staff lose wrestling with Word. That lost time affects law firm costs, the reasonableness of fees and the time available for substantive client work. Word problems can also lead to broken paragraph numbering, inaccurate cross-references and outdated tables of contents.
Lawyers rely on Word to create documents for clients, courts and opposing counsel. Learning to use it more effectively helps us work more efficiently, reduce avoidable errors and produce more accurate legal documents.
Mr. Henley sent three excellent articles for the class, and I am pleased to share them with you as well.
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.