Volume 2 No. 33 | Aug. 17, 2022
Courts
No published opinions this week.
- 2022 OK CR 15: OLIVER vs. STATE
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.
More
The August Oklahoma Bar Journal features several articles reflecting the Civil Procedure theme. Flip through the pages online in the interactive digital edition.
Kindra N. Dotson authored the article "What is the OCPA, and Why Should Attorneys Care About It?"
"The public policy interest of protecting against SLAPP suits is so fundamental and widespread that 28 states have adopted anti-SLAPP legislation to protect innocent defendants. In fact, defendants in such suits are generally referred to as 'targets' rather than 'defendants.' Anti-SLAPP legislation, such as the OCPA, is designed to allow for and protect: public comment and criticism in forums such as city council and school board meetings, grievances against governmental agencies and public officials and negative opinions expressed about public figures. The OCPA is unequivocal in prohibiting suits based upon such activities. It provides for a swift summary dismissal procedure for any such suit."
Last year, the Oklahoma Supreme Court clarified the standard to be used in proceedings to disqualify a lawyer and law firm based on a former client conflict. In the case of Board of County Commissioners v. Association of County Commissioners, the court was presented with the trial court’s determination that a lawyer and the lawyer’s entire firm were not disqualified from representing the board because that lawyer had previously represented the association.
This year's Women in Law Conference features an excellent lineup of speakers, including Lilly Ledbetter, in whose name the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was passed in 2009. Attendees will also hear from a panel of Oklahoma judges, as well as Dean Katheleen Guzman, OU College of Law; Professor Sarah Cravens, TU College of Law; and attorneys Rhiannon Baker, Stacy Acord and Katherine Mazaheri. This year's Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight Award winners will be recognized during the event luncheon. Attendees will receive six credit hours, including one hour of ethics, on a variety of topics of interest to all Oklahoma lawyers. Register online now or contact Renee Montgomery to purchase additional luncheon tickets.
Board of Governors Vacancies
The deadline for submitting nominating petitions is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. A narrative bio in Word (not to exceed 350 words) and photograph with a resolution of 200 dpi or more is due by Sept. 2 to Alisha Davidson at alishad@okbar.org. More information about Board of Governors vacancies is available online.
One representative is elected from each of the nine Supreme Court judicial districts, as such districts existed prior to Jan. 1, 2020, pursuant to Order No. SCBD 4483 (2020 OK 17).
For information on current board members and officers, visit the Board of Governors page.
County bars, take note! It's time to submit your local delegates to this year's House of Delegates during the Annual Meeting set for Nov. 2 - 4 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Click here for more information.
In accordance with OBA Bylaws, the House of Delegates shall be composed of at least 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 document is available online with the count of members per county and the corresponding number of delegates and alternates allowed for each county.
Contact Alisha Davidson for more information: alishad@okbar.org
Featured CLE
Tips and Tricks For Using Microsoft Teams for Project Collaboration
By Jim Calloway, OBA Management Assistance Program Director
Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration tool. But it does
require a bit of training. Done correctly, instead of searching through your inbox for email discussions that took place over weeks, each subject under Teams can have a different area with all the discussions and files neatly arranged.
Microsoft hosts free Microsoft Teams video training. My suggestion is your first use of Teams is better done for back-office projects than client projects. For example, if the firm is testing out new software or is working on a move to a new location. Teams can shine on those projects where discussion takes place irregularly over time. It helps one get back up to speed quickly when it is time to turn one’s attention back to a project.
The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) posted Tips and Tricks Using Microsoft Teams for Project Collaboration to its blog earlier this year. After your team has completed its initial training on Teams, these tips provide some great practice “how to” advice.