Vol. 3 No. 31 | Aug. 2, 2023
Courts
- 2023 OK CR 13: KURTANIC v. STATE
- 2023 OK CR 14: CORNELIUS II v. STATE
- 2023 OK CIV APP 24: IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF SHEPHERD
- 2023 OK CIV APP 25: CAPRON v. SIXSMITH
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
The August edition of the Oklahoma Bar Journal is online now! This issue focuses on the theme of Ethics & Professional Responsibility, and it's packed with other important information related to jurisdiction in probate proceedings, plus news and highlights from Law Day, the Membership Engagement and Legislative Monitoring committees and the Women in Law Section. Plus, there are photo highlights from the recent Solo & Small Firm Conference and the Sovereignty Symposium. Take a look!
FEATURES
Work From Home Anywhere: Ethical Considerations in the Post-Pandemic Era of Virtual Lawyering
By Paige A. Masters
A Lesson From Seinfeld: How Generative AI Issues Remind Us to Be True to Our Oaths
By Jandra Cox
Judges on Social Media
By Judge Thad Balkman
Like Brothers, Like Sisters
By Travis Pickens
Pro Bono as an Ethical Obligation and Opportunity
By Melissa Brooks and Katie Dilks
"'Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.'
– Potter Stewart
One of the major goals of my year as OBA president is to open a dialog among our state’s attorneys and judges about the ethical issues that face each of us on a daily basis. While I would think that many people feel uncomfortable talking about what they perceive as ethical violations that occur in our profession, only by having those discussions can we educate ourselves and others about how we can improve the way that we conduct ourselves as lawyers.
In writing about this, I don’t hold myself as an expert on this issue; like many of you, I am only an observer. With this month’s Oklahoma Bar Journal devoted to the topic of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, it seems important for me to try to address some of those observations."
"Law Day has a long tradition in Oklahoma. When reviewing some old newspapers last year, I found an article by Milt Phillips in the Seminole Producer from April 18, 1948. Hicks Epton and the members of the Seminole County Bar Association presented to the public to educate them about our profession. According to the article, back then, the OBA had about 4,000 active members and at least one staff person. We are quite fortunate to have incredible bar staff now in 2023, but they each probably have just as much on their plates as that one full-time paid secretary from 1948. Hicks Epton went on to serve as OBA president in 1953 and helped found what we now celebrate as Law Day.
After a few years of virtual or local ceremonies because of the pandemic, this year we were again able to celebrate our statewide contest winners in the Supreme Court Ceremonial Courtroom at the state Capitol. OBA President Brian Hermanson, Chief Justice John Kane and I each had the opportunity to speak to the students and families in attendance about Law Day and this year’s theme, 'Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration.'"
The annual Legislative Debrief is an opportunity for OBA members to hear the latest updates on legislation that may impact their legal practice. This year's agenda will feature a legislative panel moderated by Administrative Director of the Courts Jari Askins as well as the always informative "60 Bills in 60 Minutes" session featuring updates on legislation impacting cannabis law, family law, criminal law, health law, civil procedure/courts and education bills. There is no cost to attend, and 3 hours of MCLE credit are available. Be sure to have this event on your August calendar!
The OBA Young Lawyers Division is accepting nominating petitions for 2024 leadership. Nominating petitions, along with a photo and short bio, must be sent to derwin@holladaychilton.com by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, for publication in the Oklahoma Bar Journal. Ballots will be mailed Oct. 2 to YLD members, and results will be announced at the YLD meeting at the OBA Annual Meeting Nov. 1-3.
TIPS FROM THE YLD NOMINATING COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON, DYLAN ERWIN
- A sample nominating petition is available at https://bit.ly/3yL2mcB. This will give you an idea of the format and information required by OBA YLD bylaws (one is also available from the Nominating Committee). Email derwin@holladaychilton.com to request a nominating petition.
- Obtain signatures (electronic signatures are permitted) on your nominating petition from at least 10 lawyers who were first admitted to practice law in the state of Oklahoma within the past 10 years. Signatures on the nominating petitions do not have to be from young lawyers in your own district (the restriction on districts only applies to voting).
- Take your petition to local county bar meetings or the courthouse and introduce yourself to other young lawyers while asking them to sign – it’s a good way to start networking.
- You can have more than one petition for the same position and add the total number of original signatures.
- Don’t wait until the last minute – I will not accept petitions that are scanned and emailed after the deadline.
- Membership eligibility extends to Dec. 31 of any year that you are eligible.
- Membership eligibility starts from the date of your first admission to the practice of law, even if outside of the state of Oklahoma.
- All candidates’ photographs and brief biographical data are required to be published in the bar journal. All biographical data must be submitted by email, with no exceptions. Petitions submitted without a photograph and/or a brief bio are subject to disqualification at the discretion of the Nominating Committee.
Featured CLE
By OBA MAP Director Jim Calloway
Should you upgrade to Windows 11? If you are buying a new computer, in my opinion, you absolutely should only buy a Windows 11 computer. Microsoft has announced the end of support for Windows 10 on Oct. 14, 2025. That is too short a time frame when purchasing new hardware. You also should not attempt to save money by purchasing Windows 10 or 11 Home Edition. Home doesn’t include hard drive encryption tool BitLocker and other features.
On the other hand, if your computers are not at the end of life, there’s no reason to rush to upgrade. But don’t wait until October 2025 to upgrade. Transitioning to the new computer will take a while, and there could even be spot computer shortages if many wait until October 2025 to shop. We suggest you calendar September 2025 for “new computer purchase.”
We all like to complain about upgrades. Sometimes items are rearranged for no apparent reason. PCMag published a feature "10 Big Reasons Not to Upgrade to Windows 11" that brings up some good points. The Windows 10 Taskbar is better, and the Start Menu is also better, according to this writer.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with the approach of upgrading now to get the Windows 11 learning curve behind you. There are going to be differences that will take some time to learn.
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.